Monday,
September 9, 2002
REGISTER
IANNELLA WARNS ABOUT CHILD SUPPORT COLLECTION FIRMS, PROPOSES
LEGISLATION TO CAP FEES CHARGED BY SUCH AGENCIES:
Should
private agencies be able to charge clients exorbitant fees for
services that are already provided by the state for free?
Suffolk County Register of Probate Richard Iannella doesn’t
think so, and advises the public to avoid these firms and save
their hard-earned money.
Earlier
this month, Time Magazine reported on a company that charges
clients a 35% commission for help in collecting child support
payments. “While one might admire the company’s business
savvy, they are clearly preying on those most in need. By
taking more than a third of funds earmarked for child support
— money that is supposed to be helping children — you have
to question the real motive here.”
In
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Child Support
Enforcement Division of the state Department of Revenue acts
as a fee-free collection agency for parents receiving child
support.
According
to Time Magazine, very few states cap commissions charged for
such work. Iannella says strict limits on fees are definitely
in order in Massachusetts, and he plans to submit proposed
legislation that would put those restrictions in place.
Several
months ago, Register Iannella warned the public about Internet
companies that were charging high rates for Probate and Family
Court forms and other legal documents – nearly all of which
are available from the Registry for free. “I was shocked to
hear from one Boston man who had paid nearly $60 for some
divorce forms,” said Iannella. “All he had to do was stop
in or call, and we would have given them to him with no
charge.”
