BUSINESS
A Broken Agreement Cannot Be Glued Back Together
My little man is all about making deals to get what he wants. We negotiate these deals and come up with an agreement acceptable to both parties. The agreements are not always written down, but somehow there is rarely any palava because we both keep our end of the bargain.
Recently, however, I fell victim to one of the perils of old age and a hectic schedule – forgetfulness. We had a deal and I forgot what the deal was. When I was confronted to keep my end of the bargain, I could not remember that we had such a deal. Could it be that the young man was making this up? It was his word against mine. There were no witnesses to the agreement and I could not remember the terms of the agreement.
When I got tired of explaining that I could not remember what our agreement was, I started to walk away from the “argument” and then I heard his voice behind me, “You can’t go around breaking agreements. A broken agreement cannot be glued back together.” Well! What can I say, the little man has a point.
Even when dealing with family, it is a good idea to put agreements in writing. Our memories can and do fail, and a written agreement, signed by both parties is good evidence of what was agreed. There need not be any formalities or visits to a solicitor’s office, but if large sums of money are involved, do yourself a favour and get legal advice.
Make sure that the terms of the agreement can be complied with. Do not agree to an impossible term and try to cry foul later. Failure to perform will break the agreement and an attempt to put it right with damages, penalties and renegotiation, even where successful will not hide the cracks.
The most difficult edges to put back together are those that form the trust in the relationship.
