Federal Trade Commission slaps Academy Collection Service, Inc. with the largest penalty fine ever in a debt collection case. Keith Dickstein, owner of the company, has agreed to pay the fine of $2.25 million.
Over 1,000 complaints have been filed against Academy Collection. See earlier blog about the lawsuit here and find additional details at AlabamaConsumerLawBlog.
Over 1,000 complaints have been filed against Academy Collection. See earlier blog about the lawsuit here and find additional details at AlabamaConsumerLawBlog.
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ACADEMY COLLECTION IS NOT A BAD COMP AS A FORMER EMPLOYEE IT'S NOT THE COMP IT'S THE COLLECTORS THAT WORK FOR THEM AS A SUPERVISOR FOR ACS WE TRAINED TO THE FULLEST ///OF THE LAW WHENEVER YOU CALL SOMEONE ON THE PHONE WE TAKE A CHANCE ON EVERY CALL 1ST OF ALL WE LIED ABOUT ARE NME BUT ANY RATE ACS WAS JUST TO OPENHEARTED ONE THING ABOUY THEN THEY GAVE EVERYBIDY A CHANCE FOR PAST MISTAKES AND ACS WAS WILLIONG TO TAKE A CHANCE BY HELPING THINKING PEOPLE COULD CHANGE THERE OLD WAYS IDEAS AND BEHAVIORS THATS WHAT I BELIEVE BUT WITH THERE HARD WORK DEDICATION AND [PERFESIONAL STAFF THEY WILL REBUILD AND CONTINUE TO HELP PEOPLE FIGURE OUT THE BEST AND QUICKEST SOLUTION TO REBUILDING THEIR CREDIT *** PEACE AND GOD BLESS THE ACADEMY FAMILY I ONCE WAS APART OF GHOST WRITER****
Hi, Larry.
That was the most incomprensible screed I have ever heard in my life.
You might try arranging your wierd rant into sentences, for starters (unless that would be too "perfessional" for you)
I'd say you are taking a chance on every call because you never know when you're going to get someone on the other end who won't play your game, and who has unlimited free legal services though their job.
"1ST OF ALL WE LIED ABOUT ARE NME(sic) BUT ANY RATE ACS WAS JUST TO OPENHEARTED ONE THING ABOUY(sic) THEN(sic) THEY GAVE EVERYBIDY(sic) A CHANCE FOR PAST MISTAKES (???) AND ACS WAS WILLIONG(sic) TO TAKE A CHANCE BY HELPING THINKING PEOPLE COULD CHANGE THERE OLD WAYS IDEAS AND BEHAVIORS"
I suggest that the slimy rats that run that company change their OWN ways, ideas, and behaviours, unless they want to try for another $2.25 million.
You screwed with the wrong citizen.
Tommy
This company keeps calling my federal government work cell phone number and asking for a person that I don't know. I have asked them multiple times not to call, they say they remove the number, then they call again. From 5:00 in the morning to late at night, they call. They have been rude and refuse to let me speak to anyone in charge. I told them today that I will report them to the FCC, and next time they call me I will email their 800 numbers (I have several) to as many people as I can, and ask them to email all of their friends as well. We will all sit at our desks, dial their 800 numbers, and when they answer - hang up - and press redial. With thousands of people calling them over and over again (at their cost, oh by the way) maybe they won't have time to call me.
These people are rude and they have harassed me and my parents. i don't even live with my parents anymore and they continued to call them at home harassing them. I wrote them a letter stating my circumstances and the calls still came in. I called to ask for their address to send them a payment and was treated very poorly having to raise my voice at the lady just so i could get the address to where they are located. they should be fined again.
Tiffany -You don't need to take their abuse. There are an array of rules they must abide by -though many aggressive collectors disregard them -and your rights. In fact, it's against the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) for them to even speak to your parents about your debt. Debt Collectors can only share news of a debt you have, with your spouse.
Find some links and more info here...
http://www.givemebackmycredit.com/blog/2009/09/abusive-debt-collection-calls.html#more
Keep up posted on how you make out. If they continue to harass you -contact a good consumer attorney. To find one in your area you can go to http://www.naca.net and click on "find attorney" link. Look for an attorney experienced in the FDCPA, debt collections, etc.
Good luck!
This company has called me repeatedly to try and collect on a debt i paid off two years ago to a different collection agency. I've told them that the debt was paid off and that i can even fax them proof, but they continue to call and harass me. I even think it's the same person (with a really strong Indian accent) but he just changes his name.
To make things more fishy, they have the wrong information about me (SSN and address) and yet they still continue to call me. The company doesn't seem legit at all.
