Car restorer owes me money
Discussion
Hi All
I have a problem that needs action.
A couple of years ago I imported a car from the US. I made arrangements with the owner of a specialist garage in the Woking area to handle the importation, renovation and eventual registration of the car. I needed this one stop shop service as I live abroad. Anyway over the years the renovation ground to a complete halt as it became obvious, to others, that the garage were not capable of finishing the project. Many promises were made and broken concerning the finishing and registering the car. Lies were made to cover up for the previous lies and eventually even my patience wore thin and when I challenged the owner of the garage, he admitted that he had been telling me lies for the past year. Because I only visit the UK at odd times throughout the year and because my contract for further work abroad had been extended I was perhaps not as pushy as I should have been in insisting that the agreed work be completed. Anyway, I removed the car from the premises, all amicably, because the owner had realised that the work was beyond his capabilities. It was then that I discovered that parts that I had paid for and paid for fitting had been removed from the car. Challenging the owner he agreed to refund me the invoiced amount. Sums were agreed on and the owner signed in agreement about £6,000. The car is now with an engine specialist who states that the modifications made by the original restorers was totally inadequate and so far I have spent thousands of Pounds completing the job.
Many promises were made to refund the money and on one occasion I even received a cheque for the full amount. The cheque subsequently bounced and I took action through the HMCS money claim on line. Judgment was issued on the 28/12/2006 and a warrant Issued on the 29/12/2006 for £5,000 as this is the maximum amount for the first warrant. The Bailiff has contacted the defendant on 2 occasions and a cheque for the full amount was promised on both occasions. No money has been forthcoming. As far as I can ascertain this procedure can go on for years especially if the defendant has no saleable goods that the Bailiff can auction.
Has anybody got any ideas on how I can speed up this process and put an end to this very sorry chapter in my life. I have considered reporting the theft of the parts to the police but what more can they do?
Any advice would be appreciated and if any PH'ers in the legal profession felt that they could help I would be happy to become a client. Please PM.
I have a problem that needs action.
A couple of years ago I imported a car from the US. I made arrangements with the owner of a specialist garage in the Woking area to handle the importation, renovation and eventual registration of the car. I needed this one stop shop service as I live abroad. Anyway over the years the renovation ground to a complete halt as it became obvious, to others, that the garage were not capable of finishing the project. Many promises were made and broken concerning the finishing and registering the car. Lies were made to cover up for the previous lies and eventually even my patience wore thin and when I challenged the owner of the garage, he admitted that he had been telling me lies for the past year. Because I only visit the UK at odd times throughout the year and because my contract for further work abroad had been extended I was perhaps not as pushy as I should have been in insisting that the agreed work be completed. Anyway, I removed the car from the premises, all amicably, because the owner had realised that the work was beyond his capabilities. It was then that I discovered that parts that I had paid for and paid for fitting had been removed from the car. Challenging the owner he agreed to refund me the invoiced amount. Sums were agreed on and the owner signed in agreement about £6,000. The car is now with an engine specialist who states that the modifications made by the original restorers was totally inadequate and so far I have spent thousands of Pounds completing the job.
Many promises were made to refund the money and on one occasion I even received a cheque for the full amount. The cheque subsequently bounced and I took action through the HMCS money claim on line. Judgment was issued on the 28/12/2006 and a warrant Issued on the 29/12/2006 for £5,000 as this is the maximum amount for the first warrant. The Bailiff has contacted the defendant on 2 occasions and a cheque for the full amount was promised on both occasions. No money has been forthcoming. As far as I can ascertain this procedure can go on for years especially if the defendant has no saleable goods that the Bailiff can auction.
Has anybody got any ideas on how I can speed up this process and put an end to this very sorry chapter in my life. I have considered reporting the theft of the parts to the police but what more can they do?
Any advice would be appreciated and if any PH'ers in the legal profession felt that they could help I would be happy to become a client. Please PM.
Edited by jim hobbs on Wednesday 7th March 03:50
Hi boosted ls1 and jamesuk28
Thanks for the interest.
Please excuse my ignorance here, I do not live in the UK nor have I lived there for quite a few years.
Yes I still have the original cheque that bounced.
What do you mean by:
1. A statutory demand.
2. Service on a ltd company registered office?
How would I go about getting one?
Would it be best to use a UK solicitor?
Thanks for the interest.
Please excuse my ignorance here, I do not live in the UK nor have I lived there for quite a few years.
Yes I still have the original cheque that bounced.
What do you mean by:
1. A statutory demand.
2. Service on a ltd company registered office?
How would I go about getting one?
Would it be best to use a UK solicitor?
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