21 October 2008, 4:06 pm
The guy who bought my car has skipped town and hasn't made his second & final payment. How can I get the money he owes me? Mid August - I began negotiating a price on my Dodge Neon with a woman of about my age. Her name is Tayla. August 19th - Tayla and her friend or boyfriend Lance came over to do the paperwork and pick up the car. Both in the text message negotiations with Tayla and in the Bill Of Sale, Lance and I agreed that he could pay me $200 that day, which he did, as long as he mailed $800 to my parents by the 1st of October. Our Bill of Sale holds him entirely accountable for the payments; Tayla just did the negotiating and helped him with the paperwork. I made it clear to them that the money was to be sent to my parents, because I hadn't decided where I'd be living on October 1st, and because my parents sometimes handle my money for me when I'm moving around. Tayla and my roommate Sean were in the room while Lance and I finalized the Bill of Sale contract. October 1st - I called my mom. No payment yet. We gave them the benefit of the doubt and assumed, for the time being, it was in the mail. October 8th - Still no payment. I began text messaging Tayla, asking her to either give me Lance's phone number, or have him call me so we could work out an extension if that would help them out. Tayla never responded to any of my messages. October 17th - I gave up on text messages and went to the address Lance listed on the Bill of Sale. The place was boarded up. The neighbors said they didn't know any of the residents there by name, but they "all got arrested for burglary and beating each other up." I went to the police, but they couldn't divulge any information about Lance or my car. October 18th - I went to the diner where Tayla was a hostess. I was greeted by a different hostess, and I asked her if Tayla was working that day. According to another waitress, she hadn't been there in at least a week, and Lance had been the one to return Tayla's aprons and pick up her check. Tayla had told her co-workers she and Lance were moving (from the Coos Bay/North Bend, Oregon area) to Corvallis, Oregon, where they would live with her parents. Since then, I've tried all the resources at my disposal to either contact Lance, or to ask Tayla to have him contact me. I even called the diner this morning on the off-chance they'd be willing to give me her last name so I could at least look her parents up in a phone book (assuming they have the same last name) but, of course, there's employee confidentiality. Here's my biggest mistake: On the 19th of August, while we worked out the Bill of Sale contract and way before the $800 payment was due, Lance said he needed to drive the Neon immediately and in order to do that, he needed the title so he could register it. Seemed a legitimate request, so I signed it over to him. This is the last time I act on good faith for strangers. Can I take this issue to Small Claims Court if I don't know how to contact these people? If I can't, can anyone please recommend another way to reach or locate a person who has skipped town? Please, no violent suggestions; I just want the money Lance owes me for my Neon.... Read More »
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