Paying a mediator.

by Jessie
(Rochester, MN)

I recently was in marital mediation. I recieved a bill in the mail for my part of mediation which was $220. I paid $30 on the bill right away. The next month I recieved the rest of my bill in the mail and was going to pay $75 this month. However in the bill, was a piece of paper that said if I do not pay my bill in full, they were going to turn me into collections. Can they turn me into collections without my social security number, and if I already paid $30 one time on the bill. It is not overdue at all.

When I went to the mediation office, they did not say I needed to pay in full, nor did I sign anything or fill out any paper work other than giving them my address, cell phone number and name. To make the appt, I just called up the company (which happens to be a law firm specializing in family mediation) and made an appointment.

I do not understand if this is the law firm trying to threaten me to get the money from me all at once (even though I plan on paying for everything, just not all at once, as I can't afford to pay that much at a time). Or if they are really serious they are going to turn me into collections.
I need help understanding if this is normal and if I have a right to just mail them $75 until it is paid off each month.

Comments for Paying a mediator.

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Dec 21, 2011
 Paying a mediator.
by: Debtcollectionanswers.com

Jessie:

When you purchase something you are expected to pay for it in full at the time of service or once you are billed. That is understood. Therefore, when you received the invoice for your share of the mediation cost, you were obligated to pay that full amount, not however much you wanted to pay, unless you and the mediator agreed to another payment arrangement. And since you did not pay the full amount, the bill is now officially past due and the mediator is entitled to turn your debt over to a debt collector. Whether or not the mediator has your Social Security number has nothing to do with it.

If you don't have the money to pay the invoice in full, you may want to contact the mediator to find out if he/she will allow you to pay the debt off over time. However, given that you did not do that in the first place and are now past due on the debt, the mediator may be less inclined to give you a payment plan. However, it's worth a try.

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