deadbeats

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Ohio man gets a $16.4 million cable bill - Yahoo! News

I certainly hope these deadbeats learned a lesson.

Have the credit card companies been able to pass a law creating debtors' prisons yet? Where are our lawmakers when lobbyists need them?

 

[GregLee]

What I find disheartening is the response: For its part, Time Warner issued a statement apologizing for the error and said that they're "going to work with the customer to get this resolved." What's to get resolved? Is TWC going to try to split the difference or something? Haven't they put the guy to enough trouble? Just cancel the bill.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

They are too busy trying to figure out how to take his house.

 

[jazz4cash]

What I find disheartening is the response: For its part, Time Warner issued a statement apologizing for the error and said that they're "going to work with the customer to get this resolved." What's to get resolved? Is TWC going to try to split the difference or something? Haven't they put the guy to enough trouble? Just cancel the bill.

Time Warner is tough. My retired brother received a very large, very overdue and very erroneous bill from Time Warner for a residence in another state. It was an identity theft situation. When he contacted Time Warner, he got a letter stating "we know how to deal with people like you" (quote is factual). Being retired, he took great pleasure in gathering easily obtained proof (statement from landlord in the other state) and tieing them up in various paperwork. Ultimately he got a rather testy "nevermind" letter.

 

[BLS53]

Ohio man gets a $16.4 million cable bill - Yahoo! News

I certainly hope these deadbeats learned a lesson.

Have the credit card companies been able to pass a law creating debtors' prisons yet? Where are our lawmakers when lobbyists need them?

If anything the tide is turning the other way. Haven't you heard of Elizabeth Warren, the noted Harvard Law Professor and consumer advocate? She's now part of Obama's administration She's been going after the card issuers for years.

Most people default on debt because they run out of money, not because of criminal intent.

Debtor prisons don't work, and would create more problems than they solve. There's a reason why our forefathers did away with them.

 

[BLS53]

Time Warner is tough. My retired brother received a very large, very overdue and very erroneous bill from Time Warner for a residence in another state. It was an identity theft situation. When he contacted Time Warner, he got a letter stating "we know how to deal with people like you" (quote is factual). Being retired, he took great pleasure in gathering easily obtained proof (statement from landlord in the other state) and tieing them up in various paperwork. Ultimately he got a rather testy "nevermind" letter.

In the world of debt collection, consumers are considered guilty until proven innocent. That's one reason why so many of the big debt buying firms are constantly being slapped by the FTC and state AG's.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Haven't you heard of Elizabeth Warren, the noted Harvard Law Professor and consumer advocate? She's now part of Obama's administration

Oh, yes. The highly effective Obama administration.

She's been going after the card issuers for years.

And she has accomplished...what?

Debtor prisons don't work, and would create more problems than they solve. There's a reason why our forefathers did away with them.

Really? Problems for whom? Certainly not for the companies. Our government has always thought that prison was a great deterrent against proscribed behavior.

Our founding fathers were deadbeats. Do you think that their solution could be applied today? (Think very carefully before you answer that.)

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

In the world of debt collection, consumers are considered guilty until proven innocent. That's one reason why so many of the big debt buying firms are constantly being slapped by the FTC and state AG's.

And it is SO effective, too, isn't it?

In my next incarnation, I will be a repo man. I am too old to work for the IRS collection dept. The only organization I know of that is meaner/has less oversight/fewer limits on ability to act is Canada Revenue.

 

[M Paquette]

Deadbeats! Debtor's prison is too good for them! Bring back the workhouses, treadmill, and indentured servitude! Oh, and the judicial system is far too slow in dealing with deadbeats, so we need an administrative fast track. This should be an independent third party funded by the debt holders. When someone refuses to pay their 16.4 million dollar cable bill, they shouldn't be able to delay the inevitable through dubious actions such as complaining. They and their family should go right to the auction block, or at the very least to the workhouse while all their possessions are auctioned off.

Hrmph! The very thought that some poor business should have to bear the brunt, be being accused of billing in error, and carrying all this terrible debt on it's books brings tears to my eyes. Why, oh why, do people hate the poor businessman so much?

 

[M Paquette]

More seriously, what SOME businesses do is screen their bills. When a bill looks unusual, moving up or down significantly from month to month, or looks atypical compared to most customers, the bill gets kicked to a human for review.

This has a couple of benefits to the business. First, they can catch obviously foolish things like 16 million dollar cable bills, and avoid lots of bad publicity. Second, they can catch fraud early, before it runs over multiple billing cycles and costs them even more.

The drawback is that this requires the business to actually do something, which doesn't set well with the typical 'utility' business management that runs with a sense of entitlement to all that lovely cash flow. They've worked hard to get humans out of the workflow, and the thought of spending money to actually put someone back in the flow is anathema to them.

 

[East Texas]

Most people default on debt because they run out of money, not because of criminal intent.

With a few exceptions, most people default on debt because they bought things they couldn't afford.

 

[Gumby]

With a few exceptions, most people default on debt because they bought things they couldn't afford.

Actually, the three primary reasons for personal bankruptcy are:

1. Job loss
2. Uninsured medical expenses
3. Divorce

The running up of credit card debt is usually a symptom of one of these misfortunes rather than a cause in and of itself.

 

[Bestwifeever]

The last comment right now on the website is a good one:

"Honey, did you order the AIG stimulus package on pay per view last month?"

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

The last comment right now on the website is a good one:

"Honey, did you order the AIG stimulus package on pay per view last month?"

 

[BLS53]

I don't know. If I was in the position of most people on this board, I would be more concerned with future Madoff types getting loose in those portfolios, than I would throwing the great unwashed into debtor prisons.

 

[chinaco]

What I find disheartening is the response: For its part, Time Warner issued a statement apologizing for the error and said that they're "going to work with the customer to get this resolved." What's to get resolved? Is TWC going to try to split the difference or something? Haven't they put the guy to enough trouble? Just cancel the bill.

I think the key part was apology!

 

[devans0]

I agree, the deadbeat SHOULD apologize! And pay his bill. And in the future, he really should cut down on Pay Per View.

 

[Isadora]

What's to get resolved? Is TWC going to try to split the difference or something? Haven't they put the guy to enough trouble? Just cancel the bill.

It is difficult for people to admit they are wrong, imagine a company where there are so many to blame who would need to apologize.

 

[BigNick]

They've worked hard to get humans out of the workflow

... and the people from EDS or CSC or whoever lashed up the billing system in time for close of business on the day they said they'd deliver, assured them that nothing could possible go wrong.