I’m asking because of all those points you mentioned. I was hoping they weren't from the lower grades, though even for a sixth grader, seeing 6 to 12 missed points on a test sounds like way too many. It's excessive. Honestly, isn't that just too much? And frankly, pretty concerning. For someone like me—who hasn't even started schooling a child yet, and finished my own education ages ago—it just looks like a failure on both the teacher's part and the students'. 🤔
rowdyhawk15 said:A proven method for dealing with PBS collectors—when they knock on your door, open it and
1. Ask who they are and who specifically they are looking for (most of the time, they don’t actually know; they just read a last name off a list). 2. Once you've done that, ask for their ID—not some flimsy laminated card, but actual identification—and politely note down their name, surname, address, and employee ID number. If they refuse to provide their ID, simply tell them the conversation is over and close the door. 3. After you've logged their details, ask what they want. Listen patiently while they drone on. 4. Your response should be: "I have no comment, thank you," then shut the door. 5. Following this, you'll receive the infamous PBS notice regarding the initiation of a misdemeanor proceeding. It’ll claim that the mighty, all-powerful PBS "determined" on a certain date at your specific address that the subscription for one receiver isn't being paid. It states that legal action has been initiated and the case has been handed over to the PBS legal department. Inside, there's usually a bill for $80 (perhaps more if two collectors showed up, maybe $160) covering a "prior period"—which is essentially just the collector's commission for signing up a new subscriber. The fine print claims that by paying, you are consenting to be registered as a subscriber. So, DO NOT pay that bill; doing so is functionally the same as signing yourself up. 6. File the notice away and wait. 7. There is a 99% chance nothing happens. You won't get a court summons. Instead, in about two years, a collector will show up again, and you just repeat steps 1 through 6. 8. If you fall into that 1% where things actually move forward, it means the collector forged your signature on the application (I've seen this happen before). In court, you state clearly that the signature isn't yours and demand they produce evidence proving the existence of a receiver. Don't bother defending yourself by saying "I don't have a TV"; instead, challenge them to provide the proof. Since they have none, the court will dismiss the case due to lack of evidence. Honestly, seeing the look on those vultures from Hanžeković's office when they realize they've lost the case is worth it. Make sure to ask the court for travel expenses and opportunity costs since you wasted your day. You might recover the travel costs, but you certainly won't see any compensation for your lost time.
It would probably be wise to record the conversation with the collector, but I never thought to grab my camera. Next time.
Regards,
Given how many people have already settled their debts with NBC, I doubt the Hanžeković crowd gives a damn about losing out on fees from folks like us. The thread itself proves it; most people just pay up before things even reach a courtroom.
slycyclist342 said:👎 Absolutely not... don't spread that kind of misinformation, because you're just going to land people in hot water.
The law states: "Anyone who owns or possesses"
If you have the device in your possession (regardless of whether you actually own it), YOU OWE THE TAX.
That is what the law says.
If you don't want to pay, just leave the phone and laptop at the office when you head home.🙂
If you possess a tuner or a smartphone (regardless of whether you actually use them), you have to pay the tax. So decide carefully how you want to talk about this stuff.
Exactly... that's precisely why they phrased the law that way.
So, if I happen to be holding my neighbor's phone when an IRS auditor walks in, that's enough to trigger the levy? The law says so, does it? And if the company already covers the fees for the phone, laptop, and the car radio, maybe I should just pay extra since I'm the one using them. Or better yet, leave everything at the office and walk to my business trips, calling from a payphone so the IRS doesn't have any grounds to come after me.😕
Regarding the municipal collector and those service fees:
The property manager handles all service fee collections through the building's dedicated account, distributing funds as required by law and owner decisions. (Maximilian.com)
So I’m asking again—who exactly is this "municipal collector" handing over resident data to Chase? Is it just the property manager, someone like Maximus? A manager only knows who's paying the dues. And the person paying doesn't necessarily live there, right? I could be paying the fees for my poor grandmother, for instance.
