Medical Bill Collection Pressure

by Kari
(Christmas Valley Oregon USA)

I have been turned into a collection agency been making $75.00 a month for the last 4 months (I owe around 4000.00) they called and they want me to make over 400.00 a month and I can not afford this, I'm trying to pay. Now they want me to send them my pay stubs, bank statement, and a list of my bills can they do this. If I don't they are going to garnish my wages. Thank You

Comments for Medical Bill Collection Pressure

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Apr 30, 2010
 Medical bill collection problem
by: Gerri

Kari,

I am sure this is very stressful for you. Debt collectors are not obligated to accept whatever you can afford as payment. And if they don't believe you are paying as much as you can afford, they are entitled to try to sue you for the debt.

However, the fact that they are telling you that your wages will be garnished if you do not fill out this financial form sounds to me like a potentially illegal threat. Typically, a debt collector must first take you to court and get a judgment before your wages can be garnished.

At a minimum, please
read the first chapter of Debt Collection Answers online for free so you have an overview of your rights when dealing with this debt collector.

Take notes of everything that the debt collector has told you and then contact a consumer law attorney. If the debt collectors threats are illegal you will definitely have negotiating leverage, and you may also be entitled to damages and attorneys fees if you win a case against the collector.

You can either contact a local consumer law attorney who has experience in debt collection lawsuits, or you can call the Collection Complaint Hotline at 888-711-5183 for a free, confidential case evaluation.

Please let us know what happens here.

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