Accounts Receivable Consultants ARC Collections Complaints? Calling, Harassing You?

Is Accounts Receivable Consultants legit? Are they a scam?

Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. is a legitimate third-party debt collection agency based in Houston, Texas. ARC has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including attempting to collect debts not owed and failing to verify debts. If you have been contacted by this debt collector, make sure you understand your rights before taking action.

Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. has been operating debt-collection services for more than 20 years. ARC claims its personal goal is to maximize the amount collected for its clients through its unsurpassed experience in the collections industry. Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. is compensated on a contingency basis, which means that Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. only gets paid based on what it can collect from the debtor. As such, Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. is motivated to collect as much as possible from the debtor without settling for less.

Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. offers a variety of debt collections services to its clients, including custom reports, credit bureau reporting, free skip tracing on accounts with bad addresses or phone numbers, individual attention to every account by an experienced representative, letters, and phone calls to the debtor without regard for the amount owed by the individual.

Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. is a member of The Association of Credit and Collection Professionals.

Who does Accounts Receivable Consultants collect for?

Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. offers debt collection services in a variety of industries, including commercial debt, gym memberships, and utilities. Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. also offers services in insurance follow-ups, bad debt, as well as “early out” strategies.

As a third-party debt collection agency, Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. is required to adhere to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), a federal law that protects consumers from abusive debt collection tactics. Nevertheless, consumers have filed complaints accusing Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. of violating the FDCPA. Those accusations have included claims that the debt collection agency has threatened to sue consumers without actually intending to do so and talking to third parties about consumers’ debts. It’s imperative that you know your rights under the law before speaking with Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. debt collectors

Reviews: How many complaints have been filed against Accounts Receivable Consultants?

Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and the BBB has not issued a rating to Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. As of October 2019, the BBB lists one complaint related to billing/collections against Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. in the past three years, which has not been resolved. Since March 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) lists 20 complaints against Accounts Receivable Consultants, Inc. 18 of these complaints contain allegations related to debt collection practices, with two complaints related to consumer loans and credit reporting. Justia, one of the largest online legal databases in the United States, lists no federal cases of civil litigation involving ARC

Accounts Receivable Consultants harassing you?

If you’ve been contacted by ARC, you have the right to sue them in federal court if the debt collection agency has violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Signs that you may be on solid legal footing are:

• The debt collection agency called you several times in a single week
• A debt collector calls you before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m.
• You’ve told the debt collection agency that you can’t receive calls at work, but they call anyway
• The debt collection agency is threatening to sue you
• A debt collector has disclosed information about your debt to family members, coworkers, or friends
• The debt collection agency is asking you to pay collection fees
• A debt collector swears at you or calls you names

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act was put into law in order to protect consumers like you, but there’s a catch. While the government sues debt collection agencies that egregiously violate the law, it doesn’t sue agencies on behalf of individual consumers. Instead, the FDCPA has what’s called a fee-shifting provision. This means that, if you sue and win, then the debt collection agency has to pay your court costs and attorney fees. Fee-shifting levels the playing field so that you can assert your rights.

Are you asking yourself…

Why is Accounts Receivable Consultants calling me?

Accounts Receivable Consultants could be calling for a number of reasons, all of them related to debt collection:

• They could be collecting a debt on behalf of a creditor. For example, your dentist may have hired the agency to collect on a past due dental bill.
• They may be calling about a debt incurred by someone you don’t know. For example, it could be a wrong number call or your phone number could have been previously owned by the person who actually owes the debt.
• They could be calling to ask the whereabouts of someone you know. For example, they may believe that a family member of yours owes a debt and they’re trying to get a hold of his or her phone number or find out where he/she works.
• They may be trying to get you to make a small payment on a time-barred debt in order to restart the clock on the statute of limitations. For example, they could have purchased a very old bundle of uncollected cell phone bills that are legally unenforceable; convincing a consumer to pay even a dollar makes the debt current again.

If you’ve been contacted by ARC it’s important to know your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. If they’ve violated your rights, you can take the agency to court and sue for statutory damages of up to $1,000 – along with court costs and attorney fees.

Can Accounts Receivable Consultants sue me?

Yes. Accounts Receivable Consultants can sue you if you owe the debt, however, threatening to sue or serve you with papers if they don’t intend to do so is a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Additionally, after receiving the first collection notice, you have 30 days to dispute the debt. If you dispute the debt, then ARC is required by the FDCPA to prove that you do, in fact, owe the money. A debt collection agency isn’t allowed to sue you if, for example, the debt is past the statute of limitations or if you do not legally owe the debt. It’s a good idea to speak with a fair debt attorney if you’ve been served with a summons or legal complaint.

Can Accounts Receivable Consultants garnish my wages?

Yes. However, Accounts Receivable Consultants cannot threaten you to garnish your wages and garnishment can only only occur if ARC files a lawsuit and obtains a judgment against you. It’s common for consumers to ignore notice of a lawsuit; if you don’t appear in court, the judge may automatically rule against you. Debt collection agencies have been known to avoid serving consumers with notice to increase the odds of obtaining a judgment. This is called “sewer service” or “gutter service.” The bottom line? If wage garnishment takes you by surprise, talk to a consumer attorney who can fight for your rights.

Can Accounts Receivable Consultants report my debt to the Credit Bureaus?

Yes. Accounts Receivable Consultants can report debts in collection to the three major credit reporting agencies – Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Once a debt is reported to the credit bureaus, it will appear on your credit report and will impact your credit score.

Can Accounts Receivable Consultants put a lien on my house or property?

Yes. However, as with wage garnishment, a property lien can only arise out of a court judgment against you. If ARC files a lawsuit against you and the judge rules in their favor, then the debt collection agency has a right to collect that money. One way of doing that is by putting a lien on your house or property. That’s why it’s imperative to respond to legal papers and to have an attorney by your side who will fight on your behalf.

Can Accounts Receivable Consultants arrest me?

No. Accounts Receivable Consultants – or any other debt collection agency like ARC for that matter – has no authority whatsoever to arrest you. In fact, threatening you with arrest or jail is a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. While so-called “debtors prisons” are illegal, only non-payment of things like traffic tickets can lead a judge to issue a bench warrant, which in turn can lead to arrest.

Can I sue Accounts Receivable Consultants?

Yes. You absolutely have the right to sue Accounts Receivable Consultants if you believe ARC violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The FDCPA says that debt collection agencies that violate the law must pay consumers up to $1,000 in statutory damages, as well as court costs and attorney fees. That’s why engaging a fair debt attorney to represent you in an FDCPA lawsuit typically doesn’t cost you anything out of pocket. The attorney that agrees to take on your case knows that the debt collection agency will be forced to pay their fees.

Ready to fight for your rights?

If Accounts Receivable Consultants – or any other debt collection agency – is calling you to the point of harassment, using abusive or profane language, or violating the FDCPA in some other way, it’s time to fight back. Under the law, you may be entitled to up to $1,000. At Lemberg Law, we won’t charge you a dime out of pocket, and we only get paid when you win. Call us today for a free, no-obligation, case evaluation. We’ll get the justice that you deserve.