I had absolutely no idea how much this would cost.

5K is a bit extreme for a cpap machine. Without insurance mine would have been 2. I think you may be getting scammed for money that you do not owe. Best of luck.

Spektor wrote:No, No, No! Do NOT tell them you will pay a DIME! Otherwise you will be on record acknowledging the legality of the debt and thus can be held responsible for it.

Call a lawyer.

Whether or not this is a scam, the OP DOES have a legal obligation to pay SOME of this debt (or it's already been paid by previous monthly payments). Whether or not the contract is valid and/or illegal, the OP got the equipment and has had the benefit of its use over a period of time.

The key is figuring out if the contract is legal (insurance company should be able to figure that out) and enforceable. Until *that* is determined, not much else can be done. Perhaps this would be the best place to start -- with the insurance company. Get them involved.

If their contact IS a 36-month and the OP agreed to it - the OP may be screwed. *IF* that is the case, my recommendations are valid ones.

A lawyer would be helpful, but I question whether or not the OP would want to go that route. Lawyers don't work for free, you know.

But I will tell you that NCO is ruthless. There are ways to delay them a bit (legal ways, not just being a jerk) to get them to back off legally, but the key phrase here is "validity of the debt." That MUST be determined first and foremost before any "game plan" can be put into action.

My takeaway... (regardless of the DME's exorbitant charges).
Read and understand any contract you obligate yourself to.
Educate yourself regarding ANY purchase; be it a stereo or medical equipment for should cost, etc.

IMHO, NCO isn't the bad guy here. They are simply trying to collect a debt that the OP has ignored.
The DME didn't turn this account over to NCO because they wanted to...
We (those who choose to pay our bills) pay more for products and services to cover the amounts that
providers will have to write off due to uncollectable accounts.

My apology to the OP if this response seems harsh.

Madalot wrote:

Spektor wrote:No, No, No! Do NOT tell them you will pay a DIME! Otherwise you will be on record acknowledging the legality of the debt and thus can be held responsible for it.

Call a lawyer.

Whether or not this is a scam, the OP DOES have a legal obligation to pay SOME of this debt (or it's already been paid by previous monthly payments). Whether or not the contract is valid and/or illegal, the OP got the equipment and has had the benefit of its use over a period of time.

The key is figuring out if the contract is legal (insurance company should be able to figure that out) and enforceable. Until *that* is determined, not much else can be done. Perhaps this would be the best place to start -- with the insurance company. Get them involved.

If their contact IS a 36-month and the OP agreed to it - the OP may be screwed. *IF* that is the case, my recommendations are valid ones.

A lawyer would be helpful, but I question whether or not the OP would want to go that route. Lawyers don't work for free, you know.

But I will tell you that NCO is ruthless. There are ways to delay them a bit (legal ways, not just being a jerk) to get them to back off legally, but the key phrase here is "validity of the debt." That MUST be determined first and foremost before any "game plan" can be put into action.

Problem is I don't think this guy has any insurance. I can't imagine that if he did, these would be the negotiated rates for in-network providers. 20% of 10,000 is $2,000 so if this guy is being billed more than that, it seems as though something is amiss.

Suggestion for the OP: Do you have a trusted friend or family member who you can enlist to help you with this? You said you are young and not used to dealing with this stuff. Can you get someone else to sit down with you and go over the paperwork? A lawyer would be ideal, but we all know that can be expensive. Are you in school? Can you go to the financial aid office or some other trusted and experienced person? Ask for help, don't be shy.

Guest wrote:

Madalot wrote:

Spektor wrote:No, No, No! Do NOT tell them you will pay a DIME! Otherwise you will be on record acknowledging the legality of the debt and thus can be held responsible for it.

Call a lawyer.

Whether or not this is a scam, the OP DOES have a legal obligation to pay SOME of this debt (or it's already been paid by previous monthly payments). Whether or not the contract is valid and/or illegal, the OP got the equipment and has had the benefit of its use over a period of time.

The key is figuring out if the contract is legal (insurance company should be able to figure that out) and enforceable. Until *that* is determined, not much else can be done. Perhaps this would be the best place to start -- with the insurance company. Get them involved.

If their contact IS a 36-month and the OP agreed to it - the OP may be screwed. *IF* that is the case, my recommendations are valid ones.

A lawyer would be helpful, but I question whether or not the OP would want to go that route. Lawyers don't work for free, you know.

