What can they do to me? (collection agency) RESOLVED update pg 2

They'll come put stuff in your butt while you sleep.

Before I was forced to do Chapter 7 three years ago it was 775. That knocked it to 635. Managed to build it up to 710. How much will this knock me back because it is highly unlikely that I will be able to raise enough money to pay back the 1200 in 45 days...

My whole life, I have always been able to pay my bills. Now it is to the point where all seems hopeless. I am turning 50 this year and thanks to the economy, I have no retirement, I was forced to file for bankruptcy, can't pay my mortgage and I am unemployed (cannot collect unemployment as I worked part time for my husband's business so was considered self employed).

Back in 2012, I had to have blood work pulled because I was suffering from chronic fatigue. It was found I had an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto's thyroid. Any how, the insurance was supposed to cover part of the blood work. They rejected it. $1,700.00 worth and I had no credit card and no money whatsoever to pay it as we had just filed for chapter 7 and my husband and I both unemployed. Any how, I agreed with the hospital I owed it to that I would make no less than $15.00 a month payments as this is all I could afford to pay with what little was coming into the household. I only missed one month's payment and that was in January 2013 because my husband was out of work completely for 10 weeks and we had NO income coming in (we sold off a small dump truck used for his business to put food on the table and pay a mortgage payment).

I made payments faithfully, most being $15.00 per month and at one point when I had some extra, I would send in extra. I had it paid to 1,200.00 this year. But no, the hospital got a hair up their ass as they wanted more a month but I could not provide that. So they sent it to a collection agency. Gee, how nice of them to treat someone who is unemployed and just got out of bankruptcy? They just decided they were not going to work with me or cut me deal so they sent it off to a collection agency. Just goes to show you it's all about greed.

Any how, I don't know what to do, I don't have that much money in the bank at all (a few hundred). If I give it all to the collection agency, then I have nothing at all for emergencies to fix my vehicle if it breaks down (I drive a 1988 dodge Daytona). Bankruptcy took my good vehicle away from me so I am left to drive old stuff that breaks down.

Question being, what can a collection agency do to me? What is my next step? I can't pay them 1,200 in 45 days to save what's left of my credit rating. All I can give them at the most is $25.00 per month and lose my credit score again. I don't know what to do right now. I called the hospital and gave them hell as they said they can't do anything since it was sent to collection (why can't they?). So I reported the hospital to the BBB, and to the consumer protection agency. Don't know if that will do anything, but I basically put up my story on the BBB in the complaint so it will be there on the site for the public to read forever as to how shitty they treat people who are in a financial hardship.

I am hoping KARMA gets back at that hospital!!!!!

The collection agency is a third party. Unless you have a signed contract directly proving a debt between you and the COLLECTION AGENCY (not the hospital) then there is no legitimate debt. Tell them to provide verification/validation that you have contracted with them. Tell them that verification/validation does NOT mean providing your name and address to you. You want the contract. If they sell.transfer or assign the "debt" back to the hospital, the only thing the hospital can do is resell/transfer or assign the alleged debt to another agency because they have repudiated the "debt" when they sold/assigned or transferred it to the first collection agency. Repudiated means they have given up all legal claims to the "debt" permanently, unless of course if they are a licensed collection agency, but even still they would have to treat it as a third party debt not an original holder debt.

The collection agency is a third party. Unless you have a signed contract directly proving a debt between you and the COLLECTION AGENCY (not the hospital) then there is no legitimate debt. Tell them to provide verification/validation that you have contracted with them. Tell them that verification/validation does NOT mean providing your name and address to you. You want the contract. If they sell.transfer or assign the "debt" back to the hospital, the only thing the hospital can do is resell/transfer or assign the alleged debt to another agency because they have repudiated the "debt" when they sold/assigned or transferred it to the first collection agency. Repudiated means they have given up all legal claims to the "debt" permanently, unless of course if they are a licensed collection agency, but even still they would have to treat it as a third party debt not an original holder debt.

When the debt is sold to a collection agency, it is generally sold for approx. 10 cents on the dollar (or less).

If you can...Pay them the 10 cents on the dollar they paid the original debt holder?

Offer 10% or something less. (If you can)

Check your payment contract with the hospital. If it says on the agreement, that the balance is due in full if you are late on a payment, or miss a payment, they got you.
If it doesn't say that on the contract, continue paying as you have been.

So when somebody can't (or won't) pay their bills, people tell them to withdraw their money from the bank so that the people they owe money to can't get it. What if you were the lender and someone owed you money - wouldn't you expect to be paid? People think they can declare bankruptcy and everything will be fine. I used to be a bankruptcy secretary and have seen everything in that regard (and it actually costs money to file for bankruptcy).

Sorry she can't pay, but people who are owed money would like to have that money paid to them. No wonder some facets of the economy are in such a mess, people want to get out of paying their debts. She's already been bankrupt before and now she can't pay again? Geez.

And why are people ragging on the hospital? They want their money just like anybody else would!!

Check your payment contract with the hospital. If it says on the agreement, that the balance is due in full if you are late on a payment, or miss a payment, they got you.
If it doesn't say that on the contract, continue paying as you have been.

10% of $1,200.00 is only $120.00, correct?

10% of $1,200.00 is only $120.00, correct?

First of all before you judge, I have never been one to skip out on bills. The economy decided this for me, it's called major loss of work, and NO FUCKING JOB.

We were forced to file for bankruptcy when in mid 2011, we ran completely out of work. We had $60,000.00 monthly of business bills to pay on properties we owned, and not near enough income coming in. Not all properties were rentals. We had spec houses sitting for 2+ years that would not sell. We had NO choice but to fold up into Chapter 7 (lawyer said business had not enough collateral to file for Chapter 11 since all property values dropped below what we owed on them).

So what the hell does one do, when one had a successful business for more than 20+ years and the economy destroys it?

We are not people who play the file bankruptcy game every 7 years and use the system. I know people who do this as they run up debt on purpose every 7 years cry poor mouth and file. Basically they use their credit cards to buy food, gas, cigerettes, clothes, gifts for other people, candy etc. so when they get too deep they file.

As far as I know, I don't know what their payment policy was. I know they always make you sign a paper that one is responsible to pay, but again my stinking insurance company rejected all of it which left me shocked.

If you've filed bankruptcy and it's been discharged, they can get into HUGE trouble for harassing you. Contact your BK attorney.