Can Dr charge you late fee for an appointment you didn't make?

[doodguy]

Hello, I live in Florida, and sometime last year my son was sick. We had just changed insurance companies so we called the pediatrician asked if they had an opening that day and what the co-pay would be. The person said the computers went down, will have to call and call us back. She called us back said it would be $50 co-pay, and my wife told her ok don't worry about it we were not going in. That person said she had already booked us the appt but not to worry she will take it out. My wife tried calling back for several hours (their phones were down) and then my wife received a call from the Dr. office stating they are now within 1 hr of appointment she can't cancel we should just go in. My wife said no we don't want an appointment, and she was told we would have to pay a $30 late fee either way. My wife asked for the office manager which called us back several days later. There was some back and forth of oh we'll take care of it until the point the person my wife talked to no longer works there.

Months passed and we hadn't heard anything assumed it was finally taken care of. A year later I receive a call from a debt collector saying I owe $66 to this Dr's office. I called the office to ask what this is about, they told me the unpaid late fee, and I again explained the whole scenario which the lady responded sorry you have to pay this. I told her I will not pay it and dispute it.

I sent in a dispute later to the collection agency yesterday. What next? I don't want to pay for an appointment I never made and only inquired about.

 

[xylene]

Stop calling. Write. To the collector and the dr. office.

Write a letter, ideally by certified mail, explaining the nature of the communication mistake arising from their computer and phone outage and that you had never agreed to book an appointment at the 50 co-play either.

Or pay the 30 bucks.

I should add a 30 dollar appointment fee would be very low for a missed appointment in a lot of practices, many of whom would charge the entire uninsured visit price.

 

[doodguy]

If I were to pay $30 to anyone who says I owe them $30 just because I wouldn't have a cent to my name.

I never asked them to make an appointment therefore by any business logic they should not be able to charge me for a missed appointment I didn't ask for.

Letters written and sent.