Okay, slow down, take a breath and review what you have. Verizon (the telecommunications company) seems to be your problem (unless there is a Verizon Hospital in Phoenix). Now you state that this is a collection account. That means the collection agency must send you data on the telecommunication account not the hospital account (that is another issue). In order for you to get your ducks in a row, you must first send a Validation Demand Letter to the collection agency. This is different from a dispute in that the CA must provide all the data on the original account. If they send you data on the hospital (and you can prove you have never been there etc.) then case closed. According to 15 USC 1692g Sec.809(b) “…the debt collector shall cease collection of the debt, or any disputed portion thereof, until…a copy of such verification or judgment, or name and address of the original creditor, is mailed to the consumer by the debt collector.” You will notice that the law uses the word "Verification" but it actually means that they have to send you the copy of that Verification - the PROOF, which is the Validation, of the alleged debt. According to Sec.809(a) you must do this along with your dispute. That puts all things on hold.
At this point they must link the telecommunication company with the hospital. Remember, Validation is NOT Verification. CAs try to correlate the two terms for their convenience. You will see a letter something like: "We contacted the original creditor and they verified that the name, address, account number and amount we are reporting is correct.” This is not acceptable. Validation is the production of PROOF! Physical, paper, PROOF (or a recorded conversation)! Validation is producing a contract between you and them. You should want to see both sides of it, front and back, to prove there were no alterations rendering it void, after you signed it as well. Furthermore, 3rd party collectors should also prove that they have the right to collect on the alleged debt.
Remember there is no time limit for a CA to validate the account; however, they cannot report or collect until they do so. If it is validated, then the clock starts 30-days after they validate.
Validation is Not Correlation
Each and every debt is autonomous. Think of it like this. You pay your airline bill with your airline credit card. You default on your CC even though it went through when you paid your airline bill. Assuming the airline CC is self-funded (no third party institution) the airline cannot collect on your bill but only the CC sub-corporation. Even if there is a third party, the airline cannot collect once they accepted payment and provided service (but this gets a bit tricky).
So start by validating your account (along with a repeat of your dispute request). Do it in writing for you will most likely need the documentation later. Send everything certified with a return receipt addressed to a person if you have one (do a little research). There are copies of how to do it on the forum as well as on the net. If this is a valid debt, don’t do it; it will hurt you in the long haul. If it is not, you must make them follow the law. You have legal options that you can do yourself once you have the proper paperwork – but that is for another time. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
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