Cleveland Bail Bonds & Bondsmen

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Categories: Legal & Financial | Bail Bonds
Tags: cleveland, bail, bonds, bailbonds, bondsman, bondsmen, bailbondsmen, bailbondsman, berea, bedford,

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How do you choose a bail bondsmen?
"How do you choose a bail bondsmen? You don't have many choices when you become involved with the criminal justice system. It's often a complicated and intimidating process. Make the most out of the choices you do get to make. Although experience matters, the oldest or the biggest company isn't always the best. In most places, bondsmen are regulated by the State. In Ohio, we're licensed by the Department of Insurance. You can check an agents license and violation record on the States website, www.OhioInsurance.gov. Be sure the person you're speaking with is a licensed agent, ask for their name and verify online. Many bail bondsmen are known for their unscrupulous activity. Watch out for these traps ILLEGAL SOLICITING (make you think of another criminal activity?) Its against the law for a bondsman to solicit your business on the grounds of a courthouse or jail. Many have excuses, or alibis, for why theyre hanging out around a jail. THE BOTTOM LINE: If you didnt pre-arrange to meet the bondsman, if you met them at court for the first time, its illegal. Why is this illegal? In the past, bondmen were notorious for intimidating defendants into using their services. Or, literally getting into fist fights or shoot outs over whos going to write your bond. ILLEGAL DISCOUNTS Bail premium is regulated by the State. To prevent many of the same problems as illegal soliciting, the State specifies the price. Its always exactly 10% of the full face value of your bond. If your bond is $1,000, the bondsmans fee must be $100. If $500,000, the fee must be $50,000. The bondsman can also charge you for travel fees, or other expenses, as long as they tell you before posting the bond. Its okay for a bondsman to give you time to pay at their discretion, but they must eventually collect a full 10%. There is no discounting allowed, ever. A bondsman cannot cut you a break or make you a special deal. To trick you into buying a bond from them, bondsmen will often claim you only need to pay a small portion of the fee, anything less than 10%. Later they send you a bill in the mail or turn you over to a collection agency a year later. Or theyll lead you to believe part of their fee is refundable, its not. THE BOTTOM LINE: A bond fee is always 10%. You never get any fee back, its completely non-refundable. If a bondsman is telling you something different, theyre either lying or breaking the law. ILLEGAL FINANCING A bondsman is allowed to give you time to pay fees, but according to law, they must always collect all the money from you. If you are given extra time to pay, or a payment plan, and pay as agreed, theyre not allowed to charge you interest or financing charges. None. THE BOTTOM LINE: A bail bondsman is not a licensed financial institution, and theyre not allowed to become one. If youre paying as agreed, dont let them charge you interest or finance charges. ILLEGAL AGENTS Only a licensed surety bail bond agent can discuss a bond with you. Dont pay attention to any fees, terms, conditions, procedures or other information provided by unlicensed bondsmen such as other jail inmates, police or corrections officers. THE BOTTOM LINE: Always work with a licensed agent. Ask to see their State ID, which contains their photograph. All agents are issued an ID, if they dont have one, dont work with them. If you discover you fell into a trap, call the Department of Insurance and file an official complaint. Licensed bondsmen can be fined and sanctioned. Also consider filing a complaint with the better business bureau."