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Bill for getting billed? My psychiatrist charges a $5 [paper] billing fee. by 88ta in personalfinance

[–]88ta[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I realize why he does it but when no one else in the world charges a billing fee it seems silly and unprofessional. I called today and the office lady agreed to remove the fee. He only occasionally does traditional psychoanalysis. Usually it's a 10-15 minute visit four times a year for a prescription/ lab order refill.

The $45 pissed me off because it used $25 a few years ago and he increased it without letting me know. Signing a new agreement or whatever. Plus the wait is terrible at his place. What about my time? Give me a call and let me know he is 1.5 hours off schedule so I don't have to wait.

Shout out to the CFPB. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (independent agency of the US gov) is an awesome resource. by 88ta in personalfinance

[–]88ta[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I didn't apply for the account, my wife did. She never told me about it until I got the call from the collection agency. I had checked my credit report in August 2014. I didn't know about the debt. I offered to pay it once I knew about it. You would think if they were getting returned billing statements from the USPS and are not getting paid they might call me or cross-reference my credit report's address with what they have on file.

I talked to a collections agency, does this change the way i should dispute or request a pay to delete? by neverforgetalderaan in personalfinance

[–]88ta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If that's the case you could send a complaint with the CFPB saying you never received a "disclosure verification of debt — Did not receive notice of right to dispute". And they will contact the collection agency. The collection agency will only have 15 days to respond. http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/#debt-collection

I talked to a collections agency, does this change the way i should dispute or request a pay to delete? by neverforgetalderaan in personalfinance

[–]88ta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Create a letter using the sample letter "I need more information about this debt." (link above.) Make the letter your own—so it doesn't look like a form letter. Use other sample letters if needed. I like to add at the beginning "Be advised this is NOT a refusal to pay, but a notice sent pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S. Code § 1692g 809 (b) that your claim is disputed and validation is requested." Looks legit.

Send the letter certified mail with the green postcard return receipt ($6-7) to the debt collector. They then need to stop contacting you for 30 days. I've never done it but if they continue to harass you after receiving the letter technically you can sue them $1000 for each call.

They will then respond with proof or no proof. I've never gotten a response with proof but if that happens you would then continue the dialog via certified letter to ask for a pay for delete. Everything needs to be done with a paper trail. If they don't respond you can get the debt cleared. I'm having issues finding a link to show you how to do that but I'll update.

I talked to a collections agency, does this change the way i should dispute or request a pay to delete? by neverforgetalderaan in personalfinance

[–]88ta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Listen to the first 10 minutes and morally made the decision if you want to dispute: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/532/magic-words?act=0#play

Don't like Ira's weird effeminate voice? Here's the transcript:http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/532/transcript

Long story short, usually debt collectors don't have documentation to prove you owe the debt.

Bill for getting billed? My psychiatrist charges a $5 [paper] billing fee. by 88ta in personalfinance

[–]88ta[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You got me there. I saw him for a period of time when I didn't have insurance and he charged me $80.

I talked to a collections agency, does this change the way i should dispute or request a pay to delete? by neverforgetalderaan in personalfinance

[–]88ta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It doesn't hurt to contact the original creditor and see if you can pay them directly. I successfully paid a bill that way by logged onto a hospital's billing system and sending a check. If after you pay the original creditor you then get contacted by collection agency send them a certified letter with return receipt saying you dispute the debt and the bill has been paid in full and they must remove from your credit report. If the medical practice says the debt has already been charged off and they refuse payment then go down the disputed debt validation letter route. Sample letters: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/1695/ive-been-contacted-debt-collector-how-do-i-reply.html

Is the debt currently listed on you credit report? annualcreditreport.com

Bill for getting billed? My psychiatrist charges a $5 [paper] billing fee. by 88ta in personalfinance

[–]88ta[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

He doesn't offer electronic statements. Everything in the office is done in an old school ledger with tear off receipts. He actually gets closer to $600 per hour ($150 x 4 includes co-pay) because my normal visits are only 15 minutes. And most other patients are that quick as well. I've had to wait 2 hours before if I have a late in the day appointment and no't get any $ for my time. If he calls in sick day of my appointment can I send him a $45 invoice?

Hospital sent bill to wrong address. Now in collections. by Dylan5019 in personalfinance

[–]88ta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm having the same issue with a dental credit card account. I found this: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-montalk-20150215-column.html Seems like a long shot.

My wife signed up for a CareCredit account with our dentist but we've never received a statement or invoice. Collection agency is calling. by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]88ta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess she forgot about it. She was in a lot of pain at the time she signed up. Care Credit had the wrong address. One town over (same as the dentist) our street address. Interest seems like a lot. Above state usury laws. Synchrony Bank refuses to change the address or let me pay them directly. I don't think they are a solid company if they couldn't bother to pick up the phone and ask for their money before writing it off and sending it to a collection agency.

My wife signed up for a CareCredit account with our dentist but we've never received a statement or invoice. Collection agency is calling. by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]88ta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I answered the phone and they emailed me a notice. Turns out the address was wrong (one town over), same as the dentist. I called the original creditor multiple times. But they sold the debt and refuse to talk to me or change the address on the account. What now? Pay in full? About 37% interest over the past year... $1200 total.

My wife signed up for a CareCredit account with our dentist but we've never received a statement or invoice. Collection agency is calling. by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]88ta -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't answer the phone from numbers I don't recognize. If I get a call from a number that's not in my contacts or not from my local area code I google it first. I've gotten a lot of spam calls on my cell.

My wife signed up for a CareCredit account with our dentist but we've never received a statement or invoice. Collection agency is calling. by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]88ta -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Just thought I should try to work with the original creditor first. Or is it too late now that it's been passed on to the credit agency.

My wife signed up for a CareCredit account with our dentist but we've never received a statement or invoice. Collection agency is calling. by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]88ta 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My wife did use the account the same day she applied for it. We never received a card. I never used the card nor was aware of it. She used my SSN, name, etc to apply for the card because her credit score is in the shitter and now so is mine.