Q: My dog had a medical processor done. I was told by the third party surgery would be done if half was paid and monthly
The following month come I gave a payment to the third party to pay the hospital. I did say in the beginning I would make a direct payment they said they didn't want the vet to know it wasn't there dog and it was someone else dog she's housing. So I made the cashepnt to her. Then the next month come I didn't have cash but told her I could pay with my credit card. I call the vet and I was informed there isn't a bill. I contacted the third party I added who am I making a payment to. She then said the hospital. I told her no i wasnt because they said it paid off, she then said when I made my payment last month she paid it off. I confronted her with the truth. And told her that's not true the vet said it was paid in full day of surgery. She said she forgot. I then said I agreed to pay off the bill to the hospital. I did not make no arrangements nor agree to pay youOnly thing I agreed to was to pay the vet hospital bill. And I was told that's who I'm paying and where my payments are going
A:
Alright, here’s how I’d respond:
You’ve got a tricky situation, but it boils down to this: you agreed to pay the vet hospital directly for your dog’s surgery, not the third party who was involved. From what you’re saying, the third party had you believing there was an outstanding balance with the vet, but now you’ve found out the hospital bill was paid off the day of surgery. That means any payments you’ve been making after that weren’t going to the hospital like you thought.
This could be a miscommunication or something more questionable, but the key here is that your agreement was to pay off the vet bill, not to pay this third party. If they’re asking you for more money when the vet has already been paid, they might be trying to pocket that cash. At this point, I’d recommend gathering all your documentation—receipts, texts, or emails with both the third party and the vet—and confront the third party in writing. Let them know that you’re aware the bill has been paid, and you won’t be making further payments unless it’s directly to the vet for any outstanding balance.
If the third party keeps pushing for money or things get messy, you may need to involve a lawyer to help recover any payments you’ve already made that weren’t for the vet bill. Iowa law generally protects people from being misled about financial agreements, so you’ve got options if it comes to that. The main thing is you don’t owe the third party anything if your agreement was strictly about paying off the vet hospital.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.