Hi everyone, I have a question about dealing with a debt that was erroneously sent to a collection agency. I just received a letter from a collection agency for a really small debt ($20.22) from a medical provider. I looked at my files and I paid this debt in March 2020, shortly after I received the bill for it (invoice from provider dated 03/17 and I paid 03/22), so there is no reason that it should have been sent to a collection agency. Interestingly, I have a new, more recent bill from the same provider for the exact same amount, so I'm guessing that they mis-applied the March payment to the newer debt, making the old one look unpaid, but this is their mistake, not mine (you don't select a specific debt in their payment flow, it's just a simple payment amount paid to the provider). Nontheless, I want to resolve this as quickly as possible. What should be my next step?
- Call the provider directly and ask them to sort it out (but what if they drop the ball again, is there something else I should be doing to protect myself?)
- Should I also send a letter to the collection agency directly, letting them know of the error and telling them to fix it too? Should I provide proof the debt was paid in March? Any magincal language there? Also, is this a bad idea - are there any negatives to communicating directly with the collection agency, even via letter?
I've just heard horror storeis of small debt errors spiralling out of control due to irresponsible creditors and collection agencies, so I want to take whatever steps are necessary to create a paper trail and force everyone to fix this. Thanks!
Mid-2010 Starting Scores: FAKO EQ 476 FAKO EX 506 FICO TU98 575
July 2017 Current Scores: Approx 710 (waiting for official updates)
Goal Scores: 700 across all three
