I had had an AFNI statement from 'AT&T Mobility' on my account for years. It wasn't legit (I've had AT&T as my provider for over a decade with the same number, and everything's still working) so I wasn't willing to pay it, but I'd been unable to remove it from the CA report (turns out I was talking to the wrong people about the wrong things, naturally).
I sent a PFD offer to AFNI (rather than calling AT&T reps as I had been) in which I stated my reasons for believing that the debt was invalid but nonetheless offered to full pay the amount (only $80 - they'd offered a $40 'settlement') if they'd agree to remove the charge. They responded by agreeing to remove the charge completely, apparently without requiring payment.
I checked my report today, and sure enough - its removed, and my score jumped from ~680 to a 764. Thanks, myFico forum!
Next steps - I have a 30 day late that occurred when an old auto loan was paid off on a trade-in. Not sure if I should GW it or not - I'd kinda like to keep the tradeline (the rest of it has no issues) but I'm not sure which would be better - losing the 30 day (from March of '07) or keeping the otherwise spotless aged account. Any thoughts?
