Verizon sent my paid account to collections. Need help...

I'm looking for next steps to take regarding a problem I have with Verizon.

I opened a Verizon landline account in 2005. I always paid my bills on time and never had a problem. Three months ago, I moved to a new area code and Verizon closed my account and opened a new one (they couldn't port the number because it was a different area code and, according to them serviced by a different office).

All this time, I continued to pay my bills online as I always had. A couple of months ago, my online bill began reflecting the new account number. I continued to pay my bill last month and this month. No problems, or so I thought.

Then out of the blue, I get a letter this weekend from Discover saying my account is closed. They say it's due to negative activity on my credit report. I have near perfect credit, so this really concerns me. I order a free report online and see my Verizon account (the old one) listed with the following info:

Balance: $70  
Date Updated: 09/2009  
High Balance: $0 
Past Due: >$70< 
Pay Status: >Charged Off as Bad Debt<  
Account Type: Open Account  
Responsibility: Individual Account  
Date Opened: 08/2005 
Date Closed: 09/2009 
Loan Type:Utility Company
Remark: Account closed by consumer
Estimated date that this item will be removed:01/2016

I was shocked. So I called Verizon. After being transferred from one person to another, I finally learned that my payment was never applied to my old account. Because my online logging began using the new account, it applied to that. So even though I'd paid my bill on time, and made all payment as I always had, the account was sent to collections.

What's worse, I never got any late payment or final bill letters, or any notification it was going to collections. In fact, to this day I still haven;t heard from the collections agency. The only reason I even knew something happened was because Discover closed my account.

I spoke to Verizon this weekend and was told they would move the payment from the new account to the old account and send me a Paid in Full letter. However, when I checked this evening by calling Verizon billing, I was told my account still showed an unpaid balance.

Now this thing is on my credit report, I've already had one account closed (granted, one I didn't use often) and am worried it will spread from here. What can I do? Any advice?

Advice #1: Page CN47

dispute with the bureaus and the CRA's. Do it in writing. Contact the collector and dispute and ask for validation. You have actual damages given the loss of credit.

76hhma said: You have to resolve it from the Verizon end since they should be fully responsible for the error (not following up with the old account). I would bring it to the higher management of Verizon, say the Executive Office.

Once it is successfully resolved with Verizon with written closure, you can pursue it with the CRAs, correcting your credit record.

Errors happen and it is life. Take it easy and deal with it calmly and prudently.

Good luck

Screw that. The OP would have to waste endless hours of his/her time dealing with Verizon. Dispute the debt. And then cancel Verizon and get Vonage.

I already disputed with TransUnion (right after I posted this) but I'm not sure how that will go since Verizon still technically shows the account unpaid (and the new account with a $70 over payment). I thought I'd have to get Verizon involved to some extent to verify the payment has been made. Is this not correct?

I'm not an expert, but does the fact that the cut and paste I did from TransUnion that says the account type is "Open Account" give any clues? I mean, that seems to contradict the line that says "Account closed by consumer."

bozo007 - The reason I still have the landline is because at my old address, Verizon forced me to have a landline to have DSL service (the only broadband that was available to me). They said I was too far from the switching station to do naked DSL (which I always doubted, but that's a whole other story). I actually just moved over my Verizon account as a quick fix when I moved, but planned on dropping them and going with cable broadband anyway (and either no phone or a VOIP phone).

76hhma said "Errors happen and it is life. Take it easy and deal with it calmly and prudently."

And this error resulted in a loss of a few hours over multiple days cleaning it up as well as the closure of a Discover card, which they OP may or may not be able to open back up (maybe with a different CL). As he pointed out, if Discover didn't close his card, he might not have known until he had to apply for something else. Verizon should have looked over his account before reporting to collections. Did they not see that he had a second account in good standing... Too hard to connect the dots or call him up to ask why he didn't pay the bill?

Complain and complain to Verizon. Keep going up the management ladder. Send them a bill for the amount of hours you wasted correcting their problem * your hourly rate. Or see if you can get a few months of free Verizon.

Have fun dealing with Verizon. Best bet is to find one helpful person to deal with and get their name and extension. We had a problem with our Verizon/Verizon Wireless account which was linked with onebill. We closed our Verizon account and made a payment directly to Verizon Wireless. Verizon came after us for the money despite the fact that it was a Verizon Wirless charge and I paid them directly on a credit card. Sending a dispute letter and copies of the paperwork to the collection agency helped to an extent - but Verizon would simply find another collection agency which would start the process all over again (there were three in all). We literally spent hours on the phone with Verizon and Verizon Wireless including conference calls with both. Finally a helpful customer representative simply said she would convenience credit the account whether the billing department agreed or not.

The only way a big company like that will fix it, unless you get real lucky with a CSR, is to SUE THEM. I hate how one huge company makes a mistake and we have to pay for it and spend countless hours and money to get them to fix their mistake. It's horrible and really pisses me off. I guarantee that once you serve them with papers, they'll fix it REAL FAST. Do you agree, CN47?

