What to do if I sold a boat and the buyer won’t pay the remaining 2,500 left on the bill?
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What to do if I sold a boat and the buyer won’t pay the remaining 2,500 left on the bill?
I sold a boat and the buyer won’t pay the remaining $2,500 on the bill. I have all the sale paperwork: bill of sale, boat title, payment agreement signed and notorized, etc. The deal was to pay 80k (which was paid) and then pay $2,500 once I sent the title of the boat in the mail. The title was sent and received by the buyer. Since then about a month ago, all emails, texts, calls, have gone unanswered. What are my legal options here to get the $2,500.
Asked on March 22, 2012 under Bankruptcy Law, Connecticut
Answers:
S.L,. Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
You can sue the purchaser of the boat for breach of contract for failure to pay the remaining $2500. Your damages (the amount of compensation you are seeking in your lawsuit would be the amount you are owed). You may be able to file your lawsuit in Small Claims Court. Your damages should also include court costs which would be the court filing fee and process server fee. It would be advisable to have the summons and complaint (complaint is the lawsuit attached to the summons) served by a private process server. You can find process servers listed under attorney services in the Yellow Pages or online. Select a process server located in the city where the boat purchaser is located to reduce costs or if that isn't possible, a process server near the city where the buyer is located. It would be advisable to use a private process server instead of the marshal because the marshal will make a limited number of attempts to serve the buyer and if unsuccessful will keep the fee and nothing will have been accomplished. It would NOT be advisable to serve the buyer by certified mail return receipt because the buyer won't pick up the mail.
After you obtain a judgment against the buyer, it would be advisable to pursue a wage garnishment if the buyer doesn't pay the court judgment.
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