Harrassing bill collector - and how to deal?

Amazonbella

Just file bankruptcy and be done with it.

For only $306??? Ummmmm no. Unless you are jobless and homeless I would just PAY IT, or set up a payment plan while you are fighting it.....I get that it sucks they charge you such a ridiculous amount, but good credit is important in life and if it has been sent to an actual bill collector that will reflect negatively.

jmc0806

if it's your cell phone, call your provider and block all blocked numbers from calling you. They'd have to dial back using a code to unblock it and I doubt they would.

MissingMyOldSelf

How about not be a dead beat and pay the bill instead of running away from responsibilities????????????????????????????????????????

How hard is it for you to drive to the dentist office, you put it on someone else for not picking up their phone, but you could easily go to the dentist office when this happened and taken care of it.

Better plan, be like the rest of those people who don't bother to be pay their bills and then live on welfare and food stamps and make those of us who actually work and are responsible be responsible for your laziness. YaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaY.

Aww, you're cute.

How about you READ before you post, and see details?

Derpes

Look up the FDCPA (fair debt collection practices act).

Debt collectors have to obey the law.

beachlover317

Better to deal with it than to have your credit rating drop because of it. It is a legit charge at some doctor's and dentist's office if you miss an appointment and don't call to cancel. If it's in collection, you will probably have to deal with them first.

Any advice you're getting to ignore it or block the call is all well and good for now. Just don't expect to be able to get loans for cars, houses, etc with outstanding bills on your record.

Good luck, this sounds like a nightmare.

zilfig64

If you truely do not owe this money, do not pay it! There are collection laws. Offices, and bill collectors have a very strict set of rules that they must abide by - they are forbidden under state and federal collection statutes from harassing you.
Google: Federal Debt Collection Practices Act - in addition, there are State specific laws that may be more restrctive.

In general:
-Send a letter to the dentist office disputing the charge, and requesting a complete accounting of the alleged bill - they will generally have to send that info to you within 7 days (varies slightly by State)
- Document the contacts you are getting, and send a complaint to your State - look for the Depart of Business and Consumer Affairs - they usually have online forms you can fill-out, and they handle these issues quickly.
- If the person calls you again, state that they are no longer allowed to contact you. If they contact you after that point, document all the calls (or letters). If this continues, you can actually sue them for 3 times the amount they are trying to collect for harassment.

MissingMyOldSelf

If you truely do not owe this money, do not pay it! There are collection laws. Offices, and bill collectors have a very strict set of rules that they must abide by - they are forbidden under state and federal collection statutes from harassing you.
Google: Federal Debt Collection Practices Act - in addition, there are State specific laws that may be more restrctive.

In general:
-Send a letter to the dentist office disputing the charge, and requesting a complete accounting of the alleged bill - they will generally have to send that info to you within 7 days (varies slightly by State)
- Document the contacts you are getting, and send a complaint to your State - look for the Depart of Business and Consumer Affairs - they usually have online forms you can fill-out, and they handle these issues quickly.
- If the person calls you again, state that they are no longer allowed to contact you. If they contact you after that point, document all the calls (or letters). If this continues, you can actually sue them for 3 times the amount they are trying to collect for harassment.

Thank you very much for your reply!

I'm not sure I owe THAT much... I know I'd owe the $25 for the missed appointment, but $281 extra? Plus, why would it be so hard to get an itemized list of the fee from anyone?

I don't have a work phone here at my job, but this collector has found my employer, and has called and left messages with 4 different departments for me to call him, and I've told him to stop that, which he has. But he has one more call before I tell him to stop calling my phone. I'll definitely keep track from here on out! Thank you, zilfig!

kdb247

How about not be a dead beat and pay the bill instead of running away from responsibilities????????????????????????????????????????

How hard is it for you to drive to the dentist office, you put it on someone else for not picking up their phone, but you could easily go to the dentist office when this happened and taken care of it.

Better plan, be like the rest of those people who don't bother to be pay their bills and then live on welfare and food stamps and make those of us who actually work and are responsible be responsible for your laziness. YaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaY.

Aww, you're cute.

How about you READ before you post, and see details?

