So I got a letter in the mail.....

[bigw00dy]

1st...Thanks for the Fast replies!!

The dental worked was done at a dentist office that is still in business as of Friday. I made a call to the dental office on Friday and left my name & number with the receptionist. If they ever get back to me is a different story.

As far as paying them, I don't plan on making a single payment until I have all my ducks in order. Even then, I can't forsee paying anything. We used this dentist because it was the only one that covered all my work through insurance.

I do care about my credit. I own my own house already so I am not planning on any BIG purchases. But at the same time, I don't want the collection agency f*ing me. This is the first time I have ever had to deal with the bullsh*t.

[Sheldonrs]

Originally Posted by bigw00dy

1st...Thanks for the Fast replies!!

The dental worked was done at a dentist office that is still in business as of Friday. I made a call to the dental office on Friday and left my name & number with the receptionist. If they ever get back to me is a different story.

As far as paying them, I don't plan on making a single payment until I have all my ducks in order. Even then, I can't forsee paying anything. We used this dentist because it was the only one that covered all my work through insurance.

I do care about my credit. I own my own house already so I am not planning on any BIG purchases. But at the same time, I don't want the collection agency f*ing me. This is the first time I have ever had to deal with the bullsh*t.

Under NO circumstances should you tell the dentist or the debt. collectors that you want to pay the debt. off in order to get info. That is basically saying that you agree that you owe it and most collectors record their calls and they would use that to prove that you Do owe the money.
If you can get copies of the payments from the old insurance company, do that and then fax them to the collectors along with a note stating that this proof should end any further contact from them and if they do not desist, you will file harrassment charges against them.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by bigw00dy

1st...Thanks for the Fast replies!!

The dental worked was done at a dentist office that is still in business as of Friday. I made a call to the dental office on Friday and left my name & number with the receptionist. If they ever get back to me is a different story.

As far as paying them, I don't plan on making a single payment until I have all my ducks in order. Even then, I can't forsee paying anything. We used this dentist because it was the only one that covered all my work through insurance.

I do care about my credit. I own my own house already so I am not planning on any BIG purchases. But at the same time, I don't want the collection agency f*ing me. This is the first time I have ever had to deal with the bullsh*t.

Bad idea.

Caring about your credit is like caring about your cholesterol or your blood pressure or osteoporosis or something like that. Really, who cares? Nobody, and it's a hassle to figure it out and it's invisible and frankly it's not a problem. Right now. But some day (you knew there was a lecture in here somewhere, didn't you. you were right.), some day you will care. And you might care a LOT. And at that moment, you'd give your all for a different number on the page in front of you and the doctor/loan officer/paramedic.

The moral of the story is that these kinds of things are easier earlier and harder later. Please, please note I'm not saying yes or no about the debt in this case. I don't know enough to lecture or advise you about that. But I do know that your credit report has a large influence on your financial health and
an increasing influence on other surprisingly different aspects of your life. I've heard of prospective employers running credit reports with the same intention as drug screenings. They're trying to glean as much information as possible to make a decision. That's worthy of another thread by itself, but my point is that with respect to your credit report, it's you against the world.

Only you care to clean it up and raise it up. Everybody else who has any input on it *at best* can make a neutral/favorable entry that, yes, you paid something off. Much more often, the entries made by others are negative. This was late, that was missed, etc, etc. And although you may not actually die from these thousand cuts, you will suffer.

Well, enough doom and gloom. You've mentioned you've paid for your house (good job!), so you probably know something about credit. But the credit report's influence extends beyond mortgage decisions. You really should care about it, since you're the only one who can care for it.

EDIT:


Whoops. I completely misread your line, which I emphasized, you know, for emphasis. I read "don't really care" when you *ahem* clearly said you "do really care". I feel like a doofus. But I still strongly believe in my point, enough that I'll let it stand with the egg of my misreading on my face in the hopes that it reaches its intended audience. Even though that's clearly not you. Sorry for the mistake.

[SteveDallas]

Originally Posted by BigV

I've heard of prospective employers running credit reports with the same intention as drug screenings. They're trying to glean as much information as possible to make a decision.

My employer does a credit check before hiring someone who will be routinely handling money. (But that's one of the last steps before offering the final candidate the job, not something that's used as an early screening tool.)