Our church last year worked with a group that purchased hospital debt from local hospitals and forgave the debt. I thought it was a pretty good Christmas gift.
@@michaelbolchunas1271 Most churches use excess money from tithes beyond supporting the church and the pastor's family for outreach ministries. Some run food pantries, send missionaries to other places, provide shelter for the homeless etc. I would say paying off people's medical debt is a good one.
@@michaelbolchunas1271 You obviously have no idea how much the upkeep of a church is. It doesn't magically take an order of magnitude more money per square foot to heat, cool, and keep the lights on for a religious building. Numbers I've seen estimate generally $6-7 per square foot per year on average. On the smaller side, churches that have fifty people or less are generally not much bigger than an average home. A few I've been in are smaller. At this size cleaning and lawn upkeep are generally done by the pastor, their family, or voulenteers. When you get into even medium sized churches you get a pretty significant revenue stream. Tithes are supposed to be at least 10%. Say you have a church with 100 adults, who make on average 30k a year. Say half of them pay tithes like they're supposed to. That's 150k a year, and that's probably on the low end of what they actually pull in as there are usually quite a few wealthier and more generous attendees. On your note about believing it's a mental illness, you're free to believe what you like. It doesn't change the fact that most food pantries, homeless shelters, and other similar outreach programs tend to be run through churches or other religious organizations. It's kind of irrelevant to the topic of conversation, that being that churches tend to make more than it takes to run them and that usually goes to various outreach programs.
The calls I love are the ones where a distant relative dies and they call to try and get you to pay it. When you mention that it is not your debt, they switch to "don't you want to clear up their memory?" To which I reply, "My memory is just fine, and their memory ended when they died..."
Yeah but if you're a beneficiary in the Will they have the right to claim it from you. Creditors must be paid from the estate before the beneficiaries can receive anything. If not, the executor can be prosecuted too.
@@the_once-and-future_king. Your statement is true that the estate has to pay the debts before disbursing any bequests. I'm talking about the case where the debts (usually medical) exceed the assets of the estate so money is still owed after the estate is broke. Debt collectors will purchase these legally non-collectible debts for a penny or two on the dollar and then call anyone (relatives, etc.) and try to guilt them into paying money they are not required to. They'll start off lying and trying to claim they can collect from you, then if you call them on their BS they'll try to guilt you into it with "Don't you want to clear their name of this bad debt?" or similar nonsense. The only need to get a small amount of money to make a profit since they paid almost nothing to acquire the rights to the debt.
I had a credit card debt many years ago. Downsized job and it was a while before I could find another. And when I was working again I paid it off to a debt collector. Paid it down to less than $100. Then they 'sold' it to another collector, who said I owed the entire debt to them. I owed less than $100 and now suddenly I owe over $5,000 again? NO, I have ignored every attempt to collect since then since I had paid it down and the claim of the full amount is total BS. At one point I had 3 different collectors claiming to collect on the same debt at the same time. So I learned long ago while the function of debt collecting may be legal, there are no legal debt collectors because they ALL break the law and FAKE debts to collect.
@@jasonbourne1596 Fed law says a debtor is entitled to billing by the original credit grantor and be given opportunity to make the contracted payment(s) before a debt is referred to collection. Both Office Max and collection agencies were in violation.
@Baughbe - What you described here is why I no longer use credit cards. These parasites tried this with me and it blew up in their face because I told them I had no contract with them and I have paid and will only pay the original creditor. I no longer have ANY debts anywhere with any of these parasites. It's COD or I walk!!
I remember my first call from a debt collector. They called me at work asking about my Visa(?) card debt. Problem was, it was probably 2 years before I ever had a credit card...
Had a debt collector call once and act like a giant dick. I was finally in a position to pay it. I called the original gas card issuer. They still had record if my account. I paid off the original debt holder and got a paid in full letter. Next time the jerks called, I said I paid the original company off, they freaked and told me I couldn't do that. I told them to kick rocks, it was done.
@@TheBooban how are they going to collect it? he has proof that he paid the original debt, so if they were to harass him he can sue them for their crazy fees lol
"...sitting in the ER because an anvil fell on your head; you were chasing this bird that was making fun of you..." Steve, your (oblique) references and use of the culture of our generation is unmatched. My compliments.
If it is honest debt, there is no valid complaint. This was improper collections. Take the house, the property inside, all vehicles except one needed to get to work. Robbing banks and passing the money over to your spouse and children does not mean you get to keep the money.
It does if you get the stolen money into a trust for someone with no evidence of it being illegally acquired. And at this point without all the accounting books and other documents that can prove even just 1$ used was illegally gained. Then the courts have no right to infringe. Kinda like just cuz you robbed the bank doesn't mean they can seize your house that was bought before the crime. Even if you have zero of stole cash returned apon conviction .
@@tripplefives1402 First off, when a debt collector calls you, if you are nice to them they will discount it by at least half right off the bat. Then if you haggle a little more and are very respectful to them they will often take more off. Never pay the full amount especially if your credit is already shit from not paying bills in the first place. It takes only about 6 months to recover you credit scores with a little work. Within a year you will have good ones, and within 2 years you can buy a house after a bankruptcy.
@@tripplefives1402 @tripplefives I would argue against interest being in any way dishonest if it was voulentary debt. You agreed to the interest rate when you signed up for it. Also I don't get that a tax credit negates the loss. In most cases a tax credit just means they don't have to count your debt as an asset to get taxed on. The government doesn't pay off people's debts when the company writes it off. As far as debt collectors, the company sells the debt off when they find it unlikely that they will ever get paid. So they sell it off, which is also part of the contract you sign when you sign up for the debt that they can do that, for much less than is owed so they can at least get something out of it instead of it being a total loss. The debt collects know they won't collect most of the debts they buy, but since they buy them so cheap even if they only collect one out of every four or five they still make some money. My only problem is that the collection agencies usually use scummy tactics and break the law constantly in their collection attempts.
@@tripplefives1402 The idea that they get nearly the entire amount back as a tax credit is absurd and I'm not sure what liar told you that. If that's the case, original creditors would not bother putting much effort in to collect at all since they'll be getting it from the government anyway. The original debtor does get a portion of it back, but someone lied to you about how much. It is no where close to the owed amount.
@@jasonbourne1596 IF they call, you have an option of calling or writing to the relevant agency to confirm the information. All my dealings with the Federal Gov't have been written and sent in the US Mail
@@jasonbourne1596 Agencies don't use phone calls as the initial contact in the general course of business. You'll get a USPS first class letter with additional contact information. I'm not aware of any federal agency that initially makes phone calls except in cases of emergencies (FAA, DOT, etc).
i worked at apartment complex that was mostly elderly and every year at tax time scammers claiming they were IRS would call these people and make all kinds of threats...
My state tax people do call businesses about sales tax and other tax obligations, but the key is that they back those calls up with letters, they don't demand instant payment over the phone, and happily provide the address for payments when requested. (That address is an actual state office, located in a building that is well-known to house state agencies, etc.)
When I closed my moms estate I had to notify creditors (utilities) that the estate was not solvent and that her outstanding bills could not be paid. If the company sells the debt to a debt collector I will provide a copy of this letter to that collector to show them you were informed this debt can not be collected. One of them sold the debt to a collector, and as soon as I provided them the copy of the letter sent to that specific utility they just said thanks, we will close this file. Was the only one I got.
