4/25    I got a debt collection notice because I signed up for a $6 domain
        name under a fake first name but correct last name, and I'm not sure
        exactly what happened after that, but I couldn't manage to get it
        to accept my valid credit card number. I think it's probably because
        they wouldn't let me specify an alternate name for billing. Anyway,
        I didn't really use that domain and forgot about it, and assumed
        they would just cancel the domain or something. I mean really, if they
        accept my card and then order the domain and then don't charge my
        card (which is perfectly chargeable), it's their fault. What do you
        think I should do about the notice, though? It's for 21.94, and I'm
        against paying that on principle.
        \_ Pay it.  You'll want a house someday, and you don't want a
           lingering petty debt on your report.  There is no principle
           at stake here.  You wanted them to bill with a mismatched
           name and they couldn't/didn't.
           \_ The bill is actually not in my name. They accepted the billing
              info, ordered the domain, then declined to charge the card.
              \_ You are in the wrong. You should have cancelled. I am
                 sure they tried to charge your card. Pay them and ask
                 them not to report you. It's not worth your time.
                 \_ They accepted the billing info and then did not charge
                    the card. I attempted several times to correct the
                    information before giving up. The last name is the same.
                    They could perfectly well have charged the card; I've
                    done the same with magazine subscriptions.
                    \_ Did they set you up with a domain or not? It sounds
                       like they did. You owe them.
                       \_ Amd I was perfectly happy to pay them if they were
                          happy to charge my card, which they did not.
                          All sensible businesses these days get credit
                          card authorization before providing a service.
                          Presumably they had authorized my card. Not
                          following through on the charge seems to be their
                          fault. I didn't feel like I should have to struggle
                          with contacting them just to have them charge me.
                          \_ Did they provide you a service? If so, you
                             owe them. They are making it easy to pay now,
                             so do it.
        \_ Agreed that it's easier just to pay it but you might be able to
           dispute it on the grounds that since they declined your card and
           never gave you an order confirmation they failed to render services.
           And since they never gave you a bill you are not liable for any
           late-payment penalties.  But how much is your time worth?
           \_ I don't know, is it legal to register the domain under a
              false name?  Is it legal to use your credit card under a
              false name?
        \_ Your credit has already been damaged if you got a debt collection
           notice.  Paying it won't help that.
           \_ Not true. Lots of times it hasn't been reported yet,
              especially for a small amount like this. They give you a
              chance to cough up the money before spending $50 or whatever
              it is to report you. I've been in this situation a few times
              (mostly with doctors with confusing billing, but not only
              that) and was never reported. The collection agency said not
              to pay the doctor, but I did anyway and the problem went
              away. I have like an 800 credit score.
        \_ You should have sent them an e-mail saying, "Your ordering system
           gave me a domain, but wouldn't accept my credit card number.
           Please cancel my domain if you are unable to charge my card."
           By not writing this e-mail, you left the ball in their court.
           They noticed the domain was active for some time, noticed you
           hadn't been charged yet, and based on this, sought debt collection.
           You are well within your rights to explain the situation and offer
           $6.
           If you don't want to waste your time, pay $21.94 and write it off
           as a loss.