I got a collections notice from a law firm that purchases collections from DHL. It was in regard to a $31.50 customs charge for a package I received in February. I had attempted to pay the bill by sending a check using my Chase account, but it was never checked and was automatically “stop payment”ed in May. I never heard directly from DHL, aside from the initial invoice.
I obviously should have called DHL and asked why they didn’t cash the check, if they didn’t receive it, and so on, but what’s done is done. I never would have guessed they’d send a $30 debt to collections without even trying a payment reminder first.
In the evening, I checked all the credit agencies and none of them had a record of the collection. I called the collections firm first thing in the morning, and they confirmed that they had not yet sent it to the reporting agencies. I paid using a credit card over the phone, and the representative said that this would keep it from being reported and that I would receive a letter within 14 days stating that it had been paid in full and not reported to the agencies.
Did I make a mistake in paying before getting the promise not to report in writing?
