American Credit Financial , LLC (ACF) is a third-party collection agency based in Georgia. ACF has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), such as using prohibited communication tactics and threatening to take action that cannot legally be taken. If ACF has contacted you about delinquent collection items, make sure you understand your rights before responding.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) established a profile page for American Credit Financial, LLC in 2016, but their profile page provides very little information about the company’s background. The BBB lists ACF as a credit service. Buzzfile estimates ACF’s annual revenue at $224,000 and the size of its headquarters staff at 8 employees.
According to its website, ACF “is a debt collection agency that offers professional services that meet… the recovery needs of clients who have been unsuccessful with collecting payments from delinquent customers.” ACF “develops… programs… that are strategically designed to deliver the best recovery results and help … refine …the collection process.”
American Credit Financial “represents a variety of businesses and develops individual recovery plans for each.” Some of the types of debts that ACF collects include credit card collection, installment loans, and bank overdrafts.
ACF “offers a wide range of services to aid… efforts to collect… outstanding accounts.” Their “general efforts to collect debts include… outbound calls to customers with past due accounts; mailed collection notices; location and asset investigation; credit reporting; and litigation and post-judgment remedies.”
ACF states that it is a member of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; however, their website doesn’t provide any information about regulatory compliance policies, and there are no links or references to consumer protection resources, laws, or enforcement agencies. Their contact page provides an email address and a phone number, but no mailing address; no web-based contact form; and no payment portal. Their website does not include a “mini-Miranda” identifying them as a bill collector.
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 closed 6 complaints against ACF in the preceding three years, none of them closed in the previous 12 months. Half of those complaints alleged problems with customer service; 2 additional complaints alleged problems with advertising or sales; another complaint cited problems with billing and collections. As of January 2016, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 14 complaints against ACF. Justia does not list any cases of civil litigation involving ACF.
American Credit Financial, LLC
PO Box 23
Norcross, GA 30091-0023
Telephone: (844) 240-6230
Website: http://www.americancreditfinancial.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely ACF 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
Complaints against American Credit Financial cite problems resulting from disputes about the accuracy of billing and accounting procedures and allegations of harassment. In April 2017, a complainant stated that he had “received a contract from ACF to make payments on a debt.” According to the complainant, “the contract stated that once he submitted his signed copy, he would receive an ‘authorized copy for his records.’” However, he stated that ACF never sent him anything further regarding his authorization forms. Allegedly, the payment contract also stated that “before each charge is applied to the card, the consumer will receive a reminder notification letter from ACF.” The complainant stated that he had never received any such reminders, although ACF had “claimed that they sent one to both his email and physical addresses.” The complainant stated that the first “payment was taken as agreed,” except that he never received any of the promised paperwork. However, “the weekend before the next payment was due, his paycheck was low,” so the “automatic payment overdrew his account.” He called them to discuss how to resolve the issue, but he was sent to voicemail. When he called again the following week “to make arrangements… ACF said it was fine and verified his card number. On the arranged day, nothing was taken out, so he figured it might be run late and waited. When neither that payment nor his next payment were taken, he called and got voice mail again.” He sent an email in which he indicated that he had not received any notifications; that his scheduled payments hadn’t been deducted; and that, as a result, he was “discussing the matter with a lawyer.” ACF continued not to respond to his efforts to communicate. However, an American Credit Financial representative did ultimately manage to contact him, “but only to say that charges were going to be filed due to his failure to pay,” with ACF claiming he had given them an invalid card number. In response, the complainant gave ACF “the exact same card number” he had given them originally. Allegedly, the ACF representative checked the card number and seemed “surprised to see that it was valid. ACF said it had been recorded as invalid for the last 3 payments,” but the complainant said that was “impossible because aside from the one time” he called as a result of his reduced paycheck amount, “the money has been there.” In addition, he had been using the same card because it’s the only one he had. Nonetheless, the complainant stated that “ACF continued to give him the runaround for 20 minutes, even after admitting that the mistake was not on his end.” The call “was escalated to a supervisor, who again told him his card was invalid.” However, when she “checked her own records, she saw that he had called and made the arrangements and that the card was valid.” Regardless, ACF “continued to accuse him of not wanting to pay, because at that point he had become furious about their treatment and failure to follow their own” policies.
In response, ACF stated that they had closed the claim and submitted it back to their 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).
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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