How to collect money?

[seti920]

About a year and a half ago I helped a 'friend' buy a laptop from dell. He was 18 and had no credit. I effectively co-signed on the loan.

He deserted from the marines about a month later, showed back up, etc.

Well, unsurprisingly we both got assigned to different bases a little while after that. And amazingly enough, he didn't cough up the money that he was supposed to.

I've paid off the balance with Dell, because I hated 21% interest. Now I need to locate my former colleague and get the money out of him.

I don't know what state he is currently living in.
I have his old bank account number from Navy Federal.
I have a previous cell number, unsure if it is active.
He was discharged on 17 October, 2007, after just over 2 years in. Category of discharge unknown.

Is there any collection agency you can recommend?

ETA - and yes, I know now that it was really, really stupid to co-sign. mea culpa.

 

[dug777]

Write it off and get on with your life.

 

[Kelemvor]

THere are lots of collection agencies out there. You could hire one of them to find him for you.

Best bet is to maybe just hire someone to find him and then take him to SMall Claims court. If he doesn't show, you win by default and then you can legally have his wages garnished and other things like that...

GOod luck

 

[Geekbabe]

I would consider this a very valuable lesson about the dangers of co-signing.You got off quite cheaply in that you knew he wasn't making payments and could fix it before it made problems for your credit.

 

[seti920]

Originally posted by: Geekbabe
You got off quite cheaply ....

No, I didn't. It was about $3,500, and I was junior enlisted.

kelemvor - any particular one you could suggest, or just fire up google and run with it?

 

[jjones]

Originally posted by: dug777
Write it off and get on with your life.

Yep, not worth the time or trouble. Chalk it up to lesson learned.

 

[Modeps]

You lose. Just forget about it and never co-sign anyone except your kin.
Either that, or try and take him to small claims... maybe you can end up on People's Court!

 

[Jumpem]

If you're in the Marines still, have your CO get in touch with his CO.

 

[Muadib]

This ain't going no where until you track him down.

 

[seti920]

Originally posted by: Muadib
This ain't going no where until you track him down.

Oddly enough, I know that.

Part of what I asked, earlier, was in regards to that. How ought I find someone with a common first/last name?

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Honestly I don't think there's anything you can do since it's been paid off. Small claims court is probably your only option.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Give-up and move on.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: seti920

Originally posted by: Geekbabe
You got off quite cheaply ....

No, I didn't. It was about $3,500, and I was junior enlisted.

yes, you actually did. Imagine if you decided to co-sign a brand new car. Or a house. People have been burned for far more.

It's still an expensive lesson learned, but good luck in trying to get the money out of him, if you find him.

 

[Heller]

O hey ben, didn't know you posted here...


about that laptop..yeah my bad..


for what its worth, im using it to post now.

long time no see..hehe

 

[jpeyton]

I think the OP has debt collectors confused with mafia bounty hunters.

A debt collector is a 30-something person who sits behind a desk with a headset on, waiting for the auto-dialer to go through a list of numbers.

Your 'friend' can either ignore the calls altogether, or simply dispute the debt and tell the agency to stop calling (after which the agency risks huge fines if they call again).

Your best bet is to take him to small claims court. However, depending on your state, even if he loses it might be difficult to collect the money.

 

[seti920]

For people who've suggested small claims court....I was a citizen of Mass, living in CA. He was a citizen of KY, LA, or maybe MO, also in CA. I've since moved to TX, back to MA, and now to VA. I have no idea where he's moved.

I have consulted with legal authorities [who didn't want to touch this], and am at a loss as to who has jurisdiction.

I am not a Marine, nor have I ever been; we were at a joint service post. When I attempted to raise the issue with my chain of command, they were uninterested.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

It shouldn't be too hard to find him with a little work. It's just a matter of looking up his former address and making some calls. You'll eventually hit someone that's family or a close friend that knows where he is.

What to do from there is tough. You'd probably have to spend more collecting the money than what is owed.

 

[BoomerD]

Truthfully, it sounds like you're screwed. Hopefully you learned (an expensive) lesson.

If you don't have a written agreement, no court around (except maybe Judge Judy or Judge Joe Brown) will touch this.

 

[sjwaste]

Originally posted by: seti920
About a year and a half ago I helped a 'friend' buy a laptop from dell. He was 18 and had no credit. I effectively co-signed on the loan.

He deserted from the marines about a month later, showed back up, etc.

Well, unsurprisingly we both got assigned to different bases a little while after that. And amazingly enough, he didn't cough up the money that he was supposed to.

I've paid off the balance with Dell, because I hated 21% interest. Now I need to locate my former colleague and get the money out of him.

I don't know what state he is currently living in.
I have his old bank account number from Navy Federal.
I have a previous cell number, unsure if it is active.
He was discharged on 17 October, 2007, after just over 2 years in. Category of discharge unknown.

Is there any collection agency you can recommend?

ETA - and yes, I know now that it was really, really stupid to co-sign. mea culpa.

Didn't they have the JAG lawyer come in and tell you exactly not to do this? They certainly did for my buddy right after basic.

Seriously, though, you might be f'ed. Did you have anything in writing that he was responsible to you? I'm not sure how guaranty contracts work or if it's already in there. Did you actually cosign, or did you take out the loan in your name only? Essentially you'll need proof that he owes you to send anyone to collect it.

I haven't taken a UCMJ course yet, but maybe you can get the ear of a superior and ask if there's any recourse?

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: seti920

Originally posted by: Muadib
This ain't going no where until you track him down.

Oddly enough, I know that.

Part of what I asked, earlier, was in regards to that. How ought I find someone with a common first/last name?

That would depend on how much you know about him. If you had his social security number it would be easy. But since you say you effectively co-signed, I'm guessing you don't have it. Have you looked into the stuff you do know? I mean you trusted the guy enough to loan him $3,500, so you must know more than whats in your post. I would start with his mom or dad. They know where he is.

I think your next best bet is to get a private investigator. I know two women who did this to track down ex boyfriends who weren't paying child support. It worked for them, so you might be as lucky. They don't work for free though.

 

[WildHorse]

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[Muadib]

Originally posted by: scott
If you really want to find the jerk, ask your bank to refer you to someone who does SKIP TRACING. Or if your credit card was involved, than ask the CC company.

A competent skip tracer will find him fast, say maybe in under an hour. But even if you find him, unless he willingly sends you your money, it'll cost you more to pursue action against him than it's worth.

Lesson learned. If you itemized your tax deductions for that year, then I wonder if you could file an amended tax return for that prior year and claim some deduction for "theft"? I don't know, but maybe.

I'll agree with you that a skip tracer could find him, but I highly doubt that he will find a bank or CC company that will do it.

It won't cost him anywhere near $3500 to take him to small claims court. If he finds him, thats what he should do.

 

[911paramedic]

Get a judgment against him and have some of his property taken to satisfy the debt.

A few years ago my father was tired of dealing with some guy that owed him 5K, so he sued him and got a judgment. After another year of the guy not paying he got the court to issue an impound on the guys vette for non-payment. The guy quickly called saying he needed his car back, and wouldn't you guess, found the 5K.

 

[SearchMaster]

Originally posted by: Modeps
You lose. Just forget about it and never co-sign anyone - EVER.
Either that, or try and take him to small claims... maybe you can end up on People's Court!

Fixed.

Good luck.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Are you both still in the Marines? They are pretty strict about conduct like that even in personal life/dealings.

Edit-NM...I see you've already exhausted this avenue.

Might I suggest hiring a Guido?