Bill Mistakenly Sent to Collections and Now on Credit Report

SandraN

Hello, I am contacting you because I saw in the forum that you've helped others with similar issue of having a bill mistakenly sent to collections and it is still on my credit report after years of being paid.

Here's the situation. I have been a happy Verizon (and Verizon Wireless) customer for over a decade and I never had an issue until I experienced this a few years ago. Back in 2011, I had a Verizon land line, Verizon DSL, and Verizon Wireless mobile. My DSL and phone accounts were both paid online and I was signed up for paperless all-in-one billing. When I began using my VZW cell phone as my primary phone, I decided to get rid of my land line in 2011. I had no problems until I noticed that my last phone bill was sent to collections even though I was paying my bill online the entire time. I paid whatever amount was listed on the Verizon website. However, after speaking with a Verizon representative, I was told that my final bill for the disconnected phone line was mailed to me separately and should've been paid separately. Sadly, it was too late to avoid this collection from being put on my credit report, where it has been for the last few years.

As you can understand, a collection on one's credit report is a devastating blow when one applies for a loan. Since I was signed up for paperless all-in-one billing, I believed I was paying the entire bill online, both for the phone line and the DSL.

In this case, I believe my final bill (a whopping $50 or $60 which I paid immediately while on the phone with the Verizon rep)...

1. Should've never been mailed since I opted for paperless billing;

2. Should've never been separate since I opted for all-in-one billing;

3. Should've been included in my all-in-one bill online and therefore, it would've been paid.

...and, since Verizon's billing practices were, in my opinion, at fault here, this collection account should've been immediately deleted from my credit report. However, that has not been the case. In fact, the last time I called Verizon's Billing Department, I was told that this bill would be deleted from my credit report and that I can expect to see a deletion letter in the mail within the next few weeks. Sadly, I never received a deletion letter and the bill is still listed as a collection on my credit report.

I am reaching out to you as a long-time Verizon customer to please remove this collection from my credit report and, as the last rep promised, send (or email) me a deletion letter once this has been done. I supplement my income by purchasing rental properties, which I am now having trouble doing since this bill was unfairly sent to collection and even more unfairly listed on my credit report.

I appreciate your help with this. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Sandra

[Deleted User]

Hi SandraN,

Your issue has been escalated to a Verizon agent. Before the agent can begin assisting you, they will need to collect further information from you. Please go to your profile page for the forum and look at the top of the middle column where you will find an area titled "My Support Cases". You can reach your profile page by clicking on your name beside your post, or at the top left of this page underneath the title of the board.

Under "My Support Cases" you will find a link to the private board where you and the agent may exchange information. This should be checked on a frequent basis, as the agent may be waiting for information from you before they can proceed with any actions. To ensure you know when they have responded to you, at the top of your support case there is a drop down menu for support case options. Open that and choose "subscribe". Please keep all correspondence regarding your issue in the private support portal.