Deferred billing on closed account/sent to collections agency

[ladiedi408]

I have exactly the same problem. I cancelled my service on 4/11/2010, requested final bill and paid it. Never got another bill, as should be, account canceled. In July 2010 I received a bill for 497.00 I call Verizon explained the situation, it showed my account was canceled on 4/11/2010 so she said it was an error on Verizon's part she would fix it and credit  my account. I got a bill showing the credit. Next thing you know, I get a letter from a collection company saying I owe Verizon 497.00. Again called Verizon, their response was being the account was in collections and even though the account showed a credit and canceled, there wasn't anything they could do, that I would have to call the collection company. Well, what feels like 300 phone calls and bounced from rep to rep, because no one know what the heck their doing, and 5 month later I'm still fighting to get this account out of collections and not one person at Verizon can help even though my accost states that they have sent me a refund check for overpayment, which I haven't received..Still fighting today. I did contact an attorney and said speck with versions legal department and demand the remove the account from collections and advise them I am filing a slander and fraud suit against them, he advises that: it usually works...It also recommend calling the PUC...

[darrelld]

I called Verizon to cancel a single channel and they disconnected my internet, phone, and tv service. Took 3 days worth of phone calls to get everything turned back on.

My previous account was set to autobill and is my current account.

Yesterday I recieved a phone call from a collection agency informing me that my account had been purchased by them and was past due. I made a formal request for supporting documentation and per FTC regulations they must provide within 5 days.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm

Once I recieve the docs I plan to file a formal complaint with the FTC against Verizon and they proxy collection agency and suggest others due the same. The FTC has the most authority to deal with these types of practices.

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

[ElizabethS]

Hi darrelld

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 or help you resolve your issue.

[prat824]

I closed my account in July 2011 and payed my last bill of 25.73. After 2 months I got a letter from verizon saying that I still owed this amount.

- I called verizon about this but they couldn't verify that I had payed and requested proof through a dispute process - I was supposed to send the proofs to a FAX number and I sent it 7 times, calling them a day after each FAX but they never acknoledged receipt. 

- Proof 1: My bank statement that clearly shows a card payment to verizon

- Proof 2: Verizon residential website showing the payment made successfully on my account bill page. 

- Proof 3: Their automated email to me confirming the receipt of payment

Finally I called them and made the payment AGAIN. And the said the matter was closed.

Now in Feb 2012, I got a collection agency letter specifying a debt of the same amount $25.73 which I have payed twice. When I called the agency, the representative told me that this is a regular problem with verizon cancelled accounts and the easiest thing would be to pay the THIRD time and start a dispute so that credit report is not affected. So I did that and will send a dispute letter now. 

In addition, 

1. I will make a formal request for supporting documentation which as per FTC regulations they must provide within 5 days. 

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm

2. Once I recieve the docs I plan to file a formal complaint with the FTC against Verizon and they proxy collection agency and suggest others due the same. The FTC has the most authority to deal with these types of practices. 

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Prateek

[prat824]

1. I will make a formal request for supporting documentation which as per FTC regulations they must provide within 5 days. 

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm

2. Once I recieve the docs I plan to file a formal complaint with the FTC against Verizon and they proxy collection agency and suggest others due the same. The FTC has the most authority to deal with these types of practices. 

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Prateek

[KH-OrnEsh1]

I'm 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 or to help you resolve your issue.

---

@prat824 wrote:

I closed my account in July 2011 and payed my last bill of 25.73. After 2 months I got a letter from verizon saying that I still owed this amount.

- I called verizon about this but they couldn't verify that I had payed and requested proof through a dispute process - I was supposed to send the proofs to a FAX number and I sent it 7 times, calling them a day after each FAX but they never acknoledged receipt. 

- Proof 1: My bank statement that clearly shows a card payment to verizon

- Proof 2: Verizon residential website showing the payment made successfully on my account bill page. 

- Proof 3: Their automated email to me confirming the receipt of payment

Finally I called them and made the payment AGAIN. And the said the matter was closed.

Now in Feb 2012, I got a collection agency letter specifying a debt of the same amount $25.73 which I have payed twice. When I called the agency, the representative told me that this is a regular problem with verizon cancelled accounts and the easiest thing would be to pay the THIRD time and start a dispute so that credit report is not affected. So I did that and will send a dispute letter now. 

