Account Control Technology or ACT is a third-party collection agency and Accounts Receivable Management (ARM) company based in Southern California. ACT has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) such as misrepresentation and improper communication tactics. If you have been contacted by ACT, make sure you understand your rights before taking action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Account Control Technology, Inc. is a legitimate collection agency founded in 1990 and incorporated in 1993. ACT is listed as a collection agency. ACT maintains an alternate website at www.accountcontrolcomplaint.com. Buzzfile estimates Account Control Technology’s annual revenue at $321,089 and a staff size of 3 at its headquarters.
According to its website, Account Control Technology “mission is to improve the long-term financial well-being of clients, consumers and employees.” ACT is “fully licensed in all 50 states and complies with all state laws and regulations.” Furthermore, as “a government contractor, the company maintains the highest data security standards.”
Account Control Technology’s third-party debt collection division combines “innovative technology, top-tier data security, four-level quality assurance, stringent compliance, intensive agent training, and a consultative collections approach to deliver optimal results – whether on first, second or third placement levels.” Their collection services include post charge-off collections; letter services; quality assurance and compliance; cutting-edge voice analytics software; a top-of-the-line collection management system; and extensive skip tracing resources. ACT’s ARM division offers first-party billing and accounts receivable management; business process outsourcing; call center services; default prevention; and portfolio management.
Account Control Technology offers their suite of collection services to consumer lenders in the auto, banking, credit union, credit card, retail, mortgage, recreational vehicle, heavy equipment, and specialty asset industries. In addition, ACT collects consumer debt for education, healthcare, telecom/cable, utility, and government providers. ACT also offers commercial and business-to-business collections.
The Industry Links page under the News & Resources menu contains a very comprehensive hyperlinked listing of regulatory laws, enforcement agencies, and financial resources. Their “I Owe a Bill” link also provides site visitors with a list of consumer-oriented resources.
Who are we? We are Lemberg Law, a Consumer Law Firm
Lemberg Law is a consumer law firm helping victims of collection harassment and abuse. We are ranked A+ by the BBB. We’ve helped more than 15,000 consumers stop harassment and recover money from debt collectors. Harassed? Abused? Misled by a collector? Call our Helpline today! There is no charge unless we win.
The BBB has closed 59 complaints against Account Control Technology, Inc in the past three years, with 23 closed in the past 12 months. Most of those complaints allege problems with billing and collections, but several complaints about customer service have also been posted. Since April 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has received 60 complaints about ACT. Justia lists at least 10 cases of civil litigation involving Account Control Technology.
Account Control Technology, Inc.
P.O. Box 8012
Canoga Park, CA 91309
Website: http://www.accountcontrol.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely ACT would sue you for a debt you may not owe or they cannot validate. However, debt collection agencies are known to have summoned debtors to court and garnish wages after a default judgement. Contacting an attorney BEFORE this could possibly happen would be a smart move. We’ve helped thousands of consumers fight back against unscrupulous debt collection harassers. Find out if we can help you too today!
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Unlawful Debt Harassment? Learn the Law & Sue the Collector.
Absolutely. You can sue a debt collector. Here is a Sample Case Complaint:
In October 1994, in United States District Court for the District of Nevada, a judge issued an Order in a case alleging Account Control Technology had violated several provisions of the FDCPA and had committed acts that constituted invasion of privacy. The October 1994 hearing culminated a series of claims and counterclaims resulting from the plaintiff’s initial allegation that “beginning in April 1993 representatives of ACT repeatedly subjected her to abusive, unfair, and unlawful debt collection practices, both at her home and place of employment, in an effort to obtain repayment of a student loan incurred by [the plaintiff] while attending business college. In addition to her FDCPA claims, [the plaintiff] alleged that ACT’s actions constituted an invasion of her privacy under Nevada law.”
