Will the dentist ruin my credit score?

sourcrates

ce91 wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your replies! I check my credit score regularly via clear score and get regular updates, I've worked so hard over the past year and getting that letter in just made me really angry. I did actually pay the bill 2 days before the letter came through the door, should I contact the debt company and inform them of this?
I'm planning on calling the dentist again on Monday and speaking to the manager to request I'm taken off the books and finding a new dentist asap!

Hi,

Dentists do not hold a consumer credit license, so :

(A) Cannot offer credit

(B) Report to a credit reference agency.

The debt collector was only acting on behalf of there client, so again, cannot report to a credit reference agency.

DUTR

ce91 wrote: »

No, the receptionist DID inform me that I could drop in as long as it was paid before my next appointment, which was supposed to be the 10th of December. Over just a few weeks I received numerous letters informing me of my bill despite discussing it with the practice manager. I don't believe my attitude is 'shoddy', I trusted the receptionist AND the practice manager who said they would give me time. They didn't even give me 3 months to pay the bill, I would be lucky if they even gave me 3 weeks!

There is still the now and then, the bill has to be paid and promptly.
Did you make ANY payments between your last and next appointment?

Sncjw

Pretty sure nhs emergency appointment doesn’t cost £100s

sourcrates

Sncjw wrote: »

Pretty sure nhs emergency appointment doesn’t cost £100s

Charges are the same throughout the NHS no matter how, where, or when you access them.

McKneff

So why didnt you just pay it with the credit card which you said you had paid off?

DUTR

sourcrates wrote: »

Charges are the same throughout the NHS no matter how, where, or when you access them.

Depends on the emergency appointment though, if it was a private clinic and out of hours, then treatment is expensive and usually somewhat more than £170 depending on what was done/required, the £170 sounds at the rate of something that maybe perhaps could have waited (but I'm no dental practioner).

k3lvc

McKneff wrote: »

So why didnt you just pay it with the credit card which you said you had paid off?

My dentist won't accept credit card - don't know how common that is - but it doesn't stop me taking cash from the card to pay an urgent bill

OP - good luck with finding another NHS dentist if you've already !!!!ed one off

Voyager2002

It does sound as if the dental practice is one that concentrates on giving good treatment and is not terribly clued up about money. I would forgive them getting confused about how to make arrangements for a late payer, and just make sure that I had the money available to pay for any future treatment.

ce91

DUTR wrote: »

There is still the now and then, the bill has to be paid and promptly.
Did you make ANY payments between your last and next appointment?

I did yes, after my treatment I paid £60 when the receptionist told me I could pay 'as and when'. Pretty stupid of me to accept her word for it really, I've learned my lesson!

ce91

McKneff wrote: »

So why didnt you just pay it with the credit card which you said you had paid off?

When I paid it off I just closed my account to boost my credit!