Accounts Advocate Agency , Inc. (AAA) is a third-party collection agency based in Pennsylvania that specializes in collecting delinquent medical bills. AAA has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), such as failing to provide written verification of debts and threatening to take actions that cannot legally be taken. If AAA has contacted you about past due collection items,be sure you know your rights before you respond.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) established a profile page for Accounts Advocate Agency, Inc. in 2015. The BBB lists AAA as a collection agency that uses the alternate business name, The Debt Mediators. Buzzfile estimates AAA’s annual revenue at $155,000 and the size of its headquarters staff at 3 employees.
According to its website, AAA uses a “modern, courteous approach to collecting…past due balances.” AAA has “nearly 30 years of collections experience … with hands-on management of every aspect of the business.” AAA employs “highly-trained, courteous, and bilingual account specialists… who use personal contact with each account.”
Accounts Advocate Agency collects delinquent debts for ambulance companies, medical service providers, dental practices, and veterinary clinics. AAA also accepts commercial business-to-business accounts. AAA’s ambulance division employs specialists who are “well trained in working with ambulance patients; who…. understand the unique needs of the transportation industry; and who … know how Medicare and other insurance carriers handle ambulance payments.” AAA’s medical division “works with …patients rather than alienating them… to maintain the positive relationship the medical… practice has worked to create.” AAA’s “dental account specialists are knowledgeable about dental insurance and coverage, as well as what types of procedures are frequently performed by dental offices and surgeons.” AAA’s veterinary division “personalizes… conversations with the owners of …patients, and… understands just how important the work of …veterinary practices” is. AAA’s commercial division specializes in collecting debts for oil delivery companies, refuse services, utility companies, retailers, and home service companies.
AAA is a full-service agency that provides complete collections processing, credit bureau reporting, skip tracing, and an in-house attorney program. AAA states that it is FDCPA, HIPAA, and OIG LEIE compliant, with “secure online client access to accounts and reports… and a secure web portal for making payments.” They cite membership in TransUnion and the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce and Industry. However, their website does not provide links or references to consumer protection resources or enforcement agencies.
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.
As of August 2019, the BBB has given AAA a rating of C-, citing AAA’s failure to respond to some complaints. The BBB has closed 3 complaints against Accounts Advocate Agency in the preceding three years, all of them closed in the previous 12 months. Two of those complaints alleged problems with customer service; the other cited problems with billing and collections.As of March 2019, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 1 complaint against AAA. Justia does not list any cases of civil litigation involving AAA.
Accounts Advocate Agency, Inc.
1001 South 4th Street
Hamburg, PA 19526
Telephone:(484) 660-3857
Website: http://www.accountsadvocate.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely AAA 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:
Complaints against Accounts Advocate Agency, Inc. cite problems resulting from disputes about the validity of debts, the accuracy of information reported to the credit reporting agencies, and allegations of harassment. In March 2019, a complainant stated that he had been getting calls from AAA. When he “spoke with an agent over the phone, he… told her that he does not do payments over the phone,” especially “from companies he’s never heard of.” The complainant said that he had requested that AAA send him a letter, so he could arrange payments online. He stated that “the letter came 3 or 4 months later…and looked like it came off a typewriter.” According to the complainant,the letter “had no information about their website or online payment methods.” At the time of the complaint, he “called and spoke to an agent…who was very nice at first, but when the complainant told him he was only able to make a partial payment, he got extremely rude.” The complainant said that he “used to be in customer service and… would have been fired for how he handled” the call. Allegedly, the AAA representative “raised his voice and threatened the complainant by saying he would make a note that he offered to take the payment,”’ but that the complainant refused;and that as a result, the debt would be sent to AAA’s legal team. The complainant said he was willing to make payments, but had told the representative that “when he did a reverse phone lookup of the numbers the agents had called… from,” the results “did not have good things to say about the company and came up on a lot of scam alert websites.” The AAA representative allegedly “raised his voice even more, saying the complainant was making false allegations about his company; … that he had been giving them the run-around; and then…hung up on” him.
In February 2019, a complainant who had received a letter from Accounts Advocate Agency claimed that when he called to find out what the debt was for, the AAA representative told him it was for an ambulance bill for $1,000. The complainant said he had“insurance that pays 100% of all ambulance services and that his health insurance has not changed.”The complainant was transferred to a manager, who“without even giving… his name, started in yelling, …stating, ‘I don’t need to speak with you, I’m just sending this to an attorney!’” When the complainant objected, the manager allegedly said,“‘Oh please everyone here has heard your story.We don’t need a story; you need to pay your bill.’” The complainant objected to the manager’s abusive comments, and the manager allegedly said, “‘You don’t need to speak.You are disgusting, this poor ambulance company is trying to get you to pay a bill, and you don’t have the decency to pay them.’”The complainant told him that he was the COO of a healthcare company, but the manager allegedly “continued to be abusive and obnoxious” and told the complainant that he would be hearing from their attorney. The manager continued to “mock and abuse” the complainant.The complainant stated that “no one should ever be spoken to in this manner,” and that the conduct of the staff “was literally a verbal assault.”
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).
But here’s the rub: If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. These 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…
“With your help the nagging collection calls have ceased! I was thrilled I was also able to get damages from the collection agency. I am unable to adequately express my joy. I am so thankful I made the call.”
“I would recommend your company to anyone. You have the debt collectors off my back, and I will finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Throughout the entire procedure your employees were courteous and professional. I was blown away by their efficacy also.
“After speaking to one of the partners, and going over the plan of action, I felt I’d chose the perfect company to go to work for me. He was very accommodating in describing what was going to happen. I would strongly recommend Lemberg Law to anybody being hassled by debt collectors”
“Prior to contacting you, we had tried repeatedly to handle this matter without threatening litigation. In the end, not only were they unapologetic, but they were dismissive – even of an attorney friend who called on our behalf. Sincerest thanks for resolving this matter for us!”
We can absolutely help. Call us today.
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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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