Hi:
I recently checked my credit report and was surprised to find a charge off from a dental visit I had prior to relocating 3 years ago to a different state. The doctor i found out after my appointment was not part of the insurance network and did not accept insurance. I gave the initial bill to our HR department and asked them for assistance since they mentioned that sometimes in cases of misunderstandings about accepted insurance they may make an exception. I checked back with HR and they could not tell me any news. I moved and had a lot going on. Since I never received a statement from the doctor, I assumed the insurance had taken care of it since it was for annual check up and x-rays and cleaning. I had forwarded my mail and never received anything else about it. Now I see that a collection for this dental visit is on my credit report and I never received a single letter from them or a letter from the clinic stating that they are looking for a payment or sending my account to a collection agency? What are my rights. In general I would have paid right away if I had known what was going on. What should I do now. Also this visit was in 2006 and the collector is listing the account with an opening date on 11/07?
Thanks for your input.
I would send a debt validation to the cra,
then if teh cra said it was valid, then send a letter the collection agengcy
you can google debt validation to send to credit report agency
I would send a debt validation also. Look on your report and see who the most recent collector is. If they can validate ask for a pay for delete and to settle the debt for less. You may also want to check the SOL for your state because once you make a payment to any debt protected by the SOl you will restart it. Also you need to be aware that just because a collection agency agrees to remove a debt that the original creditor will still report the debt as unpaid. Hopefully if a collection agency does have it, it will be one hired by the doctor themselves and it all will be removed.
Hi Challenger,
Debt validation is extremely important in your case. If there is any discrepancy in the information, you can also dispute it with the credit bureau. Send the letter through a certified mail. If they are able to validate the debt, then work out a payment plan to repay the debt. Also you can send a pay for delete letter asking them to remove the negative listing after you have cleared the debt.