Friend Owes Me £174 what do I do?

mk89_2

Please prepare for long story this has been going on for over a year now, please stick with it as I need advice!

Basically I was a fool in all this, I bought tickets for my friend when we were going to concerts and match games, but the person I am I hate asking back for money! (I just feel like i'm pestering the person even if its my money to get back!) So if she didn't pay me the day of the concert of match I would leave it then maybe during the week or the next match I would bring it up oh you owe me for the last time as well.

So this kept happening and she would pay me some weeks then not pay me others saying she is short on money. And so I was like ok that's understandable pay me back when you can. Soon it build up to £200 and she knew and started paying me back £10 a week until she got the money down till like £130 and we went on a weekend trip away which cost £189 each....she paid me that £189 back within 3 weeks, and within those 3 weeks the £130 went back up till £174.

She asked after she gave the £189 for the trip would it be ok after New Years to pay back the rest of the money she owed as it was getting close to christmas. Again I was like yes of course that's fine i understand.

Soon after that I had no contact from her, but would see her at the matches, so after New Years I contacted her on facebook saying that she owes me the money still and that she could be pay it off bits at time. She then came and sat behind at a match and told me again she would pay me back and was it ok for maybe £5-£10 as she was starting longer hours in her job.

February came barely spoke to me again anytime I saw her, so I messaged on facebook and said do you know when you can start paying me back. she replied back with no.
With that I never replied back i was like ok then. My other friends at this point said I was being too soft

Start of March came my mother ended up stopping her at one of the matches and said when is my daughter getting her money back. With which she replied I don't know my work is shutting down!

So last week I basically messaged her again calling her out, asking how can get she get drinks, go to all these matches but yet can't pay me anything back and I said it was time to pay up.
Her response was that she said I'm now harassing her and she would get a restraining order against me! That I will get my money when I get it and her work is closing down.

If your still with me hi, what advice could you give me? Cause I don't know what to do anymore. My friends tell me I should take her to small claims court? Anyone else have better advice on what to do?

McKneff

Is she really worth all the hassle.
You keep calling her your friend but she isn't. She has used you and you have allowed her to do so.
Either sue her on money claim ie small claims or move on and learn from it.
While i can understand your frustration, she is right, you are harrasing her, so choose and then do it.

mattpaint

Money claim online. Walk away from her.

gettingtheresometime

Stop buying tickets for her?

Write it off to experience & if she can't afford future tickets upfront then she doesn't get to go.

unholyangel

There used to be a saying....if you lend a friend £20 and never see that friend again, it was probably worth every penny.

Amount here in question is higher but principle is the same.

Aced2016

I personally would walk away. I get its the principle, but is it really worth it for that amount. I would stop stressing and wasting time and not contact her ever again. There are far too many false friendships, when in actual fact its not a friendship. It's people using others when it's convientent and it happens all too often.

Going forward don't always take the lead on booking things and when you do book separate or get the money upfront.

Sometimes in life it's best to just walk away for your own sanity.

Fireflyaway

I think a good friend would have paid you back by now or at least apologised and given a decent explanation without being chased.
Looks like you might need to forget it. She is probably being defensive because she knows she is wrong and might be having a go at you so you stop asking. If this were me I'd probably write a letter. Explain you need the money back and enclose you bank info so she can set up a standing order. My guess is that won't work but its worth a try!

Tom99

Unless you a broke just forget it.

Marvel1

Start here:
https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

hazyjo

unholyangel wrote: »

There used to be a saying....if you lend a friend £20 and never see that friend again, it was probably worth every penny.

Amount here in question is higher but principle is the same.

Totally agree. This is bad for your soul and unhealthy. Block her on every platform you have contact with her on and on your phone. Pretend she never existed. You'll feel better for it. She's toxic, and sorry but you have been erm no polite way of saying it so will use the nicest understated word I can think of and say 'naive'

Move on.

Doodles

This 'friend' is a user. And you are too soft. Bad combination of personalities!

Write a letter (not Facebook message) in a formal fashion requesting full payment of the money within 14 days or you will take her to small claims court.

Let's face it the friendship is dead. Asking someone to be repaid isn't harrassment so she is just calling your bluff.

I think there is a lot of merit in the old saying 'never a lender or borrower be'. Take that to heart OP!