The court began by dismissing ACT’s counterclaim, which stated that the plaintiff’s complaint was filed merely as a “strategy and ploy to intimidate and coerce Account Control Technology to enter into a settlement in order to avoid costly and protracted litigation,” citing lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Next, the court addressed ACT’s motion for summary judgement against the plaintiff. Because ACT was the party moving for summary judgement, they carried the “burden of showing the absence of a genuine issue of material fact” in the plaintiff’s complaint. As for the FDCPA complaints, the plaintiff cited 5 separate violations: ACT’s collection notice had failed to include language required by the FDCPA; Account Control Technology had threatened to take legal action against the plaintiff without intending to do so and without legal authorization; ACT had been engaging in collection activity without a license; ACT representatives had harassed the plaintiff by calling her six times within a 24-minute period at her place of employment; and Account Control Technology representatives had contacted her after they knew she was being represented by counsel.
The court was unconvinced by ACT’s positions on these violations, which included an argument that the plaintiff had not read the letter that did not include the required language; offering a fraudulent document as proof of authorization to take legal action; an argument that their unlicensed collection activities were not unlawful because the plaintiff was unaware of them at the time; an argument that the substance of the repeated phone calls did not constitute harassment; and an argument that Account Control Technology representatives were unaware that the plaintiff was represented by an attorney, when they had already submitted evidence to the contrary.
The plaintiff’s charge of invasion of privacy stemmed from the repeated calls to her at her place of employment, and the court upheld her argument on one of the two provisions of Nevada state law upon which her claim was based. As a result, Account Control Technology was found liable for statutory damages in the amount of $1,000 plus court costs and attorney fees for the FDCPA violations and punitive damages for violating state invasion of privacy laws. The matter was scheduled for a settlement conference.
Federal laws protect you. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) regulates the behavior of collection agencies by prohibiting actions such as the use of abusive or threatening language; harassment; or the use of false or misleading information to collect a debt. The FCRA regulates how collection agencies and creditors report delinquent debts to credit reporting agencies. Additional consumer protection laws include the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).
Consumers have reported this agency harassing them from the following numbers:
Yes. If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. Federal laws provide individuals like you with a means to seek monetary damages in court. For example, the FDCPA allows consumers who have been violated to recover damages of up to $1,000, plus attorney fees and court costs.
You may have a case, if…
“The group at Lemberg Law was professional, courteous, and effective. Their grasp of consumer protection laws and guidelines are second to none, and they work extremely difficult to ensure this procedure is client-friendly.”
“After a few months of frustration with a debt collector, I eventually called Lemberg Law. It was among the best financial decisions I have ever made. Jody and her staff were comprehensive, useful, and above all else powerful. I highly recommend their services and thank them for their continual efforts.”
“I just wanted to let you know we received the check from your office on now and I wanted to take some time to inform you that we really appreciate all of your efforts in this matter.”
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Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
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My student loan goes through ACT collection, When working I was making double payments. Two 50dollar payments a month.
I had principal down to 800.
Then I became a crime victim, it only took them six months to wipe all my payments off and to put my account back to where is showed if I made no payments at all.
They have garnished my disability benefits for eight months, yet it shows no reduction in my account.
Now I check and my principal balance went from 1619 up to 1641. So to me from their unorthodox accounting practice , they forgot what the original principal balance was.
Bradon is a shady person. He attempts to talk fast and raised my payments up to 100 a month.
To me this is a shady business.
It’s against Joe Donovan from ACT and our demeaning phone call. He called my place of employment and I called him back. He was a very rude person. Told me what kind of person I was for not paying by bill. And would not let me ask any questions. I tried to give him my home address because he said he was taking me to court at which time I asked him to send it email proof if my debt and he said he didnt have it nor was he required to give it to me. I got irritated and swore at him and he swore back at me. I’m not being demeaned by this type of behavior. He told me he would continue to call my employer until I paid. I was willing to make arrangements but he was such an arrogant a**. How can i get this man to stop harassing me. I called my husband crying and he called Joe and he did the same thing to my husband.
Good company…they help me go thru the steps needed to pay my student loans and get out of default. Now I’m back in school and able to file my taxes again.
Unethical action by Account Control Technology