Today's winners are Nationwide Collections Inc. of Fort Pierce, Florida, and it's President Phillip McGarvey. They get the award for the following.
BUFFALO, N.Y. - A collection agency tried to collect a $16.96 debt with an letter that addressed its recipient with a four-letter word for excrement.Excuses, excuses Mr. McGarvey. A google search of Nationwide Collections finds they have abused other people all in order to collect money owed to Columbia House. This doesn't appear to me to be one isolated mistake due to poor or non-existent quality control. Even if it was a innocent mistake, a company needs to be careful when sending out any correspondence with its name on it. Nationwide Collections failed that test dismally.
"Dear S---," began the letter attempting to collect from an old record club membership. The word was spelled out in the letter, which arrived in an envelope addressed to "S--- Face.""I've never seen anything quite so brazen," said attorney Kenneth Hiller.
He said his client plans to sue Nationwide Collections Inc. of Fort Pierce, Florida, next week.
*****
Under U.S. law, debt collectors are not allowed to use profanity to collect a debt, Hiller said, nor are they supposed to threaten legal action over such a small amount.
Nationwide President Phillip McGarvey said the October 2007 letter was automatically generated after his company bought about 350,000 Columbia House accounts. "S--- Face" is the name under which the account was opened and the way the coupon to start the club was filled out, he said.
*****
"It looks bad to the observer who is not familiar with the industry," acknowledged McGarvey, "but anybody who understands the volume would understand how this could happen. ...You've also got people filling in famous people's names."
Calling someone S*** Face won't collect Nationwide Collections Inc. of Fort Pierce, Florida, and its President Phillip McGarvey any money, but it does earn them today's Knucklehead of the Day award.
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Comments (6)
"'I've never seen anything ... (Below threshold)1. Posted by mikem
| February 1, 2008 8:21 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
"'I've never seen anything quite so brazen,' said attorney Kenneth Hiller.
He said his client plans to sue Nationwide Collections Inc. of Fort Pierce, Florida, next week."
Freaking lawyers and greedy people. What could possibly be "brazen" about not catching an old prank? Don't lawyers care about the facts at all?
Nationwide Collections may or may not deserve a knucklehead award, but the lawyer and his greedy as a pig client sure do.
1. Posted by mikem
| February 1, 2008 8:21 PM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on February 1, 2008 20:21
2. Posted by Jason | February 1, 2008 8:58 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
My bet is that the person who received letters addressed like that since opening the account in question and probably always had a good laugh out of it every time. Ah, but now that the company wants to collect the debt, then his offense suddenly appears. Yeah, right.
2. Posted by Jason | February 1, 2008 8:58 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on February 1, 2008 20:58
3. Posted by Jason | February 1, 2008 9:00 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Wow. I need to recheck my comments when I go back and change things. Sorry about the confusing grammar in that previous posts, folks. I'm usually better than that.
3. Posted by Jason | February 1, 2008 9:00 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on February 1, 2008 21:00
4. Posted by ras | February 1, 2008 10:15 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
If the fellow filled out "S*** Face" as his name, then it's not profanity to address him as such.
BTW, for tomorrow's knucklehead award, huzzaba the three guys who sponsored this.
4. Posted by ras | February 1, 2008 10:15 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on February 1, 2008 22:15
5. Posted by mikem
| February 1, 2008 11:25 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I saw that story ras linked to. Unbelievable. I keep waiting to hear that it is a joke. It can't be a misunderstanding because the Smoking Gun link that Drudge used has a copy of a clearly stated legislative bill.
There is even a Republican as a co-sponsor along with the usual suspects.
(to forbid certain [by size] food establishments from serving food to obese people as defined by nanny state agency)
5. Posted by mikem
| February 1, 2008 11:25 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on February 1, 2008 23:25
6. Posted by ras | February 1, 2008 11:45 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Perhaps a companion bill is in order: to forbid anyone too stupid to waste food on from eating in the same establishments.
The test will be anyone stupid enough to have sponsored the first bill.
Better still: put both proposals to a referendum. Does Mississippi have voter propositions? Oh please, oh please....
6. Posted by ras | February 1, 2008 11:45 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on February 1, 2008 23:45