They never billed my card. They waited another 4 months to contact me about the money I owed them. All they had to do was bill my card, but they forwarded the problem to a collection agency. My argument was that CompuServe took too long to take my money, that they were waiting for unchashed rebate checks to expire. I was determined to file a lawsuit, so I went to my attorney, and found a disgusting answer to my problems.
Businesses have up to three years to collect their earnings.
They don't have to tell you a thing for a couple of years and they can come out of nowhere and slap you with a bill. The timing may not be pleasant. I had just paid the majority of my savings to my school loan. Three days later I got the phone calls from the collection agency. I think they are psychic.