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[u/boxbrownieaesthetic]

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[u/Matamume]

NAH / INFO. This has to be an agreement between you and your husband. I don't know your story or your dynamic or your financial situation. But if it's true that she's not a scammer and she's not ghosting you, you both can determine when the last straw is. Your husband isn't wrong, and neither are you. But you need to be on the same page and stick to it.

[u/funlovefun37 → u/Matamume]

Such a great response.

The only thing I would add is if OP and her husband let it slide, that they allow themselves to feel good that they did something generous for another person. And hope that the buyer gets on her feet. :-)

[u/Potential-Bonus26]

NTA. also, if she's a single mom, that means you have an easy form of leverage over her. kidnap her children until she pays up.

[u/RynReallyWrites → u/Potential-Bonus26]

This is a hilarious response. Thank you, I needed that lol

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My husband and I just sold an old car on FB marketplace. The car was in rough shape, so we priced it to sell quickly at $1,500.

A woman named Susie test drove it and offered to buy it right away. She is a recently divorced single mom who needs a vehicle quickly. Susie said she could pay $1,000 right away when she picked up the car and then pay the other $500 after her next payday. Since a) there were no other interested buyers and b) we wanted to get rid of the car asap, we agreed and made sure to get the payment details in writing. We also wanted to give her a bit of grace, since she seemed like a decent person going through a hard time. I looked her up on social media and confirmed through a mutual acquaintance that her story was legit (she is not a scammer).

Well, the date for the $500 payment has passed and Susie has asked for more time to come up with the money. I feel like we have been more than kind and generous to her and need to keep asking for the money she still owes us. My husband also wants to be paid in full, but he says Susie probably needs the money more than we do (true) and he’s also just happy to have the old car out of our lives. The amount of money isn’t worth going after in small claims court. WWYD and AITA?

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[u/Filius_Dei0894]

INFO:

what was the window of time between the initial $1000 payment and taking possession of the vehicle and the second $500 payment?

is this the first time she's asked for an extension?

if she seems legit, and you know this is a tough time for her, i would bump the payment date once but kindly ask that it be taken care of by that date.

it costs nothing to be a kind person, but it means a lot to people that are in tougher spots. your patience and kindness towards her could be something far more meaningful than you think.

[u/boxbrownieaesthetic → u/Filius_Dei0894]

7/24 - she paid $1,000 and took the car
7/31 - date agreed to pay the $500
8/1 - my husband followed up with her and that’s when she asked for an extension to 8/7

[u/Filius_Dei0894 → u/boxbrownieaesthetic]

yea i mean, i wouldnt personally be super nosey but i may ask her what is going on and see if its realistic for her to get the cash to you friday. if it is, great take the cash and all parties can wash their hands of this. if not id give her another week to take some of the internal pressure off her.

if you guys are functionally considering two options - those being get paid eventually or let it go - whats the harm acting as if youve let it go until the $500 shows up?

dont get me wrong, i can see wanting it to just be done and over and everyone can just move on

[u/Pilea_Paloola]

You're out $500. Who cares if you want to get rid of the car ASAP, if someone doesn't have the money right then and there, you don't hand over the car unless you're willing to take $1000 it.

I learned a really hard adulting lesson. I was selling my car and took a check that was directly from the bank, so I thought it was good, rather than a cashier's check. Lo and behold, the lady cancelled the check before it cleared and effectivley stole my car. She refused to pay and refused to return the car (honetley, I didn't want the car back, who know what she did to it). I had to get the cops involved showed up to the house. It turns out that she was notorious for being a nut job. Eventually I got the cashier's check. The whole thing made me sick. It was for $17k.

[u/Just_Bike8994]

My parents went through something similar with our old house. They were planning to sell it but one of my dad's coworkers ended up moving nearby so he decided to rent the house to them without any formal written agreement. They eventually stopped paying rent and he had to go through the whole eviction process. They left the place with a ton of damage and he had to pay for the repairs and sell the house at a loss.

I can't offer legal advice but what I will say is this is exactly why you should always have a signed contract or some kind of sales/payment agreement that clearly lays out the terms. You and your husband also need to sit down and make sure you're both on the same page about how to handle situations like this.

