Complain about a product or service

Afni

Billy of West End NC (06/30/08)
We had an account with Bell South Mobility before it was Cingular/AT&T Wireless. We disconnected the line during the return period and they said everything was fine and the account was clear now. Many years later, we started receiving collection letters from Afni, Inc. and said I owed $729.04 for a over-due bill for disconnecting the phone 9 to 10 years ago. They have called us repeatedly and sent many letters about it.

When they called we asked them to show us proof that we owed the money and send us the contract and any other information about the account. They said they would, but of course I never received any documentation about the account.

They have not told us of anything that would happen if not paid.

Janis of Temple Hlls, Md MD (06/23/08)
I just received a Collelction Notice today 6/23/2008 from Afni Inc.demanding payment and a 30-day limit to dispute the debt. I believe that if I contact them, even to dispute the debt, they will take it to mean they have a right to collect the money, albeit, fraudulently for THEMSELVES. The account in question was never attempted for collection neither was a notice ever sent to me from Verizon about a late/delinquent payment (I had an earlier form of pay as you go system).

Four years later the suppposed debt appeared on my credit report. I wrote a note in my credit report last year and a collection notice from Afni, Inc., dated 6/17/2008 was in my mail box today, demanding payment and an assumtion of validity is no call is placed within 30 days. I will not be calling because I believe that this is FRAUD.

Sean of Hazleton PA (06/12/08)
AFNI has placed a collection accounts on my credit report for a Verizon phone bill of $530. I requested AFNI to validate the account and they refuse to send me proof this account belongs to me. I called Verizon and they have no record of an account in my name except for my current Verizon account. I disputed the item with the credit Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Experian deleted the item, but TransUnion and Experian are stating the verified with AFNI and the information is correct.

This is affecting my credit standing. Because of AFNI listing on my credit report it is affecting my credit standing and it is very stressful trying to obtain information from this company because they refused to provide it.

Jenny of Bronx NY (06/10/08)
This collection company been calling my house asking me to paid this bill; I beleive I don't owed anything to this company becuase I alreayd have an account VERIZON NEW YORK INC company. I need someone to review this matter A.S.A.P I don't recall having this in the amount of $338.69 or $169.35; I don't owed anything to VERIZON NEW YORK INC

Robert of Kamuela HI (06/04/08)
AFNI, Inc. Anderson Financial Network Collection placed derogatory and negative statements on my credit report with three major credit reporting agencies. The derogatory statements reflect a Verizon phone bill in the amount of 43.00. AFNI made no attempt or effort to contact me before effecting my credit. Which could have been resolved, because I know of no unpaid phone bills.

Also, AFNI Refused to send me an original copy of the 2002 Verizon phone bill in the amount of 43.00 they said I own ?. During my attempt to resolve this matter, the collections woman at AFNI had no patients for being questioned, and actually screemed at me over the authenticity of the account and give me a lecture on responsibility. I absolutely was shocked. Speaking of Unlawful. . describing this person . . The epitome of vindictiveness. It has been 8 months since the first attacks on my credit reports and they still have not produced an unpaid phone bill.

40 point drop on my credit score. Stress, fatigue, irritation . . time off from work in attempt to resolve this mater on the phone. .

Lisa of Alpine WY (06/03/08)
I recieved a Settleement Offer in the mail on June 2,2008 claiming to be another attempt to contact me re: my overdue account. It went on to say they would accept $555.04, half of the original amount due. The letter stated that I owed Verizon California Inc. $1110.08 for a phone number that I had with (I believe) GTE.

I closed that account with GTE, paid the final bill and disconnected that service when I moved from California to Arizona in August of 1999. I called the toll free number on the settlement notice and spoke with Tyrone to tell them this and that their records were erroneous.

He said that the account was in my name from 1996 - 1999 and that I had not paid the final bill. I told him that I had and he called me a liar. I then asked him to please send me all info and paperwork that Afni has on this so that I could follow up on it. He refused and said he would tell me over the phone whatever I needed to know and I again told him that I wanted it to be mailed to me and he refused. He asked me to give him my credit card number and I wouldnt have to worry about the issue any more. I told him no way would I do such a thing, and he said that if I did not, it would be reported to the 3 credit bureaus and my credit would be ruined. I told him I would be calling an attorney and hung up. I have never in my life spoken to anyone as rude and insulting as this Tyrone.

