I didn’t get a copy of my last bill from Verizon Wireless for my phone after I canceled my account. They claim they sent it out. They added a $5 late fee and sent it to a collection agency who then added $10 to the total. Do I have to pay these extra fees since I didn’t get a copy of the bill? The collection agency says that I don’t have to receive a copy of a bill and they will not waive any fees. Verizon says there is nothing they can do no that it is at collection. What can I do about this? What laws apply in this situation? This applies to Illinois.
They seem to have an answer for every obscure credit scenario you can imagine. They have a particular dislike for collection agencies (don’t we all) and someone there is likely to know all the rules and what’s legal, etc.
Dispute it. Send a letter ot verizon, and the Collection agency. That link, and several other, not to mention books, ect will have some nice boiler plate language to use.
If they report it to a credit reporter, such as Experian, then also dispute it.
From what you said, and IANAL, it does sound like that you are not liable.
Is there any basis for the for the collection agency claiming you owe them the additional $10? Anything in your contract with Verizon, for example? I suspect not, but it seems odd that they would be able to add this to bills they are trying to collect and not get nailed to the wall by the State Attorney General. IANAL.