last year i hired a pest control company because they offered a gel bait service (where they place bait around the home). i had been seeing roaches in the kitchen, so i agreed to pay for two sessions. when they came, instead of using the gel bait as promised, the guy just sprayed the areas where i’d reported seeing roaches. after that, i never heard from them to schedule the second session.
months later, they called asking for full payment, and i told them what happened and why i wasn’t going to pay. now i’ve been sent to collections. i explained everything to the rep, and sent documents to show why i’m disputing the charges, but after a month they called back and said the company rejected my dispute.
what are my options? besides the calls, will this affect my credit score or anything else?
i’ve dealt with something similar. legally, only a bailiff with a court order can force you to pay, so if you’re set on not paying, don’t pay.
here’s what you can try with the collection agency:
tell them you’re disputing the charges and plan to settle the matter in small claims court.
let them know you want them to stop contacting you, and that if they don’t, you’ll report them to the regulatory board that oversees collection agencies.
send a letter by signed courier to the company saying you’re disputing the charges in court and inviting them to file a suit if they wish. mention that if they keep contacting you without filing suit, you’ll start billing them $500 per incident for the hassle.
in canada, collection agencies have to stop contacting you if you’re disputing a charge. they aren’t allowed to harass you like in the us.
just a heads up: this isn’t legal advice and i’m not a lawyer. hope it helps!
Vivian said:
maybe a better route would be to pay, then sue or try a credit card chargeback? not sure if winning a lawsuit now would fix any credit issues, though.
you can’t do a chargeback just because a service was bad. i tried. in this case, maybe since they only did part of the service, they could try for half?
@Luchivya
i did a chargeback on a dryer repair once. guy said it needed a part that didn’t exist for my model, then ghosted me. i filed and won the chargeback.
@Luchivya
big difference between getting a bad service vs. getting the wrong service. like if you order lobster and get a hot dog, you shouldn’t be paying lobster prices.