Cell Phone Charge Offs

[Anonymous]

Hello!

I was a joint account holder on a Verizon Wireless line with my mom and a T-Mobile account with my older sister (at two different times). I left each account before they respectively charged off, but both are showing on my credit. I have disputed, but I can't get them off my credit! Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Jutz]

Cell phone companies don't do "Joint Accounts".  If you used your SSN, which in this case looks likely, then it is your account.  Other users can be made "Authorized" but that is only Authorized in the sense that they can make changes.  They have no responsibility financially.  This means they are valid accounts in your name.  You'll need to figure out who owns the debt, if anyone, and find a way to have them removed, probably with PFD being the best option.

[Anonymous]

I was an authorized user on these accounts. When I was 16, I was on the t-mobile account with my sister. On a family plan. I left the line like two years before she charged off. With verizon, I was on my mom's account, and moved over to my own line. Her charge off is showing on my credit as well, even though I currently use verizon.

[Jutz]

Financial responsiblity only falls to one person, whomever used their SSN at any given point.  You can transfer that liability to another person, but it still only falls to one person at a time.  Sometimes when switching to another name, a final partial bill will remain unpaid.  You'll want to research with the companies first to find out if there was an account under your name.  They can search directly with your SSN to see if one exists.  Of all the topics to come up on this board that I have shallow knowledge of, this is not one of them, I've worked with cell companies for nearly a decade.

[Shogun]

If you were 16 at the time the account was opened, you should only be an AU on that account.  I would contact the companies and find out the primary holder of the account.