Spin off... company frustrations

[tvguy]

Our service accounts don't show up on our credit reports.
And service accounts aren't going to show "available credit" nor "used credit", so I'd say "no."

Your opinion. How is it any different if someone has a credit card and no spouse at death? Someone still needs to notify the CC company to have them shut down the card.

Having charging privileges shut down isn't an issue as long as the spouse has their own card.

You don't pay your service account, it gets turned over to a collection agency who WILL report it to the credit bureaus and that will lower your credit score.
How is it different if someone has a credit card and no spouse at death? It is different because someone who has a credit card and a surviving spouse has someone who will be held responsible for the outstanding debit and who may need the use of that credit card.
It's basic estate planning to make sure a surviving spouse has access to all the couple's credit and assets. Bad enough to have a spouse die, but to complicate it with the surviving spouse being locked out of their jointly earned credit and assets.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

You don't pay your service account, it gets turned over to a collection agency who WILL report it to the credit bureaus and that will lower your credit score.
How is it different if someone has a credit card and no spouse at death? It is different because someone who has a credit card and a surviving spouse has someone who will be held responsible for the outstanding debit and who may need the use of that credit card.
It's basic estate planning to make sure a surviving spouse has access to all the couple's credit and assets. Bad enough to have a spouse die, but to complicate it with the surviving spouse being locked out of their jointly earned credit and assets.

A deceased person doesn't pay their service account...it gets turned over to a collection agency and their credit score gets lowered You aren't making any sense. It's not a huge feat of accomplishment to turn the utilities over to the surviving spouse in the case where the utilities aren't in their name.

Secondly, if a person dies and a credit card is in their sole name and there are no assets for that estate then the card goes unpaid because you literally can't get money from a dead person with no estate. It is basic estate planning to make sure a surviving spouse has access to some credit and assets. It is NOT basic estate planning to make sure each spouse has unfettered access to all credit and assets. That's a major oversimplification. As every lawyer I know, including myself, answers to every question "it depends".

Also quick question...you moved into your mom's house after she passed right? Did it take 40 years to put the utilities in your name?

 

[ronandannette]

1960's when my dad died. Early 2000's when it finally got straightened out. A utility account is a credit account FYI.

Very confused as to why this was such a problem. With the account holder deceased, why was the account not just closed and your mother open a new one? That’s all that was necessary for my parents’ utilities when my DDad died.

 

[tvguy]

A deceased person doesn't pay their service account...it gets turned over to a collection agency and their credit score gets lowered You aren't making any sense. It's not a huge feat of accomplishment to turn the utilities over to the surviving spouse in the case where the utilities aren't in their name.

Secondly, if a person dies and a credit card is in their sole name and there are no assets for that estate then the card goes unpaid because you literally can't get money from a dead person with no estate. It is basic estate planning to make sure a surviving spouse has access to some credit and assets. It is NOT basic estate planning to make sure each spouse has unfettered access to all credit and assets. That's a major oversimplification. As every lawyer I know, including myself, answers to every question "it depends".

Also quick question...you moved into your mom's house after she passed right? Did it take 40 years to put the utilities in your name?

My mom kept the account current. I was 9 at the time but I recall being told later as an adult they wanted some crazy high security deposit for her to put the account in her name, which was stupid since for 17 years she and my dad jointly paid the bill. My point was at the time women were treated differently than men in this situation in 1967.
And my point is now, in some cases a surviving spouse can be held liable for a debt that they may not have known existed.
No, I did not move into my mom's house after she passed, I sold it. However, since it was in a trust at that point, and the trust was who the utility billed, there would have been no change since the ownership of the house didn't change, the ownership of the trust changed.

But anyone reading this that is confused, please seek advice from an Estate Attorney, because as this thread shows, there is a lot of confusion

 

[tvguy]

Very confused as to why this was such a problem. With the account holder deceased, why was the account not just closed and your mother open a new one? That’s all that was necessary for my parents’ utilities when my DDad died.

The utility wanted a crazy deposit because they claimed my mom had no credit history. They would not accept the fact that for the 17 years the account existed to that point, that my mom had been working full time and contributing half the income to the household, and thus half the money paid to them. Thankfully, how women are treated has changed.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

My mom kept the account current. I was 9 at the time but I recall being told later as an adult they wanted some crazy high security deposit for her to put the account in her name, which was stupid since for 17 years she and my dad jointly paid the bill. My point was at the time women were treated differently than men in this situation in 1967.
And my point is now, in some cases a surviving spouse can be held liable for a debt that they may not have known existed.
No, I did not move into my mom's house after she passed, I sold it. However, since it was in a trust at that point, and the trust was who the utility billed, there would have been no change since the ownership of the house didn't change, the ownership of the trust changed.

