Asset Recovery Solutions LLC or ARS is a third-party collection agency based in Illinois. ARS has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including threatening to take actions that cannot legally be taken and using false or misleading information in an effort to collect a debt. If ARS has contacted you about past due financial obligations, make sure you know your rights before you take action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Asset Recovery Solutions, LLC was incorporated in 2008, then started locally in 2009. The BBB established a profile page for ARS in 2009, and ARS has been a BBB-accredited business since 2013. The BBB lists Asset Recovery Solutions as a collection agency and financial services company that uses the alternate business name, ARS Solutions, LLC. Buzzfile estimates ARS’s annual revenue at $2 million and the size of its headquarters staff at 50 employees.
According to its website, ARS “is a full-service asset recovery management company that is committed to establishing unmatched standards of performance.” ARS’s “servicing platforms are enhanced by an outstanding team of employees as well as application of the latest technology to maximize performance on behalf of their partners.”
Asset Recovery Solutions collects delinquent debts for a wide variety of businesses and industries and “across a vast array of asset classes that includes credit cards, student loans, consumer loans, automotive loans and consumer retail” lenders. ARS is a full-service collection agency that employs “an established team that specializes in the recovery of third-party debt.” The ARS collection staff is “experienced and certified” and possesses “disciplined knowledge of industry-specific laws and regulations.” In addition, ARS states that its “highly skilled staff is committed to enhancing the welfare of clients, consumers, fellow employees, and partners through operational excellence via the implementation of efficient, thoughtful accounts receivable strategies.”
ARS states that all of its professional employees “comply with the …FDCPA and all other governing regulations, both state and federal.” They cite affiliation with the International Association of Credit and Collection Professionals (ACA International). However, their website does not provide any 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.
As of January 2020, the BBB has closed 31 complaints against Asset Recovery Solutions in the preceding three years, with 8 complaints closed in the previous 12 months. Most of those complaints cite problems with billing and collections, although 5 complaints also cited problems with customer service. As of August 2013, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 253 complaints involving ARS. Justia lists at least 20 cases of civil litigation involving ARS.
Asset Recovery Solutions, LLC
2200 Devon Avenue, Suite 200
Des Plaines, IL 60018
Phone Number: 888-678-0087
Website: http://www.arainc.us/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely ARS 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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Absolutely. You can sue a debt collector.. Here is a Sample Case Filed in Federal Court
In 2016, a judge in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, denied in part and granted in part Asset Recovery Solutions’ motion to dismiss Datta vs. Asset Recovery Solutions for alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and California’s Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. According to the judge’s decision, the customer asserts that Asset Recovery Solutions delivered her a letter in a window envelope which disclosed her account number and a barcode containing her address and account number, and that this was a violation of the FDCPA. She also claimed that the debt collection agency put its name on the outside envelope in violation of the FDCPA. The judge ruled that the barcode falls within the “benign language exemption” determined by the courts, but that Asset Recovery Solutions’ name on the envelope may or might not be a breach. The judge ruled that the case could proceed on that question.
Here are some other complaints
Complaints against Asset Recovery Solutions 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 January 2018, a complainant stated that ARS had contacted him about a debt “which a representative claimed he owed.” According to the complainant, he told the ARS representative that he had “no knowledge of the debt.” Allegedly, the ARS representative “was asking the complainant to verify his social security number.” The ARS representative “stated the last four digit of the complainant’s social and… went on to say that he owed money to a bank in New York.” However, the complainant insisted that he had not opened any such account. The ARS representative then told him that he was being sued and that the case was already in court. The complainant repeated that he was unaware of any account with the bank in question “and unaware of the debt.” The ARS representative then told the complainant that “someone in his household stole his social security number to open credit. He also told him that the debt” originated in 2003 and “didn’t give the complainant any chance… to explain anything.” The ARS representative said that he had mailed the complainant a letter requesting repayment of over $4,000, but the complainant insisted that it was for something the complainant said he didn’t owe. The complainant accused ARS of attempting to force him to “take responsibility” for the debt and questioned how ARS can claim he was being sued “without even serving him with documents…to go to court.” The complainant said he had contacted the office, but ARS was unwilling to tell him “what item was credited or the dates they were credited.” In response, ARS stated that they had “notified their client of the …complaint… and the complainant’s …plan to file a police report” and sent the complainant “a fraud packet to fill out and return to them.” ARS stated that when they receive “the fraud packet, …they will forward it to their client for review…The account was … placed on hold for 45 days to provide …time to return the fraud packet.”
In June 2019, a complainant stated that he had “received a letter from Asset Recovery Solutions regarding a student loan” for about $8,000. Allegedly, the complainant contacted the original creditor named in the letter, but they “confirmed that he had no student loan account with them.” The complainant stated that he had “gotten this account removed from his credit report 2 times in the past” and that the original creditor had “been sued and was currently in the courts due to not having sufficient documentation to collect…debts.” The complainant said he had “never had a student loan with” the party named in the letter,” and that “they just keep passing this account from one debt collector to another.” The complainant was in his “last year of his… PhD program,” and stated that “this was causing a major disruption in his life.” He also said the debt was “over 12 years old and should not be reappearing on his credit.” He accused all interested parties of fraud.