But I will tell you that NCO is ruthless. There are ways to delay them a bit (legal ways, not just being a jerk) to get them to back off legally, but the key phrase here is "validity of the debt." That MUST be determined first and foremost before any "game plan" can be put into action.

Problem is I don't think this guy has any insurance. I can't imagine that if he did, these would be the negotiated rates for in-network providers. 20% of 10,000 is $2,000 so if this guy is being billed more than that, it seems as though something is amiss.

Agreed. Hopefully the OP will come back with info on insurance. If there is no insurance, the next question would be "is there a signed contract" and if so, what EXACTLY does it say? It's difficult to offer up more suggestions until those items are determined.

YogaKitty wrote:Suggestion for the OP: Do you have a trusted friend or family member who you can enlist to help you with this? You said you are young and not used to dealing with this stuff. Can you get someone else to sit down with you and go over the paperwork? A lawyer would be ideal, but we all know that can be expensive. Are you in school? Can you go to the financial aid office or some other trusted and experienced person? Ask for help, don't be shy.

This is a good idea. If it were me helping, I'd want to look at everything, in writing, from the very beginning. See exactly what happened and how much of it is in writing.

The lesson to take away from this is to DO YOUR HOMEWORK before you sign on the dotted line. In the meantime, you need to work on damage control. If you don't have a knowledgable adult friend or family member who can help you, get some legal help. There are also social-service agencies that will help you. Get on the phone and start making some calls. You ARE being ripped off!

As knowledgeable as I am, I got zapped when I was given the Trilogy. I had a Cpap machine for a month, then went to a bipap machine. I was told about the 13-month rent to own policy, understood it and got a bill for ONE month with the bipap. This bill was for the bipap, oxygen & mask and all in all, my co-pay was about $120 per month. So, I figured $120 a month for 13 months and we're done.

When I was switched to the Trilogy, nobody every told me it was a Permanent RENTAL and that my co-pay on it would be upwards of $300 PER MONTH for the rest of my LIFE.....

My DME didn't bill me for 6 months then zapped me with a HUGE bill.

I felt I was mislead, but I didn't have the forethought to ask, but why would I?

Anyway - I went in to the DME and negotiated a settlement on the back bill, made a payment plan for it, then negotiated a contract, IN WRITING, for upcoming rental payments.

And then when my DME sold out to another company, the entire thing became one, HUGE cluster (you know what).

So many people to respond to.

I have Blue Cross Blue Shield through my father's employer.

I have gotten a paper that says "This is not a bill" and shows some numbers that I don't really understand. It says like "Charge" and shows the amount. "Allowable amount" and shows it again. "Provider Responsibility" and it says 0. "Deductible" and it shows the amount again. "Copay/coinsurance" and it says 0. "Additional Member Responsibility" and it says 0. Then finally "Amount paid to the provider" and it says 0." Then in another box it says "Amount provider may bill you" and it shows the amount again.

I have what I think is my contract here. It doesn't say a price or anything. It just says it's a Capped Rental and that Medicare will pay a monthly fee for a period not to exceed (Then it says 13 but the guy crossed it out and wrote in what I think is 36) months after which ownership of the equipment is transferred to the Medicare Beneficiary.

For those saying I shouldn't pay NCO a dime, I've already agreed to a 200 dollar a month payment plan and have sent them 600 already.

I realize it's my fault for getting into this mess, but I honestly had no idea this would happen. Nobody ever told me any prices, and I didn't even know how it worked or anything. I thought Insurance would cover it.

If it's all a rental, return the works, and get what you need from someone HONEST!

It's a rental but I didn't start getting these insane bills until March or so when I've had it since last August. So I still owe a year or so.

SEE A LAWYER!

I have no money for a lawyer. I didn't even know the problem was that serious.

FishOil wrote:I have no money for a lawyer. I didn't even know the problem was that serious.

If it is through your fathers insurance go to his work and talk to the HR person in charge of insurance.
Then call the insurance company and keep going up the food chain until you get some answers.
If that doesn't work go to a social assistance office and get legal aid. Try the better business bureau for debt counselling.
Ask each person you talk to for referrals and other ideas.

Wost comes to worst, declare bankruptcy

FishOil wrote:I have no money for a lawyer. I didn't even know the problem was that serious.

Lawyers can work on contingency depending on the case -- in a fraud case they likely will, so you wont owe any fees unless something is collected.

And besides they generally won't charge just for an initial consultation to determine whether there is a potential case or not.