Trying to help an acquaintance. Really, it's not for me.

Posted By: opinions? totally off topic on 2005-08-25
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There are some businesses around our town that are displaying bad checks on the walls, putting past due loan payments on their marquees, and otherwise publicly displaying the names of people who owe them money. I looked up the FDCPA, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, however, this applies to "collection agencies" and not the original creditor. I still feel that it's a huge violation of privacy. In fact, I'm boycotting businesses that do this because I think it's completely wrong. What do you think? How should people fight this? (Obviously, other than not writing bad checks and making their payments on time. I already gave that lecture.)

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Trying to help an acquaintance. Really, it's not for me. - opinions? totally off topic
- There was a store where I used to live who did that. Apparenlty, it is legal for them to do. - (sm) no tact.
- I don't blame the merchants for doing that - a deadbeat is a deadbeat
  - I have had a check bounce over a boo-boo in the check book...NOT A DEADBEAT!! - nm
  - Maybe it would work with deadbeat ex-spouses who refuse - speaking of deadbeats...
- Bad checks - No sympathy
- I live in a small Southern town and they have posted pictures of sm - justme
  - They do that up north to. - me
  - WhenI first got out of college and first got married, I had my very first checking acct. sm - Just me
    - we took an IC's check that worked for my DH to our bank and cashed it for them. sm - not always
- The merchants would be within their rights - MT
  - It's an acquaintance, not a friend. - OP
  - so what if they wrote the check to feed their kids that were starving, would you buy them some groce - nm
    - Food stamps, WIC, food banks, churches, family... - Busy MT'ing
    - Um, what? I grew up very poor and made it through college and now - Just Me
  - Really? - MTMommy
    - Yes, really. It's a character issue. - MT
- Chances are ... (sm) - Busy MT'ing
- It serves as a deterrent and I fully support it. - sm
- If you don't write bad checks and pay your debts on time it is a non-issue.nm - Well
  - Yeah, that's what I said in my post. Thanks for repeating it. - OP

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I have an MT acquaintance who has her co. name (sm)
on her MySpace page, and it bothered me too. And it doesn't have anything to do with her page content, which is pretty benign by anyone's standards; it just doesn't seem appropriate somehow to me to list such things on a public page.

I guess I'm a dinosaur from a time when you just didn't reveal stuff like that online.

It's an acquaintance, not a friend.

He's temporarily disabled because some drunk guy ran him over on his motorcycle. Therefore, he can't pay his bills so this particular company posted his name on their marquee telling him to pay up now.

I don't believe in not paying bills or writing bad checks, but there's no reason these businesses can't turn the checks over to CheckRite or another third party collection agency. They can also report the debts on credit reports, garnish wages, execute on assets, and file civil and criminal complaints. Am I wrong in thinking that violating people's privacy is not OK? Sure, some people are habitual offenders who have no problem stealing from others, which is what bad checks essentially are. This is not the case in every situation, though. I just don't see how two wrongs make a right. I can't believe I'm the only person who thinks it's wrong to post people's names in public regarding debt collection. It's not like the olden days with public bannes (sp?) and debtors prison.

I worked in collections before doing repos, skip tracing, and phone calls on bad debts. I also lost my job when my company went under due to illegal acts by the CEOs. I know what it's like to be the collector and the debtor.

acquaintance's granddaughter?....nm

definition of acquaintance....sm

Knowledge of a person acquired by a relationship less intimate than friendship.
A relationship based on such knowledge: struck up an acquaintance with our new neighbor.

Someone you know.

from dictionary.com