not texting.

He sounds like a cock though. He could at least let you know the score - if he can't pay you back, 'hiding' from you is pretty shit.

Is he at home for the summer already and will you see him next academic year?

It wasn't the money that bothered me, it was more the stupidity. I mean, I am more than willing to forgive him because he was / is a really good friend and he was just a bit mixed up at the time he took the money. But now he is so embarrassed aboout taking the money that he won't dare talk to me. Real damn shame!

money to friends

but with a much larger amount of money. He is looking into verbal agreements (apparently under scottish law they are binding, according to some) and how he can get it back as it is substatial.

Never have a mate as a land lord, like I did. I messed him about so much with bills and rent it was embarassing. Mind you, he still has my £100 deposit and has not mentioned it since I moved out.

£250 so she didn't have to go to court over rent arrears. I still haven't seen all of it back.

I know two men who have run away/disappeared from their families after borrowing £2k or so off their brothers that they could never hope to repay. Humiliation/male pride, some such nonsense.

It sounds like he's shafted you, but maybe he's so poor that he's between a rock and a hard place at the moment and really can't do anything about it.

I guess the question is - can you be bothered to try with him anymore?

Neither a lender nor a borrower be
For loan oft loses itself and friend.

if you fancy scaring him into paying, you can always issue a claim form against him in the county court. costs you about £30, a slight abuse of process but might (a) motivate him to paying up or (b) motivate him to seek advice.

but for £65.

it's not that I don't trust my friends, I just know that things don't always run smoothly. When I've lent money to friends I've written it off in my mind then and there but almost all have paid me back stuff they've owed and those that haven't I sort of knew they wouldn't.

That said it was never as much as £200 and it was never money I really couldn't afford to lose at that stage, which it sounds vaguely as if you couldn't. I hope this guy sorts his shit out.

have you actually known this person for ?

Money is really bad for things like this. I lent a mate £65 in 2005, took me ages to get it back and I never got it all and he broke off contact since. A friend inherited £30,000 around 1997, let the rest of our friends know and some of them visited him every day to borrow money for booze/drugs and hit him with cynical scams like "I've decided to buy an 8-track home studio, you lend me the money but since you can come round and use it I only need to pay you half the money back in installments of £10 a month" etc. The entire £30,000 was gone in less than six months, none of them paid him back, they stopped visiting him as soon as the cash dried up and all he has to show for thirty grand is a Squier Precision bass which cost about £140!

she was notoriously untrustworthy and has stolen from almost everyone i know. dunno if she has from me, but i prefer thinking she hasnt

I'd be annoyed about the lack of contact. If he can't pay you back he should have the courtesy to say so.

why don't you go round and see your friend and sort it out. You'll soon find out if they have

A) shafted you or
B) are in a bad way and need your help

either way you get to find out.

just defrauded me to the tune of £3k, but then I can get the inland revenue to recover it.

I intend never to set eyes on any of the scummy bastards again, I'd think a similar manoeuvre would be appropriate in your case too.

I've rung him about ten times over the past 24 hours (5 or 6 with withheld number). Every time it's rung, no time has he answered. If he's not using that phone, I don't believe it would be ringing. I sent a text to his housemate. No reply. I sent a text to his girlfriend (I presume she's still his girlfriend). No reply. A state of emergency has officially been called.

Is there any reason that phone would be ringing if he didn't use it anymore?

The bit I really don't get is his girlfriend ignoring me. We get on pretty well and she wouldn't put up with him scamming me out of £200. Makes me think I've done something really bad at some point. Or he's told her I have. Oh god, now I'm making unfounded accusations.