I happen to work for Verizon and what you mentioned just sounds fishy. We have no such affiliate. Besides, if you owe Verizon any money, Verizon doesn't send some clown to your house to force you to pay the bill. After a series of reminders and a final warning, we just cut the service off after a number of days.

Sounds like a scam to me!

Verizon doesn't merely cut the phone off and let a debt just sit out there. Verizon, like all telecom companies, utilize 3rd party collection agencies to assist them in collecting unpaid debt. AFNI is a 3rd party collection agency.

I got a letter from Afni as well, and when I talked to them on the phone they said the bill did not originate from Verizon but from GTE, that was bought up by then, all in all a debt that is almost 8 years old and I never would have a phone bill of over 900 dollaroos, someone must be crazy out there, and until I see an itemized bill of all phone numbers and charges, why should I pay? I'ts not even on my credit report

I just got a letter myself from Afni about an old telephone account. This was from 1997, back in the day when Verizon was Bell Atlantic. The account was one that someone unknown to me opened up in my name and that Bell Atlantic and I had straightened out in 1998. I am very glad I saved the letter from Bell Atlantic absolving me of the debt, but now Verizon's getting a nasty letter from me for selling my "unresolved debt" to Afni.

My sister just got a letter from AFNI stating she owed a large amount of money from a Verizon bill that exsisted over 13 years ago. She paid off this bill 13 years ago to get her phone service restored (which she has no proof of after 13 years and neither did Verizon when she called them)and has phone service with Verizon since then with no problems. AFNI insisted that she owed this money when she called them and they were pressuring her for her checking account info or they would ruin her credit rating. Scared that this would give her bad credit she agreed to pay and gave them her information. Hours later she found that this company is a fraud. She had to call her bank to put a freeze on her accounts and had to close them out. How are they getting away with this??

This is crazy! How come this hasn't been on the news??

Do a search on www.ripoffreport.com and you'll see that you are not alone by any means. If this many people are reporting AFNI/Verizon abuse, imagine the hundreds or thousands more that are out there. It's not uncommon for large service providers such as Verizon and Sprint (many of whom are made up of many smaller merged companies who each had its own billing system) to send thousands of alleged delinquent accounts to "beggar" collection agencies such as AFNI. Many of these accounts have been long forgotten, or simply lost during the mergers and have recently been found, placed into portfolios, and shipped off to AFNI to squeeze as much as they can. Most likely they purchased the accounts from the original creditors and will try to make as much money as they can at your expense. Unfortunately, too many people are bullied into paying up for fear that their credit ratings will be damaged. Many of these accounts are so old that Alexander Graham Bell himself might have been a debtor. Yes, the FDCPA requires that all collections agencies sufficiently validate the debt. In addition, check your state's Statute of Limitations when it comes to old debt, as many states do not allow collection of debt past a certain number of years. Open disputes with AFNI and the credit reporting bureaus, and if they don't budge, contact consumer rights agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission, State Bar Association, American Creditors Association, the Better Business Bureau, etc. If you're being held accountable for thousands of dollars, your best bet would be to consult with a lawyer specializing in consumer affairs.

I used to work for AFNI. They are an upsourcing company. They do customer service anad collections for all types of companies. When I was there I did customer service for Verizon Prepaid. They do collections as well, like that other guy said, they are a 3rd party. Verizon spends their time on the Phone Service and marketing not on collecting debt or providing customer service, thats not their specialty. So AFNI collects and provides for them. Im not saying that you should or shouldnt pay the bill but if you did have service with Verizon Wireless then I suggest that you obtain a copy of your last bill if you still have your account number they should be able to pull it up with that. Then go from there.

I received the same letter from AFNI claiming I owed for a Verizon landline opened up several years ago, with an unreconizable number and an address I have never lived at. I suggest you fight it immediately! They actually reported my debt and ruined my credit! I am still looking for a way to erase it, attempts at calling AFNI and writing letters have been a waste of time. Evidently they have found a loophole in the system, with the excuse "if its your social security number connected to the account, then its yours. prove it otherwise." Thats right, they have your social security number and I have no idea how they got it. It would be nearly impossible to prove that we have never opened up an account. I am still trying to find a way, lawyers are available but lawyer fees might exceed AFNI's false debt! they push their mentality of "it would just be easier to pay". Hell no, I will continue to fight this and I would rather have bad credit then give my money to a scamming corporation. It's a shock how AFNI has stayed under the radar for so long, and is even in good standing with the BBB! good luck to all of you who have been scammed and please repost if you find a way to erase this false claim

