I now have a 30 days past due bill reported to my credit all because...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

...Lane Bryant decided to stop sending me my paper bill. I never asked them to stop. Unless I have a paper bill that I can organize, how the hell am I supposed to know to pay the bill? So, since this is technically their fault, is it possible for me to get that taken off? will it go away once I pay it off? I've worked really hard to get my credit back to good, and now they've gone and screwed this up. And I was a little pissed off when I called a few minutes ago because, one, I had to call in the first place, and two, because the outsourced guy on the other end didn't know English that well, so I had to repeat myself three times and had to scream, so everyone there thinks I'm a complete bitch. What can I do? Anyone know?
Duckie

[bigwillq]

1. Capital One

hasn't sent me a paper bill in months and yes my bill is past due. :mad:

Why do compaines do this?

My cousin had the same problem with Capital One.

[izzybeans]

2. This happened to me twice when Chase mysteriously changed my mailing address

TWICE. I'm thinking this is standard industry practice. They assume it is your responsibility even though their are two parties to the exchange. This allows them to raise interest rates and or collect on late fees (compounding fees even). I never had a problem with billing until about three years ago. Wierd. It must be that free market I hear the kids talking about.

[Mrs.Matcom]

3. you can...

dispute the late charge with the three major credit bureaus but don't apply for any credit while it is in dispute. Explain that the company changed their billing to non paper and didn't let you know. Most companies will just delete the late 'charge' because they are too busy. if they don't write to the president of the company and let them know that you are not happy. Good luck :hi:

ps, I used to work in collections for a bank. (edited for spelling)

[Floogeldy]

4. They do this because they can raise your interest rate for being late.

They are immoral fucks and it is legal, thanks to Congress.

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[RoyGBiv]

5. No ...

No one is legally required to send you a bill. When you enter into an arrangement where a company gives you goods or services on the promise of payment, you are responsible for making that payment. Paper bills, legally speaking, are simply reminders that you owe them money.

[ChoralScholar]

6. I get what you're saying

as it pertains to, say buying a car - 60 payments of 350, due on the 20th,

But how are you supposed to know what's due on a credit card?

[RoyGBiv]

7. I have no idea ...

Not saying it's entirely fair, just the way the law reads. Of course it's not entirely unfair either. I hate to sound harsh, but having spent 10 years of my life making myself essentially debt-free, I have a full understanding of my own place in creating the problem I had at one time. Mostly, I didn't read the fine print. Whatever the case, it's certainly not customer-friendly.

The theory runs that since you have in your posession the good you purchased on credit or have already benefited from a service you paid for on credit, you are responsible for paying it back because the company that gave you the good or service has already done its real job. In extreme circumstances that includes calculating what you owe in interest because you did in fact sign or verbally agree to something at some point that said you would pay a certain interest rate. Naturally creditors realize that those who buy on credit won't do this, which is the one and only reason paper bills for this sort of thing exist at all. The hassle of having consumers figure their own required payments would be worse than the cost of printing and mailing bills. But, with the current trend for reducing costs as much as possible, companies are now moving toward paperless options, and it's working for them so far. Unlike Ducky's experience, most allow you the option of paperless billing, but some companies are just worried about the next quarter and so are taking drastic measures to try to trim costs anywhere they can. Billing is a huge expense that modern corporations don't see as having much benefit.

[China_cat]

12. For you to be legally liable for a debt

the company it is owed to IS obligated to validate that debt. Which means sending you not just the amounts owed but itemized as to date, place and item. In other words, a statement.

If they are placing your credit in jeopardy they must provide, at a minimum, some account statements from the original creditor. If you really want to get sticky, you can pin them down on the amount of the debt by requiring complete payment history, starting with the original creditor. (How the heck did Bob calculate this debt? What fees/interest Bob has tacked on to this debt and how he determined these fees?) This requirement was established by the case Fields v. Wilber Law Firm, Donald L. Wilber and Kenneth Wilber, USCA-02-C-0072, 7th Circuit Court, Sept 2004..http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/7th/034108p.pdf

[Kali]

8. Lane Bryant isn't sending paper bills?

What, did they run out of paper because they send an average of TWO entire catalogs every freaking DAY????

[YellowRubberDuckie]

9. Lane Bryant the store and Lane Bryant the magazine...

are two different entities. I'm speaking of the store.
Duckie

[sfwriter]

10. Get a copy of your credit report....

And protest this item in writing every 30 days or so.

That's the way it used to be done.

They have to respond to the complaint or it gets removed. Generally, if they can't manage to bill you on time, they can't manage to respond to a challenge like this every month either.

[ChoralScholar]

11. Very correct

use the flawed system in your favor for a change.