Closed Account Sent to Collections!

[kfrei]

Hello - I moved house and became a new verizon customer (DSL and phone) starting in December 2014.  Due to issues with my service I decided to close my account in January/Feburary of 2015.  I spoke to a representative about my final bill and they said that this would arrive after I returned my equipment.  A box was sent for my router return but for some weird reason it was sent to my old (before I moved?) address where my previous landlord called me to let me know the box had arrived.  I picked up the box, returned my router immediately and then waited for the final bill.  No bill was ever sent and 3 weeks later (tonight, after 8pm!) I got a call from a collections agency saying I owed 100+ dollars for the final bill on my verizon account. I am shocked and appalled by this.  I tried calling verizon but their offices were closed.  

I paid the collections amount through the website immediately per the collection rep's instructions but when I logged into my Verizon account the amount owed was even more than what collections said I owed... so now I am feeling even more confused and annoyed.

I always pay my bills on time and am fanatical about making sure that things do not go to collections and in turn, affect my credit, as I own a small business and these types of things can be detrimental to growing my business.  I would like to make sure this is sorted and removed from my credit history.  Paying the bill is not the issue but I have yet to receive a final bill, in addition to being confused about the difference between the collections amount and the amount "owed" when I log into my verizon account.  

Please escalate and call me asap.  I am happy to give you more details but would like this sorted in the next 48 hours.

[ElizabethS]

Sorry you are having difficulty, an agent with access to your account will reach out to you directly by email, private message in the Forums and/or the billing telephone number on your Verizon account for more information to help you resolve your issue.Please remember to check your spam/junk folder if you do not hear from an agent.