I work for afni but not the collections portion. Afni has mulitiple departments and departments in verizon, that verizon hires and other clients. But we are just going to talk briefly about verizon and afni. I have worked for Afni doing Verizon Wireless, Soo if you have questions reguarding the bill or if you have cell phone problems and you call in, you might just be talking to a Afni Employee not actual verizon agent. The reason why Verizon hires 3rd party is beacuse its CHEAPER! A starting agent for a Verizon Rep is $16.00 a hr. A starting Agent working for Afni that is thru Verizon is 9.00. Another Department that everyone should know is that I have worked in is the "WELCOME Center" or aka "Credit Verification Center", GUESS what! that is Afni. Unfortunately after 13 yrs of perfect quality and performance, Verizon is pulling the plug, but not beacuse Afni is bad or anything. Verizon is saving money. So somewhere in December of 2009 about 200 employees are going to be unemployed."Merry Xmas you have no job" You may be thinking what are they going to do for a credit check, well from what I hear its all going to be Automated.. And everyone loves the Automated System CAUGH! and do be honest I HATE it. Hmm As for the Collections Department, let me just clear this all up a bit. Ok lets say a Person starts up verizon svcs and for whatever reason they can't pay there bill and bills rack up then svcs get turned off then bills go unpaid then they go to the verizon collections and yes verizon has its own collections dpt then if Verizon is unsuccesfull with collecting money. Then collections companys such as Afni purchase you accounts for like 2cents for like a thousand accounts. And keep in mind that your "may" owe $500.00.. Soo collection companys send mail out to try to collect dept but I will not tell you how they get that information, but I can assure you its completely legel, I believe the FBI uses the same system to track you history log such as where you have moved and purchased in the last 10 years, caugh anyways. and yes there are sometimes collection companys make mistakes and they send out to the wrong bill to the wrong "James Smith" or whatever it happens its life we are only human and we are all in this world together trying to survive. But the collections company will settle for a certain amt, such as 200.00 out of the $500.00 well lets say the collection company gets the $200.00 well %10 of that will go to Verizon and the rest will go to the collection company. Make Sense? B.c sometimes is does get confussing. And yes some bills are over 10 years old, and I really dont know why collection companys sends out to be honest but they do and we try to collect. But Seriously, if you have a Bill be responsable and pay the bill. If you know you are unstable with money then dont start the svcs and then you wont end up in the gutter. Its common sense. Afni is a certified collections company that has been doing business for over 75 years and its just not Afni that does this there are Hundreds of collection companys that do the samething. -- For the record I really want to make a complaint. When someone calls in and I get them on the phone, I have to FOLLOW CPNI guildlines. Its the law "telecommunication act of 1996" A agent is Suppose to Ask for Account #, and Do I have premission to access your account?. And its not always the Act #, differnt departments have there own things they go by so be prepaid have all your account information handy. I HATE it when a cust complains that they have to do this. Its like ok, lets say the name on the account is Sara Collins and a Man calls in and clams to be Sara Collins and this man is wanting all the information on the act. Would you be okay with that if we did allow to give all the information to him??? People complain all the time when they get transferd from one place to another and they have to verify they information over agin.. DONT BALIM US, ITS THE LAW.. and if you are going to complain then WHY GET THE SERVICE!!! and its just not Verizon or Afni that has to follow this its every company in the world. So its for your own good that we do this and you should be thanking us that we are not giving away your information to anyone. Sometimes I wish I have a recording of people just letting me have it over the phone and then I can just send them the copy and they can hear how rude they are on the phone . Its like wow, just wow. Really people.. WE ARE CUST SVC AGENTS we DO NOT have a EASY BUTTON that just makes things all happier or its not like we have a magic wand that I swish and its all better.. WE HAVE TO FOLLOW POLICY not Exceptions. But thats kinds harsh but there are exceptions given if its a verizon error or afni error or if its any companys error.. If its like someone that hasent paid there bill for 3mths and there svcs have been cut off and the cust is just IRATE and demanding to the svcs to be turned back on or there going to go to Channel 5 news or there going to go to the Attorney General or Sue. Its like go ahead, lets see how far you get. And another thing is PEOPLE complain all the time that they have to be transferd from one area to another. And yes there are times people get the run around, and why? To be completly honest I think its beacuse the agents dont want to handle your issue or they dont know what there doing. So when is doubt transfer the call. BUT: if thats not the case and you are getting all to the right departments. Then you are fine.. NOT ONE single human can understand everything that verizon offers to Landline to Wirelss to Tech Spt to Policy to Promos to billing etc.. Thats why verizon is branched out and has so many departments. Does that make a little more sense. If you think you can do better at doing all those things, the I would like to see you try. But anyways.. Thats is pretty much a small protion of Afni and Verizon.