Mid Atlantic Consumer Services or MACS is a third-party collection agency based in New York. MACS has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including improper sharing of information and threatening to take actions that cannot legally be taken. If you have been contacted by MACS, understand your rights before responding.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Mid Atlantic Consumer Services, LLC is a legitimate collection agency founded in February 2015. The BBB established MACS’ profile page in April 2015. MACS is listed as a collection agency. In addition to their main contact number, the BBB lists 7 additional phone numbers for MACS. The BBB also indicates that the mailing address for MACS is a postal box in a UPS store.
According to its website, MACS is “a full service, collections and accounts receivable management firm.” MACS cites as its strength “a robust and pro-active compliance group…that continually strives to meet and exceed their clients’ expectations and all government regulatory requirements.”
The Mid Atlantic Consumer Services website does not provide a lot of detailed information about its business practices or compliance policies. Their client base is comprised of the “leading credit card and retail companies in the nation,” as well as creditors in “many other industries.”
As a full-service agency, MACS offers contingency collections; skip tracing; bankruptcy and dismissal services; 24 hour-a-day, 7 day-a-week remote, secure client account access; a dedicated client relations department; a dedicated information technology department; and state-of-the-art computer software with on-site programmers.
MACS cites a policy of “strict adherence to state, federal, and client regulations regarding collections” and hosts “a compliance and auditing department to ensure client account integrity…and a client approved business continuity/disaster recovery plan.” However, their site does not include any links or references to consumer protection resources, laws, or enforcement agencies, and their web-based contact form does not include any legal disclaimers identifying MACS as a debt 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 December 2017, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has given Mid Atlantic Consumer Services a rating of F. The BBB has closed 49 complaints against Mid Atlantic Consumer Services in the preceding 3 years, with 5 complaints closed in the past 12 months. Almost all of these complaints alleged problems with billing and collections. Since April 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has received 24 complaints about MACS. A search for “Mid Atlantic Consumer Services” in the Justia database does not produce any results.
Mid Atlantic Consumer Services, LLC
4408 Milestrip Rd., Suite 256
Buffalo, New York 14219
Telephone: (855) 613-0469
Website: http://www.midatlanticconsumer.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely MACS 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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Complaints against Mid Atlantic Consumer Services frequently cite attempts to collect debts that are not owed or are disputed with regard to the amount owed or the origination. In June 2016, a complainant indicated a MACS representative called him demanding repayment of a payday loan. The complainant indicated that on two previous occasions, he had been the victim of identity theft in which another individual had taken out a payday loan in his name. A credit monitoring company had caught the first violation, but the second one may have resulted in theMid Atlantic Consumer Services collection letter. The complainant indicated he was an employee of the federal government and had filed police reports of identity theft with his local sheriff’s department.
In June 2016, a complainant indicated he had received repeated phone calls from MACS. MACS representatives had also called his brother. All of them were demanding payment for a medical bill that the complainant had disputed. The Mid Atlantic Consumer Services representative allegedly threatened to “freeze his bank account” unless he paid the balance in full. The complainant contacted his insurance company and the medical provider and confirmed that he did not owe the amount MACS was demanding. Despite having responded to these calls with this new information, and despite requests that calls cease and desist,Mid Atlantic Consumer Services persisted in their phone calls and collection demands.
In March 2016, a complainant indicated a Mid Atlantic Consumer Services representative had left a voice mail message indicating a “time sensitive matter” required her response. The voicemail contained information about her social security number and bank account information, and that they may be affected unless she returned the call. She requested that MACS send her a letter with details about the debt. She claimed that the letter she received appeared to be fraudulent and demanded payment in full of a balance that was twice the amount of the balance owed. In addition, she claimed to have already paid the outstanding amount to the creditor stated in the letter in 2008.
In response to all of these complaints,Mid Atlantic Consumer Services indicated that they “reviewed the consumers’ matter that was placed with its office for collection efforts… and that the matters had been closed and returned to the consumers’… creditors.”
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…
“Thank you and your staff for the exceptional work you did on my behalf in dealing with a debt collector. I’ve not experienced the level of professionalism, care, timeliness in follow-through, and financial compensation obtained through your firm.”
“I won’t be afraid to contact you or recommend your services to others for debt collection difficulties. Please keep up the outstanding work you do, and again, thank you for helping me through this challenging time. I am most grateful.”
“I did not realize I’d be getting any money from this wretched affair. I’m taken aback by what you have achieved in my behalf.”
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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I have mid atlantic contacting me and when I asked for a letter of ownership of the debt the agent refused and got angry with me. they have threatened me multiple times with court. and the last phone call I had with him he said he would see me in court and that I was wasting his time and that he had other people to get money from. He also told me that a ceese and desist letter wasn’t a real thing to stop other agencies from pursuing me on this debt that all I would get is a zero balance letter. and he was asking for more than the original debt by over $100 and when I told him that I had another company that was pursuing the debt he said that they weren’t legitimate and kept bullying me to just pay him the money. he also stated that he couldn’t provide me with the attorney representing the case or any documentation about the debt owed. it is scheduled to be forwarded to rogers county tomorrow 04/22/2022 and I am so confused and unsure what to even do. HE told me to not call back and that he forwarded the matter to legal to have me sued. and that he would see me in court. please help me.