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Shut Down Those Kids With The Noisy Car Stereos -plus- Here's Ben's Sample Letters To Shut Up Barking Dogs And Booming Car Stereos -plus- Is This A Legitimate Credit Repair Loop-Hole? -plus- What You Need To Know Before You Make A Deal On That Old Debt
April 11, 2002
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Dear Ben: Okay, I've heard/read your solutions for dealing with the disruption of barking dogs in the neighborhood...but what about these people that drive around with their car stereos cranked up so loud that you can hear them coming more than a mile away?
- Bobi in Fort Worth
Dear Bobi: These "rolling sonic booms" originating from the stereos of cars driven by young male drivers (who seem determined to be deaf by the time they reach drinking age) are more than just a nuisance. Aside from setting themselves up as easy targets for police stops, these testosterone-filled noisemakers are also inviting some pretty hefty fines.
According to Lt. Duane Paul of the Fort Worth Police Department: "Just like the barking dog disturbances, it's a Class C misdemeanor and up to $500 for each offense. More specifically, they're violations of the Fort Worth city ordinances regarding Vehicle and Noise in General: Sounding horn, unnecessary noise (Section 22-10); Mufflers, prevention of noise (Section 23-8); Radio and tape players (Section 34-17). Since this type of violation requires an officer witness the offense prior to issuing a citation, I urge you to contact the police so an officer can be dispatched to the location to witness the offense. But remember: This type of call falls into a "Priority 3" classification, which makes it the last call to be dispatched. In other words, depending on the call load, it could take awhile to get an officer to the scene."
Let me beat you to the punch on this one, folks: By the time the police show up, the punk with loud stereo is long gone, making this irritating situation impossible to resolve. What can residents do? Lt. Paul urges you to be observant: Get a good description of the vehicle and its driver and of course, a (vehicle) license number: "Request an officer be dispatched; with the information that's provided, an offense report will be filed and a detective will contact the registered owner of the vehicle." In the spirit of being a good neighbor and giving the troublemakers (either barking dog or excessively loud vehicle owners) fair warning that you're about to rat them out to the law, you might want to try firing off one of my Warning/You've Been Put On Notice letters. These warning letters-sent via certified mail-gives them a chance to remedy the problem before you're forced to turn up the heat by involving the authorities; samples of each are available
here on the website.
By the way: While I've specifically cited Fort Worth ordinances, virtually every city or municipality around the nation have similar laws on the books regarding noise and nuisances...so contact your local police department to get specific names/code numbers-references to customize your letter.
Dear Ben: A friend of mine heard of a company that removes all your past bad credit by using a loophole; if you didn't receive notification by certified mail about each bad credit than it will be removed. I think the company is [name withheld]...they charge $309.00. Is this legit?
DMY, via e-mail
Dear DMY: No. It's just one more scam that targets consumers with low credit scores. Tell your friend they need to spend their money trying to work out settlements with companies that include removing potentially-negative information instead of patronizing credit repair companies. There are two key points to remember when it comes to settling old debt/bad debt situations.
#1 The statute of enforceability of most consumer debts (in Texas) is four years (with the exception of past due child support, student loans and taxes).
#2 As prescribed by federal law (in most circumstances) these old debts may be reported for up to 7 years, according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Make sure you understand what leverage you probably have before you start trying to settle any old debts. By the way: The Federal Trade Commission and the Texas Attorney General's office aren't fans of credit repair companies, either.
More information is available on the website.
Dose of Dover For The Week: It really is worth your time and the effort to find out what your credit scores are now, before you're actively in the market for that new car or home mortgage;
I've already done the work for you.
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