Is the debt collection agency Alco Collections harassing you?

Getting a notice about a debt that has gone unpaid can be a severely negative event. Getting a phone call about a debt can be even more so. However, getting constant robocalls or harassing phone calls will not only inhibit your daily life and activities, it can also have a physical drain on your health.

As such, knowing who is calling you and if they are legitimate can allow you to quickly assess the situation, as well as determine if the caller is a legitimate debt collector, or if they are attempting to scam you. Alco Collections is no exception to this. If you have been contacted by Alco Collections about a debt you may have, these are some of the facts that you need to know before moving forward.

What is Alco Collections?

Alco Collections is seen as a collections agency based in Louisiana. They have been in business for 28 years, and are headed by Mr. James Allen, who is listed as President and CEO of Alco Collections.

Is Alco Collections a legit Debt Collection Agency?

Alco Collections is considered to be a legitimate debt collection agency. They are situated out of Baton Rouge, LA, and are said to be in business for close to 34 years. They hold a currently A Rating through the Better Business Bureau. However, this does not take into account Customer Reviews. Alco Collections is not accredited through the BBB.

They currently have a 1.1 star rating out of 5 on the BBB website, with 5 customer reviews being cited.

Alco Collections Contact Information

Address: 8550 United Plaza Boulevard, Suite 702 Baton Rouge, LA 70809

Fax Number: 1-225-751-5659

Phone Number: 1-225-751-5660

Website: http://www.alcocollections.com

Does Alco Collections have Complaints against them?

Alco Collections has currently three complaints lodged against them within the last three years. They have one as recently as within the last year as well. There are also 5 customer reviews on the BBB, with all of them being 1 or 2 stars.

Alco Collections has 20 registered complaints lodged against them according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Consumer Complaint Database.  Most of these complaints against Alco Collections allege violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

What kind of Complaints have been made?

Alco Collections has complaints of various integrity and issues. The primary complaints come from unprofessional, abusive, and negative language used when talking with clients and customers. Reviewers and consumers have stated that Alco Collections representatives used abusive language when attempting to collect on debts, even threatening harm to family members and coworkers of the consumers in question.

There are also statements that they do not return phone calls promptly even when they called earlier on the same day. There have been listed attempts to contact them regularly, with little to no success.

There are also complaints lodged stating that they attempted to collect on bills that are not under the called consumer’s name, and as such, attempted to use misinformation as a way to solicit a payment.  Most of these complaints, if true, would be violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and California Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Are the Practices of Alco Collections Legal?

Of the practices stated by complaints, Alco Collections employs illegal and highly abusive practices in an attempt to solicit a payment.

Attempting to threaten a consumer to pay a debt through targeting family members or coworkers directly goes against the FDCPA laws and regulations. Aggressive tactics such as these are seen as debt collector harassment, and can be punishable by law under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Utilizing and manipulating information in an attempt to scam or blackmail a consumer also goes against FDCPA regulations. Stated in 2018 by a complaint on the BBB, a consumer stated that they were never sent a bill for the debt, and were never able to verify the debt either as the representative hung up on them multiple times.

How can I protect myself and fight back against Alco Collections?

There are plenty of ways to protect yourself against such abusive and intrusive language and practices. The first is to verify if the debt is real. Verifying a debt is fairly simple. Simply contact the debt collection agent and ask for authorization and verification of the debt. This comes in many forms, such as a mailed form with information, or electronic information regarding the debt and where it comes from.

If you are fighting against debt collection harassment and abusive phone calls, it is best to contact a debt collection harassment attorney or lawyer who focuses in debt collector harassment and abuse. We here at the Law Office of Paul Mankin, APC hold a great number of experienced and knowledgeable debt collection harassment attorneys that will be able to assist you with your harassment issues from debt collectors.

Not only can we help you to defend against debt collection harassment, we can also help to build a case, and assist you in understanding where the illegal collection patterns are for debt collectors. We are also able to help facilitate any communications or discussions between the parties, ensuring that nothing you say can be used against you.

The most important bit of information in your fight is to always remain vigilant. No matter who you have at your side, it can seem like a daunting battle against such a large company and agency. If you have ever been the subject of:

• Multiple calls per week from a third party collection agency
• Multiple calls in the early morning or late night from debt collectors.
• Violent and belligerent language and harassment from debt collectors.
• Threats of arrests or poor credit due to outstanding debts.
• Having your friends, family, and coworkers harassed from debt collectors.
• Automated robocalls from third party collection agencies.

Then you may have a case available. So do not wait, make sure to give us a call, and get started fighting back against the debt collection harassment.