Court Order for Unpaid School Fees - BEWARE!

Ozangirl


Joined: 03/09/2010
Posts: 145

Message Posted:
13/11/2010 21:26

On Tuesday this week a Bailiff arrived at my house with a court order, I initially thought oh my god the Greeks have come for the house!! but no, it turned out that it was a Court order for 1 month's outstanding payment from nearly 3 year's ago from Guvence School in Ozankoy!!! At the time (nearly 3 year's ago) we pulled our son out of Guvence school at the end of term in the May and decided to instead take him out and teach him ourselves due to the severe lack of education he was receiving/ we paid for at this school, we also duly informed the school of our intentions as we did not feel happy paying for something he did not get. Anyway, 3 year's down the line, no verbal communication or letter or bill we instead get a court order! The best part to come.... not only did we owe 262 Euros for the month outstanding, but a daily interest for the last 3 years at 2.5% - this equated to some 5,500 Euros!!!! mmmm, you can imagine my response! Beware!!!

Ozangirl


Joined: 03/09/2010
Posts: 145

Message Posted:
13/11/2010 21:30

I did infact go the school and try to speak to / negotiate with "Meliss" who runs the school but she refused and advised me to go through her lawyer! To cut a long story short, I finally managed to get the fine reduced somewhat through a lawyer and paid up before it went to court as I really didn't have a leg to stand on. What happened to communication! the woman only lives a short distance from me and see's me quite regularly. It's a crazy system over here!

richb


Joined: 26/01/2009
Posts: 223

Message Posted:
14/11/2010 22:07

That's a nightmare Sharon and one for the newspapers.

fiendishpaul


Joined: 18/05/2008
Posts: 1720

Message Posted:
15/11/2010 07:39

Did she get her business training at the Afkinans School of Communication and Exhorbitant Iinterest Rates ??



Nothing surprises me anymore :-(



Paul

johndp


Joined: 08/09/2009
Posts: 497

Message Posted:
15/11/2010 10:03

The rights and wrongs of it are not important as theres two sides to every story, what is important here is what can happen in TRNC if you dont pay your dues, imagine the scenario, somebody is asked to pay for a service, they dont, get reminder, get another reminder, still dont pay (for whatever reason) note, others paying for same service, final reminder sent, with court proceedings indicated for non payment, 3 years later the £200 owed is over £5K when the bailiff knocks the door, worrying in the extreme but hey it might be a bit of a wake up call to many

WPAT

malsancak


Joined: 23/08/2009
Posts: 2874

Message Posted:
15/11/2010 12:24

richb wrote, "that's a nightmare Sharon and one for the newspapers." and now it is published:

http://www.northcyprusfreepress.com/2010/11/15/is-this-a-new-trnc-scam/

Smity



Joined: 14/09/2009
Posts: 826

Message Posted:
15/11/2010 15:30

Seems like another case of lets hit the british to me, Glad you managed to get the amount reduded, but goes to show how liitle they value the UK presance but value the UK wallet in the TRNC

rolly


Joined: 12/03/2009
Posts: 107

Message Posted:
15/11/2010 20:53

i have known the owners for a very long time and like someone has already said there is two sides to every story. this is a very good school and i am sure correspondace must have been sent and already mentioned that they only live a short distance away.you cannot get into an agreement then change your mind halfway through. a place would have been booked for the child and i know places are at a premium so they were right to ask for the remaining outstanding monies owed. the courts have now said so. please dont get on the band wagon condeming the school when it takes two to tango.

mikeyCBBR


Joined: 05/01/2009
Posts: 168

Message Posted:
15/11/2010 20:58

Pity you cant do it for non payers of maintenance contracts

Hector


Joined: 26/08/2008
Posts: 2352

Message Posted:
15/11/2010 21:10

This would never have got to court in the UK if the school hadn't followed the Civil Procedure Rules and sent an initial letter of claim to the debtor, outlining the claim and allowing time for a response. Interest wouldn't have been allowed to accrue by simply waiting 3 years before making a claim. Great way of earning interest by the school though. What would the school have earned on the debt had it been invested at the bank?

malsancak


Joined: 23/08/2009
Posts: 2874

Message Posted:
15/11/2010 21:33

Hector, wasn't that what Akfinans Bank did, waited until a £40,000 debt had become £800,000 before the contracted owners discovered about the debt. The original land owner didn't bother paying the instalments because they'd already sold the property they mortgaged to get the £40,000 they weren't morally entitled to. Mind you morality and law seem to be at two opposite ends of the spectrum.

berilela


Joined: 17/07/2010
Posts: 590

Message Posted:
16/11/2010 07:33

please go to cyprus today so others can see what the school really is about ...money ... my friend has just taken her daughter out and others also .all simialar cases as yours .shame you paid up but then no one wants hassle or baliffs on door do they ,

Ozangirl


Joined: 03/09/2010
Posts: 145

Message Posted:
16/11/2010 08:17

Excuse me Rolly I am not a liar! I had no warning of this whatsoever, no letter, no bill, no verbal warning and I totally disagree with you on the level of the school's education, it is terrible, or it was that is why so many parent's pulled their children out and it is now left destitute. I actually went to the school to speak to Meliss and she refused to speak to me, I was disgusted at how she had let the school go, the grounds are full of weeds and high grass, the walls in the building are bare and there is no sign of many children. Infact I do have a friend that still sends her son to the school and he only has 2 children in his class. The school is obviously in trouble and looking to claim money back. Yes, I do know that I signed an agreement with them, but they did not educate my son and I was paying good money for them to do this. Most of the teachers, I later heard, was not qualified to do their jobs. Please don't preach to me when you know nothing about the situation.

