Liability for outstanding bill

[ikaris]

Here is question for the CP braintrust.

If a vendor has been providing a service for over a year and charging an incorrect credit card, how liable are you for paying them for their mistake?

(Please ignore the ethics about this, I just want to know if I'm actually liable to pay them).

I have monthly documentation from the vendor that shows the bill being paid every month with no balance carried forward. Only now they realize their mistake.

[Northendzone]

Have you been using the service?

[Rathji]

If you would like to keep using this vendor, I suggest you pay them.

If you don't care about using this vendor, then pay them.

Bottom line is, if it is a sizable amount of money, they will get it from you anyway. Paying it up front will help you avoid addition costs being tacked on for interest/legal fees.

[ikaris]

Originally Posted by Rathji

If you would like to keep using this vendor, I suggest you pay them.

If you don't care about using this vendor, then pay them.

Bottom line is, if it is a sizable amount of money, they will get it from you anyway. Paying it up front will help you avoid addition costs being tacked on for interest/legal fees.

My question is though if I have documentation from the vendor (in the form of their bills) showing that each month has been paid, what recourse do they have?

[burn_this_city]

Pretty sure they could sue you.

[ikaris]

At the end of the day, I think I will pay them, but I feel that I might have some leverage to at least reduce the amount they have discussed. Any thoughts on that?

[Rathji]

They can go to court and prove whoever did pay the bills has recovered that money (or is attempting to recover that money) through legal proceedings, and as such your account has money owing on it.

I am not a lawyer, but it seems pretty simple to me.

As for reduction, they should give you time to pay without a penalty, anything else would just be gravy.

[Slava]

Well they haven't actually been paid, and you knew that, right? I doubt you have much choice other than to try to reduce interest or late fees if they are kind enough to do so.

[ikaris]

Originally Posted by Slava

Well they haven't actually been paid, and you knew that, right? I doubt you have much choice other than to try to reduce interest or late fees if they are kind enough to do so.

This is sort of what I was thinking.

They are being reasonable in ensuring that I do not owe any late fees and are allowing me to pay over a reasonable period of time.

I just thought I would ask to see if there was a way for me to cheap out

[jtfrogger]

It sounds like they just gave you an interest free loan for over a year. You should thank them.

[Slava]

Its probably worth asking. They surely won't offer a discount without you trying. If you get nowhere though then just pay.

[Nage Waza]

With your logic, because they made a mistake you get a reward? I doubt that the amount you really owe is the same as the amount a judge would say they should be penalized due to their mistake. You are going to have to pay up.

[ken0042]

If the receipts show the balance paid in full every month; you might be able to get away without having to pay.

However, they could also let the credit card company know that you had been using another person's credit card fraudulently. (Especially if the "paid by" shows the credit card number.) Even if it just shows "Paid by Visa"- for your defense you would need to show that your Visa bill is so massive that you didn't notice this charge not going through.

I'm sure you could get it all sorted out eventually; depending on who likes your story of "they showed paid in full; so that's why I didn't correct them." In the mean time; is the bill worth the hassle?

[burn_this_city]

Nevermind

[WhiteTiger]

Hm, you MIGHT be able to get away with it, but what the vendor you screw over could do you and your credit in the process likely isn't worth whatever you owe them. Man up, and pay up.