I hope I won't be placed on a blacklist again

"Li", a 38-year-old from Beijing, recently returned money she had owed her brother for four years.

I intended to take my two children to Suzhou, Jiangsu province, to see my husband who is working on a construction project there.

We intended to spend the summer holiday there, but to my surprise I was unable to book tickets for the high-speed train online.

The webpage informed me that I was not allowed to book trips or purchase luxury goods. At that moment, I felt lost and the failure to book tickets after several attempts made me a little angry.

When I called the police to find out what was going on, I was informed that I had been placed on a blacklist devised by the nation's top court to encourage people to abide by court orders. People on the list are not allowed to buy air or high-speed rail tickets.

At first, I didn't know why I was on the list but then I remembered a dispute between my older brother and me about a house purchase contract, so I checked with the local court in Fangshan district.

Four years ago, my brother took my mother and me to court because he thought he had paid more than us when we bought a house together.

I wanted to discuss the matter, but my brother asked the court to order us to return the extra money to him as compensation.

I was told to pay 7,763 yuan ($1,155) within 60 days, but I was too angry to abide by the verdict. I delayed payment, even though I could afford to pay because it wasn't a huge amount.

Also, I had been living in Jiangsu and did not return to Beijing until 2016. I spent most of my time raising my kids, especially after I gave birth to my second child last year.

I was so busy that the case slipped my mind, and my brother did not remind me. I never thought I would be blacklisted, let alone experience a ban like that.

I phoned my husband and complained, but he urged me not to be angry and to end the dispute as quickly as possible.

On July 9, the day after I was blocked on the website, I went to the court at 9 am and paid the debt. The judges assured me the ban would be lifted within seven days.

Things were not too bad because my journey wasn't urgent. However, I can't imagine how anxious I would have been if it had been an emergency, not to mention the inconvenience.

I hope the dispute is finally over and I hope I won't be blacklisted again.
"Li" spoke with Cao Yin.