(05-24-2022, 03:37 PM)The Real Marty Wrote:

(05-24-2022, 01:08 PM)mikesez Wrote: I agree.  The worst they can do is send bill collectors after you, which could affect your credit.  But a single dispute of only a few hundred won't affect your credit score much.
And as long as you're not going to refinance your house, move, or get a new car loan, in the next few years, the only thing your credit score might affect is your car insurance rates.  Again, the effect should be small.

I wouldn't advise anyone to not pay a legitimate bill.  And I certainly wouldn't advise anyone to put a stain on their credit rating over a couple of hundred bucks.  The question is, what does the contract say.

Oh I agree but there are flunkies galore out there trying to enforce these contracts.  
Don't let them just send you a bill.  Make sure the bill matches the contract.
I had a dispute with my old landlord (a multi-city apartment corporation) about how much would be owed after moving out.  I checked every day on their website if my old unit was still offered for lease.  The day someone claimed it, the clock stopped ticking.  At the end of that month, I sent a payment for the prorated amount of that month's rent.  I sent an e-mail as well explaining the terms of the lease and what I had done.  They had one smart guy there and two numbskulls.  The smart guy called and emailed and said, "actually, the move in date for the new resident was some days after they claimed the unit, so you owe about $100 more". I said, "sounds fair, mail me a bill, I'll pay it."  He had numbskull 1 send the bill.  But the bill was for the full month.  I called and got numbskull 2.  Numbskull 2 said he would fix it and mail a corrected bill.  A few days later, a bill comes in for the full remainder of the original lease, almost $10k.  I call again and say "This is how much your colleague said I actually owe per the contract.  Send a bill in writing for that amount and I will pay it."  They sent more erroneous bills and then sent me to collections.  Each time a new collector called, I told them what happened and that collector never called again.  
Now, at this point in my life, we had already signed our mortgage and been in our house for a year.  Our cars had just been paid off.  So I was fine giving double middle fingers to these bill collectors.  And don't get me wrong. I was courteous about it. As courteous as you can be when trying to settle an alleged ~ $10k debt with an offer of ~ $100.
But if there was any chance I was going to need to take out a loan in the next few years, I might have behaved differently.  
It's just one of the many ways that being poor is expensive, the rich get richer, and life's not fair.

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