General Info:
Big Dawg Bail Bonds is the most professional, courteous, and affordable bail bonds company in South Texas. We are available 24/7, 365 days a year to help you and your loved ones get out of jail and on your way to resuming your life. We pride ourselves on working with our customers to make the process as easy as possible. Our agents have over 25 years of experience and are waiting for your call. Se Habla Espanol. Buyer Beware: Bail Bond Tricks and Traps Learn how to recognize them – and how to avoid them. Families experience a lot of stress when a loved one is in jail. It’s a trying emotional time; they’re embarrassed, worried about finances, and anxious to get their loved one out of jail as quickly as possible. That combination leaves people vulnerable to a number of bail bond scams and outright fraud. Don’t be caught by one of these schemes. Some can be costly; most are illegal. Be wary if any bail agent approaches you with one of these offers: 1. “Psst…. Have I got a deal for you!” Bail agents who charge too little “Cheap bail bonds” may seem like a good deal, but they’re not. Some bail agents promise “cheap bail” or “5% bail” or another amount that’s much lower than the 10% bail bond premium required by law in most states. A company that offers a cut rate is likely either advertising deceptively or blatantly violating the law. For instance, if the court sets a bail amount of $25,000, the bail premium – the fee that you pay to a bail bondsman – is usually 10% of the total, or $2,500. You pay that fee to the bail agent, who then promises the court that the defendant will show up for court appearances and thus arranges release from jail. The bail agent keeps the bail premium as a fee for assuming the liability of the full amount of the bond. Many reputable bail bond companies offer financing, often without interest charges, and will arrange this with you in advance, rather than trick you into coming to their office with false assumptions. A practice that is illegal though, is for any bail agent to charge less than the rate established by law. Bail agents can lose their license and have their businesses shut down. 2. “Don’t like being in jail? Let me help!” Bail agents who solicit business inside jail lobbies – or even jail cells. As with bail bond pricing, state laws regulate when and how bail agents can solicit business. Some agents walk a fine line between flouting and following the rules. Bail agents are prohibited from hanging out in the jail and offering bail services. Some agents ignore this law and solicit business this way anyway. There can be tension between competing bail bondsmen – as well as between reputable companies who follow the rules and those who don’t. Ask yourself: “What kind of business is this person running that he has people in jail drumming up business for him?” 3. “So, I heard your brother’s in jail” Bail agents who solicit business outside the jail. It’s illegal to cold call potential clients and solicit business, but some bail agents do it anyway. Simply put, in the bail industry, a client must contact a bail agent. It is illegal for a bondsman to call and offer unrequested services. Calling a family member is perfectly legal if the defendant contacts the bail bondsman first and asks the bondsman to do so. But if a bail agent calls you – and the person in jail didn’t call them first – then the agent is acting illegally. Don’t deal with that person – he or she may not even be an actual bail bondsman. While it may seem as though a bail bondsman is