I canceled my Verizon land line in 1997 due to poor service, repairmen not showing up while I took days off from work (four times!), and general rudeness when I tried to talk to their representatives. I've had a cell phone ONLY for ten years now (NOT Verizon!). Suddenly I get a bill from a collection agency trying to collect more than a hundred dollars on my old Verizon landline account! I know I paid up everything when I terminated my service. But because this was ten years ago, I no longer have the paperwork to prove it. What can I do?
Verizon sending 10 year old charges to collection agencies
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AFNI JUNK DEBT BUYERS
AFNI is trying to collect for a "dis-connected" number..only one problem ..my number is NOT disconnected ..I use my "dis-connected" phone daily which not only is currently paid up to date..but I also recently had a large credit posted to my acct. due to double charges. I just got my return receipt back so I'll just wait to see what AFNI's response is to the debt validation letter that I sent them.
follow-up
AFNI has not bothered me again since I did the following three things:
(1) called the Attorney General's office here in Boston. They advised me to call Verizon directly.
(2) called AFNI and screamed at them non-stop for five minutes, telling them I had called the Attorney General's office and was about to call Verizon and if the bogus bill was not dismissed, I was going to pursue legal channels with the Attorney General's office and a lawsuit. Hung up on the extremely combative woman who I was yelling at (I guess I was a bit more tetchy than she was, though ... but, hey, sometimes you have to yell).
(3) waited a day and then called Verizon. A rep looked up the phone number in question (a phone number which I have not had for many years, and which AFNI had latched onto with their bogus bill), and almost began to stammer as he apologized for the trouble I had been put through. He said that they would call AFNI and have the bill dismissed.
So I have to wonder if step #2 was necessary. Maybe I just could have called Verizon as the AG's office had recommended ... or, who knows, maybe my screaming phone call to AFNI had some effect?! I don't know, but I know it felt good to let them have it.
I got a final notice today,a
I got a final notice today,a settlement offer for my old Verizon California, INC account.
The problem is that I left California in 2000, and have not been back since. On top of, I know I never had an account with this company, anyways. So I've passed the statute of limitations in both states on a debt I never incurred!
This post was extremely useful to me, not least because it seems to be almost the exact same kettle.
Thanks so much!
Moving package disaster
IN 2002 I moved from Yucaipa Ca. to Beaumont Ca and had verizon home phone. I had the "moving package deal." These towns are 5 miles apart by the way,Verizon did move the service at no charge and set everything up, I THOUGHT.I was in my new home for a month, and recieved a 246 extra surprise on my bill. They gave me the wrong dial up # for my internet.THey told me "well we need to rain our service people better".After many disputes and calls, I thought It was taken care of, not, 2 yrs. later a letter from a collection agency.After a month of phone calls and letters thought it was taken care of, Not,2 yrs. later another collection agency had bought the old one and now they are started, again calls and letters.Again, thought it was over,nope this week my credit card company lowered my credit avail. and raised my initerest rates why, this thing shows up on my credit again!!! NOw reallize each time a new collection agency gets this, the date changes so this could go on for 50 yrs.!!!
Verizon well, Ihave been on hold now for 55 min. but be assured, I'll get the same bull.
AFNI, Inc.
AFNI, INC. Bill Scam Warning .
This is no Joke.
A company called AFNI, Inc. P.O. Box 3472 in Bloomington, Il. 61702 is a third party collections company.
They buy old worthless and often out of statute of limitations debt portfolios.
Recently, ANFI, Inc. sent out a second notice collection bill on an old phone account through Verizon California Inc. they said I owed from 2001. Note I never received a first notice.
They offered to settle for half of what they said I owed.
Dumbfounded I knew I never had any account of any kind with Verizon, so I called Verizon Cal. Inc. and spoke to Eric. He looked in his data base for my name, SS# and the phone number. He said there was nothing about me in any of their files. He also said the phone number wasn't even a Verizon number.
So I did a phone number search at my own expense and found out what I already Knew, it was not mine.
I checked my credit reports and found in violation of the Fair Debt Reporting Act they also placed this bill on my consumer’s credit reports without ever notifying me.
If you receive one of these bills from AFNI, Inc. and you know that you had never had Verizon; or if it is a bill you never heard of before, check your credit reports right away.
I checked other web sites and found out a lot about AFNI, Inc. scamming people, not just a few but hundreds.
I then disputed the bill. Also I filed with my state’s Attorney General and the IL. A.G., the FTC, and the BBB. The BBB says that AFNI, INC. says it is my bill from 2001, but they have not validated it yet. Even if it were mine, it is out of SOL in California. I am not sending them one red cent and will sue them if they continue to report this on my CR or sell this worthless paper to another debt agency.
I have heard to NEVER, NEVER call AFNI, Inc., as they will capture your phone number and start calling and harassing you; AND NEVER give them your Information as they will use anything against you.
For More Information on the AFNI, Inc. scam check BudHibbs.com or simply type in consumer complaints AFNI, Inc. into your search the web box. There are hundreds of complaints against these scam artists.
Only by banding together and filing reports against AFNI, Inc. can consumers shut these guys down.
Best of luck everyone,
Diana
I hope my achievements in life shall be these - -
That I have fought for what was right and fair,
that I have risked for that which mattered,
that I have given help to those who were in need . . .
That I will have left the earth a better place for what
I have done and who I have been.
~C. Hoppe
Retrieved on May 17, 2005 from http://www.theotherpages.org/quote-30.html
Debt collectors - 10 year old Verizon bill.
Our sister organization www.privacyrights.org probably has the most comprehensive information regarding how to deal with Debt Collection issues on the internet. http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs27-debtcoll.htm
If you just want some Frequently Asked Questions about Debt Collection try. http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs27a-debt_collection.htm
Debt Collection Statutes of
Debt Collection Statutes of Limitations: http://www.bcsalliance.com/y_debt_sol.html
AFNI
Yes -- the collection agency is "AFNI." After reading your posts, and a few other things I picked up through googling them on the web, I believe they are a scam operation. I'm just going to report it to the Attorney General's office in Boston in Monday, and be done with it! I wonder if any class action lawsuits are perhaps already in progress against them. I'll ask the AG's office that, too.
Don't sweat it. They tried
Don't sweat it. They tried the same bogis crap with me. Was the collection agency "AFNI"? They're real bottom feeders. Check the statute of limitations for debt in your state, chances are it's elapsed already, leaving them no legal recourse whatsoever. The statute of limitations for them to damage your credit report is 7 years so just keep an eye on your report. If this surfaces on it, have it removed ASAP and they have to take it off. Don't give them a cent, don't even answer it.
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