FlyingNun, my mother was the one that went, and got cell phones for her, and my dad, so the plan was in her name. When she died, my dad contacted them. Yes, they would need a certified copy of the death certificate, payment in full, etc. Dad fulfilled their requirements, put the old phones in a drawer, and that was that. I had recently switched to T-mobile, since they were cheaper, and I'd had good service with them, so he went through T-mobile for a new account in his name.
About 5 years later, Verizon contacted my dad, wanting to talk to my mother about her unpaid balance. ????? My dad explained she had died, he sent all the required paperwork, and the account had been closed. Nope. According to their records, the account was still active, and she owed for 5 years of service, was he going to pay it? No, he had no intention of paying it. Well, since they had been patient, and waited 5 years to collect, they were going to turn those phones off, and they were going to sue her. Good luck with that.
A lawyer finally contacted my dad. My dad explained to him what was going on. The lawyer checked, and sure enough, my dad didn't owe anything. He discussed it with his contact(s) at Verizon. Everything was fine for about 2 months, then a threatening letter arrived. Verizon was going to sue him. It was the same lawyer he had spoken with before, so he called. The lawyer was already on the ball, and had contacted Verizon. Disregard it. Rinse repeat a few months later. This time the lawyer contacted my dad, and told him to disregard it all. It took the lawyer a few months, but he finally was able to get to the right person, that had the authorization to override the computer, and fix the problem.
T-mobile did something similar with me. I had used them for many years, but when Verizon would no longer honor the reciprocity agreement for roaming charges, I was forced to use another carrier when I'd go to KY. Dh and I were not married yet, but he offered to put me on his plan with AT&T. I had the same phone number forever, so I had to pay off the balance (pro rated) to get them to allow me to take my phone number with me. I paid it, and kept my number when I switched. 3 years later, T-mobile contacted me with this whopping bill, claiming I had not cancelled my service, or paid them. It took a bit, but I got that cleared up.
Yes, I can easily believe the problems you're having with Verizon over an old bill, that you don't even owe.
Have a wonderful day
all
Good morning Mo, have a great day
