Posted on 02/09/2010 10:35:07 AM PST by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus
Last week was the final straw for Bruce Bethke and his family. His wife, Karen, answered the phone, and it was a collections call from T-Mobile, demanding payment on the cell phone account of her stepdaughter, Emily Bethke.
She burst into tears and told the agent what the family, in increasing irritation mixed with their sorrow, had been telling T-Mobile for months: Emily is dead.....
(Excerpt) Read more at twincities.com ...
Happens all the time.
My wife brought her aunt into our home to die.
After the aunt died in October, companies began calling the house trying to collect on outstanding debts. The estate left nothing for this, and my wife informed them of that.
“Well, usually the family will take care of these bills.”
“Not this family.” Click.
T-Mobile will NEVER get any business from me, if this is how incapable their billing department is, then they can't be trusted with something so important as communications.
What an obscene story. My condolences to Emily's family.
My chuckle for the day at least so far today-”they” whoever they happens to be will bully if they can.
There is a difference between charging a dead person for an ongoing cellular phone contract (which is ridiculous), and trying to collect from a dead person on a legitimate debt.
Typically, debts must be paid with the assets of the estate (whn you die, what you own goes toward what you owe). If the estate is broke, a letter stating that the estate is closed, broke and that the creditor will not be getting paid is likely necessary. The executor of the estate should handle creditors.
SnakeDoc
I guess I’m of the mind that if I do my due diligence, as this family obvously has; future bills go into the shredder unopened. If I get a call, the response is simple “Do NOT call me again - I am not Emily, and I am not responsible for her bills”.
Unfortunately, the poor minumum wage schmuck on the other end of the call is simply following a script he’s been given. Call accounts that are delinquent and get money. Not a fun job under the best of circumstances.
Hopefully, this article sets a fire under the back-sides of the people who have obviously failed (miserably) to do the most basic of jobs.
“Well, usually the family will take care of these bills.”
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Same line handed to me by Dell after my dad passed with no estate.
My father kep getting Jury Summons up to 10 years after he died, and it took the county supervisor’s office to get him off the rolls.
Well, he may have died; makes one wonder if his continued voting record kept him on the jury duty roles.
Which meant that someone was probably voting in his name for most of those ten years.
No — he was off the voter rolls... I checked...
Verizon charges me for the use in advance, only billing me for any overages (none) or other use (occasional 411 call) after the fact. I think this is the way most cell phone companies work. In all likelihood, this is a case of them not canceling the contract upon death and seeking continual monthly fees.
In Texas, if you do not leave a will, the creditors cannot collect from family members. If you do leave a will, naming an executor, they most definitely will go after family members. Then the whole "get a letter, the estate is broke" thing comes in to play.
Happened to one of my co-workers when his mother passed away leaving no will, the only reason I have this tidbit of trivia.
The only oblication you have is if the person had an estate, their creditors should be paid. If no estate you are not responsible.
However, it is best to write all known creditors to inform them of the death and the fact there is no estate.
When my sister passed away last year that is all I did. This worked even for the IRS whom she owed several thousand dollars.
We then notified the post office of her death and requested all mail be returned to sender.
We have not heard from any of her creditors.
I’m not an estate lawyer (though I am an attorney in Texas), but ...
If there is no executor/will, I think creditors can drive the estate into probate court and have an executor forcibly assigned. Just because there is no will does not mean the family can bolt with money/assets without paying the debts from that money/assets. If someone has a $50K estate, $25K in debt, and no will ... the inheritance would be done through probate court, after the debts are paid.
SnakeDoc
The estate is liable for bills, but the family is not.
A dead person can be sued for money owed. If you win, the judgment is against the estate. If the estate is already distributed, there is nothing to collect against.
In other words, there is no point to pursuing debts of dead people, unless it is a large debt, and then you better get in there and make a claim against the estate before it is distributed.
Of course, if the debt is secured, the creditor will collect.
My grandson came by yesterday. He brought the mail in for me and when I got it, I had a letter addressed to my daughter who died in 2004. It does not do any good telling them that she is deceased. I just say “bless their little hearts, they do not know any better” and ignore them.
If it is Chicago then I am sure he is a still voting.
I thought my post made that clear.
They were trying to get us to volunteer to pay her bills.
Unfortunately, this is the sad state of affairs with most billing departments and most companies. Everything is automated and run by foreign or affirmative action automatons. There’s no escaping it.
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