I moved out of my old place ~ 8 months ago. I was sent a bill for some damage to the apartment. I sent a check in early November for $312.75 (the remaining balance) from my bank and told the apartment the expected delivery date. The funds were removed from my account, but the apartment complex never cashed it or contacted me regarding the payment. I know that the payment details were correct, because I paid rent using the same bill pay service the entire time I lived there. Last month, I received an email from my bank saying the check was never cashed and the funds were returned to my account. Now I have received a notice from a collection agency saying I owe $375.
I emailed my old rental office to ask about the discrepancy, if they would like a new check, and how we should move forward. They ignored most of my concerns and only said to pay the collections agency directly. I have zero derogatory marks on my credit and would like to keep it that way. I am willing to pay the real balance but not the inflated one. I have not contacted the collections agency yet or verified/disputed the debt (I have ~20 more days to do so). How do I handle the collection agency to ensure that I do not overpay and keep this off of my credit?
Submitted May 13, 2019 at 12:15PM by ImaginaryCalendar http://bit.ly/2Q2Oh3a
