Academy Collection Services
Where is it located?
Academy Collection Service, Inc. 10965 Decatur Road
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19156 William Fuller, President
Toll Free: (800) 220-0605
Phone: (215) 281-7500
Fax: (215) 281-7512
Call Center:
9350 Ashton Road, #1 Philadelphia, PA 19114
Las Vegas:
750 Pilot Road, Suite #A Las Vegas, NV 89119
www.academycollection.com
Who is Academy Collection Services?
Academy Collection Services is a debt collector located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Many debt collectors purchase debts from the original creditors for "pennies on the dollar" and then try to collect one‐hundred cents on the dollar. Other collection agencies work directly for creditors, using strong‐arm tactics to try to get people to pay. They don't care if they offend you because you were never there customer to begin with. However, a federal law (the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act), and some state laws (for example, the California Fair Debt Collection Practices Act), regulate debt collectors. The Fair abused by debt collectors. This federal law governs what debt collector can and cannot do when they attempt to collect debts. Some states, like California, also regulate how original creditors can and cannot collect debts.
NEWS FLASH! See this recent press release about Academy Collection Services, Inc.:
For Release: 1/07/2010
"Debt Collection Supervisors Settle FTC ChargesNew FTC Video Explains Consumer Rights
Concluding a case that drew the largest civil penalty ever imposed on a debt collection business, the Federal Trade Commission settled with the two remaining individual defendants who allegedly misled, threatened, and harassed consumers; disclosed their debts to third parties; and deposited postdated checks early, in violation of federal law. The settlement order requires each of these senior managers to pay a civil penalty and bars them from future violations.The FTC wants to remind debt collectors of their responsibilities and obligations under the law. Abusive collection actions are illegal, and if debt collectors use abusive tactics they could face legal action," said David Vladeck, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "At the same time, we want consumers to understand their rights if their debts go into collection. Money matters, and the more people know about managing their debt and dealing with debt collectors, the better off they will be." According to the FTC's complaint, filed by the Department of Justice on the FTC's behalf, the defendants participated in, or controlled, the actions of debt collectors whose unlawful practices included false or deceptive threats of garnishment, arrest, and legal action; improper calls to consumers; frequent, harassing, threatening, and abusive calls; and unfair and unauthorized withdrawals from consumers' bank accounts. The complaint also alleged that the defendants failed to adequately investigate consumer complaints or discipline collectors, and collectors who were terminated for violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) often were rehired within a few months.
In 2008, Academy Collection Service, Inc. and its owner, Keith Dickstein, paid $2.25 million to settle FTC charges that Academy collectors violated the FTC Act and the FDCPA while collecting debts, and that Dickstein failed to stop the violations. The settlement order announced today, negotiated by DOJ and the FTC, imposed civil penalties of $375,000 and $300,000, respectively, on Albert S. Bastian and Keith L. Hurt III, who oversaw Academy's Las Vegas collection center. The judgments were suspended upon payment of $7,500 each, based on their ability to pay. The full judgments will become due immediately if the defendants are found to have misrepresented their financial condition.
The order bars Bastian and Hurt from making false, deceptive, or misleading representations in debt collection efforts, such as that nonpayment will result in garnishment of wages, seizure of property, or lawsuits, or that they or their agents are attorneys. They also are prohibited from withdrawing money from consumers' bank accounts without their express informed consent, and from depositing or threatening to deposit postdated checks before the date on the check. In addition, the pair are barred from improperly communicating with third parties about a debt; communicating with a consumer at any unusual time or place; and harassing, oppressing, or abusing any person in connection with debt collection.
The Commission vote to authorize DOJ to file the consent decree was 4-0. The consent decree was entered in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada."
There are have been numerous complaints against Academy Collection Services, citing unfair debt collection practices, and as you can see above, the federal government sued Academy Collection Services for $2.25 million, one of the largest fines ever levied in a debt collection case.
Are you being harassed by a debt collector?
Contact Consumer Protection Lawyer Ronald Wilcox
If you are being harassed or abused by Academy Collection Services or any debt collector, you should contact Consumer Protection lawyer Ronald Wilcox, a California lawyer protecting consumers from collection harassment and abusive debt collectors.