November 2008 Lots of layoff's this week, Academy cannot find enough paper to keep the collectors busy. This place is a zoo, tell your readers to hold on to their money this place may not be around much longer.
November 2008 ACADEMY'S BEING SOLD, THEN IT'S NOT, THE RUMORS ARE FLYING AS USUAL, COLLECTORS AIN'T MAKING ANY MONEY AND MANAGERS AND HIGHER UPS WILL NEVER MAKE THE MONEY SOME WHERE ELSE THAT THEY'RE MAKING AT ACS... LET'S FACE IT, IT WAS ONE THING TO DEAL WITH THESE CLOWNS WHEN YOU COULD MAKE MONEY THERE, IT'S QUITE ANOTHER TO COME TO WORK AT ACS NOW THAT COMMISSION IS DEAD, MANAGEMENT AT ACS THINK THEY'RE GODS...THESE CLOWNS ACTUALLY THINK IT'S A BIG DEAL TO BE A MANAGER AT ACS AND LORD OVER THEIR COLLECTORS IN A GODLIKE FASHION, THE BACKBITING IS AMAZING...SOME HIDE IN THEIR OFFICES GAMBLING, MAKING DRUG DEALS, GOD FORBID THEY HELP DEVELOP THEIR COLLECTORS...THE BEST SO FAR IS THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT "EDDIE ASHMAN"....[TRULY A POSTER CHILD FOR AA ]LAST YEAR AT AN EAGLES GAME THIS DRUNKEN IDIOT BROKE BOTH OF HIS HEELS JUMPING OFF OF A FENCE, HIS WRIST AND HAND ARE CURRENTLY IN A CAST NOW FROM PUNCHING A WALL [I WONDER WHAT STORY HE'S TELLING PEOPLE]...LAST YEAR THE TOILETS OVERFLOWED AND THE ENTIRE COLLECTION FLOOR WAS WET WITH TOILET WATER. MANAGEMENTS RESPONSE WAS TO SEND MESSAGES TELLING THEM IT'S ONLY "WATER" AND THREATEN TO FIRE ANYONE WHO WANTED TO LEAVE...WHAT A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!
September 2008 my mole in management at academy collection services says that a senior supervisor there, the hated William morrow will be fired along with another manager because they documented on an account that they verified account numbers and funds available on a 50 thousand dollar check, the collector had planned to quit and get the commission before anyone got wise. they check came back quicker than usual as " account not found" i will receive confirmation of this by noon today
August 2008 Rumors are the senior supervisor - William Morrow and another manager were axed because they documented an account they verified account numbers and funds available on a 50K check, the collector wanted to take the commission and then quit before anyone was the wiser.
July 2008
My
problem with Academy seems to be one that that a lot of
other people are having from what I’ve been able to discover
online. About five months ago, I began receiving several
calls daily from someone stating that they were from
CitiFinancial and asking for someone I’ve never heard of and
whose name sounds nothing like mine. Initially, they
originated from 703 and 803 area codes, then later the 856
area code, which I’ve traced to Academy. I’ve requested each
time, verbally and in written e-mails to Citifinancial and
Academy, that my phone number be removed from their call
list and that they do not associate my phone number with
this person’s name. However, the problem persists. Most
recently, I’ve filed complaints with FTC & BBB against Citi
& Academy in hopes that they’ll make them stop. My only
conclusion is that these companies must be too lazy to care
about tracing people who owe them money, something which can
be done often free and online these days.
I have had my phone number for over three years and am not
aware if this number was previously this woman’s, or if it’s
a number that she invented when applying for credit. Perhaps
it was one arbitrarily selected by Academy since it seems
that so many others, I have discovered, are having an
identical problem, and no one has ever called and asked for
her until five months ago. I can only assume that this
activity must be part of some quota-based system of
accountability to show one’s client, in essence, “We called
Mr./Ms. Deadbeat x number of times this month” to prove they
are performing their jobs in accordance with the terms of
their contract.
