Someone owes me money and won’t pay me back

rozzimaygreenwood

Hiya!

I lent a friend £43 because he was in a desperate situation, with the promise he would repay me the following day. It has been almost a week and he keeps making excuses after excuse. 

I know £43 might not sound like much, but to us it is a massive amount of money and we have had to delay our food shop as we can’t afford it until he repays us. We have a 1 year old and we’re feeling pretty desperate. 

There is proof of what he owes us on a Facebook messenger chat.

Is there anything we can do to claim this money back from him? As I said, we’re really desperate and feeling very hurt that he betrayed our trust. 

We’ve looked into small claims court but that can be a long wait and we really need it back soon.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

elsien

Nothing else legal you can do to get it back other than shame him into it, get his family on his case if he has one and you know them well enough,  or take him to court which has a cost implication and takes time, for the amount involved. 
If you are desperate for food money, have you considered a referral to a local food bank? 

rozzimaygreenwood

Thanks for your reply Elsien. Yeah we’re looking into that, just feel like there should be some way we can hold this person accountable is all. It’s really upsetting! Thank you for replying.

jonesMUFCforever

As a last resort why not put it on Facebook - something like has anybody seen this person? Try not to libel them keep to the facts. 
It might get a response - on the other hand you might get a load of messages saying it has happened to them too - if that is the case the money is gone - you will have to accept this - sorry.

elsien

The thing is, if they're that desperate for money, even if you were able to hold them accountable in some way there's no guarantee you'd get the money back if they don't have it to pay.  Sadly, money and friendship tends not to mix well.

MalMonroe

Firstly, I think you are really kind people and very good friends to have. 

Sadly, you have been taken advantage of by someone who may have intended to pay you back but isn't able to now. 

Taking this matter to court will cost you even more money than ever, and it's probably too small an amount anyway.

If you can't shame this person on social media or in any other way, then you may have to swallow the loss but do think next time you're asked, especially when you have a small baby. You and your family are more important than anyone else and should come first. No matter how desperate others may say they are. Just say no. 

My Mum always said if you lend anyone anything, you must be prepared never to see it again. Sorry.

rozzimaygreenwood

Thank you for all your helpful comments - really appreciate the time you spent giving us advice! We managed to get in contact with his sister (thank you for that idea, I wouldn’t have thought of it!) who has been able to reimburse us on his behalf. We are feeling very relieved! Thanks again  

missile

Good for sister

Emmia

I think the key thing is to not lend money that you can't afford to lose.