Final Notice

A collection agency hired to collect a $2,000 balance on Albert and Marianne Driscol’s Visa credit card went just a bit too far, a Texas court ruled. The agency, Mrs. Driscol said, harassed her at work and in the middle of the night, calling her every few minutes. After several months came the final straw: a threat to “put a contract out” on Mrs. Driscol’s life, she said, followed by a bomb threat at her office. A jury awarded the Driscols $2 million in actual damages plus $9 million in punitive damages. The collection agency is already out of business, so Household Credit Services, Inc., who hired the agency but never bothered to respond to the lawsuit, has been ordered to pay the award. (AP) ...And hurry up, before they hire an experienced collector to squeeze it out of you.