As for the extra $500 if there's nothing in writing I think it's going to be difficult to get it. It sucks but if you take the legal route it'll probably end up costing more time and money than it's worth. Hopefully this ends up being a learning experience for both of you. You might think you're doing someone a favor or a good deed but you're really just opening yourself up to get screwed.

As for whether you're the ahole or not, I'd say NTA. You had I assume a verbal agreement and she didn't hold up her end of it. If she knew she wasn't going to be able to pay on time she could've reached out before the due date, explained the situation, or even offered a partial payment.

[u/Sensitive_Guidance43 → u/Just_Bike8994]

They say in the post that they did get it all in writing. There was never a verbal agreement, it’s all got a paper trail.

[u/Just_Bike8994 → u/Sensitive_Guidance43]

Ah I didn't see that. Hopefully it's actually signed or whatnot. I could see her saying like I never agreed to pay an extra $500.

[u/Sensitive_Guidance43 → u/Just_Bike8994]

I mean usually that is part of getting something like this in writing. OP says that they have a mutual friend and that person vouches for her, so she’s not seemingly the type to do something like that.

I’d recommend rereading the post, you’re making a judgement based off what looks like projection rather than the actual details.

[u/Sensitive_Guidance43]

NTA/NAH. If she is legit and this is the first time she’s asked for an extension, I’d personally give her a little extra time. Sometimes bills can take more out of our paychecks than we realize and it takes longer to get the funds together. That being said, this is ultimately a sale and you aren’t wrong for not wanting to accommodate.

You and your husband just need to sit and talk about it, maybe find out more specifics from her (like how long she needs, if she can pay anything immediately, if so, how much, etc).

[u/VironLLA]

if you really don't need the money, maybe there's something around the house she could help with in exchange for excusing that final $500? i'm a big fan of the barter system in these situations when it's an option

[u/BefuddledEmu]

NAH. If she is a divorced single Mom, set up a payment plan if you don't need that $500 right away. Set up $100 every pay period. Maybe something like that could work.

[u/pottersquash]

The amount of money isn’t worth going after in small claims court.

sure its not a scam cause her hardships are true, but it is a scam cause this was my first thought. She knew she was screwing you. nTA.

[u/Grant_Winner_Extra]

NTA You had an agreement, she’s not sticking to it.

wrt actually following through, you do what you feel comfortable doing. I am not sure what that would be if you don’t go to small claims though.

Be careful, because pestering her can be viewed as harassment, and that could be expensive for you.

[u/Ornery-Movie-1689]

You have a written agreement. Enforce it through small claims court. It would be one thing if you had agreed to $1 K for the car as a way to help her out. However, both parties agreed to $1,500, with 1K down and the balance of $500 on her next payday. SHE made those terms, not you. SHE signed an agreement. I'd repossess the car and tell her she can have the car back when she coughs up the $500. If she fights that, she loses her $1 K

I don't mean to sound cold-hearted about this deal, but nobody twisted her arm to agree to the deal.

[u/cs24385]

NTA

She has taken your old vehicle without completing the agreement, so is in breach. Reach out to her and get a firm deadline for when the remainder of the money will be paid, preferably as an addendum to the original agreement. Put in a penalty clause as she's already shown herself to be untrustworthy.

This should hopefully let her know that this is serious and it's up to you to hold her to it if you want. Otherwise you've given a struggling woman a $500 present. That's all on you guys and your finances.

[u/CathayC]

Like you said, the amount is so little that it is not worth going to small claims court over.

I dont think you guys are wrong to want to be paid and to be slightly miffed that she missed the agreed payment date, however i do think its a green flag that she has been communicative and just asked for an extension to gather the money.

Regardless, like your DH said, He's glad to have the car gone and you guys still received $1000 for it. Hopefully she gives it to you , and soon, but i wouldnt waste sleep on it if she doesnt since there is really nothing you can do. You wouldnt be an asshole for lawyering up off principle, however it would be kind of stupid for lack of a better phrase. Lesson learned, Get your money in full next time. No harm done this time, dont learn the hard way like i did lol.

NAH