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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think there should be tough punishments for people who ignore county court judgements

122 replies

ReallyTired · 20/08/2008 14:36

My brother is an electrician. He did thousand of pounds of work on customer's house. The woman has not paid him a penny. He spent a lot of money taking her to court and won his court case. He is finding next to impossible to enforce the court ruling as he cannot afford the cost of baliefs. He is close to bankrupty himself.

I feel there should be tougher penalties for people who ignore county court judgements. There is no excuse, even if you are benefits and have kids. You should at least make an effort to pay something. Or they should learn to live within their means and not pay for housing improvements they can't afford.

Prehaps if people who ignored county court judgments were sent to jail then the court system would be fairer.

People get sent to jail for shoplifting and why is refusing to pay an honest tradesman any different.

OP posts:
theSuburbanDryad · 21/08/2008 20:21

No. He didn't go to court. Had he gone to court, he would've paid the debt, and avoided the CCJ entirely.

The point I'm trying to make, is that from the court's POV he was avoiding the payment. How are they supposed to know that he just didn't receive the letter? As far as they were concerned, he was just another idiot who didn't want to pay their debt.

In your new world order, would it only be people who reneged on their payment plans who got put in jail? What about all the people who never set up payment plans in the first place, and ignore them (like dh)? Do they get away with it?

lardybump · 21/08/2008 20:24

SD I am with you.... I was just trying to point out to KatyDD that a CCJ is not a payment plan and as she works in collections she should know this. CCJ's are just a legal marker that a debt exists, one party may not even know about it until it is enforced (as with your dh).

Remotew · 21/08/2008 20:24

People do mess up and things happen, illnesses, circumstances etc. Fair enough. I think the government should have a compensation fund for such cases, then businesses, tradesmen, even individuals should not lose out when goods, services have been provided in good faith.

It should then follow that the debtor should never be allowed to get into debt again, somehow.

Similarly to bankruptcies. Its such a kop out for so many. Spend on credit cannot pay it back with virtually nil consequences. Two people I know have done this, both had a lovely foreign holiday this year, after the bankruptcy

lardybump · 21/08/2008 20:25

not all CCJ's are due to debt either so how would that work.....

FAQ · 21/08/2008 20:26
Remotew · 21/08/2008 20:31

Only jealous because I've never spent recklessly and could not afford to go abroad this year. Credit crunch hit my investments.

I'm going next year though probably all inclusive.

expatinscotland · 21/08/2008 20:34

I had a bankrupcy in another country due to divorce, redundancy and then being struck by a drunk motorist (who went to prison for his repeat offenses) whilst I had no medical insurance as I was working as a temp.

No foreign holidays or frivolous spending.

I was using credit cards to buy groceries.

FAQ · 21/08/2008 20:34

oh - I probably won't be paying though - DP going to be getting a nice little bit of severance pay from his old job - and after he's paid for his (already booked) Alaskan cruise he's said he'll put what's left towards an all-inclusive holiday abroad for us and my DS's

expatinscotland · 21/08/2008 20:35

We may get an all-inclusive foreign holiday next year.

My parents will fly us to go see them now my dad's health is circling the bowl.

lardybump · 21/08/2008 20:35

Oh FAQ are you going anywhere nice??

abouteve it is hard when you know people who have used the system but for every one of those there are 1000s of genuine people who have fallen on bad times and to those it is devastating.

KatieDD · 21/08/2008 20:38

No the people who ignore the letters do not get away with it but those who do get to court, like in the OP's case which is what we are actually discussing here, not your husband and then refuse to pay, it should be contempt of court and punishable by imprisonment, now no doubt you'll compare that to the Iraqi genocide and say that I thought Sadam had the right other or some other irrelevant crap.

Remotew · 21/08/2008 20:42

I'm friends with the two people I know. In both cases it was just reckless spending, designer clothes, beauty salon treatments and such like. I'm sure there are lots of geniune cases and I always take the view "there before the grace of god go I".

Who knows what life will throw at us but the system is there for anyone to use. I'm sure that it is devastating to be in hugh debt even if you have been thoughtless.

lardybump · 21/08/2008 20:42

But Katie a CCJ is not an agreement to pay. You keep barking on about people not reading what is infront on them but you are not either. How can it be contempt of court when there is no agreement and not all parties need to be preasent????

FAQ · 21/08/2008 20:43

I don't know - tbh I'm not fussed where we go - DP is insistent that whatever is left once he's paid for his cruise will be used for a holiday for us all. Anywhere will do me - I did self catering with Shelleylou and her DS in a 3 bedroom caravan in Yarmouth this year lol

lardybump · 21/08/2008 20:44

abouteve I was in huge debt before I met my dp and he saved me. I could not of kept my head above water for much longer, it is not nice and I was one of the lucky ones..

theSuburbanDryad · 21/08/2008 20:45

Katie - you obviously have no idea what you're talking about. Lardybump clearly does. You should listen to her - especially if you work in the area you say you do.

lardybump · 21/08/2008 20:47

FAQ that caravan sounds fab. I have dc2 on the way this year so any holiday is out as we are saving. Still there is always next year (but then I will have two very young children so maybe not).

FAQ · 21/08/2008 20:48

oh it was great fun - us two, then our DS's 7,4,21 months and 14 months

theSuburbanDryad · 21/08/2008 20:50

FAQ - sounds...interesting!

Remotew · 21/08/2008 20:50

lardybump, I'm always dreaming about someone to save me .

lardybump · 21/08/2008 20:50

No nor would I!!!!!!!!!!! But we went for DC2 instead...

expatinscotland · 21/08/2008 20:51

I'd like someone to save us, too.

But it would have to be God/a miracle.

lardybump · 21/08/2008 20:52

abouteve sometimes I wish it was someone else that saved me but most of the time he is ok .

theSuburbanDryad · 21/08/2008 20:52

expat - have you had that baby yet?

FAQ · 21/08/2008 20:52

oh it was - we did child orientated things in the day - then got through 2 x 3lt boxes of wine, and 5 bottles in 7 nights between us