I've gotten a few things removed by disputing them. I've heard from some places that they can be reinserted. I've heard from others that they can't be reinserted. Any advice?
They can be reinserted, but per the FCRA, they are required to notify you (in wiritng) within 5 business days of reinsertion. But as a rule, once removed, they generally do not show up again.
Essentially, when an account is deleted as a result of a dispute, the CRA must make sure that it stays deleted (even if the DF continues reporting it in the general course of operations). HOWEVER, if a DF certifies that the disputed matter is resolved, and the reporting is now 100% complete, accurate, and verifiable; the CRA is allowed to re-insert the tradeline, provided it immediately (within 5 days) notifies the consumer of the re-insertion. Since the certification is a MANUAL process, it is less likely that a DF, unless they are extremely determined to remain on your credit report, would go through the extra labor required for re-insertion.
True, but if enough of the information is the same, and any idiot at the CRA should have known it's the same tradeline, they and the DF can get slammed.