ambulance bill sent to collections

I would stay all over that service. It was their screw up and you should not be responsible. The sale of the debt doesn't some how make you magically responsible either. They failed to bill properly and you could easily show it. You need to get all your paper work in order including your insurance at the time and insurance statements showing the other 3 occassions were paid properly. I would only settle for the amount you would have been responsible for after insurance and demand a full delete on any credit reports and demand a full waiver of any 1099c form they might even think about submitting.

I doubt that the interest would be allowable legally. This was not an extension of credit but a service. What state do you live in? Have you DV'd the CA?

thanks of all the advice. What is the difference between validating a debt and verifying a debt?

BTW, I live in WA state and we usually have pretty decent consumer protection here. What I can see on the Internet for Washington laws are pretty similar to other states. What I don't get, among many things I apparently don't get, is why American Medical Response can't call the hospital I was taken to in order to double check their information. I have the hospital bill in my tax records for 2004, all appropriately taken care of by insurance and a deductible.

There must have been a big screw-up with AMR because I am in the exact same situation as you. I also started getting calls from debt collectors FOUR years after my accident. They started calling me non-stop and I don't know what to do. If I can avoid the time and inconvenience of hiring a lawyer, that's what I want to do. I am relieved to know I am not the only one dealing with a ridiculous AMR ambulance bill I never received. I would like to know where you go from here. My regards,

xxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx

Email address removed for your protection. - Uncle Wulf

Send the debt collectors this letter, CMRRR. Then see what they can produce.

OMG! I thought I was the only one in this boat! But the way I had found out about it was when I was denied a credit card and was told to check my credit report. I was SHOCKED to find that I was in collections for something from AMR! I had thought that it was something from a few months back (Nov 2007) *Note when I found out about this it was still mid 2008*

I called and was given the run around several times over, repeatedly told to "just pay with a credit card over the phone." That really sent warning bells off, not only to me, but to my parents as well (since they would be the ones paying for it). My mother had instructed me to tell them to send me a bill, which we would have sent to insurance. They said that insurance would NOT pay until AFTER we had paid, but we would get fully reimbursed. But I did insist on an invoice... and after several minutes of repeating that, I was told that I would be receiving an invoice in 7-10 business days. I waited. And WAITED. NOTHING. So they called me one week later demanding that I pay the bill right then and there or they would be seeking legal action. I told them in all honesty that I never recieved anything from them EVER, no notifications what so ever, from the day I was placed into the ambulance. They had the audacity to say that I was just never going to pay. I could understand why someone would say that, but why would *I* go through the trouble of calling THEM in the first place to settle a bill, if I was never going to pay. So after a long screaming match between myself and the customer service representative, he said, that again, he would send a bill.

That was in November. It is now January, and I am still asking my mom if that piece of mail has come.

I know that I should have been more adamant about resolving this, but the whole situation is very sore for me (the reason I even needed the ambulance in the first place). But now, I have come to find that this was NOT the first time this has happened and that there are others in the same situation. I just don't know. I will try that sending that letter.

What really irks me about this situation is that when I was carted out in the ambulance I was STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL. And if AMR was having trouble finding my address, they could have contacted several places to find my information. My insurance stuff made it to me after my hospital visit, just not that one. I regret that I don't know where that stuff is though, it may be useful later on, but I am still young and I still make mistakes.

I'm just paranoid that this will affect me when I want to buy a house later on in life.

And... its totally put me off to emergency hospital visits. I wonder if they'll just let me ride with a police man or something. I don't want to EVER go through this again.

If anyone has resolved their issues with AMR/Bay Area please let me know. Thank you

have you disputed the debt on all 3 of your credit reports yet? I would do that now, and see if that jogs them to send something to you. Or it might just go away.