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…
“Lemberg Law contacted me within a few hours of me submitting my advice on their website. That same afternoon Daniel emailed me instructions about what to do the second time the collection agency called. Within a week, the calls had ceased. Today marks week two and we have not had a call in 3 days. I can not say thank you enough.”
“Fantastic!! Thank you so much for all that you have done for me!! Inform Rebecca thank you as well!!”
“Thank you, and your company, for your representation in this matter. I sincerely appreciate your efforts in addition to the final result.”
We will absolutely do our very best. Contact us and let us help.
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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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Access recovery is harassing my friends as well as myself I have no knowledge of why they are doing this. I have never done business with this company nor have I ever heard of them.
I took my student loan with Navient,this was a government loan but they switched it to a private loan is this even legal?Please help me with situation.
Sincerely Ralph Geitt.
I have spent the past 3 years allowing Asset Recovery Solutions to withdraw a monthly payment of $100 to pay off my student loan debt. Stupid me just realized Asset Recovery Solutions was charging me interests in the amount of $0.56 /day, according to them. I believe I have lost over $3600. I’ve lost 3 years of paying off a student loan debt that I can’t get back. My loan has not been paid down at all. Asset Recovery Solutions NEVER mentioned to me that they would be charging me interest while I try to pay off this debt!!! I thought this was a legit plan to pay off my student loan debt, interest free! On top of that, Asset Recovery Solutions added an additional almost $7000 to my student loan debt, which was only $10,000, making it close to $17,000 that I have to pay off!!! WTF???
ARS IS CALLING ME THREE TIMES A DAY FROM DIFFERENT AREA CODES NUMBERS(240, 301 AND 703) ALL LOCAL TO MY AREA BUT LEAVES ME A 1-877 NUMBER TO CALL BACK. I ALSO MENTIONED THAT ANY COLLECTION ISSUES BE DONE THROUGH THE MAIL NOT OVER THE PHONE. ARS IS ASKING ME TO PAY A EXTRA $200.00 MORE THAN WHAT THEY SAY MY ORIGINAL CREDITOR SAY I OWE ON MY CREDIT REPORT. IF I DON’T COMPLY THEN I WILL BE GARNISHED ANYWHERE FROM 7% TO 15%. ALSO, THE PERSON WHO KEEPS CALLING ONLY WANTS ME TO DEAL WITH HER. IS THIS LEGAL? CAN THEY GARNISH MY PAYCHECK? WHY ARE THEY CALLING IF I REQUESTED TO HAVE MAILED COMMUNICATIONS ONLY
Asset recovery solutions is calling five to six times a day as well as calling the management company for my apartment looking for me. I never gave anyone permission to do that and now the management from my apartment complex is calling me and complaining.
Navient sold or sent my delinquent account to Asset Recovery Solution, ARS to collections. ARS is collecting on behalf of Navient. This is a personal student loan and not a government loan.
On March 28,2018, ARS sent a settlement offer to take care of an old debt due to Navient. The offer was only pay 10% of the total amount due. The settlement amount was under $1,000, I complied and paid the exact amount before the offer expired, 04/23/2018. ARS stated the account would be considered settled in full and will stop all further collections.
I am the primary account holder and a close relative is a co-signer, my relative has been harassed; multiple phone calls throughout the day and litigation letters by mail. As of today, 09/11/2018, Navient claims the account still remains delinquent and ready to seek judgement against me.
I sent Navient a letter showing the ARS offer letter and payment details and I requested they show my account as settled to all three credit agencies, and now I’m receiving litigation and judgement notifications.
Was the ARS offer to settle the Navient account legit? I called ARS to inquire about my settled account, and asked why Navient is not recognizing the account as settled, they couldn’t provide a solid response.
Seeking some good advice.
We went to a local car dealer for one of those win a car/TV/gift card thing. The thing is these are put on by a third party and I don’t know if most people know that, I didn’t. I have excellent credit but currently unemployed so I had no intention of signing papers but my husband wanted to go out of curiosity and set all this up. A week later I am getting these calls (7) in the space of an hour. They called my house and my cell claiming I owed 5000.00 on an old credit card. The lady Ms Thomson was nice but the lawyer she transferred me to was rude, hostile and threatening. He told me they had won a judgment against me that morning in Howard Co. and had frozen all my bank accounts and were in the process of putting a lien on my home. I told him I would be contacting my bank for verification at which point he became verbally harassing accusing me of not paying my bills and what kind of deadbeat I am. I just hung up and since I was running errands did not pick my phone back up. They called 5 times in a row after that and when I checked my voicemail all that was recorded was music so I guess he put me on autodial to harass me. The thing is both of these people knew my last 4 SS and birthdate. They have not tried to contact me again.