Greetings All-
I have been reading here for quite some time as I have pretty much finished cleaning up my credit and have spent YEARS rebuilding and paying the price for poor choices in terms of my divorce and cosigning for parents - never again will I cosign....especially for my parents 
Wish I found this site years ago as it would have really helped me.
So here is my dilemma and I need your input on suggestions on how to proceed.
I had a cell phone with Sprint years back while living in the US. I moved to Germany (spouse is military) and cancelled the contract. I faxed them the military orders and they told me account was zero balance. This was 2009. Well when we were moving back to the states Fall 2011 I pulled my credit as we needed to buy a car upon arrival and I found a collection account with Source Receivable Management. I called them to inquire and they of course wanted the $$$ blah blah and I did my due diligence to obtain the original creditor....who they assured me would have no contact with me and I would be begging them to settle on the account. Well, I did speak with Sprint and I found out there was an outstanding last bill balance that didn't reflect at the time of the original cancellation phone call. They had been sending invoices but none had reached me plus a weird address showed on my credit report as well (think my parents may have been attempting to use my credit or my ex forwarded the mail to what he thought was my parents address) well either way it was paid in full through Sprint and they told me that the collection agency should be removed from my account since they accepted payment.
Well now both TU and EXP have deleted the account and it was removed from EQU as well until today. It has reappeared after I disputed it and the bureau said the CA reopened it again even though it is reflecting paid in full. So now I have another dispute open for this thing. EQU was confused as to why they readded it as well since it was removed under the dispute and there is nothing different reflecting. It has been marked paid since I took care of Sprint.
I also received a letter in the mail from Source Receivable Management this past week (obviously after getting the dispute) and this is what it said:
"We are in receipt of your final payment of $$$ posted to your account 9/21/11 thereby paying the above referenced account in full. We have notified our client that your account has been satisfied."
There is a bunch of New Mexico legal jargon on the bottom.
Why are they acting like they received payment when they never did? Also why are they coming out now?
So I ask you if there is any suggestions on how to get this off my EQU report. So far the other 2 bureaus are fine.
Many Thanks!!
I don't have the solution for you...just suggestions/insight.
If the CA claims they received payment from you, then they have a legal right to report it on your credit report.
(This is not the best idea - but...) I'd be inclined to send them a letter asking for proof of YOUR payment to THEM. If they are unable to provide that proof, then they must delete. And that you expect a written response, with or without proof of payment made to them, within 30 days. Send it CMRR.
I am in the process of writing a letter to the top people at a CA for their unethical behavior. They never owned the debt yet reported it more than a year after it was paid off to the OC. They refuse to remove it but did update it (during a dispute) to paid. The CA claims that they have every right to report it since the hospital bill was not paid in full within 10 days of being released from the hospital. With medical insurance, there is no way to accomplish that anyways... IMO, they never had the debt, they never received the payment, they never contacted me, therefore they have no right to report it.
Let us know what you do... 
PS - I have Verizon adn I have to pay one month in advance. They always have a month of reserves on hand. The first bill ever received was for 2 months of service. Are you sure you would have had a balance? If I cancelled right now, there's no way I'd owe money. I'd be owed a refund! I know that my previous cell phone provider tried to pull a stunt and say I owed them, but I argued I had been billed for 2 months at the start and was always paying one month in advance. They finally "remembered" that fact and sent a refund check.