Complaint Review: Afni Collections - Verizon - Bloomington Illinois

I talked with attorney general office and filed a complaint and told not to contact afni that the prob will be taken care of and a copy of sons credit report was printed off and credit bureaus contacted as well so hoping this will end the letters from afni. Being the account is over 10 yrs old and nothing was done the letter shouldn't have been sent to begin with and it was laughed at that afni would even think they could hold a 9 yr old child at the time the account was even opened accountable. thank you all for the info u have left for me.

I talked with attorney general office and filed a complaint and told not to contact afni that the prob will be taken care of and a copy of sons credit report was printed off and credit bureaus contacted as well so hoping this will end the letters from afni. Being the account is over 10 yrs old and nothing was done the letter shouldn't have been sent to begin with and it was laughed at that afni would even think they could hold a 9 yr old child at the time the account was even opened accountable. thank you all for the info u have left for me.

I talked with attorney general office and filed a complaint and told not to contact afni that the prob will be taken care of and a copy of sons credit report was printed off and credit bureaus contacted as well so hoping this will end the letters from afni. Being the account is over 10 yrs old and nothing was done the letter shouldn't have been sent to begin with and it was laughed at that afni would even think they could hold a 9 yr old child at the time the account was even opened accountable. thank you all for the info u have left for me.

Jody, The Verizon rep was incorrect. A phone call/contact in itself CANNOT re-affirm the debt, or restart the 7 year reporting period. NOTHING can restart the ORIGINAL negative 7 year reporting period to the credit bureau. ONLY signing a NEW contract/re-affirmation can start a new report, as a new account. Re aging the original one is illegal. The ONLY thing that can reset the SOL on the legal collection of the debt is making a payment or agreeing to pay. "G", The 'refusal to pay" thing has absolutely no significance at all. It in no way affects your rights. It is an internal thing with collection agencies so they can use the imlied threat of "legal" action. It is all BS. And, if the debt is not yours why wouldn't you refuse to pay? I wouldn't even discuss it with them except to tell them to file the lawsuit today, or I will. Done. And, that sample letter is not in line with the provisions of the FDCPA, such as the 15 day required response. They would laugh at that letter. And, AFNI NEVER provides validation. They ignore all validation requests.

"To Whom It May Concern: This letter is being sent to you in response to your recent communication. Be advised that this is not a refusal to pay, but a notice sent pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 USC 1692g Sec. 809 that your claim is disputed and validation is requested. This is NOT a request for verification or proof of my mailing address, but a request for VALIDATION made pursuant to the above named Title and Section. I respectfully request that your offices provide me with competent evidence that I have any legal obligation to pay you within 15 calendar days of receipt of this letter. Additionally, I am requesting the following: Copies of the agreement with your client that grants you the authority to collect on this alleged debt, or proof of acquisition by purchase or assignment. Agreement that bears the signature of the alleged debtor wherein he or she agreed to pay the creditor. Proof of alleged account raised with Verizon Communications, Inc including date opened, type of service, all names on alleged account, complete and detailed written verification how alleged debt was incurred. Please also be advised that this letter is not only a formal dispute, but a request that you cease and desist any and all collection activities. I am also requesting that you only contact me via written mail only." I have gone through this several times. DO NOT CALL THEM! They can not "restart" a debt if you talk to them on the phone - however they will become nasty and aggressively chase the debt - as calling them is akin to granting them permission to call you. Send this to them via certified registered mail. Also send a copy to the BBB that's in charge of IL and the business fraud department of your state bureau (you'll find it on the FBI page).

Makes me wonder if Boyajian "Law" Offices dumped a bunch of their ficticious paper on AFNI? If you recall, Boyajian was trying to collect on supposed Verizon debts from the early to late 90's...never mind Verizon didn't exist until 2000. Seeing similar complaints about AFNI on the same paper is like deja vu.

After contacting afni and getting no where on this i contacted verizon and spoke to a very nice gentleman who was able to give me information as to what to do here is what he said ..... DO NOT contact afni because they can use that as a point of contact and restart the account for another 7 yrs but to call the credit bureau at (877) 325-5156 and dispute it thru them and they will contact afni to get the collections dropped when they find out that it is not a valid collection.

Jodie, AFNI are genuine scumbags. Speaking to them will do nothing for you. NEVER speak to ANY collector on the phone. There are only 2 ways to handle this and one of them is a lawsuit. You need to send a DEBT VALIDATION request. In this letter clearly dispute the debt and demand to see the signed contract that created it as well as a full account history and itemization of charges. Also demand proof that they own the debt including the purchase contract, chain of title, and proof of payment as well as proof that they are licensed to do debt collections in your state. DO NOT sign the letter, just print. Send this letter by certified mail, return reciept requested. be sure to put the certified# on the letter itself, as this proves exactly what you sent. Send the dispute by each affected credit bureau by the means above and exercise your right under the FCRA to get copies of all communications involved in the verification process. You also have a right to sue for damages caused by the frivolous collections and credit reporting.