Hello, I'm reaching out to see if anyone has some advice or similar experiences.

A few months back, I had some unexpected medical bills that I couldn't pay right away. I called the hospital, explained my situation, and thought I had set up a reasonable payment plan with them. But fast forward to last week, I check my credit report and I've been sent to collections without any notice whatsoever.

I'm scratching my head here because I thought I was doing the responsible thing by trying to work out a payment arrangement. Now, my credit score has taken a hit, and I'm worried about the consequences this might have on my financial future.

I did some research and stumbled upon something called the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. It seems like there are rules in place to protect consumers like us from unfair practices, but honestly, I'm not exactly sure how it works.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? How did you handle it, and did you manage to resolve things? Also, if anyone has any insights into how the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act might apply to my case, I would really appreciate your input.

I've attached the link to the act for reference https://consumerattorneys.com/article/can-a-collection-agency-report-to-the-credit-bureau-without-notifying-you

Thanks a bunch, and I'm crossing my fingers that someone out there can shed some light on this for me.