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Charge Off from Verizon Wireless.

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Anonymous
Not applicable

Charge Off from Verizon Wireless.

Hey Everyone! Second time poster here!! A little background here: I had my single Verizon Cell phone line opened when i was 18 in 2008. In Summer-2009 I joined as an added line on to my families plan. I paid whatever balance i owed to Verizon for the last bill. Now a collection is on my CR from Midland Funding saying i owe 443 to them. The original due date for that balance was in January of 2010. They recieved the collection in January of 2013 when it started reporting on my CR's. Now it is told to me from Verizon that i never returned a phone that i was supposed to. Now, no i didnt retain tracking info from 2009 for many years. But i dont know if verizon mishandled the returned package and never gave me credit for it. And of course they think that i never sent them back the package and they wanted to bill me for it. So i guess because Verizon is the big company they get to pull this nonsense on me. SO basically what can i do? Will it fall off my CR 7 years from Jan/10? Or will it fall off 7 years from Jan/13? If theres nothing that i can actually do and have to be stcuk with the debt, should i just wait my 7 years? or opt for a pay for delete? Or can i fight the fact i never owed this debt to begin with. I requested validation from the CA but all im sure is gonna be sent to me is a Verizon Bill listing a charge for a "device". Now really solid evidence if you ask me... Any thoughts or ideas anyone?

Message 1 of 4
3 REPLIES 3
RobertEG
Legendary Contributor

Re: Charge Off from Verizon Wireless.

First, I assume from the post that Verizon has not reported a charge-off, so that is not a factor.

I assume that only the debt collector is reporting.

 

A collection becomes excluded from your credit report no later than 7 years plus 180 days from the DOFD on the OC account.

If the OC sent a bill with a due date of 01/2010, that would be your date of first delinquency, and the collection would become excluded no later than 07/2017.

The CRAs normally exclude a bit earlier, at 7 years from DOFD, so the collection would most likely become excluded after 01/2017.

The date that the debt collector obtained collection authority or reported to the CRA is not relevant to exclusion of their reported collection.  It is based only on the DOFD on the OC account.

 

Exclusion of the collection from your credit report will remove it from scoring, and shield the ability of others to become aware of the unpaid debt by simply pulling your credit report and seeing an unpaid colleciton.  Some consumers will consider that as sufficient basis not to pay the the debt, while others will pay, usually able to settle for a low percentage of the debt, in order o clear their history of any unpaid, deliqnuent debt.  Your choice.

As an example of why one might still pay, some mortgage lendors will require disclosure of any unpaid, delinquent debt as part of their application process, and require its payment as a condition for any loan approval, so they could still become aware of it even after credit report exclusion.

 

If they have valid\ted the debt (which does not require that htey prove its validity) and you wish to puruse showing that it is, in fact, invalid, you would bring your own civil action and prove the invalidity in court.  If you obtain a court finding of invalidity, then of course it removes any future issie of having to disclose it as an unpaid debtt.

 

A final option that both immediately removes the collectin from scoring and gets the debt satisfied is to offer a PFD without challenging the debt.

It might be worth it, if they agree to  PFD, to pay your way out of the problem.

Message 2 of 4
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Charge Off from Verizon Wireless.

Thank you for such a detailed response. I didnt know mortgage applications could hold you against any debts not on your credit report considering i wouldnt think there would be a way to verify them. Only reason i think that is lets say you were a a victim of fraud, never checked your credit, and a deliquency could have come and gone in time and you would have never noticed. A bit extreme case though. ha

 

I think i will see if i can negotiate a PFD after i recieve paperwork if Verizon isnt going to budge. 2017 seems a century away for such a small debt. But I will inquire when the original DOFD was, bc i cant imagine it taking 6 months (summer '09 to Jan/2010) for a bill to become first due. 

Message 3 of 4
RobertEG
Legendary Contributor

Re: Charge Off from Verizon Wireless.

If they request disclosure, you could of course choose to be a bit less than honest.

Perhaps they will never beome aware. 

Your choice,, your peril.

Message 4 of 4
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