Long story short someone online owes me $27 (you don’t know him). Its not alot of money, but i’d like having it. He is wealthy so I know the $27 itself is not an issue. I think hes just forgetful because he has told me at least three times ‘im putting it in the mailbox today’.
so how do I ask him for the money? should i just say ‘i know you’re forgetful, so you can just use paypal’ or something like that?
I think if he’s said three times that he’s mailing it and hasn’t you wouldn’t be out of line at all, next time you’re both online, to say “Hey, I don’t mean to be a jerk about this, but I really need to get this taken care of. Since we’re both online now can we just both go to PayPal and have you do a transfer?”
If this is a friend you want to keep, drop it.
Never loan a friend money. Give it outright, but none of this “loan” stuff. It’s not worth losing a friend over.
Turn it into a joke. “Hey man. I need that money you still owe me, so I can go to the bars and get loaded.” Or something like that.
Send him a copy of this CD.
Go some place and stick him for a big lunch tab.
Lots of ways to bring it up, but you want to keep it inoffensive too? Sorry, you’re probably SOL there. Even if the guy’s really that forgetful, bringing up a fourth or fifth time is going to remind him of (a) his essential toolness for needing to borrow cash in the first place and (b) his supremo toolness for taking advantage of you by not paying it back and requiring this many reminders. No one likes to be reminded of their shortcomings, right?
Unless it’s someone you truly don’t care about, I’d forget about it. Sucks to get used, but sucks to have to hound a friend for $27 too.
I’d do the same. Actually, when I loan money to a friend, I always assume I’ll never get it back. If I can’t afford to forget about it I don’t loan it. If I know I will need it at some point in the future, I don’t loan it, again. If I get the money back in due time, great. If I don’t or if it take years (it happened), then too bad. In any case, I never ask for it.
The word “friend” and the sentence “I want my money back” you can’t get together in my mind. Especially when speaking about an amount like 27 $ (except if I were starving, I suppose).
Looks like I’m the dissenting voice on this one. You extended trust as a friend by loaning the money in the first place. Either he repays it willingly or he isn’t much of a friend. Friendship doesn’t include taking advantage, as he clearly has by “forgetting” to repay the loan, even after several gentle reminders. He might be a nice guy, just a little absent minded, flakey, whatever. It doesn’t speak highly of him that he’s lied three times already about mailing the check immediately.
IMO you’d be fully justified in just confronting him with it directly. You don’t have to mean or unpleasant, but just lay it on the line: “I loaned you money when you needed it. Are you going to repay it?” You’re just asking him a perfectly reasonable question. He might be embarrassed by the question, but that was his choice by stiffing you. Wealthy or not, he took advantage of you.
I’m betting you won’t see the $27. Just limit your interactions with him accordingly for now on. He might be a fun guy but he has a limited capacity for friendship, and a very elastic sense of honor.
YMMV.
Veb
The OP didn’t say this was a loan.
$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!
Revisiting Otto’s observation - it might make it easier for us to offer a proper response if we knew the circumstances that created the debt.
I sold him some electronics stuff for $27 total including S/H. I think he just forgot to pay me.
Anyway, i just talked to him. He seemed really embarassed that he had forgotten about it and he didn’t seem angry. I told him it was ok that i was a big procrastinator too I just wanted to make sure he didn’t forget totally.
And he is wealthy, $27 is nothing to him. So its not like he can’t afford it. And i don’t think he is doing this intentionally at all.
Tell him you found this really cool thing online and it only costs $30. Jokingly tell him he should get it for you in exchange for your favor. Smilies and joshing all around. He might just take you up on it.
Guess you don’t need the suggestion any more, but I’d have just asked him if I could borrow $27. Then I would not pay it back, and when he asked, I’d say I was borrowing back the $27 he owed me, so now we’re even.
Hey, I never said it was a great idea.
My friends and I occassionally loan each other small amounts of money all the time. $5 for a beer here, $20 at a restaurant there. We also aren’t shy about asking the other person to pay back what’s due. Just be like “Hey do you have my $27?”
If your friendship isn’t strong enough to withstand a $27 loan, it probably isn’t worth keeping.
Since when is “You owe me $27. When can I have it back?”, offensive?
Rule number one:
Never, ever loan more money than you can afford to give without really expecting to get it back. Even to family members. Especially to family members.
I don’t know that much about tax law, but can you send him a 1099 on the $27 at the end of the year?
Um, yeah.
Last year a friend asked me to buy an item for her at a local shop while she was away for the summer. The first time I saw her after she returned, I gave it to her and told her it was $45. She didn’t write me a check on the spot, and I let it slide. A few months later I found myself in dire financial straits and hit her up (by e-mail)for the cash. She was mortified that she had forgotten (typical for her). As it was I still had to remind her to put it in the mail once or twice after that, but she did pay me back and we’re still friends.
Somebody who intentionally stiffs you for $27 is not much of a friend.
Bringing it up isn’t offensive unless you are really insulting about it. Not paying your debts, especially to someone who you know is broke, is offensive.
Haj