I got a call from 800 888 2238.
I am so furious I am shaking! Absolutely furious!
I answer the call, and it is automated and tells me to hold. I go ahead and do so, in case it is important. The woman who comes on the line is immediately snippy. Okay, so she doesn't work the most pleasant job on the planet...still. She is calling in reference to a bill that I keep receiving for "services rendered" from over a year ago at our local hospital. Keep in mind that my insurance already paid for that hospital visit, and we already paid the hospital and my doctor the leftover amount. Four months ago, we begin getting bills with numbers that do not match anything at all in our records. We ask the hospital for clarification. They send us the original visit details, pre-insurance payment. There is no place in the details where the numbers are reflected. I ask for a detailed statement that explains exactly what services these are for and how they have gotten this exact figure. Instead, they send me to this collection agency in St. Louis. And that is who called me today.
And I was annoyed, but worked hard to stay calm and explain that the hospital is sending me these bills and will not explain what the specific "services" are, or who performed them, or where they got their figures. I explain that I believe we have paid everything, and that the hospital is refusing to send me the specific information I have requested, and I would like written verification of exactly why they think I owe this. What happened then? She yelled at me. The woman at 800 888 2238 felt that she had a right to treat me like dirt. She said (word for word - even though she had snippily informed me that the call could be recorded):
"Oh, my GOD! Who the HELL do you think you are? The Queen of New York!?"
I was totally surprised by this - and she just went off on a tirade and started yelling, and I just stopped being able to hear what she was saying, and I was saying "What? How dare you!?" and she was yelling more. I handed the phone to gryphonrose and told him what she was saying. He talked to her briefly - she apparently shut up with her bitchy tirade against me. He asked her if they would send the information and she said yes. We'll see what actually happens, but seriously, folks, she was a nasty piece of work.
I answer the call, and it is automated and tells me to hold. I go ahead and do so, in case it is important. The woman who comes on the line is immediately snippy. Okay, so she doesn't work the most pleasant job on the planet...still. She is calling in reference to a bill that I keep receiving for "services rendered" from over a year ago at our local hospital. Keep in mind that my insurance already paid for that hospital visit, and we already paid the hospital and my doctor the leftover amount. Four months ago, we begin getting bills with numbers that do not match anything at all in our records. We ask the hospital for clarification. They send us the original visit details, pre-insurance payment. There is no place in the details where the numbers are reflected. I ask for a detailed statement that explains exactly what services these are for and how they have gotten this exact figure. Instead, they send me to this collection agency in St. Louis. And that is who called me today.
And I was annoyed, but worked hard to stay calm and explain that the hospital is sending me these bills and will not explain what the specific "services" are, or who performed them, or where they got their figures. I explain that I believe we have paid everything, and that the hospital is refusing to send me the specific information I have requested, and I would like written verification of exactly why they think I owe this. What happened then? She yelled at me. The woman at 800 888 2238 felt that she had a right to treat me like dirt. She said (word for word - even though she had snippily informed me that the call could be recorded):
"Oh, my GOD! Who the HELL do you think you are? The Queen of New York!?"
I was totally surprised by this - and she just went off on a tirade and started yelling, and I just stopped being able to hear what she was saying, and I was saying "What? How dare you!?" and she was yelling more. I handed the phone to gryphonrose and told him what she was saying. He talked to her briefly - she apparently shut up with her bitchy tirade against me. He asked her if they would send the information and she said yes. We'll see what actually happens, but seriously, folks, she was a nasty piece of work.