Any body else see anything wrong here?

[willib54]

This actually happened to me and I still can't believe it.
Nine years ago, I purchasd some carpet for my home. I wrote a check for half the cost and the salesman said it would come in 10 days later. Good enough!
A week goes by and I hear that the carpet store is closed. I go down there and sure enough, there is a sign on the door, "closed by the city for failure to pay taxes." I call the city and they say they have siezed all assets of the store to get their money. I tell them that my carpet was in there. They say I need to file a small claims suit against the owner to get my money back.
I pay 10 bucks to file the suit, go to court, win the suit. The judge says I need to see the prosecutor to try to collect my money cause the carpet guy never showed in court.
Two weeks later, I get a letter from another court. They have granted the carpet guy bankrupcy protection and I can not try to collect my money. But wait, it gets better!
The best part came today. I recieved a bill from the city muni court for unpaid court costs. I go down there and ask what the bill was for, after nine years. They tell me that the bill was for unpaid court costs that was supposed to be paid by the carpet guy, but since he filed bankrupcy and hasn't paid, I now have to pay. AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!

 

[Moosie]

(as Moosie Giggles under his breath) Thats NOT FUNNY !!!!

Seriously though, We lived in an F-ed up place sometimes !!! But I wouldn't change it for another Country, Thats for Dang sure.

Sorry to hear about it !!!!

 

[scottymack]

You may want to see an attorney, If you won in court, the fees may have been discharged in his Bankruptcy. you will have to look at your old Judgement from small claims to see if the Carpet guy was responsible for court costs as he lost.

 

[Tuffbucker]

I'd just firebomb the court....if there is no paperwork, there is no costs to pay!!!!

 

[Washington Hunter]

That really SUCKS!!! I would not pay it. No way.

 

[Whiskers]

You won the case, and he had to reimburse your court cost. As far as anybody downtown is concerned you owe. How much do they say you owe them.

We just got done remodeling our house, the whole house! We put $16,000 of new cabinetry in the NEW KITCHEN. (now that the kids are gone she needed a bigger kitchen)That cost was just for the cabinets the installation was extra. We got somebody else to do the installation.When it was all done, there is a corner cabinet that requires a glass insert in the door. The door was there but no glass. I went to the cabinet place, and asked about it. They said....nope, we don't supply the glass. I said for $16K you guys are going to put that piece of $2 glass in there. Just give me the glass and I will put it in. Nope, we don't supply that piece of glass. After some debates, I in my usual cool, calm and collected self, remarked on my way out the door that one way or the other he was going to pay for a piece of glass. He could give me the peice I wanted or he could pay for the one in front of his store, after the brick goes thru it. (you know one of them heat of the moment remarks) 2 days later I see one of the cops at the donut shop, where else. And he ask me if I threatened to break a window. They called up and wanted it on the record. So if 10 years from now somebody throws a brick thru the window they come looking for me. Some day I will learn.

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 01-10-2004 01:24: Message edited by: Whiskers ]</font>

 

[cjcj]

Do not pay, but if i were you i would contact every tv news station that airs in your area, the love this kinda crap, and most of them have a "legal" or investigators that will resolve it for free. They love this stuff it makes a good story. try it.

 

[Mojave]

I like cj's idea. The media is the way to go. Your story is just too much. I'm guessing at this point you are worried that if you make another step you are going to get another bill. But I would take it to the court of public opinion. Heck if nothing else, maybe you'll get a law changed or something. You never know. Good luck buddy!

 

[Reddoggie1]

I would do as cjcj suggests, the news media loves this kind of stuff and so does the public. Once the media starts running this you will end up with the entire community behind you and the courts will have no recourse but to drop these charges, and I wouldn't be surprised if another carpet company picks up on this and takes care of your carpet needs out of good faith, and sympothy, besides it's good advertisement for them. Hell you'll probably come out 9yrs later smelling like a bouquet of roses

..


Dennis

 

[The Viperess]

Yep sounds like Ohio courts

 

[beardown]

Just for everybody.....Use a BONDED CONTRACTOR and make sure you have a CONTRACT!! You could save all this by suing the bonding company.....they will pay and that contractor will get blackballed from all bonding agents. This happens all the time in construction, guys need the work and there is so much competition out there they end up cuttin their own noses off just to get the job! Most jobs dont make money, I'd say about one out of every ten you will actually make a decent profit. Most of the time you make just enough to stay afloat. Most construction these days is soely based on quanity not quality! You bid as many jobs as you can and take a lesser amount and do as many jobs as you can. This is a real bennifit for the big guys that have backing. It keeps the honest guy out. The big boys get material cheaper and hire a bunch of low dollar idiots to do the work! They prefer to use guys that have little or no expereince as to keep the overhead down. They also refuse to pay a decent wage and when someone gets up there in wages they push them out and replace them with a scrub! This is where the Union thing comes back into play! If you really want a good job and a company that is'nt going to dissapear on you, use a Union Shop!! They acctually care about their guys and give them a oppotunity to have a life! The rat contractors that you had problems with is the majority. So you really want to do your homework when hiring a contractor.

 

[dgibson]

Where's a lawyer when you need him?

I might be wrong, but I think that if you filed your suit against this dirtbag BEFORE he filed bankruptcy then he still owes you. Maybe not, though.

 

[Quick Draw]

My sister and I think that you should refuse to pay the court costs only becuase you won your case and the carpet guy filed bankrupsy after he lost in court so he still has to pay you your money. So we think you hsoudl go to a higher form of courts.
Quick Draw

 

[scottymack]

Darren, unfortunately once a judgement was rendered it then becomes a dischargable debt through bankruptcy. that is why you need to see who was responsible for costs in the judgement. If the carpet guy was ordered to pay court costs through the judgement the the court can not go after the prevailing party. the debt goes away.

 

[dgibson]

Well, that stinks. Thanks for the clarification, Scottymack.