# Oops, bill went to a collection agency: is the (fico) damage done, or shouldI pay it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 19, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957 "2008-12-19T19:19:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/1 "2008-12-19T19:19:02Z")
I had a legit misunderstanding\* with a doctor’s office I’ve been going to and didn’t pay a bill for months; they sold that bill to a collection agency. Now that this has happened, will not paying off the collection agency result in a further ding to my credit score, or has the damage been done? If the collection agency has no actual leverage over me than harassment, I don’t feel particularly inclined to give them my money when all they did was buy my debt from the person that I actually owed. - [for all those blame-the-victim people, this office treats every single bill you get from them as its own account, with no linkage between them, so I had four different bills for the exact same amount with no real way to tell that they weren’t duplicates, including phone calls to the office!] ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/2 "2008-12-19T19:29:54Z")
Generally, if you JUST got the letter from the CA, it’s not been sent off for credit reporting. If you pay the CA in the first 30 days, there’s a good chance it won’t get reported at all… ever. If it’s 60+ days since the first letter… it’s quite possibly on your report already. If there’s no dispute as to whether or not you owe the debt, just: 1. Pay it 2. Check your credit reports in a month 3. If the item is on your credit reports, dispute it with the credit reporting agency. 4. If it comes off your report, end story. 5. Otherwise, dispute it once per month. Eventually it’ll come off your report due to a clerical error at the credit reporting agency, or a lack of interest by the collection agency in responding to your dispute every month. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/3 "2008-12-19T19:47:15Z")
> [@Freejooky](#): > > I don’t feel particularly inclined to give them my money when all they did was buy my debt from the person that I actually owed. I’m not sure this is logical. It’s like saying “I gave you a check for $50 for some work you did. You turned right around and gave that to a grocery store. I was happy to pay you, but I’m now going to ask my bank not to honor that check, because I don’t feel like paying the grocery.” Since you’ve agreed this was your mistake, the really noble thing to do would be to pay the collection agency _and_ the doctor’s office (who should receive the difference between the amount you owed and the amount they received from the collection agency). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/4 "2008-12-19T20:26:15Z")
Not to muddy the waters, but it’s hard to know if they own the debt or not. Some original creditors pay the collection agencies to collect their accounts payable, while others sell the accounts altogether to collection agencies. And then, of course, sometimes collection agencies resell debts, which wind up owned by other CAs… ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/5 "2008-12-19T20:33:48Z")
> [@](#): > > If the collection agency has no actual leverage over me than harassment, I don’t feel particularly inclined to give them my money when all they did was buy my debt from the person that I actually owed. But they do have more leverage. Up to and including taking you to court where they will very likley obtain a judgment in their favor. Failure by you to make good on that judgment could result in garnishment of your wages. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/6 "2008-12-19T20:53:21Z")
The OP said he had 3 or so bills for the same amount from one office. That means he’s probably just deficient on an insurance copay for 1 of 3 bills sent. That means they’re probably out under $100, which is not economical to collect via lawyer… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/7 "2008-12-19T20:54:25Z")
Why not just contact the original Medical Office, explain and offer to pay? ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/8 "2008-12-19T20:58:20Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Why not just contact the original Medical Office, explain and offer to pay? Because he doesn’t owe the medical office anymore. ---
**Author:** ![atomicbadgerrace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@atomicbadgerrace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atomicbadgerrace)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/9 "2008-12-19T20:59:14Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Because he doesn’t owe the medical office anymore. That may or may not be true. The debt could have been sold, or the medical office could be paying an agency to collect on their behalf. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/10 "2008-12-19T21:48:35Z")
Because this is medical related there is a simple way to deal with it See [http://whychat.5u.com/hipltr.html](http://whychat.5u.com/hipltr.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/11 "2008-12-20T02:32:28Z")
You need to read that link more closely. Notice: “Special Purpose Letter For SOL MEDICAL Accounts if the account is NOT on your reports and is over 4 Years old, and is NOT from a Hospital” ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/12 "2008-12-20T03:24:12Z")
Just pay the doctors office, and tell the CA to take it up with the original creditor. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/13 "2008-12-20T03:37:54Z")
If you do pay (whoever) tell them you WILL NOT pay unless they agree upon your payment they agree to take the bad item off your credit report. You must get this agreement in writing, that upon receipt they will take it off. If they will not do this, don’t pay them, because at that point the damage is done. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-bill-went-to-a-collection-agency-is-the-fico-damage-done-or-shouldi-pay-it/477957/14 "2008-12-20T14:19:28Z")
Assuming the OP just got the initial letter from the collection agency, the wisest path is just to pay the CA immediately. If you pay in the initial 30 days they won’t slap anything on your credit report. SOP is to make that fact very clear in the initial dunning letter, and be clear about it if they call you on the phone. Depending on the size of the debt, they may or may not be willing to make any variances like the one Markxxx suggests. Any other option is more time-consuming and more likely to result in negative tradelines on the OP’s credit report. Debt collection and credit reporting threads are among the threads where posters get the worst advice from our community. If my car was making a weird squealing backing out of the driveway or an odd harmonic at 23 MPH in downtown Canton, Ohio, wonderful advice would magically appear in about 79 seconds. Credit reporting… not so much.