Is the debt collection agency Alternatives Collections, LLC harassing you?

When it comes to debt collection agencies and services, many think of thugs walking around, beating up anyone that owes them money. However, those are the days of old. In the modern era, debt collectors hide behind phones, letters, and emails, in an attempt to confuse and distort the information given to you.

Companies such as Alternatives Collections LLC may attempt collection practices that may seem shady. Are they legal practices, or is this debt collection agency going too far? Here are the things you need to know if you have been contacted by Alternatives Collections LLC, and the steps you need to take to protect yourself.

What is Alternatives Collections LLC?

Currently, there are no associated businesses that are directly under that name. With many debt collection agencies and businesses, the names all tend to be similar in nature, which allows businesses to sometimes get away with harassment and aggressive tactics.

There are other companies that do go by a similar name, however. A company based out of Buffalo, New York goes by a similar name which is Alternative Collections LLC. They also do business as Alternative Collection Solutions, ACS Asset Compliant Solutions, and ACS. 

Is Alternatives Collections LLC a legit Debt Collection Agency?

As far as stated, the company based out of Buffalo, New York is a legitimate business. They have been in operation since 2006 and had their Better Business Bureau file opened in 2008. They have been accredited by the BBB since 2008, and currently hold an A+ rating with the BBB.

Alternatives Collections LLC Contact Information:

Address: 65 Lawrence Bell Dr Ste 101 Buffalo, New York 14221-7182

Phone Number: 1-716-995-5714

Other Phone: 1-716-633-3500

Other Phone: 1-888-995-4227

Alternative Names: Alternative Collection Solutions, DBA – ACS Asset Compliant Solutions, ACS

Fax Number: 1-716-633-3501

 Website: www.acs-cam.com 

Does Alternatives Collections LLC have Complaints against them?

Alternative Collections LLC currently has no listed complaints against them on the BBB website.

They do, however, have 8 listed complaints against them through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Consumer Complaint Database.

Of note, there are no complaints against an Alternatives Collections LLC on either the BBB or the CFPB’s CCD. 

What kind of Complaints have been made?

The spectrum of the complaints is quite large. The most recent complaint was from 2018, where it stated that Alternative Collections, LLC botched their management of a loan or lease. Another complaint states that they had been contacted by Alternative Collections, LLC about a debt that they never even had. Even further back, the complaints state that they have been harassed by multiple phone calls from debt collectors, as well as having them attempt to collect the wrong amount against the proper debt.

There is something else of note. These complaints did not originate from the same state or area. These came from many areas around the US. The states listed as consumer states on the CFPB’s CCD files show that the complaints came from California, North Carolina, Tennessee, Colorado, and Florida, just to name a few. 

Are the Practices of Alternatives Collections LLC Legal?

Unfortunately, these types of practices are not legal, and should be considered harassment and excess use of abuse under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (RFDCPA). Debt collectors are held to a certain standard, as there used to be no laws about how a debt collector could collect on a debt. Since then, debt collection laws have been in place, such as the FDCPA, or the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The FDCPA states that a debt collector is not allowed to do certain things that would be considered excessive or abusive in nature.

These Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) laws state that a debt collector may not call after certain times of the day, or before certain times of the day. They also state that debt collectors are not allowed to contact people other than the consumer in question about the debt. This means they are not allowed to contact close family members, friends, or coworkers.

In the case of Alternative Collections, LLC, they breached multiple legal laws and steps. In the case of repeated calls, this breaks the FDCPA laws, as well as attempting to continue contacting the consumer after the consumer asked them not to. These are both examples of debt collector harassment and abuse of power from them.

How can I protect myself and fight back against Alternatives Collections LLC?

Debt collection harassment can be quite intricate in nature. Because you may not know exactly what constitutes harassment, you may find it difficult to define and identify the harassment.

The first step to protecting yourself against such harassment is quite simple. If you have been contacted by Alternative Collections, LLC, or Alternatives Collections LLC and their subsequent names, make sure to ask for identification of the debt. This can be done multiple ways, such as a written letter, key information details, and an identification key for online searches. If they are not able to provide adequate identification of the debt, it is safe to state that the debt may be a scam.

Another step to take is to find and hire an experienced and knowledgeable debt collection harassment attorney or lawyer. We here at the Law Office of Paul Mankin, APC have a deep and experienced roster of attorneys that are willing to help and assist you throughout the process of stopping and prosecuting unlawful debt collection harassment. We can help you identify debt collection harassment, as well as assist you in stopping the harassment and reporting it to the proper authorities.

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.