^Right, ugh!

skinnerj01

Here is a blanket letter I am NOT a lawyer:

Re: DEMAND TO VALIDATE DEBT UNDER STATE LAW
Acct/Loan #: xxxxxxxxx

To Whom It May Concern:

I am sending this letter in response to a written notice dated (Date). The notice sent by your office claimed that I owe a certain debt to you or to a company you are affiliated with.

Please be advised that this is a debt validation letter. At this time, I am not disputing the validity of this debt. I am simply requesting proof of the debt. However, I reserve the right to dispute the debt after I receive a full and complete written response to this request to validate the debt. Please be advised that this is not a refusal to pay, but a notice sent pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 USC 1692g Sec. 809 (b) that your claim is disputed and validation is requested.

This is NOT a request for “verification” or proof of my mailing address, but a request for VALIDATION made pursuant to the above named Title and Section. I respectfully request that your offices provide me with competent evidence that I have any legal obligation to pay you or the client you represent, <client>

You are aware of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, in addition to my home state laws regarding debt collection practices. Under such laws, I am asserting my right to receive the following information to my requests. Be advised that when I refer to “your company”, I am referring to the company that sent the notice claiming I owe a debt.

Please provide me with the following:
1. Who or what is the current legal owner of the debt; If your company is the owner then provide proof of the proper transfer of the debt to your company.
2. What the money you say I owe is for;
3. Provide an accounting of all payments made against the debt and an accounting of all fees, charges, costs, legal fees, penalties, and interest charged because of the debt.
4. Complete payment history, the requirement of which has been established via Spears v. Brennan 745 N.E.2d: 2001 Ind. App. LEXIS 509
5. Provide me with copies of any papers that show I agreed to pay you what you say I owe;
6. Provide a verification or copy of any judgment as it relates to the debt; and/or any legal papers filed against me in an effort to collect the debt if applicable;
7. Identify the original creditor;
8. Provide a complete list of all owners of the debt, including the date of transfers or assignments of the debt;
9. Are you in possession of the original paperwork that established and created the debt obligation;
10. Provide a copy of all written agreements that establish the debt;
11. Provide a copy of all written agreements allegedly signed by me as it relates to the debt;
12. Prove the Statute of Limitations has not expired on this account; thereby establishing you are legally entitled to collect the debt.
13. Show me that you are licensed to collect in my state;
14. Provide me with your license numbers and Registered Agent;
15. The agreement which authorizes you to collect debt on the assumed debt.
16. Provide proof that you have filed all necessary paperwork with the appropriate agencies that allow you to collect debt from me in my home state or my home city. Include your registration and/or license numbers.
17. Agreement that bears the signature of the alleged debtor wherein he agreed to pay the original creditor.
18. Letter of sale or assignment from the original creditor to your company. (Agreement with your client that grants you the authority to collect on this alleged debt.) Coppola v. Arrow Financial Services, 302cv577, 2002 WL 32173704 (D.Conn.)

All collection activity must cease and desist until you have provided me with all of the requested information contained in this letter and until I have had 60 days to review the requested information. Furthermore, you shall cease and desist making any contact by telephone, email, text, facsimile, or internet phone to my home, to any past and present place of employment, to any of my relatives, to any of my friends, and to any of my co-workers. In fact, you must cease and desist making any and all above mentioned contact to any person or entity. You may only contact me, in writing, by regular mail to the address on this letter.

kbmnurse

Grow up and pay the bill.

MissingMyOldSelf

Ok... so to those saying "grow up and pay the bill" ....

if someone randomly sent you a bill, saying you owe $1000, you'd just pay it without verification? You guys all just have $1000 to throw away? And afterwards, you'd then fight to get the money back?

Booksandbeaches

Ok... so to those saying "grow up and pay the bill" ....

if someone randomly sent you a bill, saying you owe $1000, you'd just pay it without verification? You guys all just have $1000 to throw away? And afterwards, you'd then fight to get the money back?

You're doing the right thing.

Some people don't bother to read the entire thread. They read the title only. Just ignore them.

pseudomuffin

I just pay my bills so they don't call.

:huh: ....

hard concept, I know.

It's clearly a mistake but bill collectors hear that kind of stuff all the time so they're not going to listen. There's no reason to pay something that you don't owe, and most people aren't just going to throw $300 bucks away like that.

