The Warybuyer Speaks! Thoughts on Credit Card Defense, Debt Collection, Credit Reporting and Auto Fraud

Excuse me while I vent a little. I’ve just spent a fair amount of time on the phone with folks who were mistreated in some way by a creditor or landlord type. Unfortunately, none of them had an actual claim that a court could help them with. They didn’t have claims primarily because they didn’t have any money damages or because the damages they did have were caused by conduct that was annoying or mean but not illegal.

Now, I don’t expect Joe or Jane Consumer who calls me on the phone to know whether they have a claim that is appropriate for a lawsuit. It’s my job to evaluate their claim for them. If I can do that over the phone in a few minutes, I do it for free. If it requires an office visit, I charge $200. That’s just a part of my job.

I’m venting because the folks who called me were referred by other lawyers. Even if those lawyers aren’t experts in the details of landlord-tenant or debt collection law, they should know that regardless of the nature of the claim, if there are no damages, there is no case. I suppose it was easier for them just to shuffle these folks off to me rather than give them the bad news. That bugs me. I’m not a trash can for other lawyers’ difficult phone calls.

I love being a consumer lawyer. I love helping people. I just wish that I didn’t have to spend so much time dispensing bad news for other lawyers who lack the spine to do it themselves.

While I’m venting, let me add another tip for folks who may want to hire me as a lawyer: As angry as you may be at what happened to you, remember that I’m on your side. Try to keep the conversation professional. Don’t let your anger take over. You may not realize it, but while we’re talking, I’m thinking about what kind of person you are and what kind of impression you will make in front of a jury. I’ve learned the hard way that juries do not like angry people. If you can’t have a civil conversation with me about your case, I’m not likely to take you on as a client.

I’ve had an iPod for a couple of years now and if she were just a little taller, I’d consider marriage. Short of that, I’ve tried numerous methods for coupling her to my car stereo system.

First I tried the iTrip FM transmitter, but here in Dallas there aren’t many open frequencies, and it occassionally glitches. On top of that, the sound quality was pretty poor. Then I got a cassette adapter. It sounded better and didn’t depend upon how far away I was from the North Dallas church that broadcasts an information loop on 87.9 FM to work, but after a few days, it decided that it would only output sound to the left channel. I used a cup-holder mount to hold the iPod in place and a cigarette lighter power adapter to keep it charged. Unfortunately, the cigarette lighter on my car interfered with one of the two front cupholders which meant that I had no cupholders and crummy sound. But hey, at least I had 3800 songs at my fingertips!

Today arrived via UPS two little gems. The first, an iPod2Car, is a little box with cables that plug into the CD port on the back of my car stereo and the iPod’s bottom port. It carries audio to the car stereo system, charges the iPod, and allows me to switch tracks using the car stereo controls. It also doesn’t deactivate the iPod’s controls, so I can still use the iPod as I normally would. I ran home for lunch to install it. It went in like a breeze and worked like a charm.

The second, an iStickyPad is way cool, but the jury is still out on whether I’ll keep it. It is a sticky (polymer? amputated gecko toes?) pad that adheres to the dashboard and the iPod without adhesive. It seems to hold them in place pretty well. I worry that in a crash it may turn my iPod into a dangerous projectile (though it seems to hold it pretty tight during normal driving). It also puts the iPod into direct sunlight, which is probably not a good thing. It’s nice looking, I amuse myself by wondering how it works, and it frees up another cupholder, but it may have to go.

All in all, I’m a happy boy. It’s nice to be easily pleased.

Sean has been playing guitar for about almost 3 years now and he’s gotten pretty good. He and his guitar camp band really rocked to close out the end of camp show. The behind the head guitar solo got a big response, and it sounded pretty good too!

As an extra added bonus, here’s a little camera phone tip: clean the lens before taking a picture. I was amazed at how much clearer the shots from my little camera phone were when there wasn’t a mass of pocket lint stuffed into the little dimple where the lens sits.

I may be one of the last people on the planet to see this, but even so, I thought it was hilarious.