Another example of a debt that I feel is OK not to pay.....
DH had a Verizon account for YEARS. He added me and the kids. A small bit of time goes by after we were added and he changed the kids from a specific number of text mgs to unlimited texting. Over another year goes by. Verizon did something (can't remember what) that ticked off DH. He told them to close his account.
There were no phone upgrades in over 2 years. He believed that the contract time had expired. Because he had changed to the unlimted text feature, they ADDED another 2 years to his contract. Those "cancellation fees" were allegedly "justified" because it paid for those "free phones". This was before the cancellation fees had to be prorated.
Yes, they sent him to collections. No, he never paid. It was BS.
Starting Score: 472
@Rebuilding69 wrote:They should have changed it a long time ago where it would be auto deleted after payment, full or considered paid in full. CA's wouldnt have to worry about saying no for a pfd, and the companies owed would have made sooo much more money. Heck I wouldnt even mind if the system was like, pay the bill then get it auto purged after 6 mos or whatever. This current system is completely asinine. People that pay should have been thrown bones way sooner. But thi is the crap system we have, where the little person gets overly screwed, and the companies that keep getting bailouts for way worse, keep making bad decisions on purpose for profit.
Sigh.
Maybe it's just me but if I ran a collection agency, I would make it policy to delete any collection of all reports to someone who was willing to pay in full (or for a decent setllement amount). Seems like CAs would get more money that way; not sure why some are so stubborn in not removing paid collections. If a collection is past the state's SOL, that's probably the only way they are ever going to get the money anyway. And medical collections should always be deleted once paid; I think it's wrong that medical collections are even allowed on CRs if they are paid.
I personally think that if you can, you should pay your debts. I know life happens and I will never judge anyone who files BK or has multiple collections on their reports because I don't know the circumstances. However, not paying things you can just because you don't feel like it isn't right (see my story of my fiance's friend with multiple COs that he just doesn't want to pay). I do agree with the one poster's story about Verizon BS; that you should NOT pay because that is not legit debt IMO.
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@Anonymous wrote:Yes, very true! People should pay old debts. But whether paid or not, the impact is the same on someone's report. I tend to agree with you on this subject but don't want to ruffle any feathers. To each his own. Your attitude toward your credit will get you far. That is a responsible one for sure!
Welcome to the forums. I know about those co-pays. Happened to my parents before. I always double and triple check everything just to be sure. I always check my cc accounts and banking accounts to make sure no one is dropping something there they shouldn't. Seems you're on the right track and will make wise choices with your credit. I've learned a lot on here about other things to do with credit. Very great forum.
Yes, it is!!!
In my wallet: Venture 15k; Barclay Ring 12.5k; Discover 10k; PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa 10k; PenFed Promise 10k; CareCredit 7.7k; Amazon Store Card 5k. QS 5k; BA Travel Rewards 3.5k; BA Travel Rewards 3.5k; BA Platinum Visa 2k; Barclay Apple Rewards 2k. Total Credit: 86,200. 7/2-FICO: EQ - 788; TU - 779; EX - 690; Utilization: 10%; GOAL: 780 across the board then 800 across the board. Inquiries: EQ: 7 TU: 6; EX 3; Chapter 13 seven years May, 2015. Reset my garden date to 7/7. Gardening until further notice.
If there is one thing I have learned in my life, I am in my mid-sixties, is that life isn't fair. You can be helping a little old lady cross the street and get run over by a bus.
We all have to look at our own situation and do what is right based on our own ethics and the law.
I paid twice as much as I had originally charged to my credit card in my Chapter 13 bankruptcy. The rest was fees for interests and late charges which balloned when I was unable to pay. I could look back at it and think those Chapter 7 guys had it made. They paid nothing and got a fresh start much sooner than me. But I am not going to go through life thinking about the other guy.
I now have my fresh start. I have been going through the forums looking for success stories to both learn from and help me be enthused with my own recovery. Focus on what is positive. It is possible for most of us in 2-3 years to be on the right track and get to a place we can only now dream of. Sometimes when life makes things too easy we don't learn the lesson we needed.