Summit Accident And Injury CenterSummit Accident And Injury Center Vanished Chattanooga Tennessee
I was in a car wreck and this male contacted me with the words "I understand that you were in an accident and it was not your fault." Although I told him that I was bumped in a parking lot not going at a high rate of speed, he insisted that I could have some type of neck or back injury and that I should at least have it checked out. I then asked how he got my information because I was not aware that it was already filed at the police department and he stated that was where he got it from. He then recommended that I should go and get checked out because "you never know" as he put it if you have something wrong. He also told me that there was a place called Summitt Accident and Injury Center that was close to me and they would do an evaluation for me. I told him that I was not sure if the guy that hit me had any insurance and that I did not want to go and rack up doctor bills that I would end up paying in the end. He assured me that there would be no cost to me and that in the event that the other driver did not have any insurance, then I could just consider it as free treatment. I agreed and went to a couple of appointments and initially the nurse practitioner who saw me, did a pain evaluation told me that something was misaligned with my spine and stated that even at a slight speed of 3-4 miles per hour this could occur. She showed me a model of bones that represented the spine and demonstrated what she was talking about. After going for a few treatments, I missed one and attempted to call the location but could not get an answer. I figured that the other driver did not have any insurance and they decided to stop the treatments (that I so desperately needed according to them). I forgot about it and went on with life as usual and one day out of the blue, I received a bill of over $800 from somewhere if Florida which stated that they were charging me for the times that I was seen in the facility. Well naturally, I was angry and went to the location with the bill to confront them about it and guess what. They are no longer there and had a sign up which stated that "due to unforseen issues, they had to close for remodeling to better enhance your healing experience with us" and they would have more information about new opening times and dates very soon, followed by sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your understanding. There is nothing in the building at all and no indication that it ever existed with the exception that their name is still headlining the building. I think that since I was told that I could consider it as "free" treatment then that is exactly what I should do. I did not contact these people, they got my information and called me. Now I have this threatening letter stating that if I don't pay, then it may go on my credit report which I think is a crock of mess!!! I was just wondering if anyone else has had this sort of thing to happen with this company.
Denise
chattanooga, Tennessee
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Anthony
Rossville,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Well...This Is Something New...
#2Consumer Comment
Sat, May 09, 2009
Scam artists are now hitting the health care market?
I suppose it was inevitable and just a matter of time.
Look....don't pay them a dime. Your first clue to the scam was that you were solicited based upon a police report. You should have hung up the phone on the person who called you. That's even WORSE than ambulance chasing.
I seriously doubt that an entry will be filed against your credit, unless the billing that you are receiving is from a legitimate medical billing firm. Given that this is coming from another state, it's likely that they are in on the scam. If the billing firm is legitimate, they may have well been scammed too. I'd contact them immediately and inquire as to why you are receiving a bill from Florida for a medical facility that "was" located in Chattanooga.
I did a cursory search for "Summit Accident And Injury Center" and discovered that for all practical purposes, they never existed long enough to achieve a presence in the phone book. You were probably being "treated" by unlicensed practitioners.
Thank God they didn't screw up your spine or back.
There is a medical firm by that name located in California, but I'm betting that if contacted that they would have no clue to who was operating in Chattanooga under that name.
If the collector in Florida refuses to furnish you any information or refuses to back off their claim against you, hang up the phone, sit down and write them a letter stating that you have every reason to believe that you the services provided by the medical establishment were not provided by a legally licensed and established provider, and that no funds will be forthcoming to them by you unless you are furnished proof that the debt they are billing you for is for legitimate services received, and proof that the medical firm was legitimately licensed to perform medical services in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Demand to be provided their current physical location so that you may ascertain the licensing information of all those who "treated" you.
State in that letter that until you are furnished the information and documentation that you have requested, that any and all attempts to tarnish your credit record will be met with all legal remedies as deemed necessary under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to refute the claim of debt.
Send it to them by certified mail, return receipt requested. Keep that copy of the letter for safe keeping. If the debt pops up on your credit report, submit it as rebuttal material and demand the debt reference be removed immediately from your report(s).