Have you checked your credit report? Odds are they are reporting this bogus non-existent debt and hurting your credit score. You can call and order a free credit report from the legit place mandated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act at 877-322-8228 or going to annualcreditreport.com (be careful not to land on a page asking for your credit card -if you do, back out) The # is toll free and automated...best to call from the number the credit bureaus have on record for you.
Have you put in writing that you don't owe the debt -or that they are not allowed to call you again?
If not, do so via certified mail or through an attorney. I would also get in touch with a good consumer attorney specialized in fair debt collections in your area. You didn't note where you are from, but I can suggest where you can find good consumer attorney. Go to National Association of Consumer Advocates at http://www.naca.net and click on "find attorney" and fill in your area.
You can also check this blog for more info on your rights when it comes to illegal, aggressive and abusive debt collection practices.
Denise
Wrong # here but their rude vulgar harassment calls continued until..... I tape recorded one and complaint filed kept calling
To say it is not the company it is the employees ....is what has led to $$$ 2,500,000,000.00 in damages against the company.
WHO DO YOU THINK THE "COMPANY" IS ..... IT IS THE EMPLOYEES .....and those that MANAGE THEM.
You do not need a HARVARD MBA to realize that even a 6 year old can tell you.
AGAIN That is why they had to pay $2.5 MILLION
I guess they jst have not learned their lesson yet.
It's certainly not the employee's fault. The main problem is Academy/ Monarch's policys regarding compliance. The rules change from person to person. Long standing employees get away with murder and new hires are let go for ridiculous reasons. There compliance training is non existent, the managers are all former collectors who are throwbacks to the old ways of doing things and if your a part of the clique you can do or say anything on the phone if you're not then you better do the right thing or it's your job. I must say that there new president William Fuller is a decent guy, but the problem is he really needs to take a good hard look at his managment team. There are a few people in high positions who get away with murder and just arn't good people. Mr Fuller doesn't realize this because his opinion of these people is totally biased based on the fact that he's always been there boss so they always had to be on there best behavior. If Monarch wakes up and gets rid of the few bad apples in senior managment Monarch may have a chance at achieving greatness under his ownership.
As an x employee of academy sorry monarch i totally agree with the above statement. The things that went on in that place were atrocious. Billy Fuller is an ok guy he's fair in most situations but yea senior managment needs to be totally revamped. I heard Knauss runs the floor over there now he's one of the bad apples that you mentioned. BF needs to take a good hard look at his whole managment team from the ground up. I could sit here and out these managers one by one and blog about all the horid things i've seen during my 3 years there but why bother it would just look like some disgruntled x employee's lies and thats certainly not me. I left on my own accord because of what i've seen managment get away with, the lies the thieves the cheats it just became to much to deal with. There were a few great managers over there like Jan Stier but the few like her were far and few between. BF needs to see these people for who they are and bring some good people in there.How canhe expect employees to do the right thing when snakes in managment are threatning there jobs and extorting money out of them! Wake up BF!
It's people like you that have the insight and courage to share info on corporate wrongs -that can help right them!
Thanks for taking the time to comment -and please do consider posting more.
If you would like to write a guest blog -email me and let me know. I would love to put it up on the site and challenge various current and former employees to share their insight too.
An example of a guest blog can be found here
http://www.givemebackmycredit.com/blog/2009/03/a-credit-card-industry-insider.html
It's about time somebody stuck it to that company! I dealt with them in 2005, and they were rude, threatening, abusive, and untruthful in every single phone conversation I ever had with them. If I had thought to record my conversations with those losers, I could have legally stuck them for $1000 for every violation of the Fair Debt Collections Act they committed. (And there were MANY violations) The most egregious violation was threatening to garnish my wages, which is not legal in my state. Larry, if all Academy employees really were "trained to the fullest extent of the law" (which I highly doubt, seeing as my vocabulary and knowledge of debt law was more advanced than most of the boobs at Academy that I had to deal with), then why would not just one, but three of Academy's employees threaten wage garnishment in a state in which it is not legal, and why would they make such a threat when untruthfulness by the debt collector is in direct violation of the FDCA? And furthermore Larry, if you, with your execrable vocabulary, atrocious spelling, and bizarre syntax, were a SUPERVISOR at ACS, it's little wonder the employees under you were so ill-informed.
I highly doubt Larry was coherent when he wrote that ridiculous rant. I'm another ex employee of Academy. I worked there for about a year and left because I moved. When I was there Bill Fuller ran the floor and Ed Ashman was his right hand. Bill seemed to be on the level but Ed Ashman was a liar and a snake and I remember Jimmy K to if he's in charge of the floor now god help academys new ownership.