I called Verizon and after much line holding and being shuffled from one department to another, I was told that they could not tell me anything at all except that there was a phone in my name with that number in the mid to late 1990s. That representative's name was Pat and she gave me a diferent toll free number for Afni Inc. that was not printed on my Settlement Offer letter. I asked Pat about what her records showed as any balance and she stated that there was no information on that or anything else. All she had was my name, that phone number and that it dated back to the 1990s, and that I needed to call Afni if I wanted more information.

She thanked me for calling Verizon and hung up on me. I wasnt finished asking her questions! I have never recieved any previous letters or notifications about this matter before now, and I even pulled my credit report last month as I am preparing to apply for a student loan, and I wanted to see what was on my report. There has been NOTHING remotely close to this on that report. That report was from Equifax. Also, I recently discontinued monthly notifications from Experian. They had been monitoring my credit for over a year and nothing like this was posted on that either.

I am afraid my credit will be ruined by this and that I will not qualify for my student loan. I am worried sick about all of this. I dont know what to do. I cant afford an attorney, as my income last year was under $9,000. Which is why I'm going back to school.

Eric of Nashville TN (05/14/08)
After discovering a collection reported by this company on my credit report, I sent a letter requesting validation of the alleged debt by certified mail. After 30 days, I sent another letter by certified mail asking for validation again and pointing out a few FDCPA violations they had made. I received a letter from this company stating that they could not verify this account. They have yet to prove any legal obligation I have for this account. This debt is still listed on my credit reports even though they have failed to follow the law regarding validation or deletion of this item.

It has cost me time and money to pursue this matter. I have also been denied a loan from two banks because this collection is listed on my credit reports.

Rocco of Stafford VA (05/12/08)
I received a letter on sometime between 3-5 April ,2008 from the collection agency identified here and the letter indicated I owed a debt for $106.00 on some account. When I called I was told this was for a Verizon account in year 2000. I indicated to them I had no recollection of this debt and no previous notification of this debt and I immediately filed a dispute on their website.

I since found out that this company reported this debt to the three Credit Bureau as a bad debt while this was being disputed by me. After several failed attempts by me to resolve this with this company I decided to seek help from the Consumer protection agency.

Negative effect on my credit history and credit score.

Diana of Arlington TX (05/03/08)
In April I received a collection notice for a Cingular debt that was 8 years old! In the year 2000 I had a Cingular Account for a Cell Phone Cingular kept charging me wrong rates because I was using an OLD plan and they kept wanting me to change, I refused because the old plan worked for me. Every month I called in because the rates being charged were wrong. I

 cancelled and was given a cancellation # and was told no Cancellation Fee would apply because the phone company kept charging wrong rates and I had called in several months to correct problem. The cancellation number was extensive but I kept on file.

A few months later I was contacted at work by a collection agency trying to collect on same debt. I called Cingular again after several people spoke to a Manager who apologized and told me the collection would be stopped and cancellation fee was adjusted off. I was given another confirming #. I kept all paperwork until last year when the seven years expired and destroyed my paperwork.

Now exactly 8 years later, I am getting notices on collection for the same bill. I dont know what my options are now since I destroyed my records. I have chosen to ignore all notices and calls. I have spoken to A T & T who bought out Cingular but got no help from anyone who kept me on hold for almost an hour at 20 minute intervals while they transferred me from person to person. All they had on file was my calls regarding the complaints on the rates I was being charged but no record of the cancellation itself! How can that be? I have always taken care of my credit but on principle, I will not pay this absurd attempt to collect on a debt that was resolved 8 years ago. What are my other options?

