topic Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues in General Credit Topics

PLEASE Help re: collections issues

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 03:41:58 GMT

Hello! I am hoping that someone can help me understand what to do about this situation. We recently got a bill for when my son was in the hospital in April. We got the first bill about 6 weeks ago, and another one two weeks ago. The second one said we needed to pay, work out a payment plan, or it would go to collections. DH was supposed to call, and 'forgot.' I just got a collections letter today and I am FREAKING OUT. We are supposed to buy a house in the Spring, and I am pregnant as well. This seems like the worst imaginable thing that could happen to us financially right now. We can pay the bill, but I don't know what to do to fix my credit. PLEASE HELP!

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 05:35:48 GMT

Are you sure it's gone to your credit already?

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

Takunda1 — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 05:49:45 GMT

You r account with the hospital has not been charged off. The collection agency has been contracted to actually collect and pay back the hospital. If I were you I would immediately set up a payment plan with the hospital, or pay them in full. While at it make sure to send a DV letter to the collection agency. Obviously when they send you letter to the hospital to DV you'll already have a payment plan set up so they'll just tell the CA to drop it, & it won't go on your CR

Hope that helps.

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:14:22 GMT

I'm sorry, I'm not completely following... I assume it is not on my credit report yet, but I just got the first letter from a collection agency yesterday saying that they have taken over the debt. So- if I pay the hospital TODAY, then do I send a letter to the collection agency saying that I don't have the debt, when they check with the hospital, it will show as paid? And that will be before it ever hits my credit? Am I following? But, I thought once the collection agency takes over the debt, it is too late to pay the hospital? Am I wrong here? Thanks so much for your help with this!

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:42:44 GMT

One more question- I went on-line and created an account on the hospital website, and it shows my balance and I can pay on-line. I also called and got a recording (6am). Should I go ahead and pay it on-line through the hospital website, or wait to talk with a real person and verify that they will cancel the collection? Or if I pay on-line and send a DV to the CA, that will take care of the problem? Since it is still listed on-line, does that mean I still 'have time' to pay it directly to the hospital? THANKS!

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 13:23:48 GMT

If it's not on your cr's yet and you can still pay on-line to the oc(your account is still open) I would pay right now...

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 15:11:43 GMT

Okay, so I paid the bill on-line through the hospital billing website. On Monday- we will call the hospital to verify that they are showing a 0 balance, and ask them to cancel the collection. Then, we will send a letter on Monday to the CA, certified mail, asking them to validate the debt. When they go to validate it, it will show 0 balance, right? Will they send me a letter? Is there any chance it will still show up on my credit report as a paid collection? Sorry- this was just quite a shock and demonstration of irresponsibiliy on my part- and I want to make it right as quickly as possible so it does not impact our plans for a house! Thanks everyone!

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 15:26:21 GMT

iwanna, I think you did the right thing, by acting immediately on this.

But IMO, you should call the hospital TODAY, just to have peace of mind they will not act. There business office is open today, I'll bet.

At least they can make a notation on your records, that you've paid, with the ref.#. Do a follow up call on monday, to verify they've received it.

That's what I'd do, but that's just me. I trust no one, no thing, only myself, when it comes to stuff like that. I have to satisfy myself fully, before I can relax. But again, that's just me, and what I'd do.

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 16:08:32 GMT

Good! You paid to the oc as the account was still open with them. You just got the 1st collection letter yesterday, looks to me like:"the payment was paid BEFORE you recieved the collection letter" The ca has 30 days to validate that you owe and guess what...you don't owe a cent!

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:02:50 GMT

What a lesson about medical bills! I did call the hospital, but the billing office is closed today and tomorrow, but will be open on Monday. We will call first thing on Monday, and send our dv on Monday as well. So- CA's don't report until after the 'you have 30 days blah, blah, blah?' UGH! Thanks for all your help! I probably would have gone ahead and paid the collection agency instead, if I had not gotten your advice here, and that would have been worse! I'll still be nervous about it for the next few months, until I know my cr is okay. UGH! Thanks a bunch!

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

Takunda1 — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 19:58:36 GMT

iwannahouse wrote:
What a lesson about medical bills! I did call the hospital, but the billing office is closed today and tomorrow, but will be open on Monday. We will call first thing on Monday, and send our dv on Monday as well. So- CA's don't report until after the 'you have 30 days blah, blah, blah?' UGH! Thanks for all your help! I probably would have gone ahead and paid the collection agency instead, if I had not gotten your advice here, and that would have been worse! I'll still be nervous about it for the next few months, until I know my cr is okay. UGH! Thanks a bunch!

They should not report until 30 days after they mail you your first noticce. When you send a DV they cannot report until they get validation of the debt from the OC. Paying it to the hospital was a good way to go. Keep your DV very short and to the point. YOu may want to add that your bill was PIF to the OC on [Date] Most CA will not respond to you if they cannot validate your debt. Just make sure to check True credit or whatevedr monitoring service you use at least twice a month for the next 3 months to make sure they don't report anything on you.

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

haulingthescoreup — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:15:50 GMT

iwannahouse, I would even think about taking a couple of hours off from work and going to the hospital business office in person Monday morning. They might be open at 7:30; certainly by 8:00. This might well be worth getting something in writing from a human being, face to face.

Good work dodging the collection bullet!

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

LuvsRetro — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 13:37:12 GMT

Make sure that you include to the CA that this was paid to the hospital with the date of payment and possibly a copy of the page showing payment processed.

I did the same thing, CA had the account, I paid the hospital and DV'd the CA, but should have included that this was paid and details.

The CA reported to my credit bureaus. They ignored my letter. It took me 7 months to get it taken off.

And keep all documentation attached to the bill for future reference.

Haulings post about going to the hospital would be very helpful.

Message Edited by teamfico on 12-02-2007 05:37 AM

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

Anonymous — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:23:50 GMT

Okay, so in the dv letter that I send tomorrow I will saying two things. 1. I am writing to validate this debt (I'll use the language from examples on this board). 2. According to my records and the records from the hospital (hopefully attached letter from hospital), this bill was paid in full directly to the hospital on 12/0107. Then, I check my credit report for the next 3 months to make sure it does not show up. Anything else? Thanks!

Re: PLEASE Help re: collections issues

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 01:49:46 GMT

We talked with the hospital today and they are not showing the bill as pif, but that the payment is processing. The woman said that once it is showing pif, they can provide documentation to us (that we will include in our DV letter) and they will cancel the collection. She also said she will make a note to look for the payment to post, and will contact me once it posts (I will keep checking in with her as well). I sure hope this works! I don't want to send the dv letter until I have the doc from the hospital. How detailed should I be in the DV letter? I've read the letters here, but I'm not sure how specific I should be.