Originally Posted by ldpeters

Let's say I go to a restaurant and buy an expensive meal with a brand new credit card. I never have any intention of paying that credit card off. I do the same thing with a number of other services -- an expensive haircut, a spa day for my wife, a night at the Ritz. I never plan to pay off the card. Under any legal standard, the scenario I have described is not theft, in spite of my failure to pay for the goods or services.