Hector


Joined: 26/08/2008
Posts: 2352

Message Posted:
16/11/2010 16:02

Ozangirl

Perhaps you should sue them for breach of contract for failing to complete their side of the bargain, that being educating your child properly.

Pipie


Joined: 05/01/2008
Posts: 5499

Message Posted:
16/11/2010 17:07

Nice one Hector !!

malsancak


Joined: 23/08/2009
Posts: 2874

Message Posted:
16/11/2010 17:14

Hector wrote, "sue them for breach of contract"

that works in the construction industry doesn't it? I remember the serious threat that if a buyer were a single day over the deadline in paying stage payments then they'd forfeit their deposit. When the contract breach goes the other way, it's a different matter.

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
16/11/2010 17:44

One for Mal or Ismet. Why can't a foreigner defend him/herself in court? Surely it's up to the court to provide a public payed translator?! A slight knowledge of law and plenty of guts would save unnecessary, incompetent legal fees payed to any useless, money grabbing xenophobic 'lawyer'!



Richard

malsancak


Joined: 23/08/2009
Posts: 2874

Message Posted:
16/11/2010 20:38

Brinsley, according to the TRNC Constitution, Article 18, "every person charged with an offence has the following minimum rights: (c) to defend himself in person or through a lawyer of his own choice or, if he has no sufficient means, and the interests of justice so require, through a lawyer to be appointed for him free of charge"

Hector


Joined: 26/08/2008
Posts: 2352

Message Posted:
16/11/2010 21:29

Sure it doesn't get interpreted as "every person (other than non TC's) has the following minimum rights..."?

malsancak


Joined: 23/08/2009
Posts: 2874

Message Posted:
17/11/2010 07:14

The current government, as far as the Constitution are concerned, treat TCs and non-TCs equally. Rauf Denktaş proved that when he said that they ignored his letters to them as well

Ozangirl


Joined: 03/09/2010
Posts: 145

Message Posted:
18/11/2010 00:12

Took your advice guys it will be in the papers hopefully this Saturday.

malsancak


Joined: 23/08/2009
Posts: 2874

Message Posted:
18/11/2010 07:10

Ozangirl, IMHO you might get a more positive write up in Cyprus Star than in Cyprus Today if that's where your story is to appear

berilela


Joined: 17/07/2010
Posts: 590

Message Posted:
18/11/2010 07:21

well done may now close down after people read in paper good on you honey ,

johndp


Joined: 08/09/2009
Posts: 497

Message Posted:
18/11/2010 19:32

Hector Message 10 it is not in the UK this is the TRNC and the sooner some learn that the better, message 14 yes go ahead and see where it gets you, message 15 pathetic, message 17 wakey wakey you are not in UK Europe or Aussie or wherever, you are in TRNC - you WILL NOT WIN, lol, they will take as much money as you can pull out of your wallets but you will not beat them, the odd case will go the way of the foreigner but most wont and the majority will be left out of pocket and out of here, if you dont pay you will get done as Ozangirl has found to her cost, and the more they get rubbished on boards like this the less they will do for you, sorry if its not what you all want to hear but its fact !

Pipie


Joined: 05/01/2008
Posts: 5499

Message Posted:
18/11/2010 19:58

Messege 24.



Rubbish !!

Lazy days


Joined: 24/07/2008
Posts: 847

Message Posted:
18/11/2010 20:15

Pipie would you care to expand or are you incapable, you seem to be hounding johndp, mods please note these irrational responses to most posts

Lazy days


Joined: 24/07/2008
Posts: 847

Message Posted:
18/11/2010 20:29

Message 9 watch this space, its closer than one might think.

I notice you come from Shropshire, I have been corresponding with someone from there recently, really nice lady.

Take care

A

clairegordon


Joined: 18/11/2010
Posts: 105

Message Posted:
18/11/2010 20:32

I was just about to agree with the post 24 for my first post on here, I read it a lot but message 24 is not too far off the mark, and then pipie posted, pipie its not really or have you anything more than one word to clarify why you say Rubbish!! can you expand do you have first hand knowledge of this being rubbish ?? as I have proof positive that it is not, you see I tried to take a local so called company to court last year, the case is currently costing me about £2000 and now my very great advocate who said I had a good case has told me I cant win, but all will be in the press soon I expect

malsancak


Joined: 23/08/2009
Posts: 2874

Message Posted:
20/11/2010 12:41

Ozangirl, no article in Cyprus Today 20/11/2010. As I said, you're better off going to Cyprus Star