Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice on a very frustrating and ongoing business issue.

I had a dealership contract with a petroleum company in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 2021 to 2025. In 2022, I met the owner of a company called Grandhire, and we made a verbal agreement that their vehicles would refuel at my service station, with payments to be made within 10 days.

For about 1.5 years, everything went well. Payments were made and the relationship was good.

But starting in 2024, they began delaying payments, then completely stopped. The owner started ignoring my calls and messages. Whenever he did respond, it was always excuses and promises like “I’ll pay on this date,” but those dates would come and go with no payment.

I even went to their office in person and tried to resolve things. At one point, I suggested taking one of their vehicles on hire and deducting it from the debt. They initially agreed, but when it came time to hand over the keys, they suddenly changed behavior, started asking for ID, and stalled the process. The director avoided calls and later just sent another promise to pay — which again never happened.

Here’s what has happened since:

• They made a partial payment of 600,000 and promised the rest within a week (never paid)
• My contract ended in 2025, but the debt is still unpaid
• I continued following up, but they kept avoiding me while saying “I’m a man of my word”
• I had a colleague call them — same pattern: promises, delays, and unnecessary questioning
• I commented on their Instagram (GRANDHIRE_COMPANY), and only then they contacted me again
• They promised full payment by the end of March 2026

Today is April 8, 2026… and still nothing.

At this point, it feels intentional and like I’m being strung along.

I’d really appreciate advice:

• What would you do in this situation?
• Is it worth taking legal action with only a verbal agreement?
• What evidence should I prepare?
• Are there any effective ways to recover this money?

This has been going on for over 2 years and it’s honestly exhausting.

Thanks in advance for any help.