If I can’t get it to stop within the next few months, it
looks like my next step may be to change my phone number. It
seems insane that I should have to do this, causing expense
and great inconvenience to myself, as well as to family and
friends because I can’t shake these idiots. I'd be
interested to hear any feedback about how the wrong
name/number situation happens and why nothing is done to
follow up on their end as far as pursuing the person who
does owe them $. It certainly seems to be NOT an uncommon
occurrence.
June 2008 Academy Collection Services hire criminals with criminal records, they hire sex offenders who are on parole and doesn't do background checks on these individuals who may eventually commit the crime again. Right now I personally know a sex offender working there.
May 2008 This Agency had a collector out of Nevada call my wife's office and third party disclose information about one of her co-workers. The collector identified his self as a attorney. My wife put him on hold and called me. I was in the business years ago. I told her to ask him for his Bar number. The collector gave it to her. I checked the Nevada State Bar Association and he was not listed. I had my wife call them back. This time she spoke with a female. My wife let the female know that she was not the debtor but would give a message to the debtor. She again asked what the first collectors Bar # was again. This time the female gave her a different number. After some checking, I discovered that their corporate office was in Minn.. I sent them an email stating I would report them etc. They cut my wife a check for $2,000.00 within 24 hours. My wife then notified her co-worker. I sent another email on behalf of her co-worker (she gave me poa). I got her $8,000.00 within a week!
March 2008 I too was a employee of Academy Collection Services. I was a Manager for over 4 years. I was terminated for telling another Manager not to break FDCPA. This other Manager told me to shut up and mind my own business and that he needed to get this debt paid. I also would not condone my reps to break the law and when I went to write them up I was told to be quiet and to just let them collect the money. Once I started protecting my reps and have them follow FDCPA I was told that I was not needed any longer since I am no a team player. If I were you I would file any and all complaints and finally get them shut down. The Vice President and the Assistant Vice President in the Las Vegas office were terminated in a FTC complaint and Academy will be getting a huge fine. I just takes more complaints and bye bye Academy!!!!!! Remember, what comes around goes around. Don't forget the cell phones they use to call debtors as well and running bad checks.
March 2008 This agency has repeatedly contacted members of my family including my octogenarian parents, after being told not to. They been provided with the correct phone and address to reach me, but keep contacting people in my family or my husband's family. They are very aggressive and rude. They are loose with third party information and with the FDCPA. I'm filing a complaint with the Atty General, State of PA. I faxed them another C&D letter today.
November 15, 2007 The problem at Academy is management-- they currently employ at least one manager who's a known drug dealer, some are bookies, they paid out lots for sexual harassment cases, one manager paid for a tummy tuck for a female collector. I and others were physically threatened on more than one occasion there. They tried everything to make it work, but there but they just refuse to get ride of the core group of idiots, namely: Bill Fuller, William Morrow, Edward Ashman, Jan Stier, Rick Laughlin.
September 26, 2007 I am writing this in the wake of the real estate bubble burst in 2007. My whole state is suffering economically including myself. I fortunately do not own unlike my friends of which two have lost their homes to foreclosure. Academy is very aggressive. I thought it was great that they negotiated a $6500 Home Depot CitiBank loan down to $2500. I was all game when they finally faxed me a settlement outline which was not personally signed. It also noted that I could make the check payable to CitiBank and include it in the SSAE that came with the form. When I called them back for the envelope, I was rudely transferred to the "Manager/Bad Cop" who became quite irate because I was going to use the absolutely unacceptable United States Postal Service for a paper check. They wanted direct account withdrawal information. I said no ( per a lawyer’s recommendation ), I will send you a paper check with the notation that by cashing this check, this account has been settled in full. That’s when we got lift off! They tried to claimed I was refusing to make payment which by the way I have made small percentage payments every month to Home Depot. I always put that back in their face that they refused to take my money and now it is just going to the Home Depot. They shamelessly call my work and everywhere else while posing as lawyers but everything they say is not lawful ( Interesting ). I may actually buy a recording device and see where this goes. For now I have decided to just continue paying what my family can afford directly to Home Depot and visit the Attorney Generals office for advice on gagging these guys once and for all.
