Pacer as a creditor?

[laurannm]

So here is another question...I accidently racked up a very large Pacer bill this past quarter (to the tune of several hundred dollars. During my lawyer\case research I ran some large searches on accident, and then not realizing, every time I hit the back button on my browser it essentially re-ran the search, charging me again..embarassing to say the least).

Should they be included as a creditor as well? I don't know if I will receive the bill before we file or not

Thanks

[AngelinaCatHub]

HHHHMMMMMMmmmmm I'd be real careful of that one. What I do is save each file as I view them. Rename them by the number assigned. Now you are fooling with the Fed's. Also PACER could be deemed an unnecessary expense. 'Hub

[laurannm]

I was thinking that too...since technically it's Federal I was thinking maybe it's a nondischargeable debt. Do you still need to list it somewhere or just leave it out altogether and pay on your own?

I wasn't planning on listing it as an expense anywhere. I believe Pacer will allow me to make payment arrangements

[southernbelle]

I wouldn't tread on that one if I were you. I'd contact them to make payment arrangements because it's Federal it might not be dischargeable. PACER is tricky. My first attempt to use it I was charged about $27.00. Needless to say I left it alone until I actually filed and had a case number and even then I was skeptical about which buttons I pressed and how much I was being charged.

Let us know how this one turns out because I've never heard of BK PACER before. Good luck.

[laurannm]

Yah I screwed up in a big way. I have been going to the courhouse lately and using the free terminal for anything I want to look up, but too little too late.

I don't necessarily mind paying them off over the course of the next few months, but my concern is whether or not I have to list them, or can I just leave them off the BK paperwork and make payments to them. And if I do leave them off, can I get into trouble for that?

[laurannm]

Spoke to my lawyer, and he basically confirmed that we would include Pacer on the creditor matrix, and it may not be dischargeable. We'll address that situation down the road

[AngelinaCatHub]

Here is my two cents, go down to Fed building (whenever you have the chance) and go to their PACER records room. They all have one, and address the clerk. Tell her/him what you did by your not knowing otherwise, and what you could do about this. Could it be possible that they have ways to address this, or give you better advice, or at least let them know you will pay them whenever. Who knows? It won't hurt to try. 'Hub

[AngelinaCatHub]

Here is a story, I'm full of them: I got a speeding ticket in a small FL county. It was only $85 but three points. I called the Courthouse some three hundred miles away to take the "driver course" to dismiss the points and pay the ticket. The kind clerk told me, "sir, write a letter to our Judge and if you have a good record, he will dismiss your points." So, I did, and faxed it. A month later I forgot to pay the ticket, so I went online to do so on the very last 30th day. It would not take my payment and I was terrified. So I called as I did not want to drive 300 miles to pay this. The clerk said, "we tried to call you to let you know, the Judge dismissed your points and gave you 60 more days to pay us, a personal check will do". I was astonished in that I never had civil servents that kind. So, try it........ 'Hub

[Summerbreeze]

I don't understand how pacer really bills, I only looked at one page and it was a $1 that's not a lot but I thought it was .08 I stopped before I ran ut a big bill.

[AngelinaCat]

We actually got a paper snail mail bill for our PACER sins the other day to the tune of $199.00. It came about June 15, if I remember right. So this is a VERY cautionary tale of BEWARE PACER.

[Flamingo]

I never utilized PACER. I had a fantastic attorney that would obtain the information online for me from the Trustee and email it to me when I had any questions or needed the information. That way I had the information I needed plus any attorney interaction to any questions. Also my trustee sent us every six months an update as to what has been paid in and out as to our Plan for the prevoius six month period. PACER information can make you worry unnecessarily (there have been numerous postings on here from people who have just viewed it and have 1,000 questions as to a period or a comma that wasn't there before) and, as indicated on here, can cost a lot if one does not know how to navigate it. I would state that if there was a dire need to view your information in Pacer, do it once a week or monthly depending on your Chapter if you absolutely have to view what is going on. What occurred here with the OP is a good reason to keep yourself in check!

[HHM]

There is no reason you can't add PACER to your list of creditors. Aside from the irony, they don't have any special status vis-a-vis any other creditor.

[TEW]

How do I request credit?

We all should write our congressman and ask them to number one upgrade that piece of junk number two make it free to the public that are in dyer financial straits

I can tell you that the navy spends 11.6 billion a year on a network that does little more then word possessing.
In the mean time
How do I request credit?
If you believe there is an error on your statement or if you have a question concerning a transaction, please write to:
PACER Service Center
P.O. Box 780549
San Antonio, TX 78278
or
Fax (210) 301-6441
All credit requests must be submitted in writing with signature. In your correspondence provide your name, PACER login ID, and the dollar amount of the suspected error(s) together with a copy of the transaction in question. Please provide a reason for each credit being requested. When the PSC receives your request, you will be contacted by a service representative. Credits cannot be issued until after the quarterly statement has been generated.

[laurannm]

There is no reason you can't add PACER to your list of creditors. Aside from the irony, they don't have any special class vis-a-vis any other creditor.

I think technically they are Federal entity, so I wasn't sure if they would fall into the non-dischargeable category? My lawyer wasn't real sure either. As long as it doesn't impact my filing of a 7, I can deal with it at a later date

Thanks to everyone who responded...and yes, the lesson here is to stay off of Pacer, or find a local courthouse who has free terminals you can use

[HHM]

There is no general exception from discharge that applies to federal entities, or said another way, just because the creditor is a federal entity, does not make the debt non-dischargeable.