How should this work?

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My mom had a rented machine that makes oxygen to help her breathe.

When she died I called the company that rents it and told them that we no longer needed it.

They didnt show up to get it. So I called again. After 3 weeks I hand delivered it to them.

Now they are sending me a bill for the 3 weeks I had it,waiting on them to cone get it. ( they come out weekly to check it,bring hoses etc).

Should I have to pay for the weeks I had it after she died even though I called them and told them to come get it the day after she died?
 
Do you know who you talked to and what did they say about picking the equipment back? Also, if the bill is not in your name, you have nothing to worry about.
If it is and you have the record of the call, the company should have it as well, I would simply call them back and get them to remove all charges and send you a bill with zero charges on it. Keep that bill for your records.

Don't ignore the current bill as it will affect your credit score if left unpaid.
 
I would try to explain the situation and see where that gets you with their customer service. There are still some empathetic people in the world.

Reminds me of the time my wife tore an ACL. After surgery, she had this machine that would exercise her knee. Basically, she laid in bed and the machine would bend her knee at a prescribed speed and angle. When we were done with it, the company picked it up. About a month later we received a letter from our insurance company saying they received a bill for the machine and they would not pay for it (out of network or something, don't remember). The bill was for over $700. I called the rental company and they said "yeah, we don't expect you to pay the bill...we just bill the insurance company and if we get something, great, otherwise we just eat it". Essentially a roll of the dice on the part of the rental company.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Is the bill in her name?
yes


This is all you need to know. You don't need to discuss the matter with them any further.
 
A reputable outfit would realize that their phone rep (who probably is paid under $15 per hour) dropped the ball and wipe out the 3 weeks of rent based on the consumer's assertion that it did happen that way.

The less reputable outfits will fight until the ends of the earth for that rent money, and will not take no for an answer. They will probably end up spending ten times the rent to collect it. That is the way that some of them work.
 
Originally Posted By: SeaJay
A reputable outfit would realize that their phone rep (who probably is paid under $15 per hour) dropped the ball and wipe out the 3 weeks of rent based on the consumer's assertion that it did happen that way.

The less reputable outfits will fight until the ends of the earth for that rent money, and will not take no for an answer. They will probably end up spending ten times the rent to collect it. That is the way that some of them work.


Yes sir... Very sad...
My condolences to the OP.
 
I read a story once where I guy kept getting a call from a collection agency on a bill for his deceased mother. He kept telling them that his mother was deceased, which they refused to acknowledge or accept. Finally, they asked for her address. He gave them the address of the cemetery with the plot number. He gets a call back "Sir, this address is for a cemetery". "That's what I've been trying to tell you. My mother is deceased". End of story.
 
Sorry to hear about your mom.

May I ask how much the rental is?

I only ask because recently a very good friend of mine passed and had a similar machine.

His wife had the same thing happen and decided she just didn't want to deal with it for piece of mind paid up and moved on it.

It sucks but unless you want to deal with a bunch of people who don't care about you or your mom, I would pay it and move on. It would suck

having to fight it out day after day. I hate companies like that.
 
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90 bucks, sucks but if they couldn't figure it out for 3 weeks you have to ask yourself is it worth your time and aggravation.

I understand principle and maybe I am easy but I would want it done so I could move on.
 
I can't remember the details, but I had a similar experience with my mother's home care. They were billing us for equipment that was already returned.

Thankfully we set things up to avoid probate. It helped us avoid a few unnecessary problems, including bill collectors.
 
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
90 bucks, sucks but if they couldn't figure it out for 3 weeks you have to ask yourself is it worth your time and aggravation.

I understand principle and maybe I am easy but I would want it done so I could move on.


90 bucks is 90 bucks.

Sadly many companies bank on you being too annoyed to get your money. They hope it is not enough where you pursue them for it.

They messed up, so this is on them. DO NOT pay them to make them go away. Tell them you contacted them to pick it up, there is a record of it somewhere, they failed to do so and you don't owe them anything. End of story. This is their fault, and if they hired more competent people it wouldn't be an issue for them.
 
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Originally Posted By: ls1mike
90 bucks, sucks but if they couldn't figure it out for 3 weeks you have to ask yourself is it worth your time and aggravation.

I understand principle and maybe I am easy but I would want it done so I could move on.


It's not in his name so it doesn't really have to be his problem unless he's the executor of the estate. It's a simple call to tell them that she died and to send them a copy of the death certificate. They'll probably just drop it.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Do you know who you talked to and what did they say about picking the equipment back? Also, if the bill is not in your name, you have nothing to worry about.
If it is and you have the record of the call, the company should have it as well, I would simply call them back and get them to remove all charges and send you a bill with zero charges on it. Keep that bill for your records.

Don't ignore the current bill as it will affect your credit score if left unpaid.


It won't affect his credit score because it is not in his name.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Also, if the bill is not in your name, you have nothing to worry about.


Some states have laws that hold children liable the debts of their parents
 
You're worried about the wrong thing(s). You should consult a lawyer licensed to practice law in your state with respect to your late mother's property and liabilities.

If CA is like most states, even for small estates, there are specific procedures for administration when real estate is involved, that must be followed to avoid potential marketability problems with the real estate later on.

Even if steps had been taken to make the real estate pass by operation of law, a consultation will be helpful to you.
 
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