July 19, 2007 The woman who called me was very professional. My only issue with this company was that they called my former place of employment, my current place of employment, my parents (and she told them I'd named them as co-signers on a loan - completely fictitious), and, get this, MY HUSBAND'S EX WIFE, LEAVING A MESSAGE WITH MY 11 YEAR OLD STEP DAUGHTER. That was the final straw for me. I called her back, told her I'd be working directly with the credit card company, not to call my work, etc. She has since called my cell phone a few times, but that's it.
May 22, 2007 Same deal here. I was contacted by Academy, I was dealing with Phillips and Cohen no more than a month ago about a $1200 debt, paid down from over $2500 for the last year, so I didn't even realize P&C had passed my account on. I got a call claiming there was a complaint against me and I needed to call immediately. I have been dealing with this long enough to know that it was probably a collection agency, but I admit it did throw me a little. What I worry about is identity theft, since these outfits are questionable at best. I will pay the money back eventually but it's the ID theft thing that keeps me up nights.
May 21, 2007 Some Academy collectors really are memorable. One called last week about a CitiCard balance. Since my situation has gotten near bottom, I'd recently applied for General Assistance. I'm now receiving as a loan $189 per month to help keep my utilities connected. Upon hearing this, the collector said he'd put me down for a $180 per month payment. I could keep $9. I said, I wasn't going to do that. He then said that I could sell my blood. I then told him I was going to hang up and did so. It seems this Academy collector believes in using Draconian measures.
February 28, 2007 I received a call today at my office from a Wayne Douglas who claimed he is an attorney with ACS. He even gave a Bar # of 13428310448. He stated that if I didn't pay the amount owed today, he would be filing a lawsuit against me next week. I have never received any notifications from them or Citibank stating ACS is representing them. In addition, Wayne Douglas did not provide me with the Mini Miranda or instructions on how to dispute the debt within 30 days. ( I believe they are supposed to per the FDCPA). Again, I have never received any sort of written notification. Is this legal? Did you check the bar number against the State?
February 16, 2007 Yesterday I was contacted by a Josh Gates at Academy who left a message stating a "serious complaint had been filed against me and I could be in deep legal trouble" if I didn't contact him in 24 hours. He also called my father, brother and mother with the same message. I called back extremely worried and was told I had a Citibank credit card that they had turned over to collections because a payment had not been made on it in a year. They gave me the card number, which is not my current Citicard number, and told me I owed over $2600.00 on it and I needed to give them a check over the phone or wire them the money that day to avoid legal problems. I was overwhelmed as I pay my bills and I first thought I had neglected an account somewhere. I told them I could not do that and this manager, Ken Post said he would only hold the account until Tuesday and after that he would start legal proceedings. I hung up and called Citicards and told them what was happening and gave them the card number, this turned out to be an old account that I had paid off over 3 years ago and had closed the account. It had a zero balance and I was in good standing with Citibank. I then called back and spoke to this "manager" Ken Post and he said I would either have to give him a check over the phone or fax a letter from Citibank. I am doing neither and am contacting a fraud unit at Citibank on Monday. Has anyone ever heard of this trick before?? Yep.
February 3, 2007 I have dealt with Academy Services on behalf of my mother -- they are monsters. Mom is living on a meek social security check. I am also helping her financially. In October I sent Academy a certified letter to cease comm. and they left her alone for a while. In January a man called saying he was an atty from Georgia and accused my mother of fraud and told her she better get an atty as she will need it. Mom reminded him that we sent a cease communication letter which he did not care. These people have harassed mother to the point where I thought she was having a stroke. She lives in fear every day that they are going to come and put her in jail. This is an elderly woman with health problems and the cease communication letter did not work. I spoke with someone there and this guy was nuts. Instead of having a conversation he just ranted and raved at me and asked if I was going to pay. I even told him that he is going to kill my mother with his threats. She will see 80 if this harassment continues.