<prompt> Human: So until around October of last year, I was using Verizon. When my contract ended I made the switch to Virgin Mobile and cut things off with Verizon. I made several calls the month after I ended it to make sure everything was squared away, and each time I was assured that my account balance was zero.Fast forward to today, when to my pleasant surprise I get a phone call from a collections agency telling me I owe Verizon money. They tell me I never paid a final charge of something like 122 and when I tell them there must be some sort of mistake, they go on to inform me that the final charges usually hit the account 30-45 days after termination. I hadnt gotten any phone calls, mail, anything from Verizon even hinting about this so Im obviously a little pissed off right now.So lets cut to the chase. Whats the smartest way to go about this and get it done with? I already know my credit is fucked for the next few years at least, I just want to know what my next step should be.Assistant: Get on the phone with Verizon and talk to them to find out if its legit - if it is, pay it and ask them to remove the item from your credit report.They sent a bill to a previous address of mine one I had not lived at for some years and it was sent to collections after a year. The only notification I received was the phone call from the collections agency. Once I got them Verizon on the phone it was easy to pay and I received written confirmation from them that the debt had been paid and Verizon had requested removal of the item from all three credit agencies. TL:DR - credit isnt fucked, negotiate pay for removal with Verizon.Human: So I just got off the phone with Verizon and although it seems the charge is legit, they cant seem to make up their mind on whether I owe them 104 or 122. The woman on the phone kept mentioning something about a 100 credit applied to my account some time ago. Regardless, when I asked about getting it removed from my credit report, she was adamant in that it could not be done. Is there a way around this? I dont want to have a stain on my credit report for the next seven years because Verizon took the lazy route.  <response>: Elevate your request. Since there is confusion on their end, switch to writing in via the customer service e-mail line or live chat.Be clear and firm that this is their error because they failed to notify you of a balance due. Explain that you are now frustrated because they cannot tell you exactly what the balance is, and so you are requesting they mail you an invoice. If they balk, threaten to report them to the state utilities commission. That should get you going. 