Search Q&A
Eurofides - debt collection
My question concerns a letter sent by a company called Eurofides concerning a debt they claim a friend of mine owes to the Red Cross. They say that at the end of 2013 my friend used an ambulance to be transported to a hospital after an accident (which is true). My friend no longer lives in Belgium, and tells me that as far as he remembers he took care of all the expenses related to the accident through his insurance company (Euromut). He does not recall receiving an invoice from the Red Cross and not paying it.
In any case, Eurofides (which I understand to be a debt collecting company) has now written to my friend (who has authorised me to open the letters addressed to him) after two years asking for 30 Euros of ambulance fee and 50 Euros for the services of Eurofides. My friend finds this situation to ridiculous and is not keen to pay the requested amount.
The question is: What can be the consequences of not paying this amount? Could my friend get into trouble if he ever comes back to Brussels, even as a tourist?
The Belgian system is a little confusing for us, and we cannot foresee the consequences of this situation. So, any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
The mutuelles, of which Euromut is of course one, only refund a proportion of most medical expenses - IIRC mine refunds 50% of necessary ambulance costs - and therefore some money would have been due to the Red Cross, €30 seems reasonable.
A debt-collecting company with a name such as Eurofides is likely to have some international links, which in a country like Belgium is probably why the Red Cross employ them to chase debts, and your friend could well find that they will pursue him in his own country if the debt is not paid here. If they do the debt collection costs will rise much higher than €50.
It has been said many times on this site, that leaving a debt in Belgium can mean big trouble if you ever come back or even pass through. Nobody has ever been able to explain how that could be, other than nonsense about being detained at the airport. Detained? Are debtors prisons without trial now a reality, for 80 Euro? Mind you, at least they have stopped wittering about not being able to take your furniture out of the country unless all your bills are paid.
In short, the risk of any problem for your friend outside of Belgium is very low. That said, there is always a possibility of things changing, such as an EU wide credit black mark that might cause problems in future.
It would seem likely that your friend did owe the money if they don't recall paying a bill for the ambulance. Personally, it's not enough money for me to worry about soI would likely get confirmation that the bill is genuine and pay it. It's not worth any risk for a piffling 80 Euro.
True story.....A friend visiting from the UK had an accident in Belgium, a bone breaking type accident. They were fully insured for all costs arising from any accident. They left my contact details as a local contact in Belgium, gave their UK address and of course all the details of the insurance company.
The first we knew of problems was when a bailiff turned up on my doorstep in Belgium. I had received no communication, my friend had received nothing in the UK and the UK insurance company also insisted that while it had details of the accident, it had received no bills from Belgium.
While it seems unlikely to be a scam, just be careful there too. I have received 3 emails from a company supposedly collecting debts on behalf of Microsoft, threatening huge costs if I don't send payment for a recent update. Total scam.
Eurofides: http://www.eurofides.eu/be/contact/ are certainly a bona-fide company and can be contacted.
You say "My friend finds this situation to ridiculous and is not keen to pay the requested amount."
Reading into what 'your friend' is saying: " He does not recall receiving an invoice from the Red Cross and not paying it." it seems likely that there are unpaid bills that need to be paying.
Eurofides will follow all their procedures to recover the amount due and the price to pay will only get higher if it is not paid!
