<prompt> Human: Ive heard stories about how some people dont pay their cell phone billhospital bill for a few months, for example, and they get sent to collections. they end up just making a deal with the cell phone companyhospital for much less than the bills were worth so that the collection agency doesnt get involved. does doing so reduce your credit score? and if so, by how much?  <response>: Debt bills are normally reported to the bureaus after 30 days late. Being sent to collections will almost certainly bang up your credit score. How much depends on a lot of factors which may include the size of debt and length of delinquency. 