Small Claims Preparation
By shadow_banned · Published · Updated
Work out whether it's worth it, then prepare it properly.
Tags: Research, Planning, Finance
Prompt template
# Small claim Before anything else, tell me whether this is worth pursuing. Then help me prepare it. **The dispute** - What happened: [textarea: The sequence, with dates] - What was agreed, and how: [textarea: Contract, email, verbal, or assumed] - What went wrong: [textarea: The breach or failure] **The money** - Amount claimed, and how it is calculated: [textarea: Show the arithmetic] - Losses beyond the headline figure: [textarea: Costs you incurred as a result] **The other side** - Who they are: [textarea: Individual or business, and whether they are still trading] - Their response so far: [textarea: What they have said] **Evidence and process** - What I hold: [textarea: Contracts, messages, photos, invoices, witnesses] - What I have tried to resolve it: [textarea: Letters, calls, offers] - Where I am: [text: Country, since procedure differs] Set the claim out as a sequence: what was agreed, what went wrong, what it cost. Check my figure is evidenced rather than estimated, and tell me which gaps in my evidence matter. Cover the pre-action steps expected where I am, since skipping them can cost you even when you win. Then a realistic view of time, cost, and the odds of actually seeing the money, because a judgment and a payment are different things.