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[quote=anon]they did send a letter stating that they were willing to settle for the 60% and gave a $$ figure for that reduced amount[/quote]

Go through the letter minutely. Did they mention there that you need to pay one lump sum amount for settlement, otherwise it will be invalid? If no, then they cannot claim the residual amount, it will be considered as cancelled as per the new agreement.

[quote=anon]I don't have the letter with me at the moment[/quote]

This letter is your weapon; keep it in a safe custody.

Thanks for the words of wisdom. The settlement letter did not state anything about number of payments, or even about how and when payments would be made, just the total amount the creditor was willing to settle for.

In retrospect, I wish I had come to this site and a couple of others back when Academy first started calling me. I had more options and legal protections available to me than I knew about then.

They are calling my family members about a debt I owe. I want to notify them in writing, via registered mail, to stop harrassing them, being third parties to this, immediately. When I google the # - 215-320-0424, I am unable to get an address, and when I call them, they refuse to give me an address. Can anyone help me? Thanks so much ~

Arbonnemommy,

Welcome to forums :D

You can contact them at any of the address below-

Academy Collection Service, Inc.
750 Pilot Rd. #A
Las Vegas, NV 89119

Academy Collection Service, Incorporated
10965 Decatur Road
Philadelphia, PA 19154

Academy Collection Services, Inc.
X1722 Hillman Avenue7/2005
Belmont, CA 94002

Send CMRRR asking to stop calling your family members. You have the right to define the mode of interaction too. If you tell them that you prefer to be contacted through mails, they are legally bound to obey it. If they still continue to call you, it will be a violation of law and you can file complaint against them.

They have suddenly started calling me for a family member that's been out of the country for about two years. They have no, or will not reveal any information about why they are calling, and asked if _I_ was the person they were inquiring about. Obviously they have no idea who the hell they are calling, and were the rudest people calling someone they have no right to.

They are calling from 215 320 0424.

I'm not the type that likes to take crap from others, so I asked why the other person was so damn rude and unhelpful, and the lady basically ****ed at me (didn't reveal her name). I guess they have to try and scare people out of their info/money bc they have no lives.

Is there any other way I can get rid of these people incase they call again? I filed a complaint on Do Not Call Registry (if it helps). Thanks

[color=Red]****Adult term removed - Jason[/color]

Welcome guest,

Send them a cease and desist letter by CMRRR. Clearly mention that you are not the person they are looking for, so they should stop calling you.

If they continue disturbing you after receiving this letter, it will be considered as a violation of fdcpa and you can file your complaint with FTC, BBB and AG's office of your state.

Their contact address is listed above, hope this helps.

Thanks a lot for your help. They haven't called me since I last posted, so they probably got my point too. If it happens again, I will follow through with your suggestion. Btw nice avatar =)

They called me tonight and before saying anything else he asked what street corner I was working tonight so I could service him ! I called back and reported it, but I think I spoke to the man who made the call. They weren't even looking for me, but for someone else ! They call and hang up; cuss you out and don't even know who they are talking to. Rude and crude.

aem,

Hope you had recorded this conversation! See the details of recording conversation here-

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/forums/recordconvers.html

Their mailing address is listed at the top of this page, collect it and send them cease and desist letter by CMRRR. If they continue calling you after receiving this letter, you can report against them with FTC, BBB and state AG's office.

No, I did not record this. I never thought they would start talking to someone with such vile things. they didn't even ask for anyone . I did report this to the ftc. They said they cannot interviene on my behalf, but will put it in the records. Gee, that made me feel better...NOT. They haven't called back yet, but if they do, I am ready with the recorder. Thanks.

Aem,

Consider sending the cease comm. letter also. Make it certified. It will make your position stronger.

Hi Everyone,
I am getting very scared with all of the posts I've been reading about ACS. I got a call fromt them today but they didn't leave a message. I am looking for some advice on what I should do next. I do owe Citibank about 7K. The last payment I made was in 2004. I have a couple of questions.

1) If I send them a cease and decist letter, is that like I am admitting I owe them the debt and they can restart the statue of limitations again?

2) I am afraid they will call my relatives. Will the cease and decist letter prevent them from doing so?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Leroy,

Welcome to fourms :D

There is nothing to worry and if you have any confusion, get it cleared here.

Let's take it one by one:

SOL is calculated from the debt of last activity seen in your account. Thus if you make any payment towards your debts, that only restarts the clock, sending desist letter cannot start it again.

Collectors can contact your relatives if they are unable to locate you. They can just verify your address from them. Collectors cannot disclose your financial obligations to a third person; fdcpa does not allow them to do so.

