Expert: Apex Credit Services, LLC - 5/18/2008

Question
Hello my husband and I got a letter from a collections agency addressed to both of us in the letter they combined together bills from myself, and my husband. They did not state who owed what and that we had 20 days to respond. My question is can they combine bills from to people in order to make it worth there while to sue. The amount combined is less than $400 can they sue me for my husband's bills and him for mine? I thought we had 30 days to dispute I will not deal with these people in the past they called me a dead beat. I thought medical bills were separate accounts and that each of us would be billed accordingly.

Answer
Pat:

   They generally cannot combine bills unless it is the same medical facility and the charges arose from the same occurence or series of transactions.  They would sue your husband in this event.  However, an amount less than $400.00 is really too marginal to litigate over but, they may nonetheless.  I find that chance remote though.

   You do have thirty days to dispute the validity of the underlying debts and amounts associated therewith under the FDCPA.  Do so in writing.

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