Franklin Collection Service or FCS is a third-party debt collection agency based in Tupelo, Mississippi. FCS has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including improper contact or sharing of information and threatening to take actions that cannot legally be taken. If you have been contacted by this debt collector, make sure you understand your rights before responding.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Franklin Collection Service, Inc. was founded in 1980 and incorporated in 1988. The BBB established a profile page for FCS in 1996, and FCS has been a BBB-accredited business since 2004. The BBB lists Franklin Collection Service as a collection agency. Buzzfile estimates Franklin Collection Service’s annual revenue at $33 million and the size of its headquarters staff at 130 employees.
Franklin Collection Service has a long history of harassing consumers over debts. They use skip tracing techniques, letter campaigns, automated messaging, and auto-dialers (also referred to as robocalls) so as to collect debt. Like most debt collection agencies, they operate on a contingency basis, so that they only get paid if they collect from customers.
If you’ve suffered from FCS debt harassment, you do have options. Under the law you can recover up to $1,000 for violations of the FDCPA, and $500 to $1,500 for each cell phone robocall.
Franklin Collection Service collects on behalf of the financial services, healthcare, student loan, and telecommunications industries, among others. Franklin Collection Service utilizes a variety of collection methods, including skip-tracing, which is a means of using computerized information from several data sources to find a current phone number or address for a consumer whose information has changed, automated and repeated phone calls (robocalls) and letter series, credit bureau reporting, and referral to attorneys for collection lawsuits.
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 April 2017, the Better Business Bureau reported 119 closed Franklin Collection Service complaints within the previous three years, including 38 closed complaints within the previous 12 months. The BBB gives FCS an A rating. In addition, Justia lists 13 complaints filed in federal court in the past year alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and one alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Furthermore, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) lists 108 closed complaints for 2016.
2978 West Jackson Street
Tupelo, MS 38801
Phone Number: 800-262-7590
Website: http://franklinservice.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely FCS 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 Filed in Federal Court
In 2018. Franklin Collection Service, Inc. was on the receiving end of a proposed class action lawsuit filed over potential violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The plaintiff in the case claimed she received a collection letter from the defendant regarding a debt purportedly owed to “AT&T.” The lawsuit further argued that the letter unlawfully threatened the plaintiff with litigation despite having no intention to sue her. The notice supposedly reminded the plaintiff that the Franklin Collection Service had made several attempts to resolve matter voluntarily and then assured her that “we seldom resort to litigation if the account is resolved in a timely manner.” The complaint alleges that the unsophisticated consumer could interpret the statements to mean that the defendant did intend to file a lawsuit since the debt had not been resolved “in a timely manner.” The case attests, however, that the defendant does not have authority to sue the plaintiff over a debt owed to AT&T and has never filed suit against a consumer in Wisconsin courts.
In 2014, the Eleventh Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed in part and reversed in part a lower court’s decision granting summary judgment to Franklin Collection Service in Bradley vs. Franklin Collection Service. The consumer had alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and Alabama state law. The class action case arose when FCS attempted to collect medical debts and added a 33.3 percent collection fee. The district court granted the debt collection agency’s motion for summary judgment, but the appellate court found that the added collection fee violated the FDCPA’s prohibition against using unfair or unconscionable means to collect a debt by collecting an amount not authorized by the agreement creating the debt or allowed by law.
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…
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”After talking to one of the associates, and going over the plan of action, I immediately felt I had chose the right firm to go to work for me. He was very accommodating in explaining what was going to happen. I would highly recommend Lemberg Law to anyone being hassled by debt collectors.”
“We were so impressed with how the attorney listened to us and understood the position we were in. Thank you for stopping the calls. The check was a nice bonus, but mostly we’re glad we’re not being hounded anymore.”
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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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Somebody stole my identity. Now Franklin put it on my credit report 811.00. Ive called them and att&t. Iv never lived in Louisiana. Iv lived in Nevada since 1989. They are rude and tell me i have to pay. Etc. Iv had to get life lock. And block all my identity. How can i prove that this account is not mine? Iv never had att&t. This has damaged my credit.
Fcs has sent a health debt to collections on my credit report. It says the original debt holder on credit karma isnt who they told me on the phone…and the lady was the most condascending and rude person ive ever talked with on the phone.
FCS has contacted me and placed a medical debt on my credit report that has been paid by the VA for services I had done at a hospital in Alabama. The VA paid the bill in full and I received notification of it from the VA in March of this year(2019), in that notification they state the amount that they paid and also stated that I owed nothing additional. Now they paid the hospital that I was at not FCS. So when I disputed it for the 3rd time through trans union, FCS states that I still owe the money. I am a 100% disabled veteran and living off of my disability checks from the VA only, I have worked tirelessly with them and provided all information including copies of the paid notification from the VA. What else do I have to do to get this removed off my credit report??? I cannot afford to pay this out of pocket considering they wouldn’t even agree to allow me to make minimal payments so I could live every month pay my other bills rent and car note and insurance for my vehicle. Can anyone give me advice or a possible solution?
I get a call from a company Franklin Collection Services. They say they are collecting a debt for ATT. So I call ATT and they said that account was closed because it was in my late husbands name and I was secondary on the account. Tbis company has all my personal information. And they are calling and harassing me 10 times a day
FCS calls my cell and leaves automated messages on my voicemail during times when I can’t answer my phone. There is no indication as to the nature of the debt they are trying to collect, just the automated message asking me to call their toll free number.
I have had collections agencies contact me on this number for debts that belong to other people, so without derails, I can’t tell if these calls are legit or not.
I’ve asked if they could validate the alleged debt against me they said they didn’t need to it’s on thier recording. But Don’t they have to if I request it? I’ve received nothing from them or AT&T about any debt owed.
Franklin Collection services was said to have been contacted by Att after I was going to transfer over to another internet company. I stayed with ATT , but a lady on the phone( from the ” other internet service said SHE would call and cancel me with AT&T) even though I stayed with AT&T? I started receiving collection letters from Franklin Services!! And they keep INCREASING in amount! And threats on credit report! I finally cancelled w/ ATT! Have letters still coming in from Franklin!!
franklin collection agency is threating me and cussing every time I talk to them.