<prompt> Human: So I had a doctors appointment back in December that resulted in a small, but not tiny, charge because it turned out they didnt take my vision insurance which would have been nice if they told me when I scheduled and gave them the info, but we. A few months later I get a bill from them. I call and go back and forth with them about the insurance issue for a while, but eventually I give in and pay over the phone. Shortly after this, I move to a new city and close my bank account and therefore lose all electronic records. A few months later, I get a call from a collection agency saying I owe this bill. I explain the situation to the rep who says that unless I can convince the hospital, there is nothing I can do. I know without the records, the hospital likely wont change anything. However, two different reps at the collection agency have said that, at least as of now, this will not end up affecting my credit score.Is this true? If I dont go back and pay this again, will this not affect my credit score? EDIT: Thank you everyone for the advice. I was only generally looking to find out if it is possible that it might not affect my credit score as I was always under the impression that any outstanding debt that went to collections hurt your score. However, Ive learned a lot more about collections from what youve posted, so thank you. Not trying to stifle the conversation since it seems other people have similar questions, just wanted to express my gratitude and clarify the point of my post.  <response>: Banks have to keep records for a number of years Maybe 5-7 depending on regionallocal regulations so if you contact them they should be able to provide an electronic copy or mail a physical record. May not affect your credit now but I assume keeping it outstanding will at some point have an impact. 