Hi all, Around the summer of 99 I was in between apartments and had my mail sent to my Mom's house. My last phone bill was sent there, but I dont think I ever got it. It popped up on my Trans Union as a collection account, (Bell Atlantic) but they have the date of delinquency as 4/95, the first year I got a phone in my name,and not 1999, the actual date of delinquency. I called Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) to say that I am happy to pay the bill, but I never got it, so could they please delete it upon receipt of my payment. I advised that I never got any notice that it was overdue, so it seemed kind of harsh to have sent it to a collection agency. (I tried to settle with the collection company in exchange for deletion, but they say their hands are tied.) Now, if luck were on my side they wouldnt notice the incorrect date of the delinquency, and it will drop off in 2002. However, since luck usually isnt on my side I want to resolve it, so that they dont realize their error and update it, wherein it will be on their till 2006. My problem: I want to send the payment in as though nothing ever happened, then dispute it with the creditor as already paid. However, Bell Atlantic is now Verizon, so I think they might catch on. Also, I need the account number to put on the check, which I dont have any record of. Im more than happy to pay the bill. According to Verizon, I made a partial payment after they sent the final bill, so I must have gotten the bill,and just ignored the remaining balance. Im not sure what happened., but they wont budge. Any ideas? Ideally, I'd like to pay it to Verizon and dispute it as something that never should have gone to collection. I'm not sure it will work, and I dont want to pay the bill without a deletion if I can work that out. What would you guys do if you were me? Thanks for your help.
RE: Help w/phone bill in colle Send then a "Request for Validation" letter. They may not be able to verify. -Alwilda Smith
RE: Help w/phone bill in colle Awilda, I havent heard of this before, is this another name for a dispute letter requesting proof of the account? Im curious!! Thanks
