Outstanding payments

[Ellybell]

Hi, I left SG last year after 10 years so I’m no longer resident, however, the dentist I used are now saying I owe them over $900 due to a shortfall in my insurance company not paying the full amount. I find it bizarre that the treatment was back in 2022 but they are only now saying I owe them this amount. They are threatening to take me to the small claims court if I don’t pay by the end of April. On one hand I’m almost inclined to ignore them but if the money is owed then sure enough it needs to be paid. I’m just amazed it’s taken them all this time to contact me. I no longer have a SG bank account or card or mobile number. They are using a very old email so it’s only by chance I’ve even found the email correspondence from them. I’m not sure how the small claims would work when I’m not a resident?

[Strong Eagle]

Hi, I left SG last year after 10 years so I’m no longer resident, however, the dentist I used are now saying I owe them over $900 due to a shortfall in my insurance company not paying the full amount. I find it bizarre that the treatment was back in 2022 but they are only now saying I owe them this amount. They are threatening to take me to the small claims court if I don’t pay by the end of April. On one hand I’m almost inclined to ignore them but if the money is owed then sure enough it needs to be paid. I’m just amazed it’s taken them all this time to contact me. I no longer have a SG bank account or card or mobile number. They are using a very old email so it’s only by chance I’ve even found the email correspondence from them. I’m not sure how the small claims would work when I’m not a resident?

You want to do this right?

1. Contact the dentist. Request copies of the alleged past due bills that were not paid by insurance.
2. Contact the insurance company and request a list of payments made to the dentist. Make a comparison to determine if all payments were made or not.
3. If all payments were made, send copies of the insurance payments to the dentist and tell them to piss off.
4. If payments were not made, convert the amount you owe in Singapore dollars to whatever currency you are now using and send them a check in your local currency. Let them deal with cashing it.

If you don't want to do it right, then forget about it. If they actually want to go through the hassle and expense of the SCT, it won't matter at all if you're not going back to Singapore. It's not going to be reported elsewhere.