they are relentless- how do u get rid of them without paying the bill? I know it sounds bad- i'm talking about hospital bills, etc...

As far as medical bills, get on a payment plan. If you are unable to pay, then I would seek debt counseling also. Unpaid bills against your name will always be held against you.

Otherwise.... don't get sick.

Fake mustache and a trenchcoat.

pay the bill.

did the hospital provide services which allowed you to recover?

then pay them. no more bill collectors, voila

I don't. It's the worst thing you can do. Talk to them. Arrange for a payment plan. If you can't pay, tell them to stop calling you. By law, they have to stop.

Good advice has been given.

Also, I highly recommend Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University". Everyone needs to know the stuff Dave teaches.

BlackAdder7 said:

pay the bill.

did the hospital provide services which allowed you to recover?

then pay them. no more bill collectors, voila

You want to be paid for the work you do... Why do you think you dont have to pay anyone else....

You should call them or answer your phone and work out a payment plan. The alternative is a lawsuit if you don't pay a certain amount up front from my experience. Much easier to pay at a rate you can work with than to have to come up with some obscene amount at a moment's notice.

tinaz said:

BlackAdder7 said:

pay the bill.

did the hospital provide services which allowed you to recover?

then pay them. no more bill collectors, voila

You want to be paid for the work you do... Why do you think you dont have to pay anyone else....

i have these misc bills resulting from disputes that have ended up in collections- like one company was applying my payments to my husbands acct and not mine- so each month they would put late fees- they wouldnt take them off and i refused to payy that- now its in collections

another is a video club- I met my stupid quota - told them several times to stop sending videos- but they kept sending them- the ones I sent back they said were "credits" for me to choose diff. vids- I dont want vids- I want them to cedit my acct. now its in collections.

as for hospital- try having major surgery getting a nearly 50 grand bill and you ins. comp only paying 20%. I was sending them $20 a month and one year they still sent it to collections

THOSE COLLECTION PEOPLE are a pain......

Vendetta1 said:

I don't. It's the worst thing you can do. Talk to them. Arrange for a payment plan. If you can't pay, tell them to stop calling you. By law, they have to stop.

hmm didnt know that- I feel like the original companies in dispute should not have dismissed my issues like that.

Evvy said:

tinaz said:

You want to be paid for the work you do... Why do you think you dont have to pay anyone else....

i have these misc bills resulting from disputes that have ended up in collections- like one company was applying my payments to my husbands acct and not mine- so each month they would put late fees- they wouldnt take them off and i refused to payy that- now its in collections

another is a video club- I met my stupid quota - told them several times to stop sending videos- but they kept sending them- the ones I sent back they said were "credits" for me to choose diff. vids- I dont want vids- I want them to cedit my acct. now its in collections.

as for hospital- try having major surgery getting a nearly 50 grand bill and you ins. comp only paying 20%. I was sending them $20 a month and one year they still sent it to collections

THOSE COLLECTION PEOPLE are a pain......

the first bill you can dispute with the credit bureau. The second one too If it has shown up on your credit reports. Third, if the hospital agreed to accept 20.00 a month, then they cannot go back and change their minds. If they agreed to this, you would have it in writing. If you sent them 20 bucks without an agreement in place with them, they had the right to place it in collections.

Try to get it worked out with them.

Vendetta1 said:

Evvy said:

i have these misc bills resulting from disputes that have ended up in collections- like one company was applying my payments to my husbands acct and not mine- so each month they would put late fees- they wouldnt take them off and i refused to payy that- now its in collections

another is a video club- I met my stupid quota - told them several times to stop sending videos- but they kept sending them- the ones I sent back they said were "credits" for me to choose diff. vids- I dont want vids- I want them to cedit my acct. now its in collections.

as for hospital- try having major surgery getting a nearly 50 grand bill and you ins. comp only paying 20%. I was sending them $20 a month and one year they still sent it to collections

THOSE COLLECTION PEOPLE are a pain......

the first bill you can dispute with the credit bureau. The second one too If it has shown up on your credit reports. Third, if the hospital agreed to accept 20.00 a month, then they cannot go back and change their minds. If they agreed to this, you would have it in writing. If you sent them 20 bucks without an agreement in place with them, they had the right to place it in collections.