Stress from trying to resolve this issue has affected my health

Jessica of Jackson Heights NY (04/29/08)
I recieved a collection notice from Afni, Inc. claiming I owe $415.71 to Verizon New York Inc. I have never recieved any bills or notices from Verizon themselves claiming payment, nor did Verizon ever report me to the credit bureaus for non-payment. Not to mention that I print out my credit reports once a year and have never seen anything from Verizon. I then contacted Afni, Inc regarding this matter and they in turn sent me copies of what seem to an old Verizon bill from September 1, 2001. I have never seen or heard of such a matter for 7 years. I was told by Rachel from Afni, Inc. that if I do not pay, it will be sent to my credit report.

I have done a little investigating of my own and have read that the statue of limitations in New York is 6 years leaving me not responsible for these charges. Also, they can not notify any of the credit bureaus. I do not want to have any problems with this company to start harrassing me for something that I do not have any knowledge of. Would I be liable for this bill? Should I send a certified letter to Afni, Inc. stating that I am protected under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act? I would appreciate any feedback and/or assistance on how to go about this matter. Thank You.

I am very concerned that my credit will be hurt. I constantly think about how I can resolve this matter. Especially knowing that I am not alone.

Diana of Madera CA (04/27/08)
Joseph S. Enoch Thank You! I have been in contact with the IL. A,G. office. They really do look into AFNI, Inc. DV Afni, Inc. they responded to everyone but me. Sent CD letter just in the last 2wks. Il. BBB no help, really. CA A.G. office no help The 3 Big CRs only confirm what AFNI sends them. SOL in CA is 4 years. I can wait for this to drop off in 1/09 if I have too. After that I will sue.

I have found so many mistakes in documents, sent by AFNI to others but not to me and out right lies by them it is not funny. I just want to say thank you again for running the story. PS I found over 6000 complaints and cases against AFNI on the web.

Nicole of Brooklyn NY (04/10/08)
afni keeps sending a bill stating that they are a collection and they are trying to collect on a debt for verizon for $116.53. but when i tell them that they have the wrong address on the acct and nothing really adds up, i want to see proof they they take forever to provide something that looked like a phony bill that was incomplete and put together. i called them and complained again and they told me i had to pay it or go to their web page and file a complaint.

they reported this false debt on my credit report and i cant remove it and nobody (verizon or afni)can provide any real proof

Ana of Flushing NY (04/01/08)
I received a collection notice from this company that I owe that them $462.42.I called them told them The creditor Which is Verizon they don't have any records. They have my social security number and a different address. I have never had account with verizon or them.

Debra of Miller Place NY (03/22/08)
I received a collection notice from afni, claiming I owe money on a verizon account for a phone number I never had. In the amount of $231.34. after reading all the other complaints on this site from AFNI, I realize it IS a scam.

Diana of Madera CA (03/14/08)
Many complaints have been filed against AFNI, Inc. I hope that the AG is looking at protecting California consumers. AFNI, INC. Bill Scam Warning . This is no Joke. A company called AFNI, Inc. P.O. Box 3472 in Bloomington, Il. 61702 is a third party collections company. They buy old worthless, incorrect and often out of statute of limitations debt portfolios. Recently, ANFI, Inc. sent out a second notice collection bill on an old phone account through Verizon California Inc. They said I owed from 2001. Note I never received a first notice. They offered to settle for half of what they said I owed, about $45.00. Dumbfounded, I knew I never had any account of any kind with Verizon, so I called Verizon Cal. Inc. and spoke to Eric, in Feb. 2008. He looked in his data base for my name, SS# and the phone number. He said there was nothing about me in any of their files. He also said the phone number wasn't even a Verizon number. So I did a phone number search at my own expense, $4.95, and found out what I already knew: it was not mine.

I checked my credit reports and found, in violation of the Fair Debt Reporting Act, they also placed this bill on my consumers credit reports without ever notifying me, and re-aged it from 2001 to 2007, which is also against the law. If you receive one of these bills from AFNI, Inc., and you know that you had never had Verizon, or if it is a bill you never heard of before, check your credit reports right away. I checked other web sites and found out a lot about AFNI, Inc. scamming people, not just a few--but hundreds, thousands across the USA. I then disputed the bill by Certified letters. Also, I filed with my state's Attorney General and the IL. A.G., the FTC, and the BBB and every web site I can to get the word out on these scum. The IL. BBB says that AFNI, INC. says it is my bill from 2001, but they, AFNI, Inc., have not validated it to me yet as required by my DV letters.