Never paid a 3rd party, never will. Last time I had that issue I told the poor fellow on the phone that the best thing his company could do is sell it to some other fools as quickly as they can.
The case law on that has already been established by the appellate court that overturned the decision in Coyote vs ACME. The Court affirmed that both your warranty and any rights to claim damages are automatically voided if you fail to follow ACME's assembly specifications to the letter, including the use of stated torque values and ACME-approved tools. They also noted that all ACME products, instructions, and specification sheets are clearly marked with a warning indicating "Product not effective on Road Runners".
Many lower income seniors do not realize that their income, social security, pensions, VA benefits and disability, is protected by federal law. This means it cannot be garnished or taken by collectors for past debt. There are also federal and state laws that govern the collection of debt, what collectors can and cannot do.
So true. So you can tell them to take a hike. And then they can not legally bother you again. Sometimes, especially when you're sick, you may have no way to pay a bill.
They can’t take money out of a bank like USAA because it is federal. Someone tried that with me once. USAA let it get passed them and then corrected it.
My daughter was in an accident and had an emergency room visit, car insurance coverage took care of it, the hospital in one day was calling about different agencies to take care of the bill. This was even after they was told it was being taken care of. Just started hanging up on them because of the persistence of the money being paid before the bills arrived.
I had a DEBT COLLECTOR Threaten me with Jail time once. 1 Attorney & 3 months later they wound up having to cut me a check for $1000.00 Dollars & SETTLING my debt as PAID IN FULL
Had a debt collector call my dad and they told him if he didnt pay them money right then I was going to jail. Jokes on them though, the should have found someone that actually likes me to try that on.
Debt collectors went after my uncle for money that he had borrowed for the purchase of a 24 ft. fishing boat. Only problem was that my uncle had never borrowed the money for the purchase of a boat or anything else. His eldest son (estranged), a jr., had borrowed the money and deliberately passed himself off as his father when he borrowed the money. The debt collectors wouldn't believe him when he told them the truth. He even found out where my p.o.s. cousin kept the boat and sent them a picture of it and told them where it was so that they could repossess it. They still didn't believe him and took him to court. My uncle's attorney received a copy of the original paperwork and had a handwriting specialist compare my uncle's signature (from his DL) to the signature on the paperwork (the debt originator didn't even make a copy of my cousin's DL to go with the loan agreement). The judge also compared the signatures side by side and dismissed the case with an admonishment to the debt collector to use the information that my uncle had provided to go after the correct person and secure the collateral. By this time my cousin had moved the boat. When the collector asked for my uncle's help again to find the boat he told them where to go. Moral of the story is twofold: 1.When someone tries to help you out it might be in you best interest to take it and 2.When you try to screw somebody over, don't come back later and ask for their help.
Years ago I had to deal with a very aggressive, rude & disrespectful debt collector. Could not convince them I never purchased property in Florida & had to hire an attorney to resolve the issue. I would really hate to deal with people like this for a legitimate debt & sympathize with those who do.
I wish they would pass a law if debt is assigned to a debt collector and it is paid it must be removed from the credit report. They do that and the debt collection business will flourish. People will be more willing to deal with collection agencies.
Additionally, the original creditor should be required to notify you that they have transferred your debt, and to whom, and how to contact them. Without that, the whole industry is little more than legalized racketeering.
I used to work for a community help based company and one of the classes I taught was budgeting. I had a Gov't employee come to speak and he told the class about medical only bankruptcy and how it was viewed differently on your credit report. I also taught how to do settlements with credit companies and at a fraction of their overblown fees.
@@Genesh12 you can call them and negotiate a payoff/settlement. Many times your debt keeps piling on because of late fees or paying minimum amounts. You can also do the same with loan companies like payday loans. Sometimes you have to sign an agreement not to use their services for a year or more. They treat it like a write off and will stop the intrest to get it off of their books.
I wonder how many of your viewers (percent) made the connection with the "anvil" and "chasing the bird that is making fun of you" @ 8:20. That was really funny! I am going to take a leap of faith and guess that the Anvil in question was manufactured by "ACME."
The "ironing" joke was also in a Calvin & Hobbes comic strip many years ago. Calvin said "the ironing amuses me." I didn't know the Simpsons did a similar thing!
My wife and I do not carry debt in the form of revolving credit. But every so often I will get a phone call literally threatening me, apparently because I have a pretty common name. I have nothing but contempt for the folks that buy bad debt for pennies on the dollar and then start harassing people who have nothing to do with the debt they are chasing.
ERs post a sign that they must treat you without regard to your ability to pay. In New Jersey I had an experience where I told the hospital I wasn’t insured. They sent a social worker who gave me forms on how to apply for assistance but I didn’t have to sign anything before being treated and released. That’s a good policy.
Hi Steve, I think that I have gotten calls from this same company from time to time, even though I don't have any debt, what a coincidence that they are getting their just desserts! Great video!
There is a huge national department store that says I owe them 1800.00 from 1973, turns out it's my cousin of the same name. Told them to check birthdates, in 73 I was 8 years old. So I NEVER was able to get that credit card.
You can get a credit card at that age. However, they cannot send it to collections unless they can show the payment of the debt would not create a hardship. They are so limited in what they can do to collect the debt that most credit card companies won't issue until the person is the age of majority.
There was a somewhat similar case in Florida in which a bank made a false foreclosure action against a couple who had not, in fact, taken out a mortgage with that bank. The bank was ultimately ordered to pay the couple's legal fees (which were modest) and dragged their feet to the extent that they eventually obtained a collection judgement against the bank and turned up with that and the local Sheriff to seek foreclosure on the bank itself.
Steve, the judge split the two small claims cases, (see below). He said it’s days like these that make it all worthwhile.... 😆He only chided me for asking for reasonable attorney’s fees, as I was representing myself. I asked for my time away from work, but he denied that.
Also, some jurisdictions require debt collectors attempting to collect debts in that jurisdiction require the debt collector to operate from within the jurisdiction. For example, the province of Ontario in Canada requires all debt collectors trying to collect debts in Ontario to operate within Ontario and also to be registered as debt collectors in Ontario. (The registry, btw, is public and searchable online.)
The government never calls people. They like mail you have to sign for. Hahaha debt has diff statue if limitations too. Many states only have 20 years to collect state taxes. Most credit card debt in TX is 4 years. The only debt that never expires is IRS taxes, child support, and federal student loans.
You are correct in that neither SSA nor the IRS will call people by phone. However, while they will always contact you by mail, most of the letters they send are NOT sent by registered or certified mail.
Actual debt collectors know the rules about debt expiring. Some will try to trick you into signing documents that roll the debt into a new loan so they can start the clock over.
"They can't say they're from the government if they're not." There was one instance where that wasn't true. Some years back (like, lots of years) the IRS sold a bunch of "uncollectible" debt to a collections firm for pennies on the dollar. That's not unusual, it happens regularly that bad debt will be sold for a pittance. What was unusual was that apparently the IRS let the collector use IRS stationery. The collector went a bit too far and started making up debts to ordinary non-owing (?) taxpayers. I had a bankruptcy in my distant past (25 years) and evidently that's how I got targeted. I got a couple of nastygrams on IRS stationery and called the number to ask them to prove I owed it and got bounced from pillar to post, never getting a real answer. As it happened, a lawyer friend had risen to the position of Federal Bankruptcy Trustee for our region (how's that for irony?) and he wrote a nastygram back to the IRS saying "prove it or I'll sue you back to the stone age". That stopped it and he told me that the IRS later realized the error of their ways and stopped the practice. No idea what happened to the collector.
