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sushi The Wild Things
Oer-Erkenschwick
Posts: 29

At the moment I'm so upset about a lady who isn't paying her bill.
At the beginning of this year she bought 3 of my bears. Two of them she paid as once and for the 3. one I offered her a 3 part layaway. Posted the bear after the second payment -yes I now, never do this- and... nothing happend, no payment.
The answer to my mails was that she can't pay at the moment. I'm  a patient person and so I gave her more time to pay. In her next mail she told me, that she had to sell the bears she bought because of  her bad financial situtation. She sold all bears on bearpile (including the unpaid one) and again nothing happend. I'm still waiting for my money.
Now she is answering my mails  in the name of a friend telling me that she is absent for 3 weeks and still ingnoring my paypal invoices. Meanwhile I have been informed from others that this isn't the first time she plays games like this.
I'm interested to hear if you have similar experiences and what you have done.
Is there a black list for for dubious collectors I don't know or have you published the name of such a person on your blog/facebook to protect other bearmakers or anything else?
The problem is that she is living in the UK and I'm here in Germany, that makes a law suit difficult.

emmastephens Emma Stephens Crafty Creations
Gloucestershire
Posts: 79

It's terrible that people do this, especially given the amount of hard work and time that goes into creating a bear.
Have you tried threatening legal action? The threat alone may jivvy her into paying up.

Emma
xxx

Us Bears Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,479

You know where she lives.  Right?

Contact the District Magistrate in her town and ask what your remedies are.

(At least that's what they call it in the US...  District Magistrate or District Justice.  He is the official who handles arraignments, traffic citations and small claims issues.)

Tell her that you expect her to pay her bills in full by a certain date.  If she does not pay you are going to turn her in to the Magistrate.  The Magistrate should send her legal notice of a court hearing.  IF she does not appear or respond to that notice she is in contempt of court.  IF that happens, the judge can issue an arrest warrant.

Just for good measure, I'd also contact YOUR local Magistrate (or whatever they call him in Germany) and ask his opinion on the case.  You pay taxes to support the man's salary.  Right?  Go get your money's worth and ask him what the laws are.

You should not need a lawyer at this early stage of the game, although it doesn't hurt to have a consult with one.  But, first, I would contact the Magistrate and see what he has to say.

rowarrior The Littlest Thistle
Glasgow
Posts: 6,212

It would be small claims court in the UK.  Find out more about it here: http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/info … /index.htm

sushi The Wild Things
Oer-Erkenschwick
Posts: 29

Thank you so much for your advice, they are really helpful. I'm not very familiar with law and specially not with UK law.
Hope to find a way to  stop this womens  activities,

annalong MadebyAnna
Posts: 425

Hmmm. I think I may have stumbled across this woman.. Would it be possible to share her name or send me her name..
I would appreciate it..as I was thinking I lost MY mind   bear_ermm

Dreli-Bears Dreli-Bears
Salzburg
Posts: 720
Website

this is really a very bad story - good luck to you my dear!!!!

I would agree with Anna to share the name of this awful lady to be warned against this kind of adopting our beloved darlings

bear_thumb  will cross my fingers for you!!!!

Conni Germany
Posts: 1,794

It has also happened to me with eBay. A buyer also from UK) asked for deferment.... The payment was not very high. I have not sent her the bear. After 1 month I announced this buyer with eBay because of a not paid-up article.

desertmountainbear desertmountainbear
Bloomsburg, PA
Posts: 5,399
Dreli-Bears wrote:

this is really a very bad story - good luck to you my dear!!!!

I would agree with Anna to share the name of this awful lady to be warned against this kind of adopting our beloved darlings

bear_thumb  will cross my fingers for you!!!!

Is this maybe a threat you could use to get her to pay?  To have her name spread throughout the bear making community.  Maybe it would matter to her.

Joanne

Us Bears Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,479
Dreli-Bears wrote:

this is really a very bad story - good luck to you my dear!!!!

I would agree with Anna to share the name of this awful lady to be warned against this kind of adopting our beloved darlings

bear_thumb  will cross my fingers for you!!!!

When I was in college, I used to work for Sheraton hotels as a night time security guard.  One of the things we used to do was maintain a inter-business security log which was used to keep track of people who checked into the hotel but did not pay their bills or who caused trouble and had to be ejected from their rooms.

If my hotel had a non-paying guest or we had to call the police due to the guest making a disturbance, it was the security guard's job to relay the information to the other hotels.  I had three hotels to call and relay the information to.  Each of those three hotels had three hotels to call and further relay the information.  Every Monday night, all the hotels would relay any reports they received to the other hotels on their branch of the tree.  By the end of the night, all the hotels in the city would receive complete updates on any problem customers.  That list of names was kept on file so that the desk clerks would know whether they were dealing with a problematic guest.  In most cases that meant that a person on the list would be required to pay cash, up front, upon check in.  In a very few cases, the clerk was to inform the security guard on duty who would then call the police if the person did not leave the premises immediately.

On some occasions, I would call up my contact person at another hotel and simply say, "We had another run-in with John Smith," and he would already know who that person is.

While I am not a fan of "blacklisting" I don't any objections to members of this forum sharing information about people who they have had problems with as long as we are careful to be sure that we don't accuse anybody of wrongdoing who doesn't deserve it.

kim "a bear by kim"
merseyside
Posts: 2,401

im having the exact same prob with someone here in the uk, not the 1st time iv been mucked about by her, usually when i need payment most,last time was xmas  and now as its my daughters birthday next week, and she knows the bear im holding is to fund her presents, so im only holding it until the weekend then selling it on. i have emailed her but now shes ignoring me providing lots of excuses.
others have told me they have had prob with this lady, soon becoming abusive.
im like you, very patient and dont like to upset anyone but theres only so long we can wait.
i have a feeling this could be the same person.  and we are in the same predicament .

boohbears Booh Bears
Glendale, Arizona
Posts: 1,833
Website

I had it happen with someone here in the U.S. and I cut ties with her.  There are so many lovely collector's and life is way too short to try and figure out why
some are not.   It's a shame you sent the bear prior to receiving the full payment.   I think that's a lesson for all of us!
Good luck -
Janice

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