Empoyers Who Request Credit Reports!!!

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I've been an unemployed RN since June, 2003 and have been doing agency work which is very sporadic here in Salt Lake City. I have been to so many job interviews that I have lost count and always I get the same response from the employers. I have excellect qualifications but we hired another candidate who was more qualified. I went to an interview workshop and the lecturer told me that I was doing all the right things on an interview. I recently found out that here in Utah, many employers do credit checks on prospective employees. An attorney friend told me that pulling a credit report is included in the background check and if you sign a release form authorizing a background check, chances are, they will pull a credit report too. He also told me that employers can deny you employment if your credit is less than perfect and since my credit is less than perfect, I'm beginning to wonder if that is why I have been unable to find a job. I think this is absolutely appalling and underhanded of prospective employers. How do you pay your bills if you are not working??? I also understand that very few states allow this practice and unfortunately, I live in a state that does. Would love to hear some comments about this nasty little practice!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by RN2be

"...Every reasonable attempt should be made to make the party aware of the procedings. When reasonable attempts have been made and those attepmts have been unsuccessful then proceedings may begin. Judgements can and do happen all the time withoout the knowlege of the party who is being sought.

This may be true, but if you have a bill that you KNOWINGLY have not paid, do you think it will just go away, if you ignore registered mail, or move from a previous address...I believe Melanie admits she knew about her bills...If you miss the registered letters, and a judgement is decreed against you for a bill that you amassed, THEN SO BE IT, and it is just!

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I am talking general terms not in just this case. Having said that do we know that indeed received all those lettters that were sent out? Maybe she did and maybe she didn't. But the process is still the same. Every reasonable effort shall be made to notify. If the person is away for that 30 day period then guess what? The court hearing happens. Yes I am sure people evade collection but do we know this happened in this case?

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Originally posted by RN2be

"PROOF that the above mentioned party was notified of the hearing so they could defend themselves."

Every reasonable attempt should be made to make the party aware of the procedings. When reasonable attempts have been made and those attepmts have been unsuccessful then proceedings may begin. Judgements can and do happen all the time withoout the knowlege of the party who is being sought.

And, as I said, people have successfully removed judgements on that basis.

Melanie did say she was notified of the wage garnishment long before the bank account seizure. So she was notified of the judgement in some form.

If there was a problem with the original notification on the court hearing, I sure would have gone back to court to fight it. And I have seen people successfully do that.

If proper notice is not found that in court file, you can convince a judge to remove the judgement. Judges do frequently ask if the party has been properly served, and they often ask for documentation on that before they issue a judgement.

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Originally posted by hogan4736

Entrapped seems to be a broad, strong word...Are you saying these same smart, dilligent people are "victims" of dishonest creditors...

In cases of Identity Theft, yes, there are victims. I used the word entrapped b/c there are so few rights available to vindicate one-self. You are guilty till you prove yourself innocent. And it takes a LOT of effort.

Originally posted by hogan4736

There is always a bottom line...If you amass a bill of 50,000 and the credit company wants a 350/month payment, but you can only pay 225/month, are you the victim???

Interesting philosophical question is who get's to decide "victimhood". What criteria should be considered? I can think of circumstances where the above situation is unreasonable -- namely ID theft, catastrophic medical bills, awful divorce situations, etc. It is a trick question b/c it plays to an underlying assumption that the $50k is unduly spent, or that $350 per month is a reasonable percentage of gross income.

And then if employers are allowed to use the information against you? That's almost a guarantee that if one didn't have bad credit before, you going to have it soon. The system perpetuates itself -- resulting in good people getting hurt. That is unacceptable in my book.

If it helps explain my position, I'm not interested in protecting the guilty. I want a system that respects American citizens, that truly one is "innocent till proven guilty", and takes humaness into account. We do have the abilty to create to build a better mousetrap, just not the political will.

Originally posted by hogan4736

These are the likely culprits behind much of the complaining...

I wonder who is doing the complaining. I don't have time this week to research it -- I am curious though.

Originally posted by hogan4736

I am 36, and have had good credit half my life...Never has ANY creditor harassed or even CALLED me!

These days I rarely use credit -- and have some sense of accomplishment that the only interest I've paid in the last 10 years is mortgage interest. I never had credit problems until my ID was stolen in the late '90s. I have a post about that, don't yet know how to link to it at this moment. In summary, it was a dreadful experience and one of two reasons that caused me to abandon the Republicrats and become Independent.

Originally posted by hogan4736

I am not categorizing Melanie, justr responding to your "victim" mentality in your post...

Yes there are likely victims, but I'll wager most of those "trapped" in the system are, part of your aforementioned "collateral damage"

sean

:eek: :eek:

To take a position that appears soft on "deadbeats" is politically incorrect. It's very difficult position to hold because one get's labeled as "liberal" or "softy" or many other castigating descriptions offered by radio talk show hosts, including the rhetorical ploy of "making everyone a victim". FYI -- I'm Independent and pick and choose positions from all over the political spectrum. Friends describe me as Libertarian -- I suppose that's OK, I prefer Independent.