You can mention in the cease comm letter, how you would like to be contacted. You can tell them to send correspondence only, no phone calls to you and to your relatives would be entertained. Once they receive this letter, they should cease calling you.

Hope this information helps. Feel free to post your questions in forums if you have any.

Hi Bryan,
Thank you so much. You have no idea how much your answers helps! I've been worried about this since I got ACS call, especially reading about their tactics.

Will sending a cease and decist letter prompt ACS to file a lawsuit againt me? Thanks.

Hi leroy,

Cease comm. procedure is not illegal. FTC approves this. You are not denying your responsibility here, you just do not want them call you or your relatives, right? So you have the right to send them letter stating your inconvenience of receiving calls. Please check it with FTC; it will give some metal support:

http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpa/fdcpact.htm#805

Try to settle your debts with original creditor; it might be easier for you.

These are not even real names these people are using, cmon for me Josh Gates, Becly ???, I've seen Mike Diaz , this is total Bullshit, do not respond or BE STRESSED by any of it. Report it to FTC. or other govt agencies. DO NOT DEAL WITH THIS COMPANY, I'VE FILED CHAPTER 7 BANK RUPTCY AND THEY STILL CALL. Please people do not make any kind of payments to them. THEY LIE. CITIBANK IS JUST AS BAD. AS THEY EMPLOY THEM.

They have been contacting me on a $5k debt with Bank of America (credit card). They have given me offers of $3500 in a payment option. I decided to do it and the minute I did, a lady got on the line and said the offer was no longer valid that I will be sued for $8k plus court fees of a total $11k!! Is this legal? They have called me names, asked me to get steal or beg for money but I had to come up with the full sum of $3500 today or they will have a judgment against me via the court which will granish my wages. I am in CA and not sure what to do? HELP!

Steve,

collection agencies try to get you scared; this is a very common practice. Do not get upset right now. Ask for validation. Send them CMRRR. They must send you thorough details of your account once you request for it.

If you find any discrepancy in the validation dispute it, otherwise plan for some repayment strategies through negotiation.

Just an FYI, no legal action can be taken against you if the account is past SOL. For CA, SOL is 4 yrs on written agreements. So please check if your account is within SOL or not.

Feel free to ask your queries in forums.

People I owe a debt to academy also but my experience was much different. They contacted me 2 weeks ago regarding a citibank debt that I owe. The bill collector was firm but not rude. When I told him I diddnt have the 11,000 that I owe he asked me what the problem was and said he noticed that my credit history showed that I used pay all my bills on time. I told him that I was out of work and was getting unemployment clearing only 1600 per month with a mortgage of 1100.00. He suggested that I borrow the money, I told him I had no one to borrow from, he suggested a home equity loan perhaps my parents would cosign the loan being that I diddnt have a job. After hanging up I talked to my family and my brother agreed to cosign for me. I talked to 4 different lenders and agreed to go with the one who offered the lowest rate. I contacted Mr Wilson back and thanked him for his help a payoff check was sent to academy on monday directly from the lender.
If you owe a bill you should pay it. The bill collector is just doing his or her job if you listen to them instead of argue with them I think you'll have a better experience. I wish you all the best of luck take care -Doug

Ok - I'm a dumbfounded by what I've read. This company has been trying to contact me, fortunately I've been out everytime and haven't spoken with anyone. One woman left a message on my answering maching - she was decent, you could hear the tone in her voice, but she didn't say anything unpleasant. I'm not sure how I should handle this. I don't even know who or if the claim they say they have on me is valid or not and I'm afraid to talk to them to find out. What should I do?

Colleen,

Speak to them. See the post by Doug42 just above your post. The rep contacted Doug was cooperative and helpful. IMHO, you should talk to them and ask for debt validation. You can also send your request in writing through certified mail.

Once they respond to your letter and send the itemized detail of the debt, you can easily understand if their claim is valid or not.

Doug, you are right, not all the collectors are bad. Debtors should pay their bills???that is also true. However, circumstances sometime restrict people from doing the right thing, you know.

These guys really are scum. Do not believe anything they say. Tape all conversations with them, because they are. You will catch them violating fdcpa in just one call. Check out an item called callcorder 3 it recordes all calls right to your computer Hard drive.

Ok they called me again today. I told them to shut the **** up and stop calling me, and he called me a little girl. WTF???

Anyway I want to send a letter to them to tell them they can no longer call me, but I do not want to give them my name (they don't have it). Would it be useless to send the letter with just my phone number?

Oh and I said something like, I will report them, sue them, etc, and the guy says he's using his personal cellphone to call me, and he will not hang up. I can see his damn number and what, he shares it with 2 other people? Anyway I'm just ranting now. But thanks in advance.