But anyone reading this that is confused, please seek advice from an Estate Attorney, because as this thread shows, there is a lot of confusion

I think the only person confused is you. The rest of us have no problem getting utilities in our own names. And your point was never that at the time women were treated differently. It was that it took 40 years for your mom to get it out of your deceased dad’s name which still makes no sense. Bringing up a deposit now just clouds the issue.

 

[focusondisney]

1960's when my dad died. Early 2000's when it finally got straightened out. A utility account is a credit account FYI.

Not buying it took 40 years to ”straighten it out”. It might have taken your mother 40 years to change it. But that was her issue, not the company.

Huge hassle to get it in her name. But yes, they accepted the checks signed by her until it was.
As for as credit, isn't it treated the same by the credit bureaus?

The utility wanted a crazy deposit because they claimed my mom had no credit history. They would not accept the fact that for the 17 years the account existed to that point, that my mom had been working full time and contributing half the income to the household, and thus half the money paid to them. Thankfully, how women are treated has changed.

So that’s not the utility company’s problem. Your mother didn’t want to pay the required deposit. The same deposit other single, unmarried women needed to pay back then. In 17 years your mother could have created a credit history. She chose to keep things in your fathers name & not deal with it. No company looks at or cares who “signs the checks”.

But yea, I can see the company having an issue when they found out they weren’t notified of their named customer’s death for 17 years. Your mother created her own problem. Stop blaming someone else.

 

[tvguy]

Not buying it took 40 years to ”straighten it out”. It might have taken your mother 40 years to change it. But that was her issue, not the company.





So that’s not the utility company’s problem. Your mother didn’t want to pay the required deposit. The same deposit other single, unmarried women needed to pay back then. In 17 years your mother could have created a credit history. She chose to keep things in your fathers name & not deal with it. No company looks at or cares who “signs the checks”.

But yea, I can see the company having an issue when they found out they weren’t notified of their named customer’s death for 17 years. Your mother created her own problem. Stop blaming someone else.

No 17 year delay, they were told immediately. Well, she lived it whether you want to "buy it" or not. The issue was, if my mother had died, according to PG&E, my father would not have been required to make the same deposit, I believe that practice is no illegal because it is discriminatory.

 

[tvguy]

I think the only person confused is you. The rest of us have no problem getting utilities in our own names. And your point was never that at the time women were treated differently. It was that it took 40 years for your mom to get it out of your deceased dad’s name which still makes no sense. Bringing up a deposit now just clouds the issue.

Not confused at all. Not sure how old you are, but like I posted above the practice is now considered discriminatory and illegal.

 

[focusondisney]

No 17 year delay, they were told immediately. Well, she lived it whether you want to "buy it" or not. The issue was, if my mother had died, according to PG&E, my father would not have been required to make the same deposit, I believe that practice is no illegal because it is discriminatory.

Yea, they were told, then told her she had to pay a deposit. She CHOSE NOT TO. That’s on her, not the company. Whether you admit it or not.

And yes. All of is realize things have changed in 50 years. You’re the only one who keeps bringing up how things were for your mother 50 years ago. The rest of us live in the present, not the 60s.

 

[tvguy]

Yea, they were told, then told her she had to pay a deposit. She CHOSE NOT TO. That’s on her, not the company. Whether you admit it or not.

And yes. All of is realize things have changed in 50 years. You’re the only one who keeps bringing up how things were for your mother 50 years ago. The rest of us live in the present, not the 60s.

Why on earth should she pay a deposit on an account she had had for 17 years? That makes no sense.
Yes, things change. Which is why I think it is so important spouse talk about their accounts and get expert estate advice to avoid what ever issues could come up when on spouse dies.

 

[sam_gordon]

Which is why I think it is so important spouse talk about their accounts and get expert estate advice to avoid what ever issues could come up when on spouse dies.

Which is not what you claimed originally. You said it would be a "mess" if a spouse wasn't a co-owner of the account.

The example you posted of your mother wasn't even a mess. They wanted to charge her a larger deposit than they would a man. That had nothing to do with your father passing away.

 

[tvguy]

Which is not what you claimed originally. You said it would be a "mess" if a spouse wasn't a co-owner of the account.

The example you posted of your mother wasn't even a mess. They wanted to charge her a larger deposit than they would a man. That had nothing to do with your father passing away.

Which is not what you claimed originally. You said it would be a "mess" if a spouse wasn't a co-owner of the account.

The example you posted of your mother wasn't even a mess. They wanted to charge her a larger deposit than they would a man. That had nothing to do with your father passing away.

It was a mess and it was as I stated. Good night Sam.