PBS, being this state-run entity we fund through basically a stupidity tax, is working hand-in-hand with city utility collectors—who, in turn, feed them data on anyone dodging their bills. They’re running "raids" on apartment buildings in major cities now. A collector hands over a list of residents, and PBS agents go door-to-door checking names against their own subscriber database. That’s exactly how they caught up with me after I spent over 10 years dodging the bill by moving addresses. 😉
A good friend of mine who works for the city utility department let me in on it—they were ordered to start cooperating with PBS.
Basically, it isn't hard for them to hunt down people who aren't paying anymore, at least when it comes to urban apartment living.
So, the room you have to maneuver around paying your subscription is shrinking fast. Honestly, who actually wants to deal with the headache of courts, liens, appeals, lawyers, and notaries? I don't have the time or the energy to sit there proving to government bureaucrats that I'm "innocent" just because I'm technically breaking a state law. 😁
Sure, you can claim I'm making this up, calling it a conspiracy theory, or saying my buddy is lying—I don't care. I'm not defending PBS, and I'm certainly not thrilled about having to pay up after 10 years, but I really don't need any legal harassment from $333 or the mess of court dates. I just don't have the time for it.
Thanks for the advice, everyone.
What exactly are municipal collectors? 😕
No, and even if my last name is on the door, it doesn't mean I'm registered there. They can only wipe out someone using just a surname; thousands of people share the same one in the US. Besides, the actual property owner pays the bill at their own home address.
Casey Palmer5 said:Honestly, these days, I just don't see the point in opening the door for someone who shows up unannounced. If I see the mail carrier on my doorbell camera, sure, I'll let them in. But for anyone else? They can leave a message on my phone or just drop whatever they have in the mailbox. I’ve gotten pretty good at just ignoring the doorbell...
Casey Palmer5 said:If I didn't need this for work right now, I wouldn't even bother putting my last name next to the bell. It would just be something like—Apartment 16 😁 😁
Of course. 👍
By the way, some posts here should be framed on the first page. For instance, this one by rowyhawk15:
Notices regarding misdemeanor proceedings are just standard PBS bluffs. That's why they claim that if you pay the same amount, they'll drop the "proceedings" and register you as a subscriber. To actually win a case in court, they have to prove you possess a receiver, which is impossible unless you cooperate with them. Use your head.
I haven't seen anything from prius1849 yet. I'm waiting for them to weigh in. kaže: A plea for the amateurs and the experts alike.
Good grief... I haven't read such an illiterate mess in a long time—no punctuation, no commas, just endless, mile-long sentences. :-)
The collector can't touch you—provided you meet a few specific conditions, and assuming you haven't already been flagged by the system:
Don't let him onto the property. 2. To prevent the recipient from getting a direct look. 3. As if you’d ever admit to owning a receiver. What happens if you don't sign the application?
Look, if someone tries to bluff you by listing off your possessions—claiming they know you have a TV, an antenna on the roof, high-speed internet, a smartphone, or even a car—treat those claims like any other empty threat from some random App. It’s all noise. My advice? If they hit you with a question, just give them a flat "no comment." If they actually happen to be standing on your property, tell them to clear out or politely show them the exit. Don't engage.
If you handed over your personal info—or if they managed to scrape it somehow—and you didn't sign the report, expect a letter from PBS in about 30 days. It’ll be a notice of violation and payment slip for $35. Just more bureaucracy to deal with. $80It’s a classic bluff—standard operating procedure for that App. My advice? Just archive the notice of violation and the $35 payment slip. Don't pay a dime. Let them chase their tails.
P.S. These collectors are aggressive—borderline obnoxious—mostly because their bonuses are tied directly to how many new subscribers they sign up. Their whole goal is to lie or intimidate people just to squeeze out that commission. Usually, people get spooked and either sign the agreement right then or just pay the fine on the notice of violation and payment slip for $35, effectively turning themselves into subscribers. Honestly, unless you play along with them, it’s pretty difficult for them to legally force a subscription on you.
It’s all easy to fake. An IRS agent could just claim they saw the equipment, or say I confessed to owning it. So what then?
