Should "bill collectors" be allowed to use DA letterheads?

[no1_vern]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/bu...pagewanted=all

By JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG
Published: September 15, 2012

The letters are sent by the thousands to people across the country who have written bad checks, threatening them with jail if they do not pay up.

Collection notices.

They bear the seal and signature of the local district attorney’s office. But there is a catch: the letters are from debt-collection companies, which the prosecutors allow to use their letterhead. In return, the companies try to collect not only the unpaid check, but also high fees from debtors for a class on budgeting and financial responsibility, some of which goes back to the district attorneys’ offices.

Do you think that debt collectors should be allowed to use official district attorney's letterheads to send out notices?

[Mike]

Hell no!

[Taxmancometh]

Isn't this perjury?

[pickel]

Isn't this perjury?

Just DON'T open the letter.........

It's when they show up at your door you need to be concerned.


I have a "No Trespassing" and "No Soliciting" sign, a BIG Dog..So Bring it On.

[Taxmancometh]

Oh, I never open my bills. They go right in the trash.

[Steve R Jones]

there is no way of knowing whether the bad checks were the result of innocent mistakes or intentional fraud.

Don't write bad checks and the issue goes away

[no1_vern]

Isn't this perjury?

I consider this to be at least mail fraud. Bill collectors are sending bills to people while using a State/Federal insignia when it is NOT for state nor federal business.

[Steve R Jones]

Passing bad checks is a criminal offense. The person that had the misfortune of receiving one can turn it over to the DA office As your article points out, the DA office loves the arrangement.

[tony_j15]

Do you think that debt collectors should be allowed to use official district attorney's letterheads to send out notices?

Absolutely not.

Don't write bad checks and the issue goes away

Not everyone lives as high on the hog as you do, Steve.
Time to walk a mile in a poor man's shoes.

[PoonDoggy]

Absolutely not.


Not everyone lives as high on the hog as you do, Steve.
Time to walk a mile in a poor man's shoes.

That is not always the case. Live within your means and don't spend money that you don't have on things that you do not need to live. Food, clothes, shelter. That does not include internet, cable, theater, vehicle, cell phone, mp3 player and the list goes on and on.

No, collections should not be allowed to use DA letterhead.

[tony_j15]

That is not always the case.

I agree. The difference is: Steve's position implies the situation is always avoidable and you seem to be falling victim to the same falsehood.
My position leaves open the possibility that the situation can occur by mistake, accident, or happenstance.

[Steve R Jones]

I agree. The difference is: Steve's position implies the situation is always avoidable and you seem to be falling victim to the same falsehood.
My position leaves open the possibility that the situation can occur by mistake, accident, or happenstance.

That's fine as long as YOU aren't the holder of the bad check

What does it matter how - when and where the NSF letter comes from? The people that make the mistakes are the same people most likely to correct their mistake - thus another non issue.

[tony_j15]

That's fine as long as YOU aren't the holder of the bad check

Between my time in retail and banking, I've dealt with a few. The bank would attempt to collect locally as a good faith/customer service effort.
At OfficeMax, they would get sent to collections.
Unfortunately, bad checks are part of doing business, just like counterfeit bills and stolen/bad debit or credit cards.
What some of us realize though is it's not always an actual case of theft. People can over-run a debit card. People can be given a fake bill that they attempt to pass along. And people can write a bad check. It happens. Please don't preach about financial responsibility from a position of ignorance.

What does it matter how - when and where the NSF letter comes from?

Some of us prefer to keep government matters separate from corporate interests. As the article noted, the letters basically state "pay us or go to jail" before a prosector has even determined if a crime has been committed.

[Steve R Jones]

Please don't preach about financial responsibility from a position of ignorance.

So Tony - did I hit a sore spot you little hot check writer you. Get a freakin job and then you can join the real world again if you were ever part of it to begin with.

[tony_j15]

I think you have failed to comprehend my previous post. After you've calmed down, try reading it again. If part of it doesn't make sense, feel free to ask questions.

[Steve R Jones]

Tony I'm always calm and laid back. However I am prone to hysterical fits of laughter after reading your comments about my comments.

None of your comments about my comments make sense. Please explain them ALL.

And please share your secrets too. I've handled hundreds upon hundreds of bad checks and have never been able to tell the difference between the intentional and accidentally written ones.

I've written bad checks before. Did it both accidentally and intentionally. I deserved everything that happened as a result of my own actions. Why would it be different for anyone else? Writing bad checks because you're living pay check to pay check sucks.. But on the other hand - ya gotta eat and you do what you have to do which includes receiving nasty letters and phone calls.

I'm not sure why you're so sympathetic towards people that have accidents or what not. They aren't a protective class. Odds are they get a notification of insufficient funds before the merchant does. All they have to do is make things right and as I've stated before, this whole issue of nasty letter becomes a non issue.

[tony_j15]

LOL, OK.

Knowing you've dealt with the situation helps. I was operating under the assumption you were speaking from an outside perspective. I'm sorry. My apologies.

I'm sympathetic towards people who have accidents because that's what an empathetic human does. I don't consider "bad" check writers to be a special class, I just believe that they shouldn't be lied to twice by having demand letters sent on government letterhead threatening them with jail time.
If you are OK with lying to people, that's your prerogative.

[Epidemic]

I don't really care if they were lied to. That just scares them into action faster. Boo hoo they need to address the problem fast to begin with. I don't care much if the collectors lie I would be much more worried if they had the power to enforce it.

[Epidemic]

PS due to bad book keeping on my part in my younger years I managed to overextend myself only once with a check. I had a hotel fee I paid with a credit card. The credit bill was paid with my checking account but for some reason the check was not deducted from my account for a really long time. I found 800 dollars and sitting there doing nothing in my account and spent the windfall. but just as I did the check finally was deducted from my account. The store was quite irrate with me and they came after me very forcefully. I did not have funds to cover it but finally was able to get enough money together to pay for the product.

I did not like it. they threatened me with legal action over the 400 dollar bill (most likely would have cost them more to come after me so they probably lied to me.) Boooo hooo they lied to me and made me scared and I moved heaven and earth to make good on my mistake. No harm no foul, just sweat.

[tony_j15]

Perhaps it is just me, but I prefer not to be misled when we are dealing with the law.

I'm not against collections. It needs to happen. I'm against this gross abuse of our legal system.

There are two issues here and I think a few people here are incorrectly dealing with the wrong one. No one is saying these people shouldn't pay. What I am getting at is we need to keep government separate from business.