Student loan debt, guaranteed by the federal government, often gets sold to private debt collectors. They sometimes play fast and loose with the truth when attempting to collect that debt.
I have seen in the UK, a very threatening letter including possible imprisonment, demanding payment from solicitors who had purchased unenforceable debts from a council. As soon as I saw the letter, I could tell the recipient how old the debt was, over 6 years and that was why it couldn't be enforced.
@@Harry-zz2oh . They could still ask the debt be paid, they just couldn't enforce it. Their tactic was to try and scare people into paying up. Had it been sent to me, I would have put in an official complaint to the Solicitor's Regulation Committee.
I sued a debt collector for $5,000.00 & TRW for $5,000.00.... in small claims court. I had paid off my car loan, but was referred to collection agencies. Equifax & Trans-Union removed and stopped collection proceedings, I had the paid off loan, & had the pink slip. However the collection agency & TRW refused. I sued & won. TRW wrote me a $5,000.00 check in the hallway after the judgement. The collection agency & his lawyers refused. I paid a LA county sheriff $25.00, and they shuttered his agency stopped their employees, shut off their phones until he gave the sheriffs deputy a cashiers check.... It can be done....Just me against 2 lawyers, and I prevailed.....
I had payed a third party debt collector over 50% on an arranged payment schedule. Then, I find out that the debt was sold to another agency who in turn expected the original full amount. I vowed at that time that I would never pay another dime to any collection agency. And I haven't in the 32 years since
@B K Just argue the transfer was illegal and not the under the table pricing. This forces them to plead guilty to bad pricing of the asset and thus tax fraud.
In my area, almost all emergency room doctors are not signed up to my insurance plan. Therefore even though the hospital my be in your plan, the Dr. won't -- They all belong to a group among themselves. The Texas state legislature is supposed ? to be fixing that. My insurance company - BCBSTX - said if I have to go to the emergency room, in an actual emergency, you don't have to sign their agreement to pay, and they still have to treat the emergency. The insurance company can then negotiate on the bill -- but if you sign the financial form, then the insurance company can't do much.
If the wife knowingly accepted that then she is embezling financial assets and it is likely that she can be brought into the seizure with her assets also being forfeit ..
Ignorance of the law is no defence.. and assisting someone with fraud is an offence.. really it's not whether someone might feel sorry for her.. that's a matter for a court to decide on
I can imagine that if it is acceptable to destroy "evidence" prior to charges having been laid, it can just as probable be acceptable to transfer ownership of the home prior to being charged.
The Affordable Care Act stipulates care first and paperwork later with some stipulations. Especially, you can't be turned away without care. Insurance cannot be inquired about until checkout. Another excellent video.
My mother-in-law was contacted by a debt collector over an unpaid hospital bill. I sent them copies of paperwork from Medicare and her private insurance company stating the bill was not paid because the hospital failed to file properly. Their claim was repeatedly rejected and the hospital just re-submitted the same incomplete claim. Both statements said she was not responsible for the unpaid balance. After I emailed the forms, I got an immediate reply from the agency that they agreed and I never heard from them again. However, over the next year, we were called by four more collection agencies. Same thing happened each time, except the last. That time, the agency was in town, so I went over there to explain the situation. When I mentioned that I has been called by four other agencies, the manager got very mad. He assured me I wouldn’t hear from him again about the bill and said he would have words with the hospital. At any rate, we never got another call about that bill again.
I get calls about my brother all the time from I suppose are debt collectors they never say. They always call from an 800 or the like number, then they call from a fake local number. I even got a call asking for my neighbor and if I could have them return the call to the number they gave. Their tactics suck
Quick question: does a creditor need to inform you if they assign your debt to a 3rd party? If not, ANYone could call you up and say they are collecting a debt. They can't be the ones to say that you now owe them., can they?
When it comes to money and debt I'm actually glad as an adult I chose to take as many business classes in high school as possible, they were boring and tedious but they did one very important thing, prepared me to be a successful adult, understanding interest rates and being able to set and stick to budgets along with countless other skills are really priceless as you age...
In the UK doing that, transferring assets is actually a criminal not civil matter. My father was an Insolvency Examiner with the UK Department of Trade he actually had more powers than UK police officers because companies are not people. Once the company has gone bust the Insolvency Service Examiners become the defacto fiduciary officers of the company. Then Banks, the Company Accountant, its lawyers all serve the company so must comply with Examiners directions.
If I'm hearing you correctly, this money will be going to the government? That's my only issue, it should go to the people that lost money. I realize that $1.6M is a drop in the bucket of a $60M judgement, but still...
A little over a decade ago, my Aviation Safety job was contracted out. The age discrimination was explicit (we were targeted as "a retirement age workforce," and then blacklisted for transfers as the contractor had been promised 80% retention as it takes a good two years to properly train someone). A small number of us were forced to be rehired via congressional act because we were under two years from becoming fully vested for immediate retirement, but there was a weird caveat. We were explicitly banned from any government tort protection. We dealt with a lot of corporate aviation. The one coworker who was also covered said no problem, he had $1 million coverage with his home insurance. I looked at him and told him that won't even cover one turboprop engine, let alone the future earnings of the high level corporate types that were passengers, nor the pilot (I worked at one location where that happened, thankfully I had not been on duty that day). I told my then wife that, if something happened at work (with a major accident I would be held over) to IMMEDIATELY get a lawyer and sue for divorce. I've always wondered how that would have worked, to shield her share of the marraige assets from a civil lawsuit. As this is well behind me and could never happen again, I have no problem with discussing it now.
The first part of your comment is Greek to me, and I'm not from there, so it doesn't quite make sense. Sounds like you were saying that you could personally be liable for large sums of money if something happened that might possibly be blamed on you, and you told your wife what to do if that happened. Smart thinking.
@@TheRealScooterGuy Sorry - it was a weird situation because a federal employee almost ALWAYS has tort protection. Without the technical details, a lot of people would think what happened just couldn't. But you drew the right conclusion. I posted because I wonder if it would have worked...and asking a lawyer at the time could have shown intent, so that wasn't really a option either. There are 667 age discrimination/retirement lawsuits about to be settled over that. I'll get back about 2/3 of what I lost, which is actually pretty good in this kind of lawsuit. The court refused to certify class action so they had to be filed separately.
I've had an apartment complex try and charge me for "damages" to an apartment I rented. When I told them to send me an itemized bill of everything I owe and why they couldn't and said nevermind. Two years later it was sold to a third party. When the third part called me I told them the same thing. They also couldn't and I told them well I didn't have a contract with you and you cannot tell me what I owe and why so I owe you nothing unless you can provide such documentation. They have never contacted me again. It's been three years I'm sure that company may sell my "debt" as well and I'm sure I'll have to go through the same process. These people are leaches on society.
When you go to the emergency room they don't get your approval to treat and your agreement to pay until AFTER they are done. I've been to the emergency room 2x in the last 6 mos (false alarms) and that is what they do. I have always wondered what they would do If I didn't sign after they had already treated.
