Consumer Rights

[mwtm]

What is the name of your state? Virginia
I have a $450 bill at the local hospital that I have been paying on regularly at $50 a month for 4 months. The letters from the hospital are getting increasingly nasty and now they are threatening a suit and garnishee. If I am paying them regularly, do they have the right to do this...or is it just a scare tactic? What are my rights as a bill-paying consumer? Thanks

 

[nhunsb1]

I BELIEVE there is a law that says if they accept a certain amount of payment for a certain amount of time, they must continue to do so.

 

[djohnson]

I am not aware of any law that says that.

They are under no obligation to accept any amount of payment from you. There was no contract and this is something you chose to do on your on. Most may take that but some may continue to pursue it in case you stop. Chances are they are form letters that are sent out by computer to anyone with a balance based on the days past due. A 'real' person probably doesn't check them for payments or anything like that. At the rate you are paying you will have it paid off soon anyway so my personal (not legal) advice would be to just keep doing what you are doing until a real person contacts you and then explain. You may have it paid off before that ever happens.