Question about Debt collection and laws?

[ltdteam68]

I signed up with Bellsouth to get phone, internet, and cable service.I signed up in nov. 2005 and I only received phone service because the guy never came to hook up the other services.After another month of run arounds I cancelled my service. I owed for a month and a half of phone service and being I didnt receive the others they were taken off the bill. I had to put a deposit down and the deposit paid for the phone service.The last manager I spoke with said the deposit wiped the phone service charges away and I was all paid up.Now almost two years later I get a letter from a collection agency saying I owe $400.I called Bellsouth to explain what happened and that the last manager told me it was all paid. They said the burden of proof is on me and we just deleted your account because we only keep it for a certain amount of time. When asked about phone records she said the burden of proof is on me.My question is how do I prove it if they deleted my account and our phone records?

[WhatTheFrank]

Call back again and inquire again. Sometimes they don't know and they tell you anything to get you off the phone because of hold times. Call back and keep finding out because it could be someone in the back office that may have to go into the archives. I usually never take the word of anyone I talk to for the first time. Same goes for anything. I usually call back and talk to a different person to verify the 1st person. Try it it might help. I know it might make sense now but try again.