Did you hear about this?
A 74 year old blind woman was sent a letter by the city of Attleboro, Massachusetts, stating that a lien would be placed on her home if she didn’t pay her overdue water bill.
The worst thing about this? Her overdue bill was only 1 cent … yeah, that’s right. She owed the city one penny so they were about to put a lien on her home if she didn’t pay up!
Geez, I wonder how hard the city of Attleboro is on real criminals!
Isn’t that disgusting?
Eileen Wilbur told the Sun Chronicle of Attleboro that the letter sent her blood pressure soaring.
City Collector Debora Marcoccio says the letter was among 2,000 sent out.
She says a computer automatically prints letters for accounts with an overdue balance, and they are not reviewed by staff before being mailed, she said.
The letter warned of a lien and a $48 penalty if the overdue bill is not paid by Dec. 10.
The charge was from the previous fiscal year, which ran from July 2007 to July 2008.
Wilbur’s daughter, Rose Brederson, who discovered the bill in her mother’s mail, called the situation “ridiculous.”
But she said her mother, who has lived in the home since 1959, would likely end up paying the penny.
I think the city needs to review their billing process! Imagine being threated to have a lien on your home for a 1 cent bill!
