Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The debt collection calls can be rentless, calling multiple times per day, calling your work location, threatening you, multiple snail mails, e-mails, calling sundays, etc. It's not always legal, but they do it anyway.

Trust me, you don't want to have a collection agency after you. Never. Ever. Ever.

Way to many collection agencies operate on the fringes or downright outside the Federal Debt Collection laws. To them, fines from illegal actions are part of the cost of doing business.
 
My dad wasn't able to pay the phone bill in 3 months because of big dentist fee :mad: thanks to my sister...$400+ had to be used for her. So the question is....Sprint sent a letter but what's the worse that could happen?
My dad paid 8 months of bills without problems but now that this happen...
what's going to happen? Will they sue ? Thanks for the help.


Yes, how dare your sister have dental problems that results in you not being able to use your iPhone.

Just get ready for the collection agencies calling at all times of the day and harassing your family.
 
I had a problem years ago with TMobile. I sent them the final payment (we agreed it was the final payment over the phone) and they sent me out a bill for another month. I refused to pay based on principle. I was called by collection agencies and had the negative rating on my report. They ballooned the bill to around $900 citing late fees. My credit score is and has remained fine. There's no debtors prison. Call the company and try to work it out. Credit problems happen to a lot of people and there are also agencies that can negotiate with credit card companies to pay off balances at a lower rate. Life happens :) Don't sweat the small stuff too much.
 
I read your reply and understand that this is the typical process.. However, what happened to me was beyond typical or even reasonable. There are a ton of problems I have had with sprint from the start of switching from t-mobile after being a customer with T-mobile for well over a decade. Sprint lied to me and told me I could have 3 phone lines with them for the same price i was already paying with t-mobile. Who wouldn't switch..? I have two teens and only one had a phone along with my phone with t-mobile because I couldnt afford three phones .. so yeah! okay great.. I switched in November of 2018. I also registered my online brand new account immediately. Only to discover I was not able to log in. I would try the usual attempts like forgot password, etc etc.. I would repeatedly contact Sprint both by phone and chat. It finally turns out that some idiot at sprint erroneously assigned my brand new online account to an unknown individual. At this point, I became very frustrated that I couldnt get into my own Sprint account to actually see and confirm my bill with sprint. IN addition, they never sent me a bill in the mail. (I was later told that I would have had to request paper billing statements). hmmm. okay so from November til almost January unable to get into my account. Being charged hidden late fees only knowing that most companies charge late fees if the bill is not paid on or by the due date.. which also was a deception because I was told I'd have 30 days from activation to pay and found out that they started to charge my account the day I switched to them .. even before having any devices to use! ...they refused to detail and disclose those late fee amounts only confirming that YES they charged late fees to my account. It wasnt until a sprint rep provided me with the unknown individuals name, email and of all things.. password! This so I could get into my OWN sprint account. Low and behold .. woah!!! my bill was not $134 and change.. it was approximately $190.. omg! this is a FAR cry from paying the SAME amount with T-mobile for the two lines I had with them. So I called them and and another sprint rep reassured me my next bill would be lower. IT wasnt.. It was $198 and change. called them again, and told okay we're going to make some
account changes that will lower your bill down.. you have to wait til the next billing cycle.. "have i provided you with excellent service?" umm... lip service is what you provided but at the time thought I was finally getting somewhere.. next bill comes it's $203.. omg ! what the freak is going on !!! called them again,
told that they'd review my account etc blah blah blah my bill would be lower.. please wait for the next billing cycle.. I wait as I'm told to do and the bill arrives at $205.. this is so disgustingy wrong! I call again..

this went on and on .. then told okay we can get you in at $170.. they were wearing me down. I said well it's not the $134 I was told but it is better than the $200 charges ..

The next bill comes it's $190.. omg ? really ? what is wrong with these people ?
I call again, and now some nimrod tells me .. okay I can help I want to help.. we can get your bill down
to $135.. okay!!! now you're talking!!!

next bill comes.. its' $223.90.. oh my freaking God. AT this point I had it ! I was forced to find another
provider that was legitimate and trustworthy ! I found another provider in August because i just couldnt continue being a pawn and treated like i'm nothing.. i couldnt continue being lied to over and over and over.. I thing of 3 words. : BREACH OF CONTRACT.. nothing else describes the experience I had with Sprint!

I switched in August of 2019. I found a company providing unlimited everything (which I always had with all cell phone companies) taxes included for $110 a month.

in Sept of 2019.. yep $110.. wow.. an honest and decent company .. finally !

then came the fiasco with porting out my sprint numbers over to this company .. told I had to pay the buyout and the lease buyout on the devices.. as well as turn in my phone because the new company gave me a free phone. I did this.. I paid Sprint $309 .. after which I discovered they did not port out my daughter's phone becasue... i hadnt yet turned my phone in.. telling sprint previously that I would turn the phone in once I got the new phone and transferred all my phone's photos, videos and contacts etc.

well Sprint automatically put my account in to past due .. it was automatically implemented until
I turned my phone in.. Couldnt turn it in to ANY sprint store.. no..! I had to drive 45 mins to a corporate store to turn my phone in.. now in the meantime, Sprint kicked out their bill.. I literally had service with them 7 days before switching to my new provider. A bill, mind you that was inflated by $60 from my previous promise by Sprint would be charged. AGAIN.. a total breach of contract.

we move on.. and now we can address the process of debt collection .. you were correct.. you detailed the proper methods legitimate companies follow for a supposed and alleged bill that goes unpaid.

however Sprint negated all of those things.. They acted as Judge and Jury. Why? because they took it upon themselves to debit my bank account for their supposed final bill!.. A bill that I repeatedly tried to dispute with no response from them. They used my bank's debit card and arbitrarily stole the money out of my bank account.. And before you ask.. NO, I never opted in to automatic payments.. no auto pay.. because I never knew which source of funds I could pay from. So they reviewed my account, and took my debit card used to pay previous bills albeit deceptive in charges and stole the money out of my account outright. I logged into my bank and was in complete shock that there was a negative balance by over $300 because they debited.. UNAUTHORIZED.. $340.90. !

I called the bank and filed a dispute resolution claim. I then contacted sprint and after getting disconnected by them being on the phone over a half hour.. I wasnt going to let this go.. called back again and connected with KEZ.. who gave me an incident number etc confirming that they would in fact refund or rescind this debit charge.. the very next night.. rushing to the hospital due to a family member being sick.. pulling into the parking lot received a call back from KEZ saying that um.. well.. my department declined my request to refund.

My point is.. Sprint prohibited me from disputing this bill.. I repeatedly tried! I was ignored. They further more, acted as judge and jury confiscating (basically stealing money from me) their alleged final bill from my account without authorization. They did not go through a collections company, I was not afforded an opportunity to not only dispute but not even offered a payment plan.

I have been exponentially violated. What do you think about this type of situation ? I'd love to hear your take. I am disgusted. . I have called an attorney I have contacted the Attorney generals office as well. This is not cool, unfair and I have been a victim of what would be considered a criminal act done by SPRINT.
 
Over $1000 they will put a judgment against you, otherwise just debit collection calls.
They usually never go this route because it would require several full time lawyers to bring all the thousands of unpaid accounts to court each year.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.