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DryFlyRy

Junior Member
Here's the story:

Once upon a time, I met a guy through a friend at a bar... We discussed a problem I was having with a boat (it needed a new motor) He said he could help me out, yada yada yada...

a little while after (in march) I went to him with my boat, left it with him and gave him 500 bucks for a working motor. he was then going to go to a few people he knew get a motor and we were going to put it on. lots of time kept going by and he kept giving me excuses as to why it wasnt done... then about a month and a half ago the boat was towed from his property. He kept saying he was gonna get it back week after week, one excuse after another, he said the motor was all set and ready to be put on, and we were gonna do it this day and that day...

well now his phone is off, and he's moved out of the apartment. and I have no idea where he is or how to get in touch with him. I do have a contract he signed taking responsibility for anything that happened while he had it... but how can I sue some one if I dont know where he moved to?? Do I call the police and say he stole it and my 500 bucks or what? any help would be greatly appreciated!!

thanks
-Ry
 


ytie94do

Junior Member
If it were me, I would get my boat back from wherever it was towed, and concentrate on going after the guy for the fees incurred therein. It might be a better idea to just forget about the boat entirely, though... it's going to be difficult to prove the value of the boat in court, unless you have documentation as to its value, whereas it would be much easier to argue that the fees (which you will have documentation for) are his problem. The cost of getting the boat back plus getting a motor put on it, plus your time and so on, might not be worth it, though.

To be honest with you, I'm pretty sure you got scammed. Not only did he manage to talk you out of a boat (which he then sold... do you have any proof it was towed? Have you seen it at the place it was towed to?), you also paid him $500 for his troubles and for the privilege of getting screwed. That $500 is the real cream in this cake... did he provide proof that he had purchased a motor, or at the very least, that he had a VERY strong lead on where he was going to get one?

I'm also unclear on why you didn't immediately go get your boat from the tow company. Every day it sits there is another day of exorbitant storage fees, and a guy who didn't even have the money to buy a motor is certainly not going to have the money to get your boat out of impound and eat those fees.
 

DryFlyRy

Junior Member
"If it were me, I would get my boat back from wherever it was towed, and concentrate on going after the guy for the fees incurred therein."

1st I don't have any money to get it from where it was towed and 2nd How do I go after him if I dont know where he now lives? Would the police help? How do they serve someone with no address? He doesnt even have a car so he's not even on record with the RMV.:(

"did he provide proof that he had purchased a motor, or at the very least, that he had a VERY strong lead"

never proof. just the stories. ("my dad is going down to the auction, he knows people down there that will get him a good deal" then "he found one that was this and that and this guy he knows is gonna fix these things on it" then " the motor is all set and ready we just have to go down and pick it up" I suppose he could have been lying this whole time, but I have to say he was a really good liar as all his stories were very detailed. its just been one story after after another since march though, and now he wont return my calls to feed me any more.

"I'm also unclear on why you didn't immediately go get your boat from the tow company."

again, I have no money, and he SAID he was going to take care of it, this day then that day, then the next week, then he worked out some deal with them for this amount of money and blah blah...

I seriously feel im at the point to say ... and it was an expensive lesson to learn.... and maybe punch him in the jaw if i ever see him in public.
 
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