I believe you!!!! I just don’t understand you????

It sounds like something that a couple would say in the middle of an argument.

I believe you when you say you stayed in the pub THREE HOURS after you said you’d be home for dinner – I just don’t understand why you’d rather stay out drinking with your mates than come home and have dinner with me, and why you couldn’t message me to let me know!!!!

Sound familiar???

Or perhaps something that you might say to a friend.

I believe that you forgave him for cheating on you, but I just can’t understand WHY you did!

I can honestly say that I’ve had that conversation a few times, with friends AND clients!

But this one really takes some beating.

I believe that you invested £35,000 in someone else’s business, but I just can’t understand WHY you did that, without keeping any records, or writing anything down or agreeing on when, where and how that money would be repaid.

That’s not the really surprising bit.

The bit you might really find hard to understand is

And now you want me to get your money back, but you’re not willing to invest a few hundred pounds in legal fees to write a properly worded letter to increase the chances that the other party will take you seriously!

In fact, if you’d been willing to spend a few hundred pounds at the outset, I could have told you what paperwork to put in place, and what steps you can take to protect yourself.

A small investment in the circumstances.

The other “surprising” thing is how many people say “but I trust/trusted them”.  Of course you do/did.  You wouldn’t go into business with someone you don’t trust.  However, strange things happen.

People die.
Become incapacitated
Get divorced
Change their minds about things
Let you down.

Having paperwork doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get your investment back, but it does significantly increase the chances.

It’s a bit like having insurance.  You might feel that it’s not a good use of money, and having a policy doesn’t mean that your house won’t burn down and either way you’ll still have the heartache of losing all your prized and irreplaceable possessions, but at least you’re likely to get a payout to help you get back on your feet.

So, if you fancy having a bit of added protection, call the people who both know AND understand you.

Kleyman & Co Solicitors.  The full service law firm.  Nothing surprises me anymore!