<prompt> Human: Ive been disputing some rental car damage charges for the past 8 months now. Im adamant the damages were not caused while the vehicle was in my possession. Regardless, after a lot of back and forth, Enterprise said I signed the contract so Im responsible. I received this yesterday: I can afford to pay it, but it really bothers me to have to pay for something I wasnt responsible for. If I refuse to pay and let it go to collections out of principle, will it really hurt me that much down the road if I let it become a stale debt? Or should I just bite the bullet and pay it?  <response>: Yes it will hurt you. It will be on your credit report for 7 years. You might receive higher interest rates. It could keep you from buying a house or at the very least they will make you pay the bill before getting mortgage.I would just bite the bullet and pay up. 