You might think you’ve heard all of the excuses and have seen all of the avoidance tactics at play, but some people choose to avoid their obligations with more creative stories than homework-hungry dogs.
While economic forces can turn otherwise diligent bill-payers into slow pays, other people seem intent upon knowingly piling up debt they can’t afford to service.
It’s hard to believe someone would go as far as to create his or her own country (while enjoying the geopolitical boundary they’ve just created) just to avoid paying a bill that’s legally owed. But this tactic made a list of 11 bizarre ways people avoid paying the bills they owe.
Other more common tactics included changing names, claiming mental problems, and blaming the creditor for continuing to sell the debtor merchandise even after his or her other invoices went past due.
Has a dog ever actually eaten someone’s homework? The odds are good, given the lack of consumption discretion some breeds seem to display. But the odds of a series of unavoidable, disastrous circumstances befalling an otherwise willing-to-pay debtor are probably not as likely. Follow your intuition when presented with an unusual story. If it feels unbelievable, especially after the fifth time you’ve heard it, it probably is.