We recently tried out a live-tweet of small claims court. We thought we’d point out anything unusual or funny, but also use the opportunity to see things that people did well, and things they did wrong that others can learn from. You can find all the tweets at www.twitter.com/debtbrief.
Here are the notable things:
- Every single case on the docket was debt collection. There were only five plaintiffs but dozens of cases. Every plaintiff was a payday loan lender.
- There were a few people who showed up and simply admitted they owed the debt. They didn’t seem to make any effort to avoid additional fees or negotiate the debt.
- Only one defendant showed up and agreed to pay in full. But he avoided additional fees and costs by reaching an agreement.
- Not a single debtor disputed any part of any debt. More notably, nobody disputed the extra fees added on by the court when entering judgment.
- Some debtors were served by alternative service, meaning they did not even receive copies of the complaint and summons. It was probably printed in a newspaper. This means he or she would not even know they’ve been sued. They probably won’t find out until they have wages garnished from their paycheck. This is why you shouldn’t just ignore debt.
Here are a few of the strange things that happened:
- The judge was 30 minutes late. When he arrived he told everyone about a “YouTube film” about a Normandy invasion re-enactment. There didn’t seem to be a purpose to him telling us that.
- One representative of a payday loan lender brought his young son. He was very bored.
- One defendant came to court but missed his time because he “went outside for a smoke.”
