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{{Law-Related ESL Badge|lessonname= Consumer Law Guide TOCLesson Module}}

You can write a '''demand letter''', which is a letter that says how much the person owes you and tells them they must pay you. For example, a demand letter about a loan can say something like this:

<blockquote>''I am writing about a loan I made you of'' ______________('''amount''') ''on'' ______________('''date of loan''') ''for'' ______________('''purpose of loan'''). ''Our agreement was that you would pay this loan in full by'' ______________('''date of repayment'''). ''To date, you have not made any payments. It has now been'' ______________ ('''number of days''') ''since the loan was due. The full amount of'' ______________('''amount''') ''is now due. If I do not receive payment in full by'' ______________('''give a date'''), ''I <span class="noglossary">will </span> take legal action to recover the amount of the loan, as well as interest, filing fees, and any other costs. If you have any questions, please feel free to <span class="noglossary">contact </span> me at''______________ ('''your phone number''').</blockquote>

[[File:ConsumerLawGuidePage8==When do I go to court?== In small claims court, people can settle their differences in cases worth anywhere up to $35,000. Small claims court has less formal and less complicated rules and procedures than Supreme Court. For example, the forms you use in small claims court are the “fill-in-the-blank” type.jpg|200px|thumb|right]]

==When do I If your claim is for under $5,000, it will go before an online "tribunal" called the [https://civilresolutionbc.ca Civil Resolution Tribunal]. A tribunal is a form of court that helps people resolve their disputes quickly and affordably. The CRT encourages a collaborative approach to court?==resolving disputes.

You can go to Small Claims Court if There are small claims courts located [https://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/helpmap/service/1014 throughout the debt province]. Learn what's involved in [https://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/question/commonquestion/1101 taking someone owes you is for $25,000 or less. If the debtor owes you more than the $25,000 limit, for example $28,000, you can make a claim for $25,000 plus some contribution for your expensesto small claims court].

Small Claims To collect more than $35,000, you have to go to BC’s Supreme Court . This is for people who do not have a lawyer. There are Small Claims Courts located throughout the provincemore complicated and expensive than small claims court. To find out how to make a claim in Small Claims Supreme Court, go to Clicklaw, online at [http://www.clicklaw.bc.ca www.clicklaw.bc.ca]. Type and type "Small ClaimsSupreme Court" in the search box. The site links Some British Columbia communities have a [http://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/helpmap/service/1111 Justice Access Centre] where staff can give you to information about bringing a video about Small Claims claim in Supreme Court, available in Chinese, Punjabi, Vietnamese, and English, among other resources.

To collect more than $25,000, you have to go to BC’s Supreme Court. This is much more complicated and expensive than Small Claims Court. To find out how to make a claim in Supreme Court, go to [http[File://www.clicklaw.bc.ca www.clicklaw.bcConsumerLawGuidePage8.ca] and type jpg | right| frame | link=| <span style="Supreme Courtfont-size:60%;" in the search box. If you are in the Lower Mainland, you may wish to visit the [http://>Copyright www.clicklawshutterstock.bc.cacom</helpmap/service/1111 Vancouver Justice Access Centrespan>]] where staff can give you information about bringing a claim in Supreme Court.

==Legal Getting legal help from a lawyer==

If you want to go to court, it would be a good idea to talk to a lawyer. Here are two places to <span class="noglossary">contact </span> for help:

* '''Lawyer Referral Service''' is a program where you can get advice and information from a lawyer for a fee of $25 plus taxes for the first 30 minutes.To <span class="noglossary">contact </span> Lawyer Referral, call 604-687-3221 in Greater Vancouver or toll-free at 1-800-663-1919 from anywhere else in the province. More detailed information about the service is available on the [http://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/helpmap/service/1044 Clicklaw HelpMap].

'''Do not wait''' until the day before trial before you start asking a lawyer about what to do in court. There are limits on the time you have to collect the debt through the court. [[File:ConsumerLawGuidePage9.jpg|200px|thumb|right]]

Gather all the relevant facts and documents before you meet with the lawyer. You want to get the most out of your interview. Be ready to tell the lawyer the about the followinganswers to these questions:

If the judge rules in your favour, the debtor is expected to pay up. But sometimes the debtor just ignores the judge. In this <span class="noglossary">case</span>, you may have to go back to court and ask the judge to force the debtor to pay you. The judge has a number of ways to force the debtor to pay the debt. For example, the judge can:

* have a court official seize the debtor’s property==Additional resources==To find out more about debt collection law within BC, orvisit [http://www.debtrightsbc.ca Consumer Protection BC].

'''Never try to take property or threaten a debtor. This is against the law.'''{{Consumer Law Guide NavboxCreative Commons for PLS|title = Someone Owes You Money|author = }}