small claims court

[Alan R. Barnard]

Take your lumps. Even if you win, YOU still have to collect the judgement.
The legal system will do almost nothing to help.

You can earn a lot more than $200 in the time it would take to prepare, make
the trip, etc. Also, the stress just adds sluggishness to your life.

Suggest you send the party a letter saying that you don't understand why
they haven't paid but that you can't afford to carry bitter feelings around
in your heart so you forgive them and wish them well.

This will do WONDERS for you, believe me I know from experience. In a
previous life (figuratively not literally) I had an executive consulting
business. I ended up with over $15 grand in uncollected fees--money I could
have well used. After about 6 months of stomach churning, hateful thinking,
plotting, scheming, nasty letter writing, etc., I wrote the type of letter I
mentioned above. One client sent what he owed. I never heard from the rest
but I was at peace ... after just a short time, I couldn't even remember any
of their names or faces!

Amazing how that Bible stuff works!

Alan Barnard
Salem, MO

----- Original Message -----
From: "John M. Formsma" <jformsma@dixie-net.com>
To: "PianoTech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, July 19, 2002 7:02 AM
Subject: small claims court


> Dear List,
>
> Do any of you have advice for the following?
>
> I am owed a little less than $200. Is it worth the effort to go to small
> claims court when the court is located some 75 miles away?
>
> I hope no one has experience with this, but if you do, I'd benefit from
> hearing it.
>
> Thanks,
>
> John M. Formsma
> Blue Mountain, MS
>