Debt collection

[rab]

My wife is being pursued for a debt of 18,000bt because she is a signatory as a gauarantor for a loan for a friend some years back. She believes her friend copied her signature form her ID card. They are threatening all sorts of consequnces if she doesn't pay including confiscation of passport, which sounds far fetched to me. They know she has a farang name now and that she lives in the UK, which may be a motivation for them pursuing the debt (ie they think she can afford it). What is the best way to play this? ignore it? See them and make a 'good will' offer on part of it? enagage a laywer to tell them to get lost? We will be in the LoS in a few weeks.

[elef]

This happened in UK or Thailand?

 

If it was ín Thailand she can't travel to LOS as the judge will take her passport until this is settled 1 or 2 years in future. OK, if she pays the money and the legal costs to the court - around 100,000 baht I guess - she can anyhow.

[kojis]

"If it was ín Thailand she can't travel to LOS as the judge will take her passport until this is settled 1 or 2 years in future"

 

That's bit extreme... would they catch her at the airport, if the lady is only coming on holiday ?

[elef]

It depends if they've went to police and court already and she's wanted, probably not for that money, but if they'll know about her arrival sure they can arrange it. Else it will happen after coming back to village.

[kojis]

Yes... pretty extreme than... worth looking into settling the issue if you're right.

[kojis]

Thinking about this again, what can it be done to force the lady to hand over the passport?? If she just keeps it away, can she be legally banned from travelling overseas until the issue is solved ?

 

Considering that in France you can get away with debts thousand times that important I'm very surprised.

 

All this notwithstanding I have no idea to whom the money is due and it's sometimes better to fork out what's asked than deal with some unpleasant people.

 

I definetely tend not to hand over what's not due, but exceptions may surface.

[..]

I definetely tend not to hand over what's not due, but exceptions may surface.

Aye, this may be one of those times. Listening to the potential problems, I'm thinking that this issue can become too big of a pain in the ass to not just pay the 265 quid. The ROI is there IMHO.

 

To the OP: your Mrs may have signed it not knowing the implications (most Thais do not IME) and either forgot or doesn't want to tell you; my Chula educated wife was co-signing for loans before I explained the ramifications to her.

 

Cheers,

SD

[Mekong]

what can it be done to force the lady to hand over the passport??

 

The Passport is a Government issued document that may be withdrawn at any time

[The_Munchmaster]

This happened in UK or Thailand?

If it was ín Thailand she can't travel to LOS as the judge will take her passport until this is settled 1 or 2 years in future. OK, if she pays the money and the legal costs to the court - around 100,000 baht I guess - she can anyhow.

Obviously it happened in Thailand. You really think that immigration are going to be alerted to her and arrest her over a few hundred bucks? I don't think so. Where did the Baht 100,000 suddenly appear from?

 

I know a guy who worked for the same company as me in Dubai. He owes one of the banks over Dhs 60,000 (~Baht 600,000) in unpaid credit card bills and is being chased by debt collectors, yet he still swans in and out of Dubai whenever he wants.

 

However probably best just to pay and get it over with.

 

[elef]

The 100,000 is based on a case IRL, 2000 TGF was in a legal fight with her dead husbands mother over a car, to be able to go and visit me in Sweden 2 weeks she had to deposit 80,000 covering the legal costs of her mother-in-law. So 80 + 18 k is around 100 k, maybe it will be higher today.