So, you mentioned this guy camping out right in front of your house for days, pretending to be a collections agent and asking for your last name. Honestly, my first thought—and what anyone would think if someone was idling in a car outside their place—is that we're dealing with a thief or some low-life criminal. There's zero reason to just sit there. 😕 As for an ID? I could whip up a fake badge myself, complete with signatures and stamps from three different federal agencies. 🤷
Maybe it’s because I grew up in a rough neighborhood, but I don't play games. Instead of giving him my name, I'd probably just set the local pit bulls on him.
hollowbadger692 said:I have to say, I think your mom’s reaction might be a bit much—perhaps it’s just hormonal shifts or something along those lines? I get that she’s disappointed, but honestly, your dad’s nonsense on the phone isn't exactly a valid reason for someone to drop 20 pounds and remain completely unraveled for four months. It seems more realistic to aim for some kind of middle ground here. Especially since you mentioned he’s actually trying,
Maybe she should look into getting some hormone panels done just to be sure.
James Foster4 said:How can it be that there's absolutely no benefit from seeing a psychiatrist or a psychologist... I guess I'm a mother to grown children myself, and I went through a similar mess with my own mother recently, but I didn't force my kids into the middle of it or make a whole scene out of it. At the end of the day, that's something between her and her husband.
Exactly. What kind of fairy tale life was she living where one single phone call could really wreck her like that? 😕 Even if she caught him in bed with someone else, how can one thing break her this badly??
Either she’s been living in some pink-tinted bubble where everything is sunshine and roses—and honestly, I'd love to know how she managed that 🤔—or she's just a total drama queen exaggerating everything.🤷
melloworca6, did you manage to get that referral processed and run the search? What's the word?
And, just like James Ruiz84, I'm bumping this to ask where one goes for private testing, what the damage is, and how long the wait times are... thanks. 😍
Washed and dried my hair about two hours ago, and the itching was relentless. It seems to have calmed down slightly, but I think I’ll take some Claritin anyway, just to be safe. I only have some kids' shampoo on hand, but it’s loaded with milk proteins. Since I have a dairy allergy, that would be a total disaster.🙂 😁
Starting this thread because I need some advice, and preferably fast. 😁
Basically, I tried out a brand new hair dye last night—never used it before, totally untested—and now my scalp is itching like crazy. It’s been constant since last night. 🙂 I don't have any sores or bumps like people are mentioning elsewhere in this thread, but—it just itches! I don't even have any coconut oil on hand like Patrick Young2 suggested. So what's the move here? How do I soothe this irritation? I do have some almond oil; would that actually help?
Hey, briskfox152 👋 I haven't gained weight myself, but I’ve been following this thread for other reasons. You're spot on—food addiction is just as real as any other addiction. It would be incredible if there were a dedicated clinic for "detoxing" from food, complete with everything you mentioned: psychiatrists, psychologists, nutritionists, trainers, and all the experts needed to systematically help someone break the cycle and lose weight the right way.
Honestly, how has no one opened a private practice for this yet? 🤷
Bringing this old thread back to life. I'm curious if anyone has had any actual experience with this Weight Watchers location between 2009 and now. Has anyone actually been there? What's the process, and how do they handle things?
I won't get into the specifics of American health insurance; I’m not exactly thrilled with it. I’ll just say I don't mind being an employee paying into the system to support those who aren't fortunate enough to work and contribute the same way—even if some people clearly exploit the system. But honestly, I just wish our clinics and hospitals were at least a little cleaner. I don't understand why they can't be. 🤷
Having spent my whole life navigating hospitals and clinics, and being able to afford private care for the last few years, I can tell you from experience: I haven't received anything from private doctors that I couldn't get at a public hospital. Aside from cleanliness. At a private practice, it’s clean and there isn't a crowd. That's about it. Furthermore, I've dealt with two specialists privately who were basically selling me smoke and mirrors, likely trying to milk me for as long as possible. 🤷 On the other hand, I've encountered genuine kindness and expertise in public hospitals. Not always, but more often than not. It seems to me that private practitioners drag things out because it's in their interest to have you come back for repeated visits. Meanwhile, a specialist in a public hospital—provided they are competent and conscientious, of course—does everything they can to fix you up quickly, since there’s no profit in keeping you there longer than necessary. 🙂