OP I don't think there's much you can do except answer when they call and pretend you just got that number and you don't know who they're asking about. I put on a little girl voice and tell telemarketers I'm 11 all the time, it usually works because they're not supposed to talk to people under 18. Worth a try! Once that bill has gone into collection I don't really know if there's anything you can do by contacting the dentist's office anyway, since they sold the debt to a collections agency.

DamianaKitten

You've already gotten some good advice. As for why it's so high, if they never sent you a bill (or you never got it) then it is possible that they are "administrative" fees. I know with credit cards they cannot collect anything if they cannot prove the debt is owed, but I'm not sure how that applies to medical.

The last time I had to deal with a debt collector, I told them I wouldn't pay without an audit of the account, because I knew for a fact they could not sue me without one. I never heard from them again. Again, not sure how that compares with medical, but I can't imagine they can just claim you owe money without having to provide proof of the debt.

MissingMyOldSelf

You've already gotten some good advice. As for why it's so high, if they never sent you a bill (or you never got it) then it is possible that they are "administrative" fees. I know with credit cards they cannot collect anything if they cannot prove the debt is owed, but I'm not sure how that applies to medical.

The last time I had to deal with a debt collector, I told them I wouldn't pay without an audit of the account, because I knew for a fact they could not sue me without one. I never heard from them again. Again, not sure how that compares with medical, but I can't imagine they can just claim you owe money without having to provide proof of the debt.

the last sentence is the main idea behind this entire thread! You got it!!!!

If no one will send me an itemized account of all the extra fees, then I see no reason to pay more than $25!

AwMyLoLo

Grow up and pay the bill.

Seriously? You would pay a $300 bill with no questions asked? Ok, PM me your address so I can send you a bill for my financial advice: Do NOT pay a medical bill without making sure it is correct, let alone legit. A $300 bill for missing an appointment is not legit.

I fought an $894 medical bill for over a year and a half. Eventually they sent the $74 they owed ME. I refused to pay a $150 bill from having a mole removed because the doctor said it would be covered under my co-pay. Never got sent to collections and after a while the bill stopped coming. I, in fact, have about $900 worth of medical bills hanging out right now that I need to research before I will pay. Guarantee I do not really owe that much.

OP, the person that keeps calling you, is it the same person every time? Do they state what "agency" they are with? Have they sent you anything in the mail stating that you owe? This just seems bizarre, like more of a scam than just a billing mistake.

Good luck. You'll get it figured out.

huv123

DO NOT ignore this!

Bill collection can ruin your credit - even over 10 dollars, much less 306 dollars. Call your dentists office again, or go to them in person.

sunnyside1213

You can tell the bill collector not to call you. If they do, they are breaking the law.

MissingMyOldSelf

Grow up and pay the bill.

Seriously? You would pay a $300 bill with no questions asked? Ok, PM me your address so I can send you a bill for my financial advice: Do NOT pay a medical bill without making sure it is correct, let alone legit. A $300 bill for missing an appointment is not legit.

I fought an $894 medical bill for over a year and a half. Eventually they sent the $74 they owed ME. I refused to pay a $150 bill from having a mole removed because the doctor said it would be covered under my co-pay. Never got sent to collections and after a while the bill stopped coming. I, in fact, have about $900 worth of medical bills hanging out right now that I need to research before I will pay. Guarantee I do not really owe that much.

OP, the person that keeps calling you, is it the same person every time? Do they state what "agency" they are with? Have they sent you anything in the mail stating that you owe? This just seems bizarre, like more of a scam than just a billing mistake.

Good luck. You'll get it figured out.

The collector never says what his company name is, but says it's an important business matter. In fact, even when you call the collector back, the phone operator at the "company" never says the company's name when she answers the phone, either. But I DID receive a bill in the mail from them, just with the amount of $308, (NOT $306!) on it. And it looks like it was typed up on a Commodore 64.

sarainiowa

@OP. Call the dentist company again. Don't hang up until you have spoke to billing. If this is at a collection agency, it's affecting your credit. Sadly, there's a good chance the dentist office can't do anything to stop it at this point, HOWEVER, if YOU AND THE DENTIST office come to an agreement to drop it, pay half, etc, etc, the dentist office can have this debt revised, maybe dropped.

So clear your head and any negative thoughts. Be as nice and understanding as you can be when you talk to billing.

Ignoring this won't make it go away. It will be an issue on your credit report. It's in your best interest to call the dentist billing and take care of this immediately.