Quote:
Originally posted by Astrocloud
I have a question.
fyi I'm a stubborn bastard.
There was a time when I lived on the west coast and I moved east.
The electric company sent me my final bill which was 3 or 4 times what it should have been. I'm guessing that either someone jacked my power when I wasn't at the empty house OR the electric company made a mistake (which they had done previously) and misread my power meter.
After dealing with a very rude and obnoxious electric company billing agent who refused to do anything -I vowed never to pay them. It's now 6 yeas later and because I am cleaning up my credit -I finally paid -just to get it off the books.
I still feel like I shouldn't have. The question is -Even though I paid this bill how does it effect my credit? If it's paid late EVEN THOUGH I FEEL LIKE I WAS CHEATED is there anyway to put "my side of it" in the records?
Note that I still have some of the old bills that anyone can compare what the bill should've been.
Also for future reference -what should I do when someone overcharges and I'm feeling cheated. I still have the "don't pay" mentality and it doesn't do a thing for me.
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Sorry about the wait, I have been gone for a few days...
First of all, it is best to dispute it with the company and once (if) you get an answer, go from there. If you were terribly cheated/ there was a large error in their favor, and they refuse to acknowledge it, I would contact an attorney.
Unfortunately, however, in most cases it may save you much more of a headache and potentially money in the long run just to pay the bill. As I am sure you have found out, that bill has probably hurt your credit for many years now, and every loan/credit card you have taken out may have had a higher interest rate as a result.
As far as putting your side of the story on the credit bureau, it certainly is possible, although it usually isn't utilized in cases like this. Basically, all you have to do is contact the Credit Reporting agencies and say you would like to make a consumer statement on your credit bureau. They should mail you out a form, you fill it in, and mail it back. From that point forward, your bureau should have that statement attached. Most of the time this is used in cases of identity theft and/or fraud, but as far as I know you can put whatever you would like into the statement.
As far as the "don't pay" mentality, it probably
feels the best at the time, but it will probably hurt you in the long run. If an account is in dispute, they shouldn't report it as delinquent to your bureau, nor send it to a collection agency. If there is anything else I can do for you, just ask!