MyE28.com

Sorry for the loss, and I too believe you are being taken advantage of.
Best of luck to you as you sort it out.

davintosh wrote:And really, really icky.

At lunch Thursday, I was sitting with two fellow nursing program applicants. One of them had experience in the medical world, the other did not. I don't remember what our particular discussion was about, but I do remember that we accidentally caused the inexperienced one to lose her appetite. There isn't much that fazes me enough that I actually lose my appetite at this point.

Shawn D. wrote: They submitted it to a collection agency, and when I disputed it with the credit reporting agencies, the collection agency repeatedly asserted it was a "valid" debt, because it was valid to them. The collection agency and the doctor refused to retract it, so I just let it age out of my report, while explaining to my security clearance investigators why it was there and why I refused to pay it.

I found out which doctor it was via the debt collectors, and when I called to get details, they said they wouldn't reveal it due to "privacy concerns." My response was that if I was the one being charged, they'd better reveal it to me, lest I come to the office and make a very non-private scene about it. They relented.

Sounds like a class act, they want your money but won't tell you anything besides they want your money. Not quite, but the behavior of collection agencys/agents almost make being a deadbeat justified.

Back to the OP, it could be they know they'll never get paid for it so they're throwing out a great big number so they can write off a big number. If their tax rate is a paltry 10% and they write off $20K, they just made $2k, assuming they have enough income to play those games.

Everyone,
Thank you for your interest, and conspiracy theorists notwithstanding, Everything is itemized, and I have no reason to believe that there is any fraud involved as far as the amount billed. it is an emergency hospital and nine days of critical 24 hour care isn't cheap. I'm not willing to provide an itemized account of all the procedures, since it's both sensitive to any future legal proceedings, and honestly none of anyone's business in a public forum. If you know me, you know it's all legit. I took a picture of the bottom of both the initial surgery and the critical care invoice. Not included is the three previous clinics that I had x-rays, blood work, exams, etc. invoices. Also not included is burial expenses.
That is what makes up the total balance that I mentioned in my donations page.
To all that offer condolences, I thank you. Truly, whether you offer and monetary help or not, I appreciate the well wishes.

i like animals but if that was my dog, id have just put it down and avoided all the monetary damage, not worth drowning in debt to that amount where the funds could be spent on college tuition or a mortgage payment unless the owner is VERY well off without any debt. My .02.
INB4 you heartless cretin.

Duke wrote:

OcCoupe wrote:I can assure you this is not a scam. I know Buzzbomb and Figgie very well.

OK....I did not realize the OP was the guy. The Vet is not being honest as an internal urine leak would not be this damaging.

Please don't suggest that what happened couldn't have happened. It did. End of discussion.

Bimmerguy2002 wrote:i like animals but if that was my dog, id have just put it down and avoided all the monetary damage, not worth drowning in debt to that amount where the funds could be spent on college tuition or a mortgage payment unless the owner is VERY well off without any debt. My .02.
INB4 you heartless cretin.

Please re-read the chain of events. I had no way of knowing that the amount was what it was. I spend his time in the hospital thinking there would be no bill at all.

Bimmerguy2002 wrote:i like animals but if that was my dog, id have just put it down and avoided all the monetary damage, not worth drowning in debt to that amount where the funds could be spent on college tuition or a mortgage payment unless the owner is VERY well off without any debt. My .02.
INB4 you heartless cretin.

Well that's kind of the point, Matt. The vet supposedly (I'm not calling anyone a liar, I just wasn't there) said, "Don't worry, it's our bad, we'll fix it." then changed their tune after the fact and presented him with an enormous bill. That's fairly unethical behavior as far as I'm concerned, but the big problem would be proving what was stated in court.

The whole thing, from the state and eventual demise of the dog, to the handling of the bill, to the statements by the vet, just plain sucks.