Harrassing bill collector - and how to deal?

MissingMyOldSelf
MissingMyOldSelf Posts: 689 Member
in Chit-Chat
Dumb question... other than sending a certified letter to a bill collector (from my dentist's office that I'm debating) who tells me multiple times daily from phone calls that I owe $306 for a missed appointment last year, is there a way to make them stop calling? This guy calls from an "unknown number" daily, and I can't block that (Thanks, Apple!)

I'm very tempted to send a penny to them, with a note (certified mail, of course), saying DO NOT CONTACT ME IN ANY WAY IN REGARDS TO THIS MATTER.

By the way, I called the dentist's office about this ($306??? REALLY???? FOR A MISSED APPOINTMENT???) since I haven't heard from them in almost a year, and no one's gotten back with me.

Would the "do not call" list apply to this situation?
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Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,937 Member
    Do Not Call lists do not protect you from bill collectors.

    Doesn't sound fun.
  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member
    You're going to have to pretend any of the following:
    1.) Be someone else
    2.) Thick accent of any other country
    3.) Wrong number


    Pick one and stick with it.

    Good luck.
  • moosegt35
    moosegt35 Posts: 1,296 Member
    I just pay my bills so they don't call.
  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member
    I just pay my bills so they don't call.
    :huh: ....
  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
    Leonidas_meets_Spartacus Posts: 6,198 Member
    Pay up or fight the charges. Ignoring won't make the problem go away.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Just file bankruptcy and be done with it.
  • marypatmccue
    marypatmccue Posts: 521 Member
    Missed appointments count as charges, and... if you had received a bill and never paid it, then... well, sorry, you owe it. I'd just make a payment plan and pay them. They won't leave you alone, and will probably attempt to find a friend or family member to start harassing if you don't buck up.
  • moosegt35
    moosegt35 Posts: 1,296 Member
    I just pay my bills so they don't call.
    :huh: ....

    hard concept, I know.
  • MissingMyOldSelf
    MissingMyOldSelf Posts: 689 Member
    I'm fighting them because why would I not hear from that dentist for a year, then all of a sudden get a letter in the mail and phone calls from this collector, and no one is sending me an itemized list? My insurance doesn't even show anything being billed from that time.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Call the dentist again? GO to the dentist?
  • dpwellman
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
    Well. . . there is this service that Ramsey started recently. Don't know if it's any good, but I vouch for the man behind it, so it probably is,

    https://www.daveramsey.com/recommends/fair-debt?ictid=btxt.content
  • MissingMyOldSelf
    MissingMyOldSelf Posts: 689 Member
    I've called the dentist's office four times since the 10th, and they always say that the girl who deals with accounting is out at a different location, and that she'll call me back. Funny, because the bill collector says that he hasn't heard from the dentist's office, either.
  • Pipsg1rl
    Pipsg1rl Posts: 1,414 Member
    First you need to send a certified letter to the dentist to say that you are disputing the charges.

    Then you need to contact the Credit Bureas to let them know this item is in dispute - because if collectors are calling it it showing up on your report. Once a bill passes 90 days it can really hurt you.

    Additionally, ask them for PROOF they sent you a bill or a known policy that if you are a no-show you have to pay a fee. $300 seems excessive, normally it is the amount of your copay or $30-50.

    If it states you will be charged a REASONABLE amount for the no-show such as the $50, then what has happened is you are now paying for late and collection fees.

    I would try to contact the dentist and say you will not pay anything but the basic no-show fee. They may be able to arrange the payment and cancel the rest of the fees.

    EVEN IF you pay in full, the collectors will call for some time after until your record is removed from their database.

    Hope that helps--
    a person who understands about stupid fees you had no idea even existed.

    ps: try creditkarma.com to check your credit score. i love it and it's totally free!!
  • MissingMyOldSelf
    MissingMyOldSelf Posts: 689 Member
    First you need to send a certified letter to the dentist to say that you are disputing the charges.

    Then you need to contact the Credit Bureas to let them know this item is in dispute - because if collectors are calling it it showing up on your report. Once a bill passes 90 days it can really hurt you.

    Additionally, ask them for PROOF they sent you a bill or a known policy that if you are a no-show you have to pay a fee. $300 seems excessive, normally it is the amount of your copay or $30-50.

    If it states you will be charged a REASONABLE amount for the no-show such as the $50, then what has happened is you are now paying for late and collection fees.

    I would try to contact the dentist and say you will not pay anything but the basic no-show fee. They may be able to arrange the payment and cancel the rest of the fees.

    EVEN IF you pay in full, the collectors will call for some time after until your record is removed from their database.

    Hope that helps--
    a person who understands about stupid fees you had no idea even existed.

    ps: try creditkarma.com to check your credit score. i love it and it's totally free!!

    GREAT! THANK YOU!!! I remember a sign at that dentist's office saying that a missed appointment fee is $25. So.... $306?????
  • ThinLizzie0802
    ThinLizzie0802 Posts: 863 Member
    The above poster has good, sound advice.

    To add to it: whatever you have to pay, pay directly to the dentist office. Do not pay the bill collector. Make sure you get receipts and keep copies of any correspondence from here on out.
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
    The above poster has good, sound advice.

    To add to it: whatever you have to pay, pay directly to the dentist office. Do not pay the bill collector. Make sure you get receipts and keep copies of any correspondence from here on out.

    ^^ This
  • MissingMyOldSelf
    MissingMyOldSelf Posts: 689 Member
    The above poster has good, sound advice.

    To add to it: whatever you have to pay, pay directly to the dentist office. Do not pay the bill collector. Make sure you get receipts and keep copies of any correspondence from here on out.

    Thank you! I will!

    The funny thing is that when I called my dental insurance company, they gave me the amounts charged and the check numbers for payment that they sent, and the dates cleared, and nothing was submitted after January 2013.

    My husband says that this sounds a bit like either insurance fraud, or some other patient with my name wasn't charged correctly.
  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
    Leonidas_meets_Spartacus Posts: 6,198 Member
    The bills for missed appointments are not sent to Insurance companies. Call the dentist and talk to them, tell them you are going to Better business bureau for charging 306$ for a missed appointment.
  • pawnstarNate
    pawnstarNate Posts: 1,728 Member
    Give'em Sin's number....she'll handle this for ya! :wink:
  • MissingMyOldSelf
    MissingMyOldSelf Posts: 689 Member
    Give'em Sin's number....she'll handle this for ya! :wink:

    I've never met her before, but I'm very tempted! :) LOL
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