Hopefully I am posting this in the correct forum. I apologize if it is not. I will try to give as much info as I can.
End of July this year we switched from Verizon to another provider who was offering huge switcher credits. Verizon is spotty where we moved to and I have complained several times about dropped calls, etc so we finally decided to switch. We ported over all of our lines except for the ipad, which was not included in the switch credits. I called Verizon to ask them to completely close out our account a few days later so I could make sure everything had been ported over. Verizon told me I could not close out the account because the iPad still had payments left. They said they could put us on the lowest iPad plan, though, so we could have time to pay off the iPad then close it out. I told them I needed a final bill showing anything owed on any of the accounts. I was sent a bill the next month with another month's charges tacked on including all 5 lines that were ported over. I called in and they said it takes a month to port the lines. I don't know if that is true, or not, but that is what I was told. That was sometime in September. I was able to use that bill to apply for the switcher credits from the new carrier, though because it showed the 5 lines had been ported over.
While waiting for my switcher credits to come in, I received a letter in October stating if we did not pay the bill it would be sent to collections after 90 days. The other day I had an alert on myfico that Verizon had reported a trade account (not a collection) that was a failed to pay as of November 1, 2016. I called Verizon to ask what. the. heck. because last I knew they hadn't even closed out the account and I had been sent a letter in October saying to pay it within 90 days. This bill is over $3000 at this point by the way. While speaking to someone on the phone in the collections department they said if I would pay $2000 and some change that they would settle for that amount. That was probably still well over what we actually owed but for the sake of my credit score (all 3 scores took a 40+ point hit for that account) I agreed to pay if if they would pay for delete. Of course they refused, but I decided it was more worth having a 0 balance than fighting with them since we are in the process of trying to qualify for a mortgage in the next few months. I paid the settlement amount and the supervisor in the collections department I was working with was actually a very nice fellow who offered to send me a letter same day saying it was resolved. He faxed me a "Resolved" letter a couple of hours after I paid it.
I uploaded the letter to Experian (mortgage bank we are using will only pull exp 08 so I was concentrating on that first) and asked them to delete (figured it couldn't hurt). I spoke to an Experian rep today who told me Verizon actually verified the account as unpaid as of today even though it has been paid for several days. Here is my question (finally!). Is any of this illegal? I called into Verizon tonight and the rep I spoke to said he sees my payment and could see what day the payment was made. He also told me the account was never actually closed. They were still billing me in October even after sending me the letter saying it would go to collection after 90 days if not paid. Verizon reported the account "Failed to pay," "other account" as if it was a credit card, or an installment loan, not as a collection account. That particular rep was very nice but had to transfer me to their recovery department for further information because he wasn't able to make any changes to the account as far as the credit bureaus.
After being transferred to their recovery department, the person I spoke to said he would update it to paid with 0 balance. I told him at this point I want it deleted because Verizon reported false information back to the credit bureau. I told him if he wants to go ahead and delete the account from my credit report I will not pursue it with an attorney. He said "That is your right, but our policy is not to delete." I asked him if it was their policy to report false information too, but he didn't respond and at that point the question was just rhetorical snark 
Before I spend more money I don't have before Christmas to speak to an attorney, does any of that give me a leg to stand on as far as court? Either way I plan to report to BBB then to CFPB if I don't get anywhere with the BBB complaint for their false reporting, but I hoped someone on this forum would have some insight.
Thanks so much.