And the best part is that a couple of million Alltel customers are becoming Verizon customers this month. Mine converted on the 18th. I've never done business with Verizon before, but I'm not looking forward to it.

uutxs - It's funny you mention that because the CSRs I've been dealing with have had a lot of trouble looking at my bill because of all the credits I've had issue due to a bunch of phone/DSL problems I was having last month that took five weeks to repair. The irony is that as they were basically crediting my account with a full month's worth of service, they were also reporting my delinquent to the bureaus.

And having spoken to both the tech and billing support departments A LOT the past two months, I will agree that while equally incompetent, the tech support people are much more responsive than billing.

I dont have anything useful to add here. Just wanted to ask what kind of call recording devices you guys use? I guess it needs to announce before connecting the call that "This call may be recorded" and also have the ability to digitally store the call data for me. What setup do you use that is reliable, does not run foul of any laws and also pocket friendly in the FWF style.

<If the mods or others think it is necessary to have a new thread for this - I'd be happy to create one.>

bozo007 said: Looks like Verizon has some unapplied cash sitting in your old account with an equivalent outstanding in your new account. By the way, why do you still have a land line?

what is this "land line" you speak of?

puddonhead said: I dont have anything useful to add here. Just wanted to ask what kind of call recording devices you guys use? I guess it needs to announce before connecting the call that "This call may be recorded" and also have the ability to digitally store the call data for me. What setup do you use that is reliable, does not run foul of any laws and also pocket friendly in the FWF style.

<If the mods or others think it is necessary to have a new thread for this - I'd be happy to create one.>

Ditto to the first comment. Agree on the thread idea. OP, let us know your next steps.

Usually before you are connected to a telephone representative, and ESPECIALLY if it is the "financial services" or "collections" department, you hear a message that this call may be recorded. If this is the case when OP calls Verizon, then it is technically already compliant with 2 party laws, since both Verizon and OP know the call may be recorded. OP can proceed to record to his heart's content.

Navigate2010, 1.Dispute the negative info with Discover. 2.Sue Verizon in a samll claims court. 3.Record your conversations. You don't have to ask or tell the other party. You aren't doing something illegal or trying to damage somebody. You have a right to protect your rights.

Verizon is the most corrupt and incompetent corporation in the country. I have been sent to collections by them TWICE in ERROR. They call it 'one bill', but the 2 billings systems that they use- 1 for DSL, 1 for phone, do NOT communicate with each other. Better yet, the phone billing dept cannot see the DSL billing system. I closed my account with Verizon, paid both DSL and phone IN FULL. Guess what? It all went to my phone account (which created a credit balance- did they refund me? NO way). So the DSL amount was sent to collections. I got the DSL billing supervisor to 3rd party call the phone billing supervisor. They discovered it was paid. Then the DSL billing supervisor 3rd party called the collections agency and the account was cancelled. Fast forward to 2 years later and I have opened another DSL with Verizon, cancelled in September 2008 due to better offer by Time Warner DSL. Paid in full. Guess what? ONE YEAR LATER, I get a collections notice that Verizon has JUST SENT me to collections for the DSL account that I closed ONE YEAR AGO. I have talked to FOURTEEN people at Verizon. And yes they all act like it's my problem and I should know the correct number to call. Some say they see the balance is paid in full, then they transfer me to a supervisor to have the collections account cancelled, and I hold for 10 minutes. I've yet to talk to any supervisor. The Verizon reps are rude, disrespectful, and incompetent. This is just plain out and out fraud. I wonder how much money Verizon makes with this DOUBLE BILLING thanks to their horrible billing systems. So now I'm filing a complaint with the FCC on their website. I was told today by Verizon that I have to PROVE that I don't owe the money from a year ago. I HATE VERIZON!!!! If anyone has the number of an executive in the High Speed Internet department, please pass it on. My number from 2 years ago is no longer valid for that individual. Surprise!!!

My sister has a similar problem, where a year ago Verizon claimed she owed them $29 a few months after closing her account (in another state), she paid it, and now she finds the same $29 amount is (also) claimed by a collections agency. Unfortunately the collections letter was dated Oct 1 and she didn't open it until today (looked like junk mail) so she is already past her (30 day) FCRA term. I'm assuming it does no good now to dispute it with the collection agency, right (they won't take a $29 debt to court)? I'm thinking she should simply dispute any marks made on her credit report (and if Verizon shows "evidence", sue them).

mewannaxbox said:
Ask for validation anyway.

Send proof of payment to verizon and CA

Dispute on credit report, if they verify. SUE! Are the first two steps just to bolster her lawsuit (ie, showing that they are acting in bad faith)?

mewannaxbox said: No, asking for validation is to make sure the collector has been assigned the debt. That the debt is genuinely hers, and that the collector has contacted the OC to make sure any account changes have not occurred between the request for validation and the time they sent you the letter. But why does any of this matter? If they aren't going to sue her over $29 why try to convince them of anything? She can dispute any marks on her credit without bothering with the collector or Verizon.