The Illinois Personal Injury Weblog of Schaeffer & Lamere P.C.

President Bush Coming to Madison County

aw.coAccording to news reports, President Bush is coming to Madison County next week to talk about tort reform. Many of his ideas, which are generally favored by large corporations and insurance companies, will be bad for consumers. For an extended debate about tort reform, see the "tort reform" category at my other weblog, Notes from the (Legal) Underground.

Free Credit Reports, Required by Law

All three of the biggest credit reporting agencies--Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union--are now required by law to provide consumers with their credit reports for free. You can learn more by following this link to a post about free credit reports, which contains all the information you'll need.

Cell Phones and the Do-Not-Call List

Don't forget to register your cell phone for the national do-not-call list. You'll find details here.

Details About the Bad Check Restitution Program

From the Edwardsville Intelligencer: "Care with checks urged," by Michelle Kreger--

The primary goal of the Bad Check Restitution Program is to obtain full restitution for local businesses at no expense to the merchant or the county. Funds to operate the program come directly from fees charged to bad check writers, so no tax dollars are used for this service.

The State's Attorney advises people who encounter a bad check to make personal contact with the check writer, but if he/she can't be reached, send a courtesy notice. The check writer has 10 days to respond and remit payment. The Bad Check Restitution Program gets involved when the check writer fails to rectify that he/she wrote a bad check, which they suggest to proceed with filing a complaint directly with this program. Check writers are then contacted and given the opportunity to avoid criminal prosecution by paying full restitution, paying all applicable fees and attending a mandatory educational class.

Use Those Gift Cards Quickly

From Scripps Howard via the Quad-City Times: "If Santa brings a gift card, make sure you use it quickly"--

The 75 percent of shoppers who will buy gift cards this holiday must learn to scan the fine print . . . because the cards can carry all kinds of fees and rules including time limits for redemption, warns Bill Hampel of the Credit Union National Association.

Often the story here is use it or lose it,” he says. “Ask the vendor how long the gift card is good for, if it carries fees to check balances and the like and if the card will cost the recipient anything. If the answer is yes ... get something else.”

Help is on the way for gift card buyers, expected to spend $45 billion on cards this year, by consultant Bain & Co.’s estimate. The National Retail Federation predicts $17.34 billion worth to be sold this month.

States have begun policing gift card practices for hidden fees and other requirements that can erase the face value of the cards. Starting with California in 1996, a number of states have enacted laws extending expiration dates and prohibiting hidden fees, and a dozen more have proposed similar legislation.

Bank Robber Makes of with Hoard of $2 Bills

From the Alton Telegraph: "$2 Bill Bandit Hits Alton Bank," by  Cynthia Ellis--

Authorities are investigating the robbery of an Alton bank Monday morning in which the suspect fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash -- much of it $2 bills.

Officials with the Alton Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the robbery, which took place around 9:45 a.m. at the Union Planters Bank at 2850 East Homer Adams Parkway.

Credit Card Holiday Humbug

From Newsday: "Credit card offers could be holiday humbug," by Henry Gilgoff--

Make a phone call, get a credit card - guaranteed, or so an advertising campaign that targeted Hispanic consumers promised, the Federal Trade Commission charges.

A civil suit resulting so far in a preliminary injunction has brought at least a temporary halt to the allegedly deceptive marketing. The suit seeks penalties and an unspecified amount of consumer refunds for advance payments that were demanded for the cards.

"In no instance did consumers get what they thought they were purchasing," said Andrea Foster, director of the FTC's southeast regional office in Atlanta.

Auto Break-Ins in St. Louis

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "A new priority," by Heather Ratcliffe--

St. Louis police took reports of about 18,600 thefts from vehicles in the city last year, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. That's 51 car cloutings a day, or about one for every 18 city residents - although a significant number of victims are visitors from elsewhere.

Police in St. Louis County counted about 9,760 last year. St. Charles had 1,782 and Jefferson County had 1,357.

According to the article, police are beginning to take auto break-ins more seriously, as "petty crimes . . . are closely tied into the world of violent offenders.

Charter and Wire Fraud

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Charter's former chief operating officer pleads guilty," by Robert Patrick--

The former chief operating officer of Charter Communications Inc., the nation's fourth-largest cable operator, pleaded guilty Thursday of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a scheme to inflate subscriber numbers to meet Wall Street's expectations.

David G. Barford, 46, of Chesterfield, also agreed to testify at the trial in February of two other Charter executives. In exchange, the U.S. attorney's office dropped four counts of mail fraud and nine counts of wire fraud.

Holiday Shopping Tips

Tips for consumers from the California Attorney General, beginning with this one: Returns and Exchanges--Know the Rules Before Buying.