Do I have to pay that camera ticket I got in the mail?
No, It is not a moving violation. It does not affect your driving record or raise your insurance. Failure to pay does not affect your credit rating because they are prohibited by state law to disclose it to any credit reporting agency. The issuing entity’s (a private company) only recourse is to threaten you with more letters, turn it over to a collection agency, or sue you in chancery court, making it a civil matter. You can’t even make a payment to the municipality, they cannot accept your payment. You must submit your payment to the camera company who then pays the municipality a percentage of the amount collected as specified within their contract. The percentage is usually more for the camera company than the municipality.
If you owe several hundred or thousand dollars then it might become attractive to them to sue. But can a private company actually prove they actually have a “loss” in court when they are not law enforcement officers? They can and will inflate the amount you owe with additional “court costs” and “fees” if you don’t pay it. If you are contacted by a collection agency or anyone else, you can ignore it and stop the contact by sending them a cease and desist letter. If they threaten to report you to a consumer reporting agency, say it will affect your credit report, reflect on your driving record (drivers license) or increase your insurance rates they have lied to you and violated Tennessee state law.
The fake citations you receive are sent via FIRST CLASS MAIL, not registered mail and signed for. They will use language that say you have to pay it. TOSS IT IN THE TRASH!!!
THIS APPLIES TO ALL TRAFFIC CAMERA CITATIONS ISSUED IN TENNESSEE! If you are issued a citation by a law enforcement officer in person, DO NOT IGNORE IT!
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