And, just like that, it hit my EX this morning, dropping my score crazy bad 
No warning, no nothing. I think I might have disputed this with another CRA, so this is crazy, I'll start a dispute again immediately, and go from there ((((
Just for the record: I'd never leave a collection account on CR, I was asking more about the disputed and removed account hitting the CR a second time through another collection agency and legitimacy of it.
Metis this really sounds like a deliberate ploy by the collection agencies to push you into a payment! SMELLS bad. Seems as though a formal complaint to the FCRA is in order! Really stinks!!! These games should come with a penalty to the collection agencies that goes beyond correcting an "honest" error (ya right). 
Who you need to contact is the FCC to make the cable company jump. 4 years fighting with Cox and I mention the FCC once and the issue is resolved in 15 minutes on the next visit.
Please keep us updated when you get some answers! This is extremely intriguing and might be helpful for other people later down the line.