The problem I have is debt-collectors being allowed to change their story. I had a company call about a medical bill that had never been sent to me. I asked for printed copies of the bills showing what was done, date of service, etc. They asked for an address and I said, "If it was me you would already have that from the doctor." They said, "So we should send it to your address in Tennessee?" I've never lived in TN or anywhere near there. I said, "No, and that leads me to conclude this isn't a valid debt." They hung up and apparently did a public records search and changed the address on the bills to my actual address. Basically they got a dump from a closed medical practice's records that included a list of bills to collect but mis-matched the patient names to the accounts, then "corrected" the records to try and collect the debt. Took forever to get it resolved. Those kinds of things should require reimbursement of your cost and annoyance, but suing isn't effective since it costs more to get the judgment than you'll collect.
If I go to the hospital because an anvil fell on my head I would not have to pay anything. But I live in the UK where its included in our taxes. Here debt is sold as well.
@@johnpalmer3848 Everyone pays towards it and the money goes straight into the pot. No insurance company, no hospital administration, no HMO. Even if you pay for private healthcare you still have to contribute as private hospitals don't provide emergency care or offer all surgical treatments.
I had a signed contract with DeVry University for a scholarship. During my first semester, they said that I signed the online version and they had a different version in the office of the contract. I did not get the scholarship according to them and I needed to pay them even though we had a contract and the scholarship covered my first semester. I quit and refused to pay, so they sent it off to a collector. The collection agency called me twice as far as I can recall and they gave up. It never hit my credit and I wonder if the collection agency knew I did not actually owe on it. If you look up the school now, you can see that they had a few lawsuits over the years for poor business practices. I took special courses in high school and one of the benefits was to get that scholarship for getting 3rd party certificates from a mojor tech company and they were telling teachers about it, thats how I knew and why I went there.
Curious about the enforcement legality when the hospital or Dr office doesn't provide paperwork to you just have you sign on a rectangle electronic signature pad. No paperwork and the computer screen is facong away from the patient so no way to verify if what the person says is actually what your signing.
I get debt collection calls all the time. My work number seems to have been previously associated with a company that went under. They will not tell you who they are or what company's debt they're calling about. Even if you tell them there's no association with the company that used to have the number they keep calling. I don't answer the calls anymore and just block the numbers when Google shows them being a debt collector. Even if it was for my own company I have no ability or authority to deal with a collection call anyway.
At one point, I was dealing with some medical debt that the hospital never contacted me about, but instead turned over to a collection agency, even though (as I discovered much later) they kept resubmitting the claim to my insurance company. I started getting these messages that would state "Hello, (name). My name is Janice. I'm calling about an urgent business matter. Please call me back immediately at ..." Figuring they were spam, I ignored these calls, which went on for about four months. Finally, I got a call from the hospital's payments department. Arranged a payment plan, and made my first payment. Three weeks after that, I got a notice from my insurance company indicating they had paid the claim, and eventually got a check from the hospital refunding the one payment I'd made.
I had the same problem when I was given a cell phone number that apparently had been owned by a young woman. After a while I got tired of trying to convince people that they had the wrong number, so whenever I would get a call for this girl I started saying "She is in the shower, can I take a message?" It was fun for awhile.
I talked to a bloke in Chicago who owed doctors $600K due to his wife's cancer treatments not covered by insurance. He knew people in the finance industry and got their help and had the debt wiped out.
I had dozens of debt collectors try to get me to pay someones else's debt. He had given them my phone number and they said that because the number was tied to me then I owed the debt. I told them each to take me to court and let a judge decide. Surprisingly they went away after that.
I'm in Michigan. SW side. Wife got a blood infection and was hospitalized for about 4-5 days. Hospital wanted us to set up a "payment option" which we knew was essentially a credit card account meaning we would be subject to those terms. They tried hard to get us to do that but we rejected it every time. We have been paying them directly what we can every month.
@@robinrynearson7212 Insurance did pay some but ObamaCare was a long way from affordable. I could have not bought insurance, saved that money and paid the costs out of pocket and been money ahead.
Our church last year worked with a group that purchased hospital debt from local hospitals and forgave the debt. I thought it was a pretty good Christmas gift.
That's super nice.. but it should not have to be that way of there was a proper health insurance system
Lol, how rich is your pastor that he is giving the extras away...
@@michaelbolchunas1271 Most churches use excess money from tithes beyond supporting the church and the pastor's family for outreach ministries. Some run food pantries, send missionaries to other places, provide shelter for the homeless etc. I would say paying off people's medical debt is a good one.
@@joshwillingham4592 just the upkeep of the church is so much, I'm an atheist, so to me the religious people are sick in the head...
@@michaelbolchunas1271 You obviously have no idea how much the upkeep of a church is. It doesn't magically take an order of magnitude more money per square foot to heat, cool, and keep the lights on for a religious building. Numbers I've seen estimate generally $6-7 per square foot per year on average. On the smaller side, churches that have fifty people or less are generally not much bigger than an average home. A few I've been in are smaller. At this size cleaning and lawn upkeep are generally done by the pastor, their family, or voulenteers. When you get into even medium sized churches you get a pretty significant revenue stream.
Tithes are supposed to be at least 10%. Say you have a church with 100 adults, who make on average 30k a year. Say half of them pay tithes like they're supposed to. That's 150k a year, and that's probably on the low end of what they actually pull in as there are usually quite a few wealthier and more generous attendees.
On your note about believing it's a mental illness, you're free to believe what you like. It doesn't change the fact that most food pantries, homeless shelters, and other similar outreach programs tend to be run through churches or other religious organizations. It's kind of irrelevant to the topic of conversation, that being that churches tend to make more than it takes to run them and that usually goes to various outreach programs.
The calls I love are the ones where a distant relative dies and they call to try and get you to pay it. When you mention that it is not your debt, they switch to "don't you want to clear up their memory?" To which I reply, "My memory is just fine, and their memory ended when they died..."
Yeah but if you're a beneficiary in the Will they have the right to claim it from you. Creditors must be paid from the estate before the beneficiaries can receive anything. If not, the executor can be prosecuted too.
@@the_once-and-future_king. Your statement is true that the estate has to pay the debts before disbursing any bequests. I'm talking about the case where the debts (usually medical) exceed the assets of the estate so money is still owed after the estate is broke. Debt collectors will purchase these legally non-collectible debts for a penny or two on the dollar and then call anyone (relatives, etc.) and try to guilt them into paying money they are not required to. They'll start off lying and trying to claim they can collect from you, then if you call them on their BS they'll try to guilt you into it with "Don't you want to clear their name of this bad debt?" or similar nonsense. The only need to get a small amount of money to make a profit since they paid almost nothing to acquire the rights to the debt.
@@johngori9477 ah right. Yeah that is sketchy af!
@@johngori9477 Not only that, but by you paying, you acknowledged that you are responsible for the debt.
@@johngori9477 I'd tell them, "You didn't know Uncle Bobby. Nothing would have made him happier than me giving you the finger in his memory."
I had a credit card debt many years ago. Downsized job and it was a while before I could find another. And when I was working again I paid it off to a debt collector. Paid it down to less than $100. Then they 'sold' it to another collector, who said I owed the entire debt to them. I owed less than $100 and now suddenly I owe over $5,000 again? NO, I have ignored every attempt to collect since then since I had paid it down and the claim of the full amount is total BS. At one point I had 3 different collectors claiming to collect on the same debt at the same time. So I learned long ago while the function of debt collecting may be legal, there are no legal debt collectors because they ALL break the law and FAKE debts to collect.
