Collections? Really?

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I got a call from a collection agency this morning.  Right now, I am utterly furious, as according to them I did not pay the last $70 of my $400 radiology bill, so they sent me to collections.  Supposedly they have sent me 3 letters and have made innumerable phone calls.  When I asked them to give me the date of the last phone call, I'd look it up on my bill, the collection agent backtracked.  I have not seen a bill, even though the radiology company has my WA address, but the collection company had my KY address.  Even if it was sent to my KY address, I'm still getting my mail forwarded (for another month).  I've received NOTHING.

I remember this company vividly.  I pay a bill and they would send me a check back.  This must have happened 3-4 times over the year of hell.  At the very end, I asked the company for a total balance and I was told $331, so paid in full.  That apparently was not the full bill, but I have not received a balance.

So the woman wanted me to give her my checking account info over the phone.  I told her that she needs to send me a full accounting, by mail and I would send her a check.  She got very insulted and said that I was getting billed additionally 1%/day.  I told her fine, I'll pay it but I am not going to give you any information without having anything in writing.

This makes absolutely NO sense.  When I asked for a full accounting, if my bill was $400, I'd have paid the bill in full at that time.  I was told $331, that's what I paid and I never received another bill since then.  WTF is going on?

[alabamagal]

Definitely ask for a full accounting of the bill. A lot of times when you ask for that, they don't have it.

I got sent to collections one time for a bill I paid. The doctors office said they didn't get paid, but my insurance company said they paid (I got and EOB). The gave me a check number and said it was cashed. I couldn't get the insurance company to talk to the doctor. So I just sent them both a letter with the details. It was a PITA for a bill that was paid.

Good luck.

[justme]

I'd probably call up the doctors office too. They may give you the run around about it being in collections, but the one time I got somewhat close to it (was an internal, hospital collections that no one told me I was in) I was able to get a copy of the bill in dispute.

[swamp]

I had a similar incident with a med bill incurred in FL. My daughter had an ambulance transport, and I never got billed.  The insurance paid their share per the EOB, so I assumed that was the full payment.  Then about 6 months I got a collection call on behalf of he ambulance company wanting me to pay the bill over the phone and got really nasty when I told them I wouldn't do that and I wanted a bill.   

I told her to either send me a bill and I'd check it with the EOB and dates of service and pay it if I determined I owed the money, or they could sue me.

I did owe it, and I paid it ASAP.  But I wasn't paying anything until they proved I owed it.

[beergut]

Mar 5, 2014 17:06:20 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

They are required, per the FDCPA, to prove you owe a debt they are attempting to collect on.

 1% a day? Sounds like that would violate usury laws in your state. Sounds like an empty threat meant to scare you.

[hoops902]

Mar 5, 2014 18:11:04 GMT -5 beergut said:

Mar 5, 2014 17:06:20 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

They are required, per the FDCPA, to prove you owe a debt they are attempting to collect on.

 1% a day? Sounds like that would violate usury laws in your state. Sounds like an empty threat meant to scare you.

Usury applies to lending money.  This money wasn't lent so it wouldn't apply.  Not to say that there aren't other laws which might prevent this from happening, but it wouldn't be usury.  (otherwise they couldn't charge you $35 on a $1 returned check, that would be an outrageous percentage).

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Mar 5, 2014 18:11:04 GMT -5 beergut said:

Mar 5, 2014 17:06:20 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

They are required, per the FDCPA, to prove you owe a debt they are attempting to collect on.

 1% a day? Sounds like that would violate usury laws in your state. Sounds like an empty threat meant to scare you.

Exactly.

They claim to have sent me multiple letters and called me multiple times.  When I asked them to give me a date that they called me and I'd check from my phone records, she admitted that they had not called me.  So I have to wonder if them sending me multiple letters isn't a lie too.

I told her that I am not going to write them a check until I can see an accounting.  And despite the threat that I'll owe more money (I think I can handle a few more $$), I am not sending them anything without it.  As their phone number is now in my phone, I'm going to call next week and ask where my bill is.

Also going to call the radiology facility.....as soon as my blood pressure returns to normal.

[sapphire12]

Oh dear. Good luck Mich. Hope this is resolved soon.

[Deleted]

This is partly because the left hand and right hand don't know what they are doing in healthcare. And, since you don't really have much of a "customer" relationship with medical services they basically do what they want to collect, or mostly nothing at all, and then send the account to the "professionals" not caring what it does to your credit rating and all that.

I am getting a new bill for an ambulance ride for my late husband.  They made me pay it - in cash - before leaving that night and have now decided, after THREE YEARS, that I owe them the payment again.

Last time the bill arrived I sent it back  - deceased, no estate, save your paper/postage in the future.  It hasn't come again. 

[motherto2]

My dentist office used to send me a collection/past due letter before they would even send me a bill. That happened a couple of times, and I'd just about had it and was going to look for another dentist, even though I really liked all the folks in the office. They made a change, so I didn't.

I honestly don't know how elderly folks are able to keep up with bills. I hope you get it settled quickly. Breathe deep!

[Peace77]

I recently got a bill demanding immediate payment from a radiology company for over $1,000 for a date of service in late 2012.   I called them and asked why I had newer received a bill before now.  They told me that my insurance had been slow to respond and then wouldn't pay it.  I called my insurance company and they told me that this company had been paid.  Then, they send a second bill for the same service on the same day.  The insurance company refused to pay twice.

Clearly, they are attempting to triple dip by sending one bill under the radiology company name and a bill under the radiologist name to the insurance and then a 3rd bill for the full amount to me.

[chiver78]

I'm beginning to wonder if that's what's going on with some bills I've been getting from my dr's office plus a "Harvard Vanguard" address - my dr's lab is in the same building and operates under the same name as the Adult Medicine dept. besides the fact that a bitchy judgy dr (not my normal dr) chose std test me for everything she possibly could when I went in for a UTI - um, I've had them before, I know exactly what they are. that you don't believe me is YOUR problem - and that I'm getting bills from two different places, I'm not getting anywhere with straightening out who I actually owe for tests I neither asked for nor needed.

maybe I'll call HV tomorrow while I'm home sick. I already told my boss I'm calling out, "boat crud" that tends to be an annual thing after my music cruise seems to have caught up with me.

anyway, thanks for the insight on triple-dipping. before my company was bought by a European one, all I ever had to worry about was copays. our old coverage rocked!

[Virgil Showlion]

I recently had a hospital collections agency call me to deman- ...

Oh no wait. They just billed the government and I didn't have to worry about anything. I went home and ate a lollipop.

My bad. Carry on.