conversation: User (fi_throw_away_): "Hi All,\n\nI'm 34M, have a wife and a kid. A week ago I received a surprise $300 bill from a dentist who claimed I was 1) 60 days late (despite this being the first notice of the bill) so they were charging me $100 more, 2) Was a result of them billing my insurance months after dental service and months after said insurance was canceled (I switched jobs) and 3) they won't budge on the 60-day late fee for service, or any of the bill, and want full payment or are threatening to take this to collections and add more to the bill. I don't like to be bullied or extorted, and likely won't be paying this on principle.\n\nWe live frugally and have a fixed-rate mortgage on a home at 3.65% interest. We have a pretty significant nest egg (~$500k) and never take out loans for anything, including cars (all bought used, all cash). I work in tech and have a stable career, my wife works in science and also has a stable career.\n\nI'm struggling to find a reason to be threatened by this hitting collections - am I missing something? Since we never take out loans, already have a mortgage and otherwise pay our bills on time, I can't see a reason why we should feel threatened by this in terms of credit score."
  Self: "My dentist office tried this crap and I called them on it. It was their mistake (I think the husband of my dentist handles the finances). I have a decent relationship with the dentist and after I spoke face-to-face, the issue was resolved. I don't think they are interested in losing business or gaining a bad reputation."
  