How One Overdue Book Can Hurt a Credit Record
It may be wrong to return a library book late — or to never return it. But how severe should the punishment be? Should it include being saddled with a bad credit score?
A Queens man sued Unique Management Services for reporting
his $295 late bill from the Queens Library system to credit bureaus. A library fine is not really a debt, he argued.
“That’s his opinion,” said Kenes Bowling, a spokesman for the company that has operated a successful “materials collection” business for libraries, and it relies on its ability to threaten scofflaws with negative credit reports. When a patron fails to return a book and is then billed for it by a library, Mr. Bowling said, “it is a legitimate debt, and it is credit-reportable.”
It may be wrong to return a library book late — or to never return it. But how severe should the punishment be? Should it include being saddled with a bad credit score?
A Queens man sued Unique Management Services for reporting
his $295 late bill from the Queens Library system to credit bureaus. A library fine is not really a debt, he argued.“That’s his opinion,” said Kenes Bowling, a spokesman for the company that has operated a successful “materials collection” business for libraries, and it relies on its ability to threaten scofflaws with negative credit reports. When a patron fails to return a book and is then billed for it by a library, Mr. Bowling said, “it is a legitimate debt, and it is credit-reportable.”
What do you think? Should your fines from the library hurt your credit score?
1 comment:
I try to be very responsible and return my library books on time, but sometimes I'm late. I realize I'll have a fine so I come in and pay it. I get a lot from the library and I don't mind paying when I mess up. Sure it should count on my credit score. If I'm that irresponsible sometime I need pay for it. (I hope I never have to deal with that though.) I hate going into the library and finding out the book I wanted was due in 2000. Come on people - return you books. How hard is it.
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