You are correct. From a very technical perspective, the debt collectors - whether third parties or even AT&T have a contractual agreement with the credit reporting bureaus that they will accurately report information - both positive and negative. As such, because it did go to collections, the collection agency must report that, and then report that it has been paid in full. From the date it was paid in full, it will be reported for a period of seven years, then come off your credit report. The companies which have removed items are technically violating their agreement with the credit reporting agencies, but given the volume of credit data submitted each month, it's no surprise that the collection agents who are breaking their agreement with the reporting bureau aren't getting caught or in trouble. The reasons some do and some down boils down to company policy, AND also depends on when you repaid the debt. If you offer to repay it but only if they remove the item from your report, then they are more likely to do so. Once you have repaid them, they gain nothing by removing it from your report, and so it's not likely to happen. Sorry - wish I had better news.

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