🚀 go-pugleaf

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(clipped)

 >I wonder if there is a state agency I could register a complaint wit
 >both for the hospital concerned, whose billing practices smack of
 >incompetence from the bottom up; or the bill collectors who have bee
 >incredibly rude, and have been referring me as having skipped paymen
 >etc., without justification.

I know it is possible to get a restraining order against the collector, but 
I don't know which court handles that.  How about the Better Business Bureau 
for a complaint, it's in the phone book.  Maybe you can haul their asses 
into Small Claims Court.  The limit there is $800 (?) but they can't use a 
lawyer there, just your word against theirs.  It *really* helps if you have 
*proof* of your claims, cancelled checks, etc.

Lastly, I once was in a real problem with a belligerent insurance adjustor 
and began calling lawyers out of the yellow pages.  On the *first* try I got 
a guy who answered his own phone, and spent 15-20 minutes on the phone with 
me and explained my options to me.  He listened to my story and advised me 
that his services were over-kill, and that I needed to just "get frank" with 
the insurance adjustor, which I did, and it worked.  My point is that it 
*is* possible to get help, sometimes you have to ask several people, 
including strangers (and I'm not saying that some of them won't be rude).


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