Even if it were mine, it is out of SOL in California, well over 4 years old. I am not sending them one red cent and will sue them if they continue to report this on my CR or sell this worthless paper to another debt agency. I have heard to NEVER, NEVER call AFNI, Inc., as they will capture your phone number and start calling and harassing you; AND NEVER give them your Information as they will use anything against you. Which brings me to the letter they sent me asking for information to help validate the debt I disputed. Another FDCPA violation. For More Information on the AFNI, Inc. scam check BudHibbs.com or simply type in consumer complaints AFNI, Inc. into your search the web box. There are hundreds of complaints against these scam artists.

Just today I was contacted by clear channel news in SYR. NY about their ongoing stories about AFNI, Inc. trying to collect out-of-SOL old debts. The resolution I am seeking is that AFNI, Inc. issue me a letter of apology on their letterhead signed by their CEO's, and that this issue is taken off my CR reports and never darkens my door again. I highly suggest the CA AG go after AFNI, Inc. for violating the Fair Debit Collections Practices Act and Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Lost work, stress, out close to $45.00 in mail and phone investigation. Credit report is damaged.

Selena of Roxbury MA (03/14/08)
On March 13, 2008 at approximately 8:39 p.m. I had a telephone conversation with a Customer Service Representative (Amanda) from Afni, Inc. I had placed a phone call in an attempt to dispute claims alleging I owed money to Cingular. During this conversation, I had asked her several questions upon which she eluded to answer stating that she didn't have any of the paperwork because it was in the files. Amanda suggested I request all answers in writing. Upon her suggestions, please find listed below questions in my pursuit to resolve this alleged claim on this account.

1. How did this account arise or appear in my name? 2. How did two accounts get created in my name under the same telephone number? 3. Please send to me a copy of the Declaration of Fraud that was done over the phone on March 13, 2008, with Amanda. 4. You are claiming I owe money on an account since 2003; why are you contacting me about this account 5 years later? 5. Why was this account turned over to a collection agency knowing I still had, and I currently do have, an existing active account today? 6. How can an account be sent to collections with an active status?

It has been very frustrating trying to get these questions answered over the telephone. I have been placed on hold for approximately 30 minutes at times trying to get answers from individuals. I have been told: I can't answer the questions right now. If you can't answer the questions now, how are you going to answer them later? I have been told that information is not available, files are not accessible and basically, given the brush off by Afni, Inc. and AT&T Customer Support Service Staff. Another thing I find to be very suspicious with this ordeal is that I had been given several amounts as to the dollar amount that they allege I owe. I also found it very strange that they were not able to access or tell me what telephone numbers were attached to this alleged bill. As a consumer, I believe I have the right to know what information they have in their files or records regarding this matter.

I find it to be very frustrating for the Customer Service Representatives both from Afni and AT&T Mobility to tell me over the telephone they have an idea of what is going on, but they can't say or tell me. That gives me that impression that they are hiding something and not forthcoming with the truth. At this time I would like to make an appeal to Consumer Affairs and also the Attorney General's Office on this matter. I feel that I have been the target of fraud and the target of bogus accounting errors from negligent personnel within these cellular phone companies. I would like to request a full investigation into the practices of Afni, Inc.; Cingular Wireless; and now AT&T Mobility on behalf of my complaint and any others that may exist.

Negative reporting on my credit report.

Diana of Madera CA (02/27/08)
Today is 2/25/2008, and I have just received a bill from Afni stating I owe on an old Verizon account in the amount of $90.86 and that they will settle for $45.43. The account number they claim is for a Verizon phone number. This is very interesting because I have never had Verizon. I have never had this bill show up on any past credit reports. So I checked my credit current reports and found them listing that I owe them. I paid for a search on the phone number they listed, and I am not connected to that number. I called Verizon California Inc. and spoke to Eric; he said that it wasn't even a Verizon number, and they had no records of me on any account! I visited Budd Hibbs and Rip off report on the WWW only to find out that this agency was scamming me. I contacted the BBB, FTC, several consumer BB on the web, and my state attorney general as well as mailed AFNI, INC. letters.