Try to get it worked out with them.

Exactly! Ignoring phone calls and pretending your not getting bills in the mail doesnt make it go away either... Always write down who you talked too and when... I write down EVERYTHING even if its just the quote to installing my cable...

tinaz said:

Vendetta1 said:

the first bill you can dispute with the credit bureau. The second one too If it has shown up on your credit reports. Third, if the hospital agreed to accept 20.00 a month, then they cannot go back and change their minds. If they agreed to this, you would have it in writing. If you sent them 20 bucks without an agreement in place with them, they had the right to place it in collections.

Try to get it worked out with them.

Exactly! Ignoring phone calls and pretending your not getting bills in the mail doesnt make it go away either... Always write down who you talked too and when... I write down EVERYTHING even if its just the quote to installing my cable...

Lord give me the patience- i'll have to straighten this out somehow- can't stand the constant calling

WWJD?

tinaz said:

WWJD?

Vendetta1 said:

tinaz said:

WWJD?

tinaz said:

Vendetta1 said:

Vendetta1 said:

tinaz said:

LMAO!

I hear you. The bill collectors ring my phone and scare my wife when I'm not home. I've got a bum education, double-digit inflation. Can't take the train to the job, there's a strike at the station.

Evvy said:

tinaz said:

You want to be paid for the work you do... Why do you think you dont have to pay anyone else....

i have these misc bills resulting from disputes that have ended up in collections- like one company was applying my payments to my husbands acct and not mine- so each month they would put late fees- they wouldnt take them off and i refused to payy that- now its in collections

another is a video club- I met my stupid quota - told them several times to stop sending videos- but they kept sending them- the ones I sent back they said were "credits" for me to choose diff. vids- I dont want vids- I want them to cedit my acct. now its in collections.

as for hospital- try having major surgery getting a nearly 50 grand bill and you ins. comp only paying 20%. I was sending them $20 a month and one year they still sent it to collections

THOSE COLLECTION PEOPLE are a pain......

you owe 50,000. you pay 240$ a year back. it'll take you 204 years or so to pay them back.

how unreasonable of them.

Contact a credit counselling office. They sometimes can work with you and the people you owe money to. Look into it.

tinaz said:

WWJD?

He would render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. In other words, he would pay what was owed.

BlackAdder7 said:

Evvy said:

i have these misc bills resulting from disputes that have ended up in collections- like one company was applying my payments to my husbands acct and not mine- so each month they would put late fees- they wouldnt take them off and i refused to payy that- now its in collections

another is a video club- I met my stupid quota - told them several times to stop sending videos- but they kept sending them- the ones I sent back they said were "credits" for me to choose diff. vids- I dont want vids- I want them to cedit my acct. now its in collections.

as for hospital- try having major surgery getting a nearly 50 grand bill and you ins. comp only paying 20%. I was sending them $20 a month and one year they still sent it to collections

THOSE COLLECTION PEOPLE are a pain......

you owe 50,000. you pay 240$ a year back. it'll take you 204 years or so to pay them back.

how unreasonable of them.

uh no- please dont make it worse than it is- 20%

RodeoSchro said:

tinaz said:

WWJD?

He would render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. In other words, he would pay what was owed.

I saw this segment on one of those god-awful entertainment shows yesterday (ET perhaps?) where they were going after these debt collectors who had threatened ppl over the phone. Ok, fair enough, you can't be threatening ppl, but they glossed over the fact that the 'victims' had borrowed money and not given it back. They think it's ok to get money and just pay it back whenever they feel like it? I'm pretty sure the not paying what was owed preceded the threatening, but nothing on that.

Fauxie said:

Evvy said:

they are relentless- how do u get rid of them without paying the bill? I know it sounds bad- i'm talking about hospital bills, etc...

pay something, it's better than nothing.

Number23 said:

Fauxie said:

I hear you. The bill collectors ring my phone and scare my wife when I'm not home. I've got a bum education, double-digit inflation. Can't take the train to the job, there's a strike at the station.

Dylanesque.

Melle Mel-esque.

Evvy said:

I avoid BILLS.