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jean · Joined: 17 Apr 2005 Posts: 7 Location: united kingdom

I was running this shop 4 years ago due to ill health I had to give it up, I have subleted this shop to a so-call-friend of ours. He ended up not paying the rent and all the suppliers bills. Beacause I hold the lease I was still resposible for the rent but all the other bills with the supplier I wasnt. I have informed everyone that we were leaving. We also had permission from the council to sublet. This friend had this shop for about one and a half year. At the end we had to sell our lease at a reduce price for a quick sale because the business had gone down and too much trouble letting it out again. This friend had ran off, so I have lost a lot of money and I was unable to work of bad health.

The main problem is not this freiend. Just recently one of the supplier send us a letter stating we still owe him money. But I have made sure we paid everyone before we left, that includes the council, rent, taxes, suppliers. This supplier cannot produce any proper evidence that I owe them money, just a print out of dates and amounts, which we have paid and extra amount and date that when we were not even running it.
I asked him why didnt he came to us sooner but 4 years later because he had seen us many times in the first couple of years and they know where we live. He gave me this stupid story that he was told by his delivery man/bill collector that this friend of ours was going to paid this bill for us (he has plenty of time to chase this friend and does it look like he would pay, hes not paying his own). Thats not true at all, hes lying. I think is either the delivery man took the money or thats our friend's bill not ours , they are trying to make us pay for his bill.

We had other suppliers asking for this friend of ours because he owe them money too but they try it on a bit but when we say the shop is not ours no more they back off. They know we have left. Not like this supplier they keep bothering us because we were quite friendly when we had the shop and they know where we live. Their delivery man used to work for us part-time as well, so if we leave they were the first to know.

We have lost all our bills because of renovation of the house and it had been 4 years. I only have a few letters left. one regarding the subletting of the shop to the friend, that had a date on it.

Can anybody just bill people and made them pay? I am sure they need some other proof.
I have spoke to them about this they insisted those were my bills,thats not true. They are keeping to their version of the story. People say just ignore them because it seems that they are lying and we cleared our bills. But they keep bothering us and they are threaten to take us to court.

I feel harrassed and falsely accused, I am sure this is illegal.
I would pay if I owe them but I cant if I dont owe them nothing, this is a matter of principle. I think everyone would agreed.

Can anyone help?

Thanks Crying or Very sad