The van didn't wipe us out, it just lost us some money
and while it was a silly act (and never repeated) it was just one of the many things that went wrong at the time.

The flat, in contrast, wasn't our fault and couldn't be sorted. We paid in cash and there was no contract, and while we could have fought it there was simply no prospective to it; we'd have had to move out at some point. I'm not sure how 2004-era internet could have helped other than "a/s/l? U cn live wif me :D:D:D"
( Grrrmachine the indifference engine, Tue 18 Dec 2012, 20:41, Reply)