And what if there are victims? This debate is somewhat similiar to mistakes in capital punishment -- is it acceptable to put innocent people to death and justify it as collateral damage? Are they victims? Some justify the collateral damage as beneficial to the greater good (until it affects them personally). To me, it's akin to a huge game of Russian Roulette and I don't want to participate in it.

I agree with a lot Lizz has to say about personal and fiscal responsibility. I also find her position alienated from any sense of history or humanity. It's mean-spirited and unfortunately politicians play on it. Taken to the extreme, anyone who isn't successful didn't try hard enough, didn't know enough, didn't pursue it enough, has obvious character flaws, etc etc. There's no middle ground, no room for failure, no responsibility on part of the system-creators. Also, I think we fundamentally disagree on how we choose to see people. I respect that.

Mr_D

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I'm a registered independant as well:p

I hadn't thought of identity theft...Too bad there's no "tier system" or specific identifiers in a credit report...I didn't like your generalizations, as they seemed too forgiving...

Point well taken...I guess we all hate deadbeats, and It seemed you were lumping them in with the true victims...

Though tell me why one shouldn't be held responsible for all (legitimate) medical bills amassed by said individual (catastrophic or not:confused: )

sean

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Originally posted by hogan4736

I hadn't thought of identity theft...

Since you said you didn't have a chance to read through the entire thread ...

Just thought I would mention that you can now easily freeze your credit through the credit bureaus to avoid identity theft. All it takes is a phone call.

We debated this with Mr D earlier, and other people acknowledged that they have taken this precaution (myself included) to avoid identity theft.

Once again, there are things you can do to avoid problems.:)

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You're preaching to the choir Lizz...

We all make our own realities, PERIOD!

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i just think a little compassion is needed here guys! I mean "there but for the grace of god , go i" and all that. Seriously what if a rare illness befalls you and your insurance won't pay for the treatment (happens more often than you think) suddenly due to health problems you can't work, (happens more often than you think) not everybody with bad credit has thousands of credit card charges. It could be utilities. My parents had a pipe that burst and water flooded the yard for days while they were out of town, they got it shut off but their water bill for one monthe was over 500 dollars when its usually around 70-100. They had the money to take care of this but what if they didn't? this could have resulted in a few months of late payments (because you didn't pay the balance "in Full") what if a car breaks down etc.. I don't think anyone on this board thinks that it is ok to not honor your debts. What I personally take issue with is the idea that some misfortune could befall me and then i wouldn't be able to dig myself out of the hole because i would be unemployable. there are a lot of things that you can do to try to prevent problems from happening but nothing is fool proof. Some of the attitudes people are displaying seem a bit elitist and i for one prefer to remain humble, knowing that though i am in a good situaton right now that may not always be the case. What does that old scripture/proverb say "let he who is standing beware that he does not fall.";)

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Agreed, more compassion is warranted for those "out of the norm" happenstances...

Answer this...

If my wife and I have a child w/ multiple health problems, and some of the treatment isn't covered by insurance, why should we, at some point, be allowed to walk away from this bill, because paying it "it exceeds our lifestyle"

Wherein lies the accountability?

Set up a payment plan (I worked in hospital billing for a while, payment plans, LIBERAL ones, are oftentimes offered by the hospital), and PAY YOUR DEBT!

Why is the hospital "harrassing" you if all they want is what should be coming to them - Payment in exchange for services!

That's not to say their fee schedules aren't insane, but that's another thread...

sean

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Originally posted by smkoepke

I don't think anyone on this board thinks that it is ok to not honor your debts. What I personally take issue with is the idea that some misfortune could befall me and then i wouldn't be able to dig myself out of the hole because i would be unemployable. there are a lot of things that you can do to try to prevent problems from happening but nothing is fool proof. Some of the attitudes people are displaying seem a bit elitist and i for one prefer to remain humble, knowing that though i am in a good situaton right now that may not always be the case.

Agreed. You have an excellent point.

It's just my impression, but this board does tend to encourage a lot of whining at times. So, in my efforts to present a counter viewpoint, I may appear to be too insensitive, and I do apologize for that.

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Originally posted by hogan4736

Agreed, more compassion is warranted for those "out of the norm" happenstances...

Answer this...

If my wife and I have a child w/ multiple health problems, and some of the treatment isn't covered by insurance, why should we, at some point, be allowed to walk away from this bill, because paying it "it exceeds our lifestyle"

Wherein lies the accountability?

Set up a payment plan (I worked in hospital billing for a while, payment plans, LIBERAL ones, are oftentimes offered by the hospital), and PAY YOUR DEBT!

Why is the hospital "harrassing" you if all they want is what should be coming to them - Payment in exchange for services!

That's not to say their fee schedules aren't insane, but that's another thread...

sean

And I agree with this as well.

Actually, what I would do is work out a payment plan ...

AND sue the pants off the insurance company. :chuckle

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You're not being insensitive, just presenting an alternate point of view, which is oftentimes mistaken for hostility on this board...

I like your "talk show" approach, it creates a more stimulating discussion, not just hugs and strokes...

(Though the hugs and strokes are always welcome)

;)

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