what i dont like is when my oldest was in the nicu and the hosp hadnt put in the insurance info and it was a $32,000 bill and they wanted it in 5 paymennts. thats a lil ridicilious!!

Well I don't hate bill collectors but I don't like dealing with them either. Yes there are rules, laws, etc that they have to follow but many do not. THey do what they want.

My experiance with them is limited as I try to avoid letting my bills go into collection in the first place but in 2003, I got a letter from an agency demanding 320 dollars. It said the original creditor was verizon. I freaked because I knew I didnt' have any bills due of that type and nevermind I have never ever EVER had an account with verizon.

So I called to find out the details and turns out, it was from when I lived with my ex. I had left the phone in my name to be nice (and this is where being nice gets you screwed) and he racked up a large phone bill and didn't pay it. Now a couple months after moving out, I asked him if the phone was still in my name. We were not fighting, we were on nice terms so I really didn't think he was out to screw me over. He says and I quote, "Yes, I canceled it because I was getting too many calls for you". Ok.

So imagine my surprise and anger 4 YEARS later to get this bill in the mail. They were willing to settle for 50% at that point. I didn't have the full amount, I didn't even have the 50% amount. The lady I was on the phone wanted payment right then and there. I told her I was not giving a dime until I had this sorted out on my end. Granted she could tell me when the phone wasn't being paid, when it went into collections, but she really had no idea HOW it got to that point. I had never filled out a change of address card and certainly never hid where I was at. I was in the phone book, I had mail coming to my new address, etc. It just took them that long to track me down.

Well I hunted my ex down. And I was livid. Actually livid might have been an understatement. My voice was hoarse when I was through with him. He tried to deny he knew anything about it. He claimed the phone bills stopped coming to his house. THen he would only pay the 50% amount because "thats' all they want". But I kept in touch with the agency weekly until it was paid (and had to make two phone calls to my ex to remind him he owed me and he better pay up). He finally did pay up..they got the check two days before the final date for the agreement. I wanted it paid in full but what could do I do? I literally did not have a single cent to give them at that point and short of busting my ex's legs, he wasn't going to pay more.

They closed the account but it left a mark on my credit report. There were several charge offs on there actually, so he had been getting those letters and been throwing them away. Lesson learned, if anything is in your name and you live with someone but move out.........don't ever be nice and leave the account in your name. Even if they can't get it in their name!

His gf, who is now his wife, was standing there when I went off. If anything, hopefully it opened her eyes to be careful should they ever divorce. And since I had agreed to put the phone in my name to begin with and willingly left it that way, I had no legal action to take against him. Very sneaky. But it's ok....his dad did the same thing to him about a month after my ex paid up. How's that for Karma? LMAO.

Had to come back to add about the Verizon. Turns out the phone company back home was bought out by Verizon after I moved so that's why it came up as Verizon and not the old company's name.

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Devin

David 6, Alexis 2