Why spend 20 hours traveling and going to court, over two stolen budget label games?  Where's the incentive?









hapter Four


ou Can't Do Anything To Me!

<ring>

So there was Gord minding the store, when the call came from his local collection company.

"Ya, about that crazy Stephanie Schneider woman.  Apparently, she's moving out of province according to her employer." [note: at this time, my collection company really was borderline incompetent.  Nice people, just really useless.  Very much in favour of the soft approach.]

Good old Stephanie.  Comes in, signs up a new account just after Gord had moved the store to a new location, and then rents two games.  Then she never returns.  No one ever answers her phone and such. The one time Gord managed to get someone at her place, it was "we'll bring them down on Tuesday as she really likes them."

Then once it was turned over to collections, it was "never been to the store", "never rents games", and eventually "You can't prove I ever rented a game."  Whatever, enjoy your credit being shot.  Her mother would be so proud!

Next morning before Gord heads on down to the empire, Gord gave her a call from his place as they both live in the same nearby town.  And boom!  She answers.

"So, what's up?  Any particular reason you're refusing to pay?"

"I'm moving to Alberta!  There is nothing you can do to me!"

"Ma'am.  Never say never to the Gord."

<click> (Gord ends the call).

To the courthouse!  Then to the store to grab a witness, then to Stephanie's house!

Gord pulls up to her place.  Moving truck in the yard, her car still there (she lives two doors down from Gord's favourite sub place in the world, so he had seen the place many a time).

Gord and the witness walk up to the door.

<ding dong>

Woman comes to the door.

"Stephanie?"

"Yes?"

"Stephanie Schneider?"

"Yes?"

"You've been served.  Good day."

"I'm not Stephanie!"

"Err, what?"

"I'm not Stephanie."

"Yes you are.  I recognize you."

"No I'm not.  I'm the new tenant.  Stephanie moved already."

"That's odd.  People usually don't move and leave a moving van with all their stuff in it and their car behind."

"Uhm… ya.  She left."

"Then who are you?"

"I'm the new tenant?"

"Oh really?  May I see your ID?"

"Why, so you can see who I am?"

"I know who you are.  I want you to prove you're not."

"I'm not showing you my ID."

"I'm not surprised there Stephanie."

"I'm not Stephanie."

"If you say so.  Anyway, you've been served."

"I'm not taking those."

"That's fine.  I'll just leave them on the door frame here.  It's not my problem anymore."

Gord and the witness walk away.

"I'm not Stephanie.. I'm not Stephanie!!!!!"

<Dramatic pause>

"Fuck you!  Fuck you both!  You'll never see a dime from me!"

Further vulgarities ensued from sweet Stephanie.  Stephanie then throws the court papers all over the road.

Gord waves at her, winks, and blows a kiss as he drives off.

The waiting game begins.

Eventually Gord get her response from the court papers.  Seems she has decided to go with the "never rented the games, but rather bought this game that don't exist."

So,  the settlement hearing comes up.  She's an angry woman.  Never going to pay, Gord's making this up to personally ruin her life, and she's a good little girl who volunteers every Sunday to help the needy and gives money to orphanages (well, ok, that last part was made up).

Then comes… the trial!

So she has to spend 12 hours on the road to come to this trial.  Wow.  That was much better than simply paying me the $180 she owed.

Ah the trial.  You'd think if you were going to sit there and lie your way to freedom, you'd at least use only one story.

Anyway, first she comes up with the magical game she bought from me.  At that time, I used a counterfeiting pen to mark my used games (that way someone didn't buy a game, and then return their broken one saying the one they bought from me was defective).  Since she didn't know about that (as almost no one did), it showed that the game didn't come from me.

Second, I noted to the judge that I had her personal ID info and ID #'s on file.  She tried to get around this one a couple times.  First, she claimed she needed to show ID to buy a game (we all laughed at that one).  Second, the judged asked for her ID to confirm the #'s.  She tried to use her new Alberta ID.  So the judge asked her for her old B.C. ID.  Well, guess that numbers matched?

Then we get to the serving part of the story.  That whole "Fuck you, you'll never get a dime from me" statement was pretty damning.  Plus I noted that the residence was empty for the next month, so it seemed odd that their would be a new tenant.  And since she had told the court she had not been served, it furthered added to her perjury

In the end, the judge commented on her rather sad state of affairs and that she should be thankful that she wasn't going to be going to jail for a week for perjury as Stephanie agreed to pay the court judgment within 3 weeks without a payment schedule.  So, cost to replace games, late fees, and all court costs.