I believe you are correct!
I will never comminicate (unless filing suit against them) let alone pay a "debt collector"
Never pay the debt collector only pay the original owner of the debt. Make sure you keep all documents to prove you pay it off.
@@jasonbourne1596 Fed law says a debtor is entitled to billing by the original credit grantor and be given opportunity to make the contracted payment(s) before a debt is referred to collection. Both Office Max and collection agencies were in violation.
@Baughbe - What you described here is why I no longer use credit cards.
These parasites tried this with me and it blew up in their face because I told them I had no contract with them and I have paid and will only pay the original creditor.
I no longer have ANY debts anywhere with any of these parasites.
It's COD or I walk!!
I remember my first call from a debt collector. They called me at work asking about my Visa(?) card debt. Problem was, it was probably 2 years before I ever had a credit card...
@Donny D - 😂😂😂
👍😆🖒
Had a debt collector call once and act like a giant dick. I was finally in a position to pay it. I called the original gas card issuer. They still had record if my account. I paid off the original debt holder and got a paid in full letter. Next time the jerks called, I said I paid the original company off, they freaked and told me I couldn't do that. I told them to kick rocks, it was done.
@@TheBooban
how are they going to collect it?
he has proof that he paid the original debt, so if they were to harass him he can sue them for their crazy fees lol
"...sitting in the ER because an anvil fell on your head; you were chasing this bird that was making fun of you..."
Steve, your (oblique) references and use of the culture of our generation is unmatched. My compliments.
If it is honest debt, there is no valid complaint. This was improper collections. Take the house, the property inside, all vehicles except one needed to get to work. Robbing banks and passing the money over to your spouse and children does not mean you get to keep the money.
It does if you get the stolen money into a trust for someone with no evidence of it being illegally acquired. And at this point without all the accounting books and other documents that can prove even just 1$ used was illegally gained. Then the courts have no right to infringe.
Kinda like just cuz you robbed the bank doesn't mean they can seize your house that was bought before the crime. Even if you have zero of stole cash returned apon conviction .
@@tripplefives1402 First off, when a debt collector calls you, if you are nice to them they will discount it by at least half right off the bat. Then if you haggle a little more and are very respectful to them they will often take more off. Never pay the full amount especially if your credit is already shit from not paying bills in the first place. It takes only about 6 months to recover you credit scores with a little work. Within a year you will have good ones, and within 2 years you can buy a house after a bankruptcy.
@@tripplefives1402 @tripplefives I would argue against interest being in any way dishonest if it was voulentary debt. You agreed to the interest rate when you signed up for it.
Also I don't get that a tax credit negates the loss. In most cases a tax credit just means they don't have to count your debt as an asset to get taxed on. The government doesn't pay off people's debts when the company writes it off.
As far as debt collectors, the company sells the debt off when they find it unlikely that they will ever get paid. So they sell it off, which is also part of the contract you sign when you sign up for the debt that they can do that, for much less than is owed so they can at least get something out of it instead of it being a total loss. The debt collects know they won't collect most of the debts they buy, but since they buy them so cheap even if they only collect one out of every four or five they still make some money.
My only problem is that the collection agencies usually use scummy tactics and break the law constantly in their collection attempts.
@@tripplefives1402 The idea that they get nearly the entire amount back as a tax credit is absurd and I'm not sure what liar told you that. If that's the case, original creditors would not bother putting much effort in to collect at all since they'll be getting it from the government anyway. The original debtor does get a portion of it back, but someone lied to you about how much. It is no where close to the owed amount.
Another point about them calling and saying they’re from the government, the government doesn’t call anybody, they send certified letters.
@@jasonbourne1596 IF they call, you have an option of calling or writing to the relevant agency to confirm the information. All my dealings with the Federal Gov't have been written and sent in the US Mail
@@jasonbourne1596 Agencies don't use phone calls as the initial contact in the general course of business. You'll get a USPS first class letter with additional contact information. I'm not aware of any federal agency that initially makes phone calls except in cases of emergencies (FAA, DOT, etc).
i worked at apartment complex that was mostly elderly and every year at tax time scammers claiming they were IRS would call these people and make all kinds of threats...
@@raygunsforronnie847 IRS and social security and agencies like that always start off mailing first..
My state tax people do call businesses about sales tax and other tax obligations, but the key is that they back those calls up with letters, they don't demand instant payment over the phone, and happily provide the address for payments when requested. (That address is an actual state office, located in a building that is well-known to house state agencies, etc.)
When I closed my moms estate I had to notify creditors (utilities) that the estate was not solvent and that her outstanding bills could not be paid. If the company sells the debt to a debt collector I will provide a copy of this letter to that collector to show them you were informed this debt can not be collected. One of them sold the debt to a collector, and as soon as I provided them the copy of the letter sent to that specific utility they just said thanks, we will close this file. Was the only one I got.
Never paid a 3rd party, never will. Last time I had that issue I told the poor fellow on the phone that the best thing his company could do is sell it to some other fools as quickly as they can.
Well, if you end up in the emergency room due to injuries incurred chasing a bird, your best recourse is probably to sue the Acme corporation.
The case law on that has already been established by the appellate court that overturned the decision in Coyote vs ACME. The Court affirmed that both your warranty and any rights to claim damages are automatically voided if you fail to follow ACME's assembly specifications to the letter, including the use of stated torque values and ACME-approved tools. They also noted that all ACME products, instructions, and specification sheets are clearly marked with a warning indicating "Product not effective on Road Runners".
Beep Beep
Carnivorous vulgaris
@@intentionaloffside8934 Famishibus famishibus
Yeah, go for the BIG money.
ACME is an old, established, successful firm. I have been hearing about them since I was a kid - wait...what?
Many lower income seniors do not realize that their income, social security, pensions, VA benefits and disability, is protected by federal law. This means it cannot be garnished or taken by collectors for past debt.
There are also federal and state laws that govern the collection of debt, what collectors can and cannot do.
I love to hear the sound of defeat in the tone of their voice, when I tell the debt collector I'm on a protected income. Bye
As a senior I hang up the minute I hear an unfamiliar, especially Indian, accent.
So true. So you can tell them to take a hike. And then they can not legally bother you again. Sometimes, especially when you're sick, you may have no way to pay a bill.
They can’t take money out of a bank like USAA because it is federal. Someone tried that with me once. USAA let it get passed them and then corrected it.
@@davidrasch3082 And yet the people who have been fleecing you all these years sound like you. Think about it.
My daughter was in an accident and had an emergency room visit, car insurance coverage took care of it, the hospital in one day was calling about different agencies to take care of the bill. This was even after they was told it was being taken care of. Just started hanging up on them because of the persistence of the money being paid before the bills arrived.
I had a DEBT COLLECTOR Threaten me with Jail time once. 1 Attorney & 3 months later they wound up having to cut me a check for $1000.00 Dollars & SETTLING my debt as PAID IN FULL
Had a debt collector call my dad and they told him if he didnt pay them money right then I was going to jail. Jokes on them though, the should have found someone that actually likes me to try that on.
"Really? If I borrow another two grand, will you keep him longer?"
