question about credit report & discharges

[Sawney27]

I filed for bankruptcy and just got a copy of my credit report. An account for a cell phone which I had terminated with a zero balace in 2001 appeared on my credit report as charged off to bad debt in 2002. I disputed this account with the credit reporting agencies as being paid with a zero balance. The resolution came back from all three agencies as discharged in chapter 7 bankruptcy. I never included this account (I wasn't even aware it existed) in my bankruptcy paperwork. I called the cell phone company and since the account was so old went through 4 different people who said there was no record of me terminating service and that they charged it off to bad debt in 2002 and then received bankruptcy paperwork in 2004 and they had my case # and everything. Can they just pull public records and see that you filed for bankruptcy and claim you included them as well when in fact you never did? Is it better to just leave it as discharged thru bankruptcy or try to fight and have it put back to charged off - even though I don't feel I truly owe the money. I specifically recall paying my bill and calling them to cancel my service and even asked what I do with the cell phone and they told me it didn't need to be returned - they have no record of that taking place. Also, if it was charged off in 2002 how can they keep reporting it years later. I would think it should fall off 7 years after the charge off date - now I'm looking at 10 years for it to fall off after the "claimed" bankruptcy discharge in 2004. What can I do to resolve this? Any help would be appreciated.

[StaciMM]

The BK filing (public record) stays on your report, accounts w/ negative endings fall off 7 years after date of last activity. If it charged off in 2002, it should still fall off in 2009.