Here's the background. About a year and a half ago I went to a doctor. paid the $35 copay then and there. The Insurance Company paid their share and the doc was supposed to write off the rest. Seem simple enough? The Doc wrote off all but $40 and wants me to pay it. I told his office manager no way. The doc sent it to NCO (a CA). I DV'd NCO immediately. Seems their reply to a VOD is another collection letter. My response to that collection letter was a summons. Today I hear from a different CA. "As a courtesy...." "before they put it on my credit" - you know the line. I told the collector about the dispute - she read the case notes and acknowledged I had disputed it immemdiately. But... if I don't pay it's going on my credit..... And without the Dispute notation.... As soon as it appears (and I have a service that tells me about it immediately)... they get a summons also (for a FCRA violation). Not only that, the collector even read in the case notes that I VOD'd NCO, so I am holding this CA to that VOD and suing for the continued Collection Activity in spite of a valid and timely VOD demand (FDCPA violation). $3000 for a $40 debt.... not bad if you ask me. I'm going to Acapulco in June, I was just wondering who was paying for the trip. Now I know.
And $3000 for a $40 debt THAT YOU NEVER EVEN OWED! It's not like it was something you owed but they screwed up, you never owed it and the doctor probably knows that. You should let your insurance company know about it. They usually come down on these doctors pretty hard for violating the terms of the agreements. I bet they do this with a lot of people and the others pay. Maybe the insurance company will investigate. Mine will, and when I was double-billed twice by the same outfit, they did a full audit of all their records! Even if it was an honest error (twice for the same person?) they spent a lot of time with auditors, and that cost them something. I had the same thing years ago when I could go to military clinics. The doctor was allowed to bill my health insurance but was supposed to write off anything they didn't pay because military were entitled to free medical care. Not only did they not write it off, they sent it to a CA who came after me (I had gotten a bill but called and told them I didn't have to pay). I called the military contact who contacted the collection agency and told them they had no right to collect. About six months later, I got another letter from another CA. When I went to the military for the second time, and it was the same bill from the same doctor, well, let's just say there was H**L to pay. The doctor lost his contract and was not allowed to practice medicine in ANY government facility.
Re: Re: The Collection Gods Love me!!! No, taking a heavy - especially if someone else is paying my way.
Re: Re: The Collection Gods Love me!!! Then you go down the insurance contract enforcement path, even as you deal with CA violations. Your ace in the hole is that ultimately the doctor has to eat it, the debt was never proper, so the CA has to cave completely. Doctor error still does not excuse violations of law by CA.