@@pantarkan7 LoL You two are hilarious 😂🤣🤣🤣
Debt collectors went after my uncle for money that he had borrowed for the purchase of a 24 ft. fishing boat. Only problem was that my uncle had never borrowed the money for the purchase of a boat or anything else. His eldest son (estranged), a jr., had borrowed the money and deliberately passed himself off as his father when he borrowed the money. The debt collectors wouldn't believe him when he told them the truth. He even found out where my p.o.s. cousin kept the boat and sent them a picture of it and told them where it was so that they could repossess it. They still didn't believe him and took him to court. My uncle's attorney received a copy of the original paperwork and had a handwriting specialist compare my uncle's signature (from his DL) to the signature on the paperwork (the debt originator didn't even make a copy of my cousin's DL to go with the loan agreement). The judge also compared the signatures side by side and dismissed the case with an admonishment to the debt collector to use the information that my uncle had provided to go after the correct person and secure the collateral. By this time my cousin had moved the boat. When the collector asked for my uncle's help again to find the boat he told them where to go. Moral of the story is twofold: 1.When someone tries to help you out it might be in you best interest to take it and 2.When you try to screw somebody over, don't come back later and ask for their help.
I thought you were going to say you were already in jail.
@@Rebelrocker69 Nice little short story you wrote there. I think somebody owes somebody a boat ride.
Years ago I had to deal with a very aggressive, rude & disrespectful debt collector. Could not convince them I never purchased property in Florida & had to hire an attorney to resolve the issue. I would really hate to deal with people like this for a legitimate debt & sympathize with those who do.
You described all of them
I wish they would pass a law if debt is assigned to a debt collector and it is paid it must be removed from the credit report. They do that and the debt collection business will flourish. People will be more willing to deal with collection agencies.
Additionally, the original creditor should be required to notify you that they have transferred your debt, and to whom, and how to contact them. Without that, the whole industry is little more than legalized racketeering.
@@sabinrawr Thats a good idea.
I used to work for a community help based company and one of the classes I taught was budgeting. I had a Gov't employee come to speak and he told the class about medical only bankruptcy and how it was viewed differently on your credit report. I also taught how to do settlements with credit companies and at a fraction of their overblown fees.
How do you settle with credit companies and at a fraction of their overblown fees?
@@Genesh12 you can call them and negotiate a payoff/settlement. Many times your debt keeps piling on because of late fees or paying minimum amounts. You can also do the same with loan companies like payday loans. Sometimes you have to sign an agreement not to use their services for a year or more. They treat it like a write off and will stop the intrest to get it off of their books.
Woe to those who are collecting debts but do not pay their own debts.
Indeed
I wonder how many of your viewers (percent) made the connection with the "anvil" and "chasing the bird that is making fun of you" @ 8:20. That was really funny! I am going to take a leap of faith and guess that the Anvil in question was manufactured by "ACME."
Beep beep
Thank you, Steve, for cramming as many cartoon references as possible into one of your videos!
The "ironing" joke was also in a Calvin & Hobbes comic strip many years ago. Calvin said "the ironing amuses me." I didn't know the Simpsons did a similar thing!
Calvin & Hobbes was a great strip. I enjoy reading it whenever it pops up on my Facebook site.
My wife and I do not carry debt in the form of revolving credit. But every so often I will get a phone call literally threatening me, apparently because I have a pretty common name. I have nothing but contempt for the folks that buy bad debt for pennies on the dollar and then start harassing people who have nothing to do with the debt they are chasing.
ERs post a sign that they must treat you without regard to your ability to pay. In New Jersey I had an experience where I told the hospital I wasn’t insured. They sent a social worker who gave me forms on how to apply for assistance but I didn’t have to sign anything before being treated and released. That’s a good policy.
Hi Steve, I think that I have gotten calls from this same company from time to time, even though I don't have any debt, what a coincidence that they are getting their just desserts! Great video!
That sweet moment when Karma reveals itself in its full, glorious splendor!
There is a huge national department store that says I owe them 1800.00 from 1973, turns out it's my cousin of the same name. Told them to check birthdates, in 73 I was 8 years old. So I NEVER was able to get that credit card.
You can get a credit card at that age. However, they cannot send it to collections unless they can show the payment of the debt would not create a hardship. They are so limited in what they can do to collect the debt that most credit card companies won't issue until the person is the age of majority.
@@werefrogofassyria6609 SMH
Offer, Acceptance Consideration& Competency -- sounds like a contract on all fours.
Surely acting as a government agency is prison worthy.
Poetic justice!🌈
There was a somewhat similar case in Florida in which a bank made a false foreclosure action against a couple who had not, in fact, taken out a mortgage with that bank. The bank was ultimately ordered to pay the couple's legal fees (which were modest) and dragged their feet to the extent that they eventually obtained a collection judgement against the bank and turned up with that and the local Sheriff to seek foreclosure on the bank itself.
I hope he is forced to pay his family the dollar back also. 😂
plus 200 on top
It sounds like he has 60 million stashed away somewhere.
Too bad these feel-good stories dont happen more often.
if the rest of his family are helping him with his fraud, lock up the whole family.
Steve, the judge split the two small claims cases, (see below). He said it’s days like these that make it all worthwhile.... 😆He only chided me for asking for reasonable attorney’s fees, as I was representing myself. I asked for my time away from work, but he denied that.
Also, some jurisdictions require debt collectors attempting to collect debts in that jurisdiction require the debt collector to operate from within the jurisdiction. For example, the province of Ontario in Canada requires all debt collectors trying to collect debts in Ontario to operate within Ontario and also to be registered as debt collectors in Ontario. (The registry, btw, is public and searchable online.)
The government never calls people. They like mail you have to sign for. Hahaha debt has diff statue if limitations too. Many states only have 20 years to collect state taxes. Most credit card debt in TX is 4 years. The only debt that never expires is IRS taxes, child support, and federal student loans.
You are correct in that neither SSA nor the IRS will call people by phone. However, while they will always contact you by mail, most of the letters they send are NOT sent by registered or certified mail.
Actual debt collectors know the rules about debt expiring. Some will try to trick you into signing documents that roll the debt into a new loan so they can start the clock over.
"They can't say they're from the government if they're not." There was one instance where that wasn't true. Some years back (like, lots of years) the IRS sold a bunch of "uncollectible" debt to a collections firm for pennies on the dollar. That's not unusual, it happens regularly that bad debt will be sold for a pittance. What was unusual was that apparently the IRS let the collector use IRS stationery. The collector went a bit too far and started making up debts to ordinary non-owing (?) taxpayers. I had a bankruptcy in my distant past (25 years) and evidently that's how I got targeted. I got a couple of nastygrams on IRS stationery and called the number to ask them to prove I owed it and got bounced from pillar to post, never getting a real answer. As it happened, a lawyer friend had risen to the position of Federal Bankruptcy Trustee for our region (how's that for irony?) and he wrote a nastygram back to the IRS saying "prove it or I'll sue you back to the stone age". That stopped it and he told me that the IRS later realized the error of their ways and stopped the practice. No idea what happened to the collector.
Surely they would have been charged with fraudulently representing themselves as a Federal entity?
@@stoopingfalcon891 you would think, but this was done with the knowledge and permission of the IRS which, I assume, indemnified them.