I am really upset about this bogus claim on my credit report and have never had the phone number they claim I had, nor have I ever had a Verizon account. I owe nothing to Verizon or these people, and I am not giving them one red cent. I want an apology from Afni, Inc. on their letter head, signed by their owners and managers; and I want them off my credit report as well as print outs at their expense of the corrected credit reports. God forbid they should ever darken my door again. What gives them the right to steal my identity and make up a bogus bill? How many more California people have been scammed by this outfit? Someone needs to shut these types of rip off artists down and fine them big time.

Because of them I have been stressed out to the limit that I cannot sleep or work. I have been out money to investigate their claim and to prove that I don't owe these scammers. My credit reports have been affected due to this bogus outfit. This whole thing makes me feel like I have been raped.

Jason of Hainesport NJ (02/22/08)
A collections company called AFNI has called us 19 times over a period of about a month now. They claim to be working for Verizon and that we owe back pay on a closed account. I contacted Verizon and our account is closed with no balance and they claim to not have any records for AFNI? We want to find out our rights in this matter against AFNI as well as Verizon for releasing our private information to this company.

We consider this to a policy breach by Verizon for allowing this company to use their name and supplying our information to them. It is also harrassment for them to call us twice daily after we have spoken to them already concerning the matter and attempted to resolve this matter with Verizon directly. What are our rights and can we file further charges or a law suit against them?

Anna of Hayward CA (01/28/08)
Last November 07, I have received a letter from Afni, Inc. a debt collector of $78.67 for Verizon Seclect Services (residential no.). Immediately, I called and wrote to dispute this charge.After a couple of calls, finally today Jan 28, I received a copy of the bill. The billing indicated an old address where I have moved out over 13 years ago and the billing was for the time period of Feb 25, 1999 - Oct, 03, 2000. I do not remember the old phone no. at the billing address.

I called Verizon was directed to different department and the last department which I was told will have information about old bills. I was kept on hold for that department for 45 mins and I finally give up on hold. I am frustrated if ignoring this would affect my credit record which has been rated at a score of average 810. The billing does not make sense, therefore, would appreciate some legal advice. Thank You for your help and attention. Sincerely.

Mark of Costa Mesa CA (01/08/08)
I have received numerous letters from this collection agency, AFNI Inc., stating that I have a debt to pay for a Verizon California, Inc. land-line telephone account. I have never had a Verizon account, and have never been interested in having one because of all the bad things I have heard about the company. They have given my name and address to a collection agency to collect on an account I never started or agreed to. I have spent all day, more than 7 hours on the telephone to Verizon to try and get this matter resolved and all they told me was that there was nothing they could do and I would have to go through the collection agency to get it resolved. I have already sent a letter to the collection agency informing them that I have never had a Verizon account but they sent me a letter back telling me I have to pay for this account anyway unless I can prove that it is not my account. I do not know how I can prove anything when Verizon refuses to help me and I obviously have no records on an account I never created in the first place.

I have never been treated so rudely by any company I have dealt with, being on hold for an unbelievable 7 hours today! Only to be told, after speaking with numerous customer service employees that there was nothing they could do. I have also tried several times to contact the above collection agency by phone but I get disconnected from the call every time. I know numerous other people who have had similar problems with Verizon, which is why I would never sign up with them. I asked them to send me a copy of the contract that has my signiture on it, a contract I know does not exist because I never signed one, and they told me they cannot do that, and that I will have to contact the collection agency, a company who refuses to take my calls.

The collection agency has stated that they will damage my credit over this.

