American Accounts & Advisers or AAA is a debt collection agency, which receives a lot of consumer complaints to our law firm for debt harassment. Find out who they are, why they might be calling, and how you can stop them.
American Accounts & Advisers, Inc. (AAA) is a third-party collection agency based in Minnesota that specializes in healthcare collections. AAA has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including attempting to collect debts not owed and failing to verify debts. If AAA has contacted you about past due financial obligations, make sure you know your rights before you respond.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), American Accounts & Advisers, Inc. is a legitimate collection agency, founded in 1986. The BBB established a profile page for AAA in 1989. Buzzfile estimates AAA’s annual revenue at $3.2 million and the size of its headquarters staff at 45 employees.
According to its website, AAA “provides a full spectrum of collection and accounts receivable services…to lead the way in recovering… hidden dollars within… outstanding and delinquent accounts.” AAA “offers a comprehensive approach to collections…and provides companies with the necessary tools and resources to increase their own in-house collections results.”
AAA provides “collection programs and services to help today’s top healthcare providers, as well as leading financial institutions and commercial businesses.” Their full range of services includes third-party collections, early-out programs, online services, skip tracing, and training. Their collections division utilizes CRS collection software; includes a legal division with a nationwide network of attorneys; and offers customized client reporting. AAA’s early-out programs “offer several benefits to…clients with delinquent accounts…by encouraging consumers to pay” before they become delinquent, which “will help to avoid unnecessary collection fees and commissions.”
AAA also provides skip tracing using “the most vigilant and effective skip-tracing software and portal service available within the United States… to locate hard-to-find clients.” Their online services include “immediate access to… accounts, …customer service representatives, and all standard reports.” Finally, AAA’s training division can “help improve… customer service as it relates to collections, or train…employees how to effectively collect.”
The AAA website includes tabs that lead to a payment portal and web-based contact forms. However, they do not provide a consumer resources page, and there are no links or references to consumer protection 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.
As of February 2019, the BBB has closed 13 complaints against American Accounts & Advisers, Inc in the preceding three years, with 3 complaints closed in the previous 12 months. Most of those complaints cited problems with billing and collections. Since June 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 33 complaints against AAA. Justia lists at least 2 cases of civil litigation involving AAA.
American Accounts & Advisers, Inc.
P.O. Box 250
Cottage Grove, MN 55016
Telephone:(651) 287-6100
Website: http://www.amaccts.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. Here are some Sample Complaints
In September 1990, in the State Court of Appeals in Minnesota, a judge issued an Opinion in a case alleging American Accounts & Advisers had been complicit in violating state laws that prohibit charging usurious interest rates. In this case, the plaintiff’s husband had passed away and she had “purchased goods and services totaling $5,165 from” a funeral home. The contract she signed with the funeral home required her “to pay the unpaid balance of $4,759 in full within 30 days from the date of her husband’s death. Any unpaid balance due after 30 days would accrue interest at the rate of 1.5% per month.” The plaintiff was unable to pay within the 30 days, so the funeral home assigned the debt to AAA. AAA subsequently “brought this collection action, and in her answer the plaintiff denied signing the credit agreement.” AAA amended its complaint and sought “interest on the contract amount and attorney’s fees under Minn. Statute Section 49.21, Subdivision 2(1988).” On the day of the trial, the plaintiff filed an amended answer in which she claimed that the contract used usurious interest rates. The plaintiff requested “that the interest be stricken as unrecoverable. The trial court permitted the amendment. After a bench trial, the court concluded that the plaintiff had signed the agreement and entered judgment for AAA for $8,777.89,” which included“$4,759 due under the contract, $2,755.26 in accrued interest, and attorney’s fees and costs totaling $1,263.63. The court did not rule on the usury claim.” Subsequently, the plaintiff filed two motions for a new trial, asking that they consider her claim of usury. The court agreed, but concluded that “the contract came within the consumer credit sale exemption, Minn.Stat. Section 334.16,(1988)…and that the interest rate was therefore not usurious.”
At the September 1990 trial, the plaintiff appealed this decision and the court of appeals reconsidered whether the interest rates violated state laws. The court stated that to “legally exceed the maximum annual interest rate of 8% set by Minn.Stat. Section 334.01 (1988), the credit agreement must fall within an exception to the statute.” In addition, the court noted that the previous decision was based on the conclusion that “the transaction between the plaintiff and the…funeral home constituted a consumer credit sale under an open-end credit plan and allowed the 1.5% monthly finance charge.” According to this law, an open-end credit arrangement must meet the following criteria: “(1) the seller may permit the buyer to make purchases from time to time from the seller or other sellers, (2) the buyer has the privilege of paying the balance in full or in installments, and (3) a finance charge may be computed by the seller from time to time on an outstanding, unpaid balance.” The plaintiff argued that the contract with the funeral home did not meet these criteria. The court disagreed that the contract “did not provide her with the opportunity to pay the balance owing in ‘installments.’” However, they agreed that a funeral home is “not a seller that reasonably anticipates repeated transactions, nor one in a position to offer the buyer the opportunity to make future purchases from time to time under the terms of an open-end credit plan.” As a result, the court decided that the plaintiff’s agreement with the funeral home was not an “open-end credit plan”; therefore, “the interest rate of 1.5% per month charged is usurious.” The court reversed “the trial court’s ruling…and remanded the case for an amended judgment.” The appeals court also reversed“the attorney’s fees allowance. The plaintiff’s valid assertion of the usury defense defeats the punitive award of attorney’s fees.”
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 finally 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.”
“When I first emailed the office, I was not exactly sure what they could do for me. I had an idea, but they responded back with everything I could expect to take place. I never believed I would be receiving a check, it was definitely a silver lining. I highly recommend them to anyone seeking customer legal services.”
“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.”
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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We had agreed on a payment plan around $50/month. I missed 1 month. Following month I made a $50 payment 1-2 days later they literally returned the payment on a legit debt! ***??? When I called them, I was greeted by a voicemail that said, “hey this is Jay sorry I missed your call I must have stepped out for a minute, please leave a message”. It sounded so nonprofessional, I left no message.