Anyone else discharge their cell phone?

[queenfluff]

I was filed on April 30. I put my Verizon cell down as a creditor because I want it shut off (too expensive plan and can't wait until 2010 when it cancels). I asked my lawyer and he said it would probably be disconnected two weeks after I filed. Well, it is still on.

I am wondering if it looks bad if I still use it. Well, actually it is my bf that is using it - all local calls.

Is it like with your cc's where you shouldn't use 3 months before?

I wouldn't think so since it is paid the month before but I haven't paid the last bill and I am overdue so....

Anyone know how this works?

[kenshirley]

We disconnected them too before we filed.
They wanted to "work with us" and even offered lower rates. We wanted to cease the service and get out of debt.
So many are going to prepaid phones now to avoid the contract issue that some of these companies are getting desperate.

[UhOh]

I have Verizon and intend to keep it but they are not making it easy for me. I am just about to call them again and figure out what i need to do. They changed the address on my account to theirs and locked me out of myverizon. If they are going to be jerks about it, I will drop them soon. In the meantime I am using it as I always have been.

[Mi Bankruptcy]

If your current they wont shut you off. Here's my previous post. I finally got all my money back from them last month:

I checked on this. I have Verizon with 4 phones. I just went through a nightmare with them... still am sort of.. However, I think our problem stem from multiple things. We listed them on our BK. We were up to date on our phone bill and were not behind. In Dec as a Christmas gift to our daughter we added unlimted texting to her phone. They did not add it to her phone plan and we received a huge bill for like $500.00. Our BK was filed in NOV. However, it didn't hit their system until Jan. They gave us a credit for $10.00. They also changed our account # to the old one with a -2 to keep our phones on.

Oh yeah, unlimited texting does not cover premium texting?? That's another $40.00. They credited back the cost for texting minus the premium texting costs. They kept blaming BK for all of this. My wife spent 2 hours on the phone trying to get it straightened out.

We then went down and spent another 2 hours at a Verizon store trying to get it straightened out. They couldn't figure out their own billing system. It came to the point that they shut off our phones for a couple of hours after telling us that our phones wouldn't be shut off because of a payment we made that should be credited back to us the next billing period.

In the end, I got pissed went down there with all of our phone records printed and told the store manager I was sending all of this to our Attorneys Generals office. I showed him the address of where I was sending everything and left it there. They ended up crediting our account three weeks later and more calls. I am still dealing with this.. even though we don't owe them anything. I think they still owe us money. I just may go ahead and send everything to the AG's office.

So.. don't change your plan at all during bankruptcy.. Look for the -2 on your account # for Verizon to tell you they got you. Now I wonder if I am still in a contract since they changed my account #?

[Mi Bankruptcy]

Again.. the above was an old post of mine. Just know they will change your account # without your authorization. So, if you don't want it you need to tell them to shut it down because it was included in your BK.

The new account # will be your old account # -1 or -2

[queenfluff]

Thanks everyone for your stories.

I just logged into my account online and everything looks the same - acct number looks normal - no -1 or-2. When I filed my BK, my account was current and paid, it is now overdue. I know with the phones they just tack it on to your next bill - unlike cc's which throw on a bunch of huge fees. I have a $5 late fee for the Verizon. Geez, I remember being a day or two late with Sprint a long time ago and I think I got charged like a buck.

Just wondering why my cc's have already closed (or frozen) accounts but the Verizon hasn't done anything yet. Do things like cell phones take longer to have the accounts frozen than your cc's when you do BK?

I am just wondering if they can say something like "You put us on your BK but you still keep using the phone. Bad you - no discharge." I figure if they knew I filed for BK but didn't turn off my phone - how is that my fault?

Just wondering if they can raise a stink about any phone usage after I file. I really don't use the phone hardly at all but my bf thinks that since I am not paying it and they will be shutting it off soon that he might as well use it - I figured that made sense, you know, get some use out of it while it is still on but now I am wondering if Verizon can say anything about calls made on it after my filing date. Unfortunatley people have that number still call me on it so there might be incoming calls.

I already have another prepaid phone lined up to activate when my Verizon gets shut off so I am already to go with the prepaid when that happens. The new phone is an At&T GoPhone.

I hope it gets shut off before my 341. If it hasn't I think I will stop using it altogether at that time - I don't want it to look like I was getting free phone all that time.

I liked my Verizon service for the most part but the lowest plan was $46 a month and I think I use the phone for maybe an hour for the whole month - honestly that is how little I use the phone. I hated paying for all those minutes I never used and of course no rollover. I hate talking on the phone (I am probably the only girl in the world who hates talking on the phone - and I don't text message either - I am an e-girl!).

[awsaxon]

I used to work for verizon.. The -0001 or -1 is always attached when your account is first created. The sub accounts (which is your acct number plus a -0002 -0003 etc.) are created when you have other accounts in your name on a separate bill OR your account is disconnected for non-payment (not hotlined or suspended temporarily but totally disconnected, meaning the bill went past due for more than a month or 2) and you request to have it reactivated. They cannot use the same account (-0001) when you reactivate so they use a sub account with your same "customer number" or what you are referring to as your account number, so they use the customer number plus a -0002 or -0003.. hope that helps understand the change on your account..

[biotechsolution]

Thanks everyone for your stories.