@@thomasarmbruster1743 Interesting. Thanks for that :)
Student loan debt, guaranteed by the federal government, often gets sold to private debt collectors. They sometimes play fast and loose with the truth when attempting to collect that debt.
I have seen in the UK, a very threatening letter including possible imprisonment, demanding payment from solicitors who had purchased unenforceable debts from a council.
As soon as I saw the letter, I could tell the recipient how old the debt was, over 6 years and that was why it couldn't be enforced.
So the debt collection was improper at the best. Basically, it was no longer a debt since the statute of limitations had passed.
@@Harry-zz2oh .
They could still ask the debt be paid, they just couldn't enforce it. Their tactic was to try and scare people into paying up.
Had it been sent to me, I would have put in an official complaint to the Solicitor's Regulation Committee.
I sued a debt collector for $5,000.00 & TRW for $5,000.00.... in small claims court. I had paid off my car loan, but was referred to collection agencies. Equifax & Trans-Union removed and stopped collection proceedings, I had the paid off loan, & had the pink slip. However the collection agency & TRW refused. I sued & won. TRW wrote me a $5,000.00 check in the hallway after the judgement. The collection agency & his lawyers refused. I paid a LA county sheriff $25.00, and they shuttered his agency stopped their employees, shut off their phones until he gave the sheriffs deputy a cashiers check.... It can be done....Just me against 2 lawyers, and I prevailed.....
I had payed a third party debt collector over 50% on an arranged payment schedule. Then, I find out that the debt was sold to another agency who in turn expected the original full amount. I vowed at that time that I would never pay another dime to any collection agency.
And I haven't in the 32 years since
Hospital in Galion Ohio they send to collection before you even get a bill they automatically sent to collection 30 days
I get collector phone calls for the Ex-wife
of the man whose house I bought 15 years ago
A lady with a different last name
Ben behind the LEHTO LAW Florida plate on the upper left.
Does that mean the court can seize the house but that only counts as $1 off the debts owed ?
@B K Just argue the transfer was illegal and not the under the table pricing. This forces them to plead guilty to bad pricing of the asset and thus tax fraud.
In my area, almost all emergency room doctors are not signed up to my insurance plan. Therefore even though the hospital my be in your plan, the Dr. won't -- They all belong to a group among themselves. The Texas state legislature is supposed ? to be fixing that. My insurance company - BCBSTX - said if I have to go to the emergency room, in an actual emergency, you don't have to sign their agreement to pay, and they still have to treat the emergency. The insurance company can then negotiate on the bill -- but if you sign the financial form, then the insurance company can't do much.
I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a Hamburger today.
Now you're giving away your age. "Wimpy"
@@a-k-jun-1 lol nice
@@a-k-jun-1 umm who's wimpy?
Ever get a pay cheque after work on a Friday when banks close, not being able to cash it until Monday?
Couldn't switch to direct deposit quicker.
@@davidbeaulieu4815 he’s J. Wellington Wimpy from old Popeye cartoons in the Thimble Theater.
If the wife knowingly accepted that then she is embezling financial assets and it is likely that she can be brought into the seizure with her assets also being forfeit ..
There's a chance she didn't know
I dont think you could just assume she knew what was going on. Shes definitely helping him hide assets, but she may be ignorant of the morality of it.
Maybe she just didn't know. She probably knew he was being investigated. But maybe that's the extent of her knowledge.
Ignorance of the law is no defence.. and assisting someone with fraud is an offence.. really it's not whether someone might feel sorry for her.. that's a matter for a court to decide on
@@janwitts2688 it can be a defense. Not often though.
You said the ironing is delicious but meant to say irony. Got a chuckle out of that.
I can imagine that if it is acceptable to destroy "evidence" prior to charges having been laid, it can just as probable be acceptable to transfer ownership of the home prior to being charged.
I've seen a hospital never send a bill and yet turn it over for collections
“I’d Gladly Pay You Tuesday For A Hamburger Today”- Wimpy ...
The Affordable Care Act stipulates care first and paperwork later with some stipulations. Especially, you can't be turned away without care. Insurance cannot be inquired about until checkout. Another excellent video.
Friday is a good day for a feel good story lol
Those "Brazen" people are the worst.
Wow this sounds a lot like how phone scammers operate. They must've taken some notes from India and Nigeria.
@Donny D 😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Never understood why anyone would want to be a debit collector. You didn’t pay the first guy why would you pay the second guy ?
The one who is in debt should always have the right to purchase their debt at the price it's being assigned or sold to someone else.
Should have put it into a TRUST!
Most states have laws against this form of fraud.
My mother-in-law was contacted by a debt collector over an unpaid hospital bill. I sent them copies of paperwork from Medicare and her private insurance company stating the bill was not paid because the hospital failed to file properly. Their claim was repeatedly rejected and the hospital just re-submitted the same incomplete claim. Both statements said she was not responsible for the unpaid balance. After I emailed the forms, I got an immediate reply from the agency that they agreed and I never heard from them again.
However, over the next year, we were called by four more collection agencies. Same thing happened each time, except the last. That time, the agency was in town, so I went over there to explain the situation. When I mentioned that I has been called by four other agencies, the manager got very mad. He assured me I wouldn’t hear from him again about the bill and said he would have words with the hospital. At any rate, we never got another call about that bill again.
If they do something illegal, they should be fighting it from prison. Frauds like this guy will not stop until he's in jail.
I too find the ironing quite tasty
Pretty bad when a scummy industry thinks you are too scummy to be in their industry and bans you.
I get calls about my brother all the time from I suppose are debt collectors they never say. They always call from an 800 or the like number, then they call from a fake local number. I even got a call asking for my neighbor and if I could have them return the call to the number they gave. Their tactics suck
you should have also spoke about statute of limitations on how long they have to collect the debt before it's goes stale
Quick question: does a creditor need to inform you if they assign your debt to a 3rd party? If not, ANYone could call you up and say they are collecting a debt. They can't be the ones to say that you now owe them., can they?
When it comes to money and debt I'm actually glad as an adult I chose to take as many business classes in high school as possible, they were boring and tedious but they did one very important thing, prepared me to be a successful adult, understanding interest rates and being able to set and stick to budgets along with countless other skills are really priceless as you age...
This has *_nothing_* to do with this case, which is about a fraudulent debt collector.
In the UK doing that, transferring assets is actually a criminal not civil matter.
My father was an Insolvency Examiner with the UK Department of Trade he actually had more powers than UK police officers because companies are not people. Once the company has gone bust the Insolvency Service Examiners become the defacto fiduciary officers of the company. Then Banks, the Company Accountant, its lawyers all serve the company so must comply with Examiners directions.
If I'm hearing you correctly, this money will be going to the government? That's my only issue, it should go to the people that lost money. I realize that $1.6M is a drop in the bucket of a $60M judgement, but still...
I remember hearing and getting the mini Miranda warning on correspondence I had with delinquent debts before I declared bankruptcy.
If a bird is making fun of you and an anvil is falling on your head, chances are your name is Wile E. Coyote.
Don't jump to conclusions. Could also be Tom.
Almost as sweet as those in law enforcement being held accountable to the law.
If a debt can be purchased, the liability ought to be able to be sold.
and the government might sell the fine to "united unsavory factors inc." with the slogan "have bat, will travel"
True Justice.