In addition, 

1. I will make a formal request for supporting documentation which as per FTC regulations they must provide within 5 days. 

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm

2. Once I recieve the docs I plan to file a formal complaint with the FTC against Verizon and they proxy collection agency and suggest others due the same. The FTC has the most authority to deal with these types of practices. 

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Prateek

---

[KH-OrnEsh1]

1. I will make a formal request for supporting documentation which as per FTC regulations they must provide within 5 days. 

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm

2. Once I recieve the docs I plan to file a formal complaint with the FTC against Verizon and they proxy collection agency and suggest others due the same. The FTC has the most authority to deal with these types of practices. 

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Prateek

[prat824]

Lee

Verizon keeps finding ways to dissapoint and frustrate us again and again and again. Your website is not able to take the complaint and this is the message I get after I click on the link you sent to contact billing specialist.

----------------------------------

We're sorry....
We are not able to process your request. To continue, please select
one of the following options:

• Return to the previous page.
• View the site map.
• Go to the home page.

------------------------------------

So in addition to filing a dispute with the collection agency and with FTC, I am posting my dispute on this forum - If you have some special powers to forward it to your billing specialist, please do so.

Description of Dispute.

1. I closed my account in July 2011 and payed my final bill of 25.73 using my debit card online as I had always payed before on time.

After 1 months I received a letter from Verizon stating that I still owed the above amount. 

2. I called Verizon about this but they couldn't verify that I had payed and requested proof through a dispute process. Verizon opened a dispute through their internal system with 

ticket ID: 10744610812201115708 and requested me to FAX the proofs of payment to the following number: 877-875-8857

3. These were the proofs I faxed them

    Proof 1: My bank statement that clearly shows a card payment made to Verizon for the amount $25.73 on 07/05/2011

    Proof 2: Verizon website showing the payment made successfully on my account bill page. 

    Proof 3: Verizon's email to me confirming the receipt of payment $25.73 on 6/30/2011. Payment confirmation number: 462823280

4. I faxed all of the above information to the provided fax number SIX times and called them after each successfully sent fax to confirm but they kept denying they they received the FAX. I have proof from the fax machine of successful faxe sent on 8/31/2011.

5. After calling them several times to resolve the issue, their representative asked me to close the matter once and for all by paying one more time. So I payed it he SECOND time.

6. Now in Feb 2012, I got a collection agency letter specifying a debt of the same amount $25.73 which I have payed twice. When I called the agency, the representative told me that this is a regular problem with verizon cancelled accounts and the easiest thing would be to pay the THIRD time and start a dispute so that credit report is not affected. So I did that and will send a dispute letter now. 

In addition, 

1. I will make a formal request for supporting documentation which as per FTC regulations they must provide within 5 days. 

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm

2. Once I recieve the docs I plan to file a formal complaint with the FTC against Verizon and they proxy collection agency and suggest others due the same. 

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

[KaLin]

prat824

Please reply to Lee's private message to you  through the Private Message feature and provide the information requested to resolve your issue.

Thank you,

[harshjadia]

I have a similar problem with Verizon.

I opened an account with Verizon in Jamaica, NY in September 2009. But the internet service could not be established and did not work. Even the tech support could not activate the internet connection, so I returned the equipment to the return address and contacted Verizon to disconnect the service. But Verizon failed to disconnect the service and kept on billing me for the next couple of months. I had already called a couple of times to Verizon to clear this matter but all in vain. Eventually it was forwarded to the collections agency for an outstanding amount of $212 for the services which I have never used! 

I tried contacting the collections agency and provided them with emails and letters explaining them my problem, but no action was taken. Till date my credit report is disrupted by this outstanding amount. Please help me with this following matter as I feel cheated to pay up for the services which were never utilized.

[minchas]

I have a similar situation, i opened an account w verizon for residential service, they never came down to install the line, i called numerous times, transferred to different dept.'s, and nothing happened- i didn't get  a line, this went on for 2 months, meanwhile I was being billed for service..I finally just cancelled my acct. Now I had to call them 10 times, and they had to research, that I never had service, and my charges were credited. I got a $0.00 bill. NOW, I got a bill from a collection agency for past due amount!! HELP!!