Guest,

IMHO, a letter without sender's name won't get much value. Moreover it will be rendered of little importance if you wish to use this letter as a legal proof in future.

However, if you ultimately decide to send them cease comm. letter, mention the name of the person they are looking for and state clearly that this person is no more available at your number, so they should stop calling you.

If they continue to disturb you, file your complaint with FTC, BBB and attorney general's office.

As per as I can recall, they are calling you for one of your relatives, right? You can consult him/her also. If your relative follows up the issue, then you could be free from all these hassles.

Do inform us on what is happening at your end.

this phone number calls me 4 times everyday and asks for someone i've never heard of

let's start harrasing them

mark,

Welcome to forums :D

I would suggest you to move legally. Send them cease and desist letter clearly explaining the scenario. Make it certified.

Once they receive this letter, they must follow your request. Do one more thing, try to speak to the supervisor if they call again, however, I'm not sure if the caller would allow you to reach the supervisor at all!

they don't use real names, complain to citibank about them, have your attny complain to citi, don't give them your attny number, have your attny try to call them, chances are there will be no answer then have the attny call citibank.

in reading this thread, i come up with the following info. Names that ACS are using. Becly ???, Josh Gates,Mike Diaz,Bill Baker,Lynn Trainer,Ray King,Shelly Post,Hugh Arnold, Paul Roberts,Lisa Craven,Richard Brown, Russell Davis , Cynthia ? oh and the president lets not forget Keith Dickstein( If the shoe fits????) Do you see these arte made up names. The Company is BS from the start. Not to mention the phone #'s, call the back . If you work for them . I hope you sleep well at night cuz you will pay in the future.

PS employees of ACS, (i bet the company won't back ypu up)After all you are debtors too.

I just got a letter from Academy Collection Services that says they are trying to collect a $272.39 debt for Pallino Receivables? They are offering me a settlement for 50% of the amount owed. First of all I don't even know who Pallino is and second of all I have no clue what this is for. The letter has the whole standard "Unless you notify this office...yada yada yada" and the "This is an attempt to collect a debt...." but that's it. How do I handle this?

Brooklyn, send a debt validation to the company's mailing address. It is your legal right to know the details of the debt and verify it properly. As the company contacting you is a collection agency, they are forced by the fdcpa laws to give you the exact details. Send your letter certified/return receipt requested. Keep a copy of it documented in a file for records. You have the rights to refuse payment till the debt account is properly presented in front of you. Samples of debt validation letter are available in this forum. Tailor it according to your needs and wait for the reply.

I've been getting collection calls from a law firm called "Riddle and Associates". I did some research on them and found some disturbing stories about their collection tactics. Does anyone know if this firm can legally collect debts in California? They are located in Utah. If they file a lawsuit against me, doesn't a California lawfirm has to handle the case? Please help! Thanks!

Anna,

In California, the collection agencies need not require any specific state license to do business; they are subject to fdcpa and FCRA as usual. IMHO, federal laws are supportive to consumers enough.

Why do you think that they are going to file lawsuit against you? You can negotiate with them. If the figure they are claiming is correct, propose some payment plan, negotiate with them and repay the account. Don't forget to get your payment plan signed by them before you start paying.

Thank you for the info Stan. I appreciate it.

I just received a letter from ACS stating that an account has been transferred to them wanting a total of 430.48. I have no idea what this is for and was going to call and see but now I don't want to after reading all the tactics!

Hi Susan,

Welcome to forums :D

Don't get upset at the first step. Try to know which account they are trying to collect. Send them DV using CMRRR. Once they receive this letter, they are legally bound to send you debt validation within 30 days. Then you can understand easily if the debt is a valid one or not. You can always dispute the discrepancies, if any.

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/validation.html

Once you know the account details, you can try to settle it with your OC directly.

Let us know if you have any more queries.

even if they do, and they might, but doubtful they'll want to spend thousands to get hundreds, whats the worst, you get put on a payment plan. you are not going to jail. Be careful though, They want your cash, and that only.

GIVE ME A BREAK!!! That is the biggest bunch of BS I've heard. All of these complaints are probably accurate. Your company and its employees are harassing, rude, and unethical. You constantly violate the laws set forth under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Why don't you be a real woman and stop your
****in! Just relax and be nice :)

[color=Red]****Adult term removed - Jason[/color]

pissed off,

I assume your experience with them is also not a nice one. File your complaint with BBB, FTC and AG's office. Also work out some payment plan with your original lender and pay them directly.

