How would you handle this?

[adamfritzsche]

Looking for some advice on how this situation would best be handled.

So I have a co-worker who works right along side me who wanted to purchase some snakes and have me breed them for her and all. Not having a PayPal account to pay for said animals, I agreed to use my PayPal account/Buyer's Credit. We had verbally agreed that she would pay in full within 30 days before interest kicked in. I bought them, she paid half of it promptly. 2 months go by and no rest of the money. I bring it up and she says that her boyfriend was supposed to pay the other half and he does not have the money (this side arrangement was unknown to me as I knew he had no job, so I would have known that this would not end well). I told her that I would still be needing that money promptly regardless and that she is know going to be paying interest as well. She agreed. 2 more months pass and I was finally given some cash, but it pretty much only covered the interest she now owes me for 4 months.

Here we are a total of 9 months later and MY (the way i see it, since she has not paid in full yet) female will be laying very soon and she still owes me half of the money. The biggest issue I have is the fact that she does infact have the money, as she has bought several electronics, spent thousands on her play Jeep that still does not run, and is currently looking at a new Jeep.

So here I am with snakes that she believes are hers because she paid me half, and I believe she thinks that she can just pay me the rest AFTER the snake lays eggs and the babies are sold. I think that at the very least half the eggs are mine as I have had the same amount invested in these snakes as she has.

My biggest issues are that since I have gotten to know her better in the last 9 months, I have learned that she is one that will fly off the handle at anything that does not go her way, so I know as soon as I try to calmy explain my views on the situation and what I believe I am entitled to, she will flip and not want to hear it at all. Secondly, she may be sue happy. Thirdly, I still have to work with her on a daily basis at my real job.

What I have in my head as being fair is this:

• Half the profit, if any is mine. Or half the babies are mine.

• She still owes me what was already agreed upon plus interest. (At this point I can take this out of the hatchlings) and since I want clear of this deal she must take the snakes

or

• I return her money (Less interest to this point) to her and keep the snakes and I am nice enough to still cut her in on the eggs since she has had half the money in it just as long as I have

Do these seem like fair terms are there any other options I should consider?

[I-KandyReptiles]

I'd just give her back what she paid you and cut ties.

No splitting the clutch with her either.

[Snakesonly]

Because you work together on a daily basis I would sell the babies, keep the amount what she owes you and let her pick up the snakes.
I see only future problems if she is that stubborn and thinks she can sue you.
But thats my opinion. Hope you can work this out soon.

[spitzu]

From what I understand, you bought the animals in full and she was basically buying them from you. She failed to complete payment so they are still yours. Let her be sue happy. This seems pretty cut and dry to me.

It sucks that you have to work with her, but I would refund her (by check) and call it done. x2 on not splitting the clutch. As the animals were never hers you don't owe her anything but what she paid you.

[Kaorte]

I agree, refund her money and tell her the deal is off. She defaulted for what.. 4 months? Thats long enough. She clearly doesn't care or she would have paid it herself.

I wouldn't give the animals to her... she sounds quite irresponsible.

[Darkbird]

Was she supposed to take the animals from you after they had bred or were you going to be the permanent caretaker? And what was the original agreement on the babies? was she even helping with the upkeep of the animals, as in paying for feeders and such? From what I have seen so far you likely have more tied up in these animals than she does by the time you figure your part of the original investment she never paid and the "sweat equity" you have in the animals already. I would have to agree with the statements above, she either needs to pay you now or just give her back what she's paid you already and get out of the deal. Call it a learning experience and be done. And +1 on not splitting the clutch.

[dillan2020]

I would give her the money she gave you minus interest and that would be it. if you want the snakes that is. if not and the babies cover what she owes you you could keep all the babies and give her the original adults and tell her you kept them as payment for the remainder of what she owed. coworker or not defaulting on a deal and then still expecting to profit from it is just crazy.

[Kodieh]

It's too bad a contract wasn't in place. Deals like these NEED written contracts. Then you could keep her money and the snakes, if that had been in the contract.

Realistically though, it's a he said she said with nothing being written. So, a court would make you pay her the money she's paid you and you get the snakes and whatever comes of it. Try talking to her, the worst that can happen is you request a different cubical or assignment?

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[CD CONSTRICTORS]

It would have been best to avoid dealing with a co-worker to begin with IMHO.

It's just like drinking at the company fountain..... it never turns out good.

[sissysnakes]

I'd just give her back what she paid you and cut ties.

No splitting the clutch with her either.

I agree, refund what she gave you (with a check) and keep the snakes. Its been to long, if she hasn't paid by now it doesn't sound like she will. I don't know if providing multiple options is a good idea. Id say give her two (if you must), she pays and gets her snake, Or you refund her money and keep it.