Pamela of Danbury CT (12/12/07)
On Monday December 10, 2007, I received a collection notice from Afni Inc.,stating that I owe them $280.05 for a disconnected phone service for 718-584-5895. I have never owned that telephone number. Also, on the notice, it states that the original creditor is Bell Atlantic. I never had phone service with Bell Atlantic. I called the 1-888-257-1585 number and spoke to someone who wanted me to verify my information in which I refused to do. The fact that I have received the notice from them, was the fact that they already have my information. However, the person I spoke to verified to me the last four of my social, as well as the year I was born. However, she stated that I lived at 795 Garden Street Bronx, New York. I have never lived at 795 Garden Street in the Bronx, New York. She ended the call suggesting I file a complaint, in which I am notifying Consumer Affairs as one of my file complaints. Please be advised that besides Consumer Affairs, I have sent a certified copy of this letter to Afni Inc., and also by regular mail to the following: Experian Equifax, Inc. Trans Union LLC Better Business Bureau I would appreciate if Consumer Affairs will investigate this situation as well.

Arash of Charlotte NC (11/29/07)
On 11/7/2007 3:45 pm e.t. I spoke with Linda(33700)regarding an unknown debt on my credit report. I asked her to please provide me with a validation of debt. She declined and eventually hung up the phone. On 11/14/2007 I wrote AFNI INC regarding this unknown debt on my credit report. I asked them in my letter to please provide me with a validation of debt and gave them 7 business days to respond. I never received anything in the mail. On 11/26/07 I wrote a second letter explaining to them that they were in violation of article 2.3 of the Fair Debt Collection Pratices Statue by not providing me with the necessary proof. Since they have failed to do so, this must not be a valid debt and they need to remove it from my credit report. I have all the necessary documantation to prove my case.

It is making it extremely difficult for me to obtain a good job since most companies now require credt checks. I am also forced to pay an extremely high interest rate on my car loan because of it.

Glendine of Sumter SC (09/28/07)
I was applying for a school loan and I requested a copy of my credit report 9/2007, on my credit report there there was a collection balance and a negative account that was reported by Afni in 8/07 according to my credit report. I am not understanding why this is so because I am still a verizon customer, and I recieved a letter from this accompany about a different bill which I cleared up, but I have not recieved any information about this verizon bill, It has been 7 years already and It was not on my credit report in may, why is it on here in august and if the contact me and recieved payments on the other bill why not contact me for a payment on this bill. It is possible to report one account twice as a double collects, one as a collection and the other as a negative collects. I am giving you there address information from the sprint account that they contact me about which I paid and have the recieve for and further more the sprint account was over ten years and someone was using my sprint card to place calls so i was disputing that bill. again Can a company report and account a negative and as a collection

The consequences of this leave me unable to get a loan to buy a car, which I need in order to get to and from work. I was turned down by bank of america and my becon score has dropped tremendously.

Herman of Seffner FL (09/11/07)
I manage a mh park and in front of my office there was a pay phone that I had nothing to do with the company that had the phone removed for what I have no clue ,this pay phone company had to be paying verizon because it was there for over 8 years now this collection company is harassing me and threating to destroy my credit and I have nothing with this phone company just because the phone was in front of the property that i worked we have never recieved a bill from verizon now only these threats from this from this collection company. I think the phone company name was pay phones of florida but for sure verizon knows there name because they have recieved payments from this company for years thank you

they are harassing over the phone and threating destroy my credit when I have a account with verizon wireless for many years in good standing

Merri of Charleston SC (09/04/07)
This company turned me in for a debt that is not mine. I have called them and tried to email them but they just give me the run around and say they do not have enough info from me to do a investigation. I cannot give them any information on the debt because it is not mine. They will only tell me it is for a cable bill from Charter Communications and i have never ever heard of that company or where it is located and they will not give me a number to get in touch with them to dispute this charge. I have filed fraud reports with the FTC and notified the 3 credit bureau's for help.

this company has left a negative mark on my perfect credit. i am in the process of sending them a certified letter demanding proof of this charge and disputing the charge. any help would be appreciated greatly!

