Collection Agency -But I paid the Bill!!!

I have a dilemma with a medical bill and I am not sure where to go. I live in the state of Ohio and had a medical bill from the local hospital. I paid the bill with a total of three checks. the final payment made in March 2000. I continued to get statements and sent copies of the cancelled checks to the hospital. They then turned this over to a collection agency and I sent them the cancelled checks. I have now received another notice from the collection agency. Do I have to take them to court and have a judge show them the checks? I have perfect credit and do not want it ruined because someone is not doing their job. The only thing I haven't done is hand deliver them, but that would mean taking time off work. Please help!!

If you've got the original bill from the hospital and proof via a check that the debt was paid before the debt was turned over to the collection agency, then you are safe. (Make sure the account number is on the check--it may be possible that the money got credited to another patient's account) Send both the hospital and the collection agency registered letters with copies of this information informing them that you paid the dept in a timely manner and that until they can show just cause, all collection procedures must cease. Also, contact your bank immedialty. If the hospital deposited the check and the funds were taken from your bank account, there may some legal issues separate from this dilemma.