A little over a decade ago, my Aviation Safety job was contracted out. The age discrimination was explicit (we were targeted as "a retirement age workforce," and then blacklisted for transfers as the contractor had been promised 80% retention as it takes a good two years to properly train someone). A small number of us were forced to be rehired via congressional act because we were under two years from becoming fully vested for immediate retirement, but there was a weird caveat. We were explicitly banned from any government tort protection.
We dealt with a lot of corporate aviation. The one coworker who was also covered said no problem, he had $1 million coverage with his home insurance. I looked at him and told him that won't even cover one turboprop engine, let alone the future earnings of the high level corporate types that were passengers, nor the pilot (I worked at one location where that happened, thankfully I had not been on duty that day). I told my then wife that, if something happened at work (with a major accident I would be held over) to IMMEDIATELY get a lawyer and sue for divorce. I've always wondered how that would have worked, to shield her share of the marraige assets from a civil lawsuit. As this is well behind me and could never happen again, I have no problem with discussing it now.
The first part of your comment is Greek to me, and I'm not from there, so it doesn't quite make sense. Sounds like you were saying that you could personally be liable for large sums of money if something happened that might possibly be blamed on you, and you told your wife what to do if that happened. Smart thinking.
@@TheRealScooterGuy Sorry - it was a weird situation because a federal employee almost ALWAYS has tort protection. Without the technical details, a lot of people would think what happened just couldn't. But you drew the right conclusion. I posted because I wonder if it would have worked...and asking a lawyer at the time could have shown intent, so that wasn't really a option either.
There are 667 age discrimination/retirement lawsuits about to be settled over that. I'll get back about 2/3 of what I lost, which is actually pretty good in this kind of lawsuit. The court refused to certify class action so they had to be filed separately.
I think I remember Homer saying Mmmmm Garnish
This would make for a great parable. Someone get on that.
I've had an apartment complex try and charge me for "damages" to an apartment I rented. When I told them to send me an itemized bill of everything I owe and why they couldn't and said nevermind. Two years later it was sold to a third party. When the third part called me I told them the same thing. They also couldn't and I told them well I didn't have a contract with you and you cannot tell me what I owe and why so I owe you nothing unless you can provide such documentation. They have never contacted me again. It's been three years I'm sure that company may sell my "debt" as well and I'm sure I'll have to go through the same process. These people are leaches on society.
Ben visiting Florida Lehto Law license plate.
When you go to the emergency room they don't get your approval to treat and your agreement to pay until AFTER they are done. I've been to the emergency room 2x in the last 6 mos (false alarms) and that is what they do. I have always wondered what they would do If I didn't sign after they had already treated.
Feel good story of the day!
The problem I have is debt-collectors being allowed to change their story. I had a company call about a medical bill that had never been sent to me. I asked for printed copies of the bills showing what was done, date of service, etc. They asked for an address and I said, "If it was me you would already have that from the doctor." They said, "So we should send it to your address in Tennessee?" I've never lived in TN or anywhere near there. I said, "No, and that leads me to conclude this isn't a valid debt." They hung up and apparently did a public records search and changed the address on the bills to my actual address. Basically they got a dump from a closed medical practice's records that included a list of bills to collect but mis-matched the patient names to the accounts, then "corrected" the records to try and collect the debt. Took forever to get it resolved. Those kinds of things should require reimbursement of your cost and annoyance, but suing isn't effective since it costs more to get the judgment than you'll collect.
If I go to the hospital because an anvil fell on my head I would not have to pay anything. But I live in the UK where its included in our taxes. Here debt is sold as well.
"...where it's included in our taxes."
Ah, so then you actually DO pay something...
@@johnpalmer3848 just less than people pay in the US.
@@johnpalmer3848 Everyone pays towards it and the money goes straight into the pot. No insurance company, no hospital administration, no HMO. Even if you pay for private healthcare you still have to contribute as private hospitals don't provide emergency care or offer all surgical treatments.
I had a signed contract with DeVry University for a scholarship. During my first semester, they said that I signed the online version and they had a different version in the office of the contract. I did not get the scholarship according to them and I needed to pay them even though we had a contract and the scholarship covered my first semester. I quit and refused to pay, so they sent it off to a collector. The collection agency called me twice as far as I can recall and they gave up. It never hit my credit and I wonder if the collection agency knew I did not actually owe on it. If you look up the school now, you can see that they had a few lawsuits over the years for poor business practices. I took special courses in high school and one of the benefits was to get that scholarship for getting 3rd party certificates from a mojor tech company and they were telling teachers about it, thats how I knew and why I went there.
I paid a debt collector once and they never reported that I paid them. I will never do that again. Write a check to who you actually owe.
Everything said could have applied to almost any country until you hear the words medical debt. I love our NHS.
"I'll buy that for a dollar!"
Curious about the enforcement legality when the hospital or Dr office doesn't provide paperwork to you just have you sign on a rectangle electronic signature pad. No paperwork and the computer screen is facong away from the patient so no way to verify if what the person says is actually what your signing.
The debt collector should be in jail.
I get debt collection calls all the time. My work number seems to have been previously associated with a company that went under. They will not tell you who they are or what company's debt they're calling about. Even if you tell them there's no association with the company that used to have the number they keep calling. I don't answer the calls anymore and just block the numbers when Google shows them being a debt collector. Even if it was for my own company I have no ability or authority to deal with a collection call anyway.
At one point, I was dealing with some medical debt that the hospital never contacted me about, but instead turned over to a collection agency, even though (as I discovered much later) they kept resubmitting the claim to my insurance company. I started getting these messages that would state "Hello, (name). My name is Janice. I'm calling about an urgent business matter. Please call me back immediately at ..." Figuring they were spam, I ignored these calls, which went on for about four months. Finally, I got a call from the hospital's payments department. Arranged a payment plan, and made my first payment. Three weeks after that, I got a notice from my insurance company indicating they had paid the claim, and eventually got a check from the hospital refunding the one payment I'd made.
I had the same problem when I was given a cell phone number that apparently had been owned by a young woman. After a while I got tired of trying to convince people that they had the wrong number, so whenever I would get a call for this girl I started saying "She is in the shower, can I take a message?" It was fun for awhile.
Steve your analogies went off the rails❗
0:40 "The ironing is delicious".....??? Steve, the only ironed things that you should be eating are ironed waffles. Though they are indeed delicious.
I talked to a bloke in Chicago who owed doctors $600K due to his wife's cancer treatments not covered by insurance. He knew people in the finance industry and got their help and had the debt wiped out.
This may be the first time civil asset forfeiture is warranted.
Can a medical firm tell you that they have forgiven your debt and then sell it to a third party?
I had dozens of debt collectors try to get me to pay someones else's debt. He had given them my phone number and they said that because the number was tied to me then I owed the debt. I told them each to take me to court and let a judge decide. Surprisingly they went away after that.
What happens with the state sales tax when someone sells their property for less than market value? Like this.
I'm in Michigan. SW side. Wife got a blood infection and was hospitalized for about 4-5 days. Hospital wanted us to set up a "payment option" which we knew was essentially a credit card account meaning we would be subject to those terms. They tried hard to get us to do that but we rejected it every time. We have been paying them directly what we can every month.
Why wouldn't insurance pay for it? That must be quite a hefty bill.
@@robinrynearson7212 Insurance did pay some but ObamaCare was a long way from affordable. I could have not bought insurance, saved that money and paid the costs out of pocket and been money ahead.