Reporting delinquent customers increases risk of identity theft
Reporting delinquent customers increases risk of identity theft
2/17/2007 – EDITORIALS
The Michigan Public Service Commission announced this week that people slow in paying their utility bills could be hurting their credit ratings.
Advertisement
A consumer alert issued by the MPSC said the state’s utilities may be reporting payment histories to credit reporting agencies and warned consumers that utilities have different policies on how often and how much information they provide.
In checking with the utilities serving Oakland County, DTE Energy said its policy is to report to credit agencies after a payment due is delinquent for 90 days. However, Consumers Power said it does not provide customer credit information to credit bureaus.
The Consumers Power policy is much more prudent and fair.
Utility companies need to have customers pay their bills. Delinquent customers need to be dealt with appropriately, whether it’s by putting them on a payment plan to erase what they owe or – in more drastic action – cutting off service.
Either way, these options are much more likely to get people to pay their utility bills than reporting them to credit agencies.
With the skyrocketing problem of identity theft, people don’t need to have another company sending their personal information out in the mail or over the Internet.
All it does is increase the chances that the information will be misplaced or lost and fall into criminal hands.
Hats off to community for helping cafe
The story of Karl Eberle and his Karl’s Place Cafe on Baldwin Road in Orion Township is a heartwarming bit of news worth repeating – we need more positive community stories like this one.
After Eberle’s wife, Joan, died of cancer in December 2005, the longtime cafe owner said he wanted to throw in the towel on the restaurant business.
But support from the community helped him keep the popular family eatery open one more year. Then, on Dec. 3, 2006, Eberle decided to close his doors for good because he wasn’t able to handle the financial and physical burden.
Once again, residents in the community have reached out to Eberle, giving much needed and appreciated support.
After an article was published in The Oakland Press in January regarding the Karl’s Place Cafe closing, Eberle said he received phone calls from people wanting to help.
Narrowing the volunteers down to one, Eberle celebrated a grand reopening Friday with his family and new business partner, Mike Kohut, 52, of Clarkston.
With Kohut frequenting the restaurant and attending the same church as Eberle, the men said they had crossed paths before but were never close acquaintances, making Kohut’s offer to help run the cafe even more meaningful.
Popular local establishments like Eberle’s offer a community, in this case Orion Township, a unique chance to help mold its personality.
By supporting Eberle and the cafe, residents have shown they value tradition, community spirit and just plain neighborliness.
By helping a fellow citizen and businessman, the community has shown its spirit is alive and well.