collecting money

[ftncityfatboy]

anyone had a bad check issued to them and you've had to collect on it? what procedure(s) do you take to get your money? I guess you could go to the court house and start there, I know according to the TN Criminal Statute, Title 39, Chapter 14, subsection (f) of section 39-14-121, passing a worthless check may be punishable as theft of property or services which is a misdemeanor if the amount is $500 or less, or a felony if it is above $500. I would like to know where to start or should I just forget trying to collect it myself and hire an attorney.....Thanks

[lowbud]

General sessions court clerk

Start here..

Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk

Fee's are nominal and worth it IF you are interested in recovering any moneys owed. Sometime it's worth your time and effort, sometimes not.

but one thing for sure.. doing nothing gets you the same..

[deerslayer]

I recently went through this process and got it resolved without going to court or calling a lawyer. First, try your local police precinct. Gather as much personal info about the checkwriter and the incident as you can and take it to the cops. They will probably have you file a police report and pass it on to the Economic Crimes Bureau, or whatever they call it where you live. ECB had me first send a certified letter to the checkwriter notifying him that he had 10 days to make good on the check before ECB got involved. He ignored it. ECB then paid him a visit and informed him that he had one hour to prove that he had sufficient funds on the date the check was written. If he couldn't he was going to 201. He paid me in cash two hours later.

[Guest BigNoise]

Send me a PM if the check is local, I may be able to help you out with no costs.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Do you know the person who gave you the check? Did you call the person and let him

know about his bad check. What was his response? Sometimes the court can actually be a hindrance, instead of help, but the threat of legal action can be painful to them.

BigNoise sounds like a good offer, too.

[Volzfan]

It's been a while but I owned a small grocery in the mid 80's. One check that was returned to me that was no good I redeposited 9 times and the bank finally used a hole punch to hide the account number. I went thru the process of prosecuting her and found out that her bank had charged her $12 for each time I deposited her check. By the time I finally got my money with my charge she had paid $120 in fees for a check of about $25. Needless to say she was a bit mad but I told her that she should not have written me a bad check in the first place and that I was only trying to get the money she owed me so if she wanted to be mad at anyone it should have been the woman in her mirror.

I'm not sure if banks will still do this but I used to call the bank that the check was drawn on and check to see if there were sufficient funds to cover the check. When I would find a day when there was, I would drive to the closest branch and they would issue a Cashier's Check for the amount of the check from the account and I would have my money. I'm not sure if they will still do that. You might try to call them to see if they will. Of course if the account is closed then this won't work.

Good luck!

[Guest The Driller]

take them to court

[Sandman]

I know someone who can help! She also has a swingset! ha ha ha.

[VolunteerGuns]

In Putnam County you can take it to the Clerks Office. They do all the leg work, and will issue a warrant. If the writer wishes to avoid criminal action and avoid having to appear in court, it must be paid, and FAST. You then get your money from the clerk and they are able to attach Court Costs, and all kinds of other fees. Free money for them and an easy process for you.