Hello,
I received a phone call today from Bay Area Credit Service (BACS) on behalf of American Medical Response (AMR) stating that I have an unpaid bill in collections from AMR from 11/17.
This is my first contact with this BACS or AMR! I have not received any phone messages, written correspondence, or bills from either.
On 11/17/08 I was transported by ambulance to the local hospital. However, I don't remember the ambulance being AMR. I believe it was from a local fire district. I am in the process of verifying this with the person who was assisting me on that day.
The person stated from BACS that they have the wrong address for me and have tried by phone but it kept going to fax so that is why they haven't left a message. That's funny because I do not have a fax machine.
I have called my insurance company and they were never billed by AMR. My insurance company got AMR on the phone and information was exchanged, however I am suspicious that the ambulance company was even AMR.
BACS stated that I didn't care about my credit report and unless I paid them (they would even offer me a discount) right then that the debt would be reported to a credit reporting agency.
I told them that I wanted to speak to AMR and my insurance carrier first about the issue. They said they would let me do that and call me back in a half hour.
They called back and again asked why I risked my credit rating? And they were sorry to say that 7 minutes before our second phone conversation the debt was reported to the credit agency despite the fact that I told them that my insurance agency and AMR were correcting the issue.
They still wanted me to pay them to avoid it going to the other credit agencies and to call their Insurance Credit Reporting Concerned Department and have them bill my insurance agency.
Well I called AMR and explained this to them and they said that they are cancelling the debt like it never went to collections and that BACS was wrong.
Who should I believe? Neither, so I am writing them both letters and will be monitoring my credit report and if something shows up I will dispute it.
If AMR is so worried about collecting bills they should get peoples contact info don't you think before they have to resort to sending the debt to collections and giving me all this trouble?
In my case, I had assumed because I had dual Kaiser coverage through my husband's and my own work place that all my medical bills from that day were satisfied. I am going to complain to FTC, BBB, and AMR.
By the way, the address I gave is for the National Headquarters of American Medical Response and here is the address for Bay Area Credit Service:
Corporate Headquarters
Bay Area Credit Service
1901 W. 10th Street
Antioch, CA 94509
Phone: (408) 392-4400
Fax: (408) 392-4520
http://www.bayareacredit.com/home.htm
AMR
National Headquarters
American Medical Response
6200 South Syracuse Way # 200
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Patient Billing Services: (800) 913-9106
Main number: (303) 495-1200
Toll free number: (877) 244-4890
Sales/Marketing toll free: (800) 267-8394
www.amr.net
http://www.amr.net/Patients-and-Family-Members/Contact-Billing-Specialist. Aspx
The number for the billing specialist in my area is (800) 228-7601.
I'm worried like Keith R. That they might be working together to scam people.
0 comments