I just logged into my account online and everything looks the same - acct number looks normal - no -1 or-2. When I filed my BK, my account was current and paid, it is now overdue. I know with the phones they just tack it on to your next bill - unlike cc's which throw on a bunch of huge fees. I have a $5 late fee for the Verizon. Geez, I remember being a day or two late with Sprint a long time ago and I think I got charged like a buck.

Just wondering why my cc's have already closed (or frozen) accounts but the Verizon hasn't done anything yet. Do things like cell phones take longer to have the accounts frozen than your cc's when you do BK?

I am just wondering if they can say something like "You put us on your BK but you still keep using the phone. Bad you - no discharge." I figure if they knew I filed for BK but didn't turn off my phone - how is that my fault?

Just wondering if they can raise a stink about any phone usage after I file. I really don't use the phone hardly at all but my bf thinks that since I am not paying it and they will be shutting it off soon that he might as well use it - I figured that made sense, you know, get some use out of it while it is still on but now I am wondering if Verizon can say anything about calls made on it after my filing date. Unfortunatley people have that number still call me on it so there might be incoming calls.

I already have another prepaid phone lined up to activate when my Verizon gets shut off so I am already to go with the prepaid when that happens. The new phone is an At&T GoPhone.

I hope it gets shut off before my 341. If it hasn't I think I will stop using it altogether at that time - I don't want it to look like I was getting free phone all that time.

I liked my Verizon service for the most part but the lowest plan was $46 a month and I think I use the phone for maybe an hour for the whole month - honestly that is how little I use the phone. I hated paying for all those minutes I never used and of course no rollover. I hate talking on the phone (I am probably the only girl in the world who hates talking on the phone - and I don't text message either - I am an e-girl!).

technically any charges after your bankruptcy filing you will be responsible to pay. I don't think it really matters that they haven't shut it off. If you continue to use after you've filed you could be made to pay for any new charges. They will argue that you new that any debts before the filing date would be included in the bankruptcy, therefore if you were going to include the cell phone bill you would stop using it after the filing date.

[Mi Bankruptcy]

Again.. the above was an old post of mine. Just know they will change your account # without your authorization. So, if you don't want it you need to tell them to shut it down because it was included in your BK.

The new account # will be your old account # -1 or -2

Well. That may be true. However, we were never late on our bill and never got disconnected. However, when we had them explain billing issues this is what they told us. They said it was because of BK they had to legally close down the account and issue it under a new number. Their billing was so bad that it went two levels above a store manager.

[StartingOver08]

Well. That may be true. However, we were never late on our bill and never got disconnected. However, when we had them explain billing issues this is what they told us. They said it was because of BK they had to legally close down the account and issue it under a new number. Their billing was so bad that it went two levels above a store manager.

They did the exact same thing to me. Also watch out for a change of address on your credit report! When they changed the billing address during the BK to their own BK corp office (they did this right after I filed until I was discharged) - they added that address to my credit reports as a change of address for me. I am now on my second round of disputes to get rid of their address!

BTW, I too was current all the way through (before, during and after filing) and still had to put up with Verizon's mistakes in handling my account. I don't think their CSR's are trained very well in the BK dept, JMO.

[queenfluff]

technically any charges after your bankruptcy filing you will be responsible to pay. I don't think it really matters that they haven't shut it off. If you continue to use after you've filed you could be made to pay for any new charges. They will argue that you new that any debts before the filing date would be included in the bankruptcy, therefore if you were going to include the cell phone bill you would stop using it after the filing date.

Hmm, well, I don't want that to happen. I told my bf to stop using it - he has been making all sorts of call on my phone (yeah, I don't even get to use it - grr). What should I do than? I want them to shut it off and they haven't so far. I am getting the pre-paid with the another provider. No more Verizon.

Should I just call and ask them what is going on? Or call my lawyer? I don't want to be charged for use after I file because I want the number disconnected.

[StartingOver08]

Make sure you cancel the contract before your discharge. You are not keeping the phone - better to have the attorney send a letter right away. Otherwise Verizon may say you wanted to keep the contract in force.

[queenfluff]

Make sure you cancel the contract before your discharge. You are not keeping the phone - better to have the attorney send a letter right away. Otherwise Verizon may say you wanted to keep the contract in force.

Thanks! Yeah, I listed the Verizon account under my creditors on my paperwork along with my cc's because I WANT to get rid of the number (I moved and it is not a local number anymore and their cheapest plan too expensive for me especially since I rarely use the thing). My lawyer said to expect the phone to be disconnected two weeks after I filed. Filed on April 30 and it is over two weeks and no disconnect.

Should I call the lawyer to check what is up? My cc accounts got closed pretty quickly - I am wondering if it works different for something like a cell phone account? I would have guess they would have gotten a letter or whatever so far.

So - call my lawyer or call Verizon? Which one?

Oh - for canceling the contract - won't they try to charge me that early cancellation fee (which is very big)? I thought with the filing that it would be just terminated and that was it.

[StartingOver08]

Well if it were me, I would contact the attorney AND the BK dept of verizon. JMO

[queenfluff]

Well if it were me, I would contact the attorney AND the BK dept of verizon. JMO

Thanks! I think I will - of course probably won't be able to get a hold of my lawyer until tues now (holiday weekend ) but I will try to call Verizon to see if they received anything about my BK. I am shutting off the phone and told my bf not to call on it.

I figure it would be turned off my now. grrr. In my BK experience so far, the companies you try to discharge don't play by the rules - makes it frustrating. Citbank was the other one who didn't do it right. I had to talk to someone to make sure they got the memo that I was filing BK.