Anthony of Albany NY (07/24/07)
I was contacted by Afni Inc (debt collections)with a settlement offer to pay 1/2 of a CINGULAR phone bill totalling $485.01. I have never had a CINGULAR phone so this is not my bill. Upon calling, Afni wanted my personal information. Upon not giving this, the girl became belligerant with me. Upon reseraching, I believe that this agency is sending out incorrect information without validating the debt. Afni has placed a mark on my Experian credit report. I have written them a strong cease and desist letter as well as demanding that they have Experian delete this incorrect information. I sent the letter certified mail return receipt requested within the 30 days, mentioned FCRA and FDCPA. I have notified the credit bureaus, FTC, IL Attorney General, NY Attorney General, the US Postal Inspector General, BBB and my lawyer.

Black mark on my Experian credit report

Linda of Somerset NJ (07/16/07)
I have been a victim of credit fraud since 1995 and have a warning on my statement with the credit bureaus since then. Every now and then something else gets through. They notified me that I owe $252.56 for a Verizon Cell Phone registered with Verizon New York Inc.

I have never lived in New York nor had any dealings with Verizon New York. The phone number listed is a New York number (718)471-2802. When I spoke to them they said that I could pay half the amount and I told them that I was not paying anything because it was not my phone and I have never lived in New York. I have been employed at my job for 34 years and lived at my previous address for 28 years.

Jessica of Pullman WA (06/15/07)
Afni recently obtained information from Verizon NY regarding unsettled accounts from '93-94. Although the statute of limitations has expired, Afni is seeking to collect on these old accounts. I never lived or received mail at the address they have associated with the account they are trying to get me to pay (which is what tipped me off that this might be a scam). When I called Afni Brenda,? the customer service rep with whom I spoke was indignant and rude. So was her supervisor Rachel, who had the audacity to question ME and the legitimacy of my concern. I was told that unless I requested that they do so in wiritng they would not provide me with any information to back-up the legitimacy of their claim. After doing some research on collection laws and statutes of limitation I learned that it is not illegal for Afni to send out letters to whomever they like, what is illegal is for them to sue you, demand collection, and report you to credit reporting agencies for non-payment. In other words, before sending any money to this company, be sure the claim is legitimate (they should provide you with documentation to prove their claim) and check your state's laws regarding statutes of limitation on old non-paid bills. Even if the claim is legitimate you may not be required to pay Afni. The fact that this company is taking advantage of people's ignorance and intimidating them into sending them money for accounts that may never have existed is highly unethical and, in certain cases, illegal.

At this point, nothing more than heaps of wasted time trying to prevent this disreputable company from scamming me and threatening to impact my credit rating.

Brian of New York NY (06/04/07)
I received a letter in the mail indicating that I owed nearly $2000 for a phone line in Brooklyn covered by Verizon. Obviously a scam, I called Verizon directly who indicated that the number wasn't even a Verizon number. I have never used Verizon and I have never heard of Afni, Inc.

No damages, just wanted to report that this is a criminal organization.

C. of Glendale CA (05/04/07)
Afni sent me a bill for a charge that I'd heard nothing about for over 7 years. It had been a misbilling. I'd notified the original company about it and never heard about it again. I sent several notes to Afni indicating why I wasn't responsible for this bill. I also noted that the bill was generated in California and that I live there and that there's a 4-year statute of limitation on collection of debt. They continued to send me impersonal letters stating that I owed the amount in question. I finally got through on the phone one day. The rep said he could offer me a 50% deal if I paid right then. I explained the situation - that I didn't owe that amount to begin with. He spoke with a manager and offered that I need only pay 1/3 the billed amount. I asked to speak with the manager. He transferred me to another rep as the manager wasn't available. This rep insisted that if I didn't pay right then by credit care that I wouldn't be offered this deal of only 1/3 the bill amount again. He went so far as to suggest calling my bank with him still on the line and getting my account number so they could cut an electronic check so we could just take care of this right now. When he couldn't get the money from me he said that I had until midnight to take advantage of the discounted offer. After that, I sent a note with specific instructions to not contact me unless there was some change. I haven't heard any more from them and it's been over a month. I hope that's the end of it.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Back to the top |