h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm sorry but some of this is an absolute joke.

The whole section where you say:

>Thus you now owe me:
>
> 1. The money you have failed to pay/refund - £***
> 2. The cost of the phone call/s - £*
> 3. The cost of this letter - £20
> 4. My time and inconvenience to myself (A suggestion, ask for your >hourly rate multiplied by the time you have been waiting for your item >since order or failed installation, etc.) - £**
> 5. Interest on this money at the rate of £10 per day after 14 days >has elapsed since the date of this letter.
>
>Total Due: £*** (1 + 2 + 3 + 4) if paid within seven days.

Is absolutely one of the stupidest ideas I have ever heard in my life. If you want to get your money (as well as the chance of any other business or even a reasonable level of respect) from the debtor, adding your own stupid surcharges on top of the money they owe is never going to do it. And on top of that, anyone else who hears about this unreasonable and pretty childish behaviour is going to avoid doing business with you for the fool that you are!

It would be much more productive to conftont whoever is both responsible and has the power to solve the problem as soon as possible and discuss it with them in a sensible manner, asking them to address whatever issues are preventing the delivery of your money. Of course, a representative could perform the task on your behalf but hopefully without attempting to sabotage any chance of your future relationships with that firm...

If you want people to take you seriously, kindness is a better policy. Consider what the other person wants and how they can benifit from giving you the money they owe. Telling people what to do makes them obsinant, and convinced that they are right in not paying you back for whatever reason, or perhaps that they dont owe you anything to begin with! I would also like to point out that blatently atacking the writer isnt a very good way to get him to concure with your beliefs, even if you think-even know- that you are right. a much better sorce on how to influence people is "How to win friends and influence people" by dale carnagie. Dale carnagie was a genioius, and his methods are used in companies and between friends with almost invariable success. it is benifical to all human beings to read this book.

We made an agreement with Van Abbe IT company, to make web oriented billing software. They proposed an idea about this sofware on three A4 pages and that was it. Agreement was basically to make basic functionality in 45 days and then to make another agreement about "tuning" the page. We have tailored application ad hock, doing all changes they have requested for 3 months. When we said that we have finished more then basic functionality and asked them to pay us (mr. Mathijs Van Abbe)they refused telling us that everything is not working as it should. Actually they sent us new requests which makes this application as most advanced on the market, and offered us 1/3 amount of money.

We stopped cooperation with them, but they owe us money for all this work, and for finished application.

We are from Bosnia, and the Van Abbe It is Holland company. If there is cheap way to sue them please tell us.

Thanks,