First I will start by saying I am aware that I had an account with Sprint many years ago. With in a month of having my phone it came up missing. So I called Sprint telling them I had lost it and that I had a warranty on it. They never sent me the replacement phone and they wouldn't give me one in the store where I purchased the original. Yet they kept charging me (yes I know there was a contract).
Needless to say I stopped paying...and this is what I have.
Total confusion.
It appears, at least to me that this company AFNI, is trying to pull a fast one.
Look at the entries from TransUnion.
There are 2 different listings...one from AFNI and one from AFNI, Inc.
But one would assume that these are the same company.
On these 2 entries the name is similar, the amount is the same, and the addresses are all in Bloomington, Il. Then they have different account numbers and different opening dates.
I was under the impression that this sort of thing was illegal.
Plus today my mom tells me that something from this company just came in the mail giving me the "opportunity" to pay half of the debt.
Someone please take a look below and give me some advice...
Thanks so much.
These 2 things are on my TransUnion report.
Item #1 (numbered to help distinguish)
AFNI
Potentially Negative
800-371-3645
Mailing Address:
PO BOX 3097
BLOOMINGTON, IL 61702
Account # 100611XXXX
Account Type Collection Account
Balance $281.00
Date Opened 4/2/2003
Account Status Open
This appears to be the same thing but there are differences.
Item #2
AFNI, INC.
Potentially Negative
888-216-2408
Mailing Address:
PO BOX 3427
BLOOMINGTON, IL 61702
Account # 200689XXXX
Account Type Collection Account
Balance $281.00
Date Opened 1/5/2004
Account Status Open
The above entry (#2) is also listed on my Experian Report.
Then there is Equifax:
AFNI, INC.
Unknown (instead of saying potentially neg this one says unknown)
888-216-2408
Mailing Address:
404 BROCK DR
PO BOX 3097
BLOOMINGTON, IL 61701
Account # SPRINT PC-200689XXXX
Account Type Open Account
Balance $281.00
Date Opened 1/1/0001
Past Due $281.00
Payment Status At least 120 days or more than four payments past due
High Balance $281.00
Comments COLLECTION ACCOUNT
Do you have original receipts from the phone? Anything to say that you paid if off? Dig up everything you can so you have a leg to stand on in getting this notation removed. If you are in the right then it should be removed, don't expect anything overnight though.
No I never paid it because they never gave me a new phone. The original account with Sprint is like 7 or 8 years old.
What I am asking is if it is legal for them to put the same issue on my credit report (TransUnion) 2 times under different dates and different account numbers? They are trying to make it look as if this single debt is really 2 separate issues.
I read your post and I am wondering what state you are from. After 7 or 8 years the statute of limitations had either passed or is close to passing. You say you never made any payments on this debt so I would check the Sol in your state (or we can give it to you here). If the debt is that old then it also should have fallen off your credit report by now. Is the original lender listed on your report anywhere? I would dispute these items as obsolete. Do not forget to check the SOL in your state befoer paying this debt.
I'm from Ohio. I am pretty sure the SOL is 7 years.
The only place Sprint is shown on any of my credit reports is Equifax. You can see that it says it is unknown, instead of say potentially negative. And under Equifax it shows 1/1/0001 for the opening date.
I am guessing the reason it has not come off is because AFNI did not report it to TransUnion till 2003 and again in 2004.
I definitely am not paying this because I know something doesn't seem right.
I don't know if I should just dispute the 2 entries with TransUnion first or what.
This is what I found for my state. Does this mean then that after 6 years this "debt" would no longer be able to be collected on? Or does it mean that after 6 years it should be removed from my credit report?
Ohio Statutes of Limitation
Written or oral account: 6 years, (O.R.C. §2305.07).
Written contract: 15 years, (O.R.C. §2305.06).
Oral contract: 6 years (O.R.C. §2305.07).
Note payable at a definite time: 6 years, (O.R.C. § 1303 .16(A)); (2)).
Demand note: 6 years after the date on which demand is made or 10 years if no demand is made and neither principal nor interest has been paid over that time (O.R.C. §1303.16(B)).
Dishonored check or draft: 3 years after dishonor, (O.R.C. §1303.16 (C)).
Hi Jes
SOL for written contract and promissory notes in Ohio is 15 years and for oral agreement it is 6 years. This means that if there is a verbal agreement (sometimes agreement over phone) with a creditor, your SOL is six years, but if you have taken a loan after signing the terms and conditions on paper, it is considered a written contract and the SOL for such types of debt is 15 years.