This is just the most rediculous company I have ever heard of. Don't yell at them....that is laughable. This company has been calling my number for months, and I have told them time and time again that the person they are asking for is not at this number. Sometimes they call two and three times a day even after they have been told they have the wrong number. From now on, when they call me, I will be nice and tell them wrong number, then I will call them back several times and ask for a bogus person. What jerks!!!!! They just don't get it...I was even told by one to disconnect my phone if I did not like it. Well bite my A$$! I do not owe any debt and I am not the person they are asking for. Probably the reason they changed their number in the first place, I will not be intimidated by some punk from Philadelphia that I do not owe a prayer let alone a dollar!

You can speak to your telecom service provider, if they can block this number for you. Also send them a cease comm. letter CMRRR.

My post is like the rest, They contacted me at work out of the blue, talking calm and professional. The female ACS, used lawyer, filing, taking this to court, must have a decision today, and so on. They did catch me off guard and it did send me into panic mode. I do owe a debt to Citicard and will pay my debt.. I informed the ACS associate that I would need to look at my accounts and speak with my spouse before I would be able to commit to a settlement. On my commute home I regained my composure.(YEH!)
1) Learn your legal rights.
2) Learn what rules(LAWS), they(ACS), has to play by.
3) Be professional at all times. (It's Only Business!?)
4) If you owe a debt, attack it! It's modern day bondage!
5) ACS is the "JUNK YARD DOGS" of collection.
When I spoke to the ACS associate the next day, Again she was professional until, I informded her that my employer didn't allow collection calls to employee's. ACS would need to contact me only at home.(Still professional). The associate went on and on pushing for a payment. Finally I had to interrupt her and politely said; "You, nor any other affiliate of ACS is to contact me at my place of employment. "THIS IS MY RIGHT BY LAW." Suddenly the tone and language turned ugly! So ugly, it's "COMEDY"!
Yes, they're a pain. So why not have fun with them!
I'll pay my debt, to Citi not ACS. As ACS informed me I have a few more months of comic phone calls before their contract runs out on my debt and reverts back to Citi.
JOKER:)

Joker,

I admire your approaching policy :D If consumers are aware with their rights and familiar with debt collection rules, then no one can harass them. On the contrary, it will be a fun indeed when a collection agency would try to deceit people.

Your valuable experience is definitely going to help others. Wish to hear more from you. Keep us posted.

Now when a collection agency calls, I have fun with them. I hear them out, then tell them that i want validation of the account and that under the fdcpa laws, I am entitled to one. I'm not scared of them anymore since joining this forum and finding out how to deal with them. collection agencies do not like it when you know your rights and enforce your rights.

Some lady named jenny called me on my cell and left a voice mail 2 times already. 1-800-220-0605 ext:4446 asking for some one I don't even know. I searched the number and found this forum. I must now call these scum and harass them hahahahaha. My meds are not working for me and I'm feeling manic at the moment, so these f**ckers chose the wrong number to call. Since I have read that telling these people that they have the wrong number does not help, I figure I'll get some joy out of harassing these people. They don't seem to care about harassing people. I don't really care, I have been provoked. I decided if that f*cking b*tch called me again I would do it. She just fueled the fire. Of course I will only call from a pay phone lol. I'll do it for myself and all of the innocent people they have harassed. I have no connections to the people they want or any debts, so it really does not matter anyway hahaha lol. They should not have called a person with ocd, and bipolar type 1. I will make them regret it soooooooooo much. I don't have anything to lose, but I can gain some fond memories:) maybe I will record the conversations too. no better not, that can be used as evidence against me :(

I spoke with Nicole the other day and noticed there were pauses in our conversation. When I asked her why, she said, she was answering another call. I think she was taping the conversation without my permission. Has anyone else experienced this?

TearDrop,

I guess you are right. Please check with your state laws. Not all the states allow to record conversation without consent from both the speakers. Hope this thread would help you-

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/forums/recordconvers.html

You can consult a lawyer to know if you can take any legal step against them, but the thing is you do not have much evidence in your hand :(

Hi Stan thank you for replying to my post. In PA where the call came from you have to inform the person you're taping it but I am in VA and it seems to be ok. Good point I don't have any evidence against and it would probably me a waste of time.
Take care

Here's my two cents. I know that here in Florida, for your own personal reasons (child custody, divorce etc), you may record a conversation on your phone without the person's permission. I believe that the telephone company can record your calls for you at your request. You must realize though that EVERY conversation will be recorded you cannot pick or choose which ones to record. There are also home devices which you can us and your state should tell you which ones are acceptable. I know you said she was recording the conversation, my point is that if you both have a record of the conversation, nothing can be misconstrued or altered :wink: CYA has always been my motto. Good Luck!