Collections Question

[piznark37]

I switched jobs 3 years ago was not aware there was a lapse in my insurance coverage during that time i had gone to the dentist and had a tooth extraction. I have lived at the same address and worked at the same job for this whole time. I have never received a bill, a letter, or any correspondence to associate with this bill. At the time I did pay the copayment that was required and never head about it again. Now 3 years later I have received a letter from a collection agency stating that i have 90 days to pay the bill plus all interest accrued totaling 915.00 or i will be taken to court and they will garnish my wages. They told me if i was covered by insurance its to late to file it now so i just have to pay it I tried to talk about reasonable payment plan but they won't hear any of it. How can a company not contact you about a balance for 3 years and then go straight to collections? Is there anything at all i can do?

 

[army judge]

Yes, don't give them one red cent!

If you do, you reactivate the debt.

There is NOTHING they can do to you now.

In Washington the statute of limitations bars the collection of debts after three years.

That is why they wrote you.

That is why you shouldn't pay them.

You didn't owe them anyway.

Read the information in the quote box.

The monsters that have contacted you are scavenger debt collectors.

Are you being hounded by a debt collector for an old debt you thought was written off years ago? If so, it is likely you are being contacted by a scavenger debt collector, which is a company that purchases older, mostly uncollectible debt for a tiny fraction of its value. Scavenger debt collectors are notorious for using illegal and unethical methods to collect "time-barred" debt.

You do not have to pay debt that is considered too old by your state. Every state has laws governing the time in which a person or entity can file suit to collect a debt. Generally, a creditor or debt collector gives up his right to file suit to collect a debt after a period of six years from the time the debt was written off (or the date of last activity on your credit report), but various states allow anywhere from 2 to 15 years to collect delinquent debt (see statutes of limitation table below).

The purpose of these statutes of limitation is to bring some measure of fairness to the debtor so that he / she (1) will not have to worry about being sued for the rest of their lives; and (2) so that the debtor can properly defend himself with fresh evidence and witnesses, if any.

http://www.bcsalliance.com/y_debt_sol.html

 

[piznark37]

I have made a 20 dollar payment to them due to the fact they kept calling my work and i was getting in trouble. Is there anything i can do now or did i mess it all up. I don't have the money to pay all 915 in 90 days. They want three hundred dollars on the 16th of this month. This debt has never been put on my credit report i never even knew it was a debt

 

[army judge]

I have made a 20 dollar payment to them due to the fact they kept calling my work and i was getting in trouble. Is there anything i can do now or did i mess it all up. I don't have the money to pay all 915 in 90 days. They want three hundred dollars on the 16th of this month. This debt has never been put on my credit report i never even knew it was a debt

These crooks are so bad, that they will make small payments $10 or $20 just to screw you.

They make these payments in your name to undo the statute of limitations.

Maybe, they did this to you? (hint, hint, hint, wink, wink, wink!!!)

 

[mightymoose]

If you made a 20 dollar payment then you reset the clock on the statute of limitations. They can now obtain a judgment against you if they take the matter to court. Don't pay them any more and don't speak with them on the phone. Don't do anything unless actually ordered to by a court. You might get lucky and run the clock out again.