Action Collection Agency of Boston (ACA) is a third-party collection agency specializing in healthcare collections. ACA has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) such as misrepresentation and attempting to collect debts not owed. If you have been contacted by ACA, understand your rights before responding.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Action Collection Agency of Boston was founded in 1967 and incorporated in 1991. The BBB established its profile page in 2004. ACA is listed as a collection agency. ACA uses the alternate business name, Action Collection Agencies, Inc., and has a staff size estimated at 36 people.
Action Collection Agency’s collection staff is focused exclusively on healthcare providers with a client base that “includes many of the larger health systems, medical facilities and physician networks, as well as smaller hospitals, group practices and clinics.”
According to its website, ACA “represents a true alternative to what is generally offered to today’s healthcare collection professionals” by offering “today’s healthcare accounts receivable manager the best possible solution to his or her company’s collection needs.” Because they are “unencumbered by layers of bureaucracy and armed with the latest collection tools, ACA frequently outperforms many of the larger healthcare collection agencies.”
ACA’s collection services include “traditional bad debt collections.” They also offer “a wide array of healthcare accounts receivable services,” including on-site and off-site special follow-up projects; pre-collection and “early-out” programs; total self-pay receivables; management programs; third-party billing; education and training; systems overview; management consulting; staff augmentation; facilities management; and operation assistance.
ACA’s website does not disclose any information about its regulatory compliance policies. Its payment portal includes a disclosure that it is a collection agency, but there are no links or references to consumer protection resources, laws, 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.
The BBB has closed 3 complaints against ACA in the past three years, with 1 closed in the past 12 months. Two of those complaints allege problems with customer service; the other alleges problems with billing and collections. Since September 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has received 6 complaints about ACA. Justia lists at least 2 cases of civil litigation involving ACA.
Action Collection Agency of Boston
P.O. Box 902
Middleboro, MA 02346-0902
Telephone: (800) 478-7421
Website: http://www.actioncollection.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely Action Collection 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 Action Collection Agency of Boston frequently cite problems resulting from inaccuracies or discrepancies about billing documentation.
In April 2017, a complainant indicated she had received a phone call form an Action Collection Agency of Boston representative requesting payment for a past due amount of $672.60. The complainant indicated that the representative was “unfriendly” but agreed to pay the amount requested during the phone call. The complainant stated that the ACA representative indicated there were no other outstanding charges. Subsequently, the complainant cross-checked the item with her insurance records and discovered the outstanding balance she thought she was paying was for a different amount. In addition, after making the phone payment, the complainant received a collection letter from ACA stating the amount in question was still owed. The complainant disregarded the letter, but received another letter about two weeks later asking for a payment of $451.50, the amount she had noticed when reviewing her insurance records. She sent this second letter back to ACA with a dispute. Next, she began receiving phone calls and voicemail messages about this second item, but was unable to reach a representative. She sent another letter to ACA requesting that they contact her and explain the charges. She allegedly received several telephone contact attempts, but because she was unable to answer, she sent a final letter via registered mail requesting an accounting of all outstanding charges.
In response, ACA indicated their delay was caused by the difficulty in researching the query. They indicated that ACA had been contracted to pursue two different delinquent items from the complainant for two different dates of service. Although she had cleared the first item during the initial phone contact, the second item remained past due. ACA indicated a review of the phone recordings did not reveal any “negative or non-compliant behavior on the part of their agent.”
The complainant’s rebuttal insisted that ACA’s phone system was ineffective and continually put her though to voice mail. She expressed impatience, an inability to wait on hold for long periods of time to clarify outstanding items, and insisted that their inability to accurately document the delinquent items was unprofessional. ACA’s reply to her rebuttal indicated that her phone number had been deleted and that all future contact would be in writing. They indicated that they had sent an itemized bill, but that doing so “is above what the federal and state law requires us to do,” which only requires that they “confirm the balance with the client.”
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).
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…
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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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