How to Resolve a Debt with Automated Collection Services, Inc.

Hannah Locklear | September 05, 2023

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: If Automated Collection Services, Inc. has communicated with you about a debt, SoloSuit can help you respond to the initial contact with a Debt Validation Letter, respond to a debt lawsuit, and settle your debt before going to court.

Dealing with debt can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially when a collection agency gets involved. One such company you might have to deal with is Automated Collection Services, Inc. (ACSI-DM1). This post aims to guide you through the process of resolving a debt with ACSI, offering some tips for negotiation and outlining your rights under federal law.

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What is Automated Collection Services, Inc?

Automated Collection Services, Inc. is a debt collection agency that specializes in debt related to the following industries: education, healthcare, government, and financial.

So, if you’re contacted by ASCI-DM1 regarding a debt, you might actually owe a student loan, medical bill, etc. Chances are you’ve never heard of ASCI-DM1, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t owe the debt. ASCI-DMI is a legit debt collection agency with real credentials, so be sure to investigate your debt before you take any action.

Here is ACSI-DM1’s contact information:

  • Phone: 800-467-2316
  • Email: help@acsi.net
  • Address: 304 Northcreek Blvd, Goodlettsville, TN 37072
  • Consumer website: https://consumerhelpacsi.com/

ACSI-DM1 is accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and it has a A+ standing with them. However, ACSI-DM1 earned only a 2.33/5 star rating on its BBB profile and only 3.4 out of 5 stars on Google. The collection agency has received several complaints on its BBB profile and the CFPB consumer complaint database. These complaints are concerning, and many of them allege that ACEI Collections attempts to collect on invalid debts, fails to verify a debt upon request, and reports inaccurate information to the credit bureau.

Knowing your rights will keep you safe from any unfair treatment by Automated Collection Services, Inc. debt collectors Keep reading to learn how the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) protects you.

ACSI-DM1 must follow the FDCPA

Understanding your rights under the FDCPA is crucial when dealing with any collection agency. For example, the FDCPA states that ACSI-DM1 debt collectors cannot do any of the following:

  • Call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
  • Call you at work when your employer prohibits such communication
  • Tell your family or friends that you owe a debt
  • Continue to contact you when you have explicitly asked them not to
  • Take actions considered harassment or abuse under the FDCPA
  • Claim they will sell your debt in order to coerce you to pay
  • Cause your phone to ring repeatedly with the intent to annoy
  • Fail to disclose that they are a debt collector
  • Make false claims about who they are
  • Threaten to seize your house or other property
  • Threaten to take legal action that they cannot, or do not plan to, take

Receiving calls from a debt collector can be anxiety-provoking. You don’t want your collector to report you to the credit reporting bureaus or sue you for your debt. Pay close attention to how ACSI-DM1 debt collectors communicate with you. If their actions are FDCPA violations, protect your rights and file a complaint with the FTC.

You also have the right to debt validation. Before you take any action on a debt, you should verify that it’s legit and that you actually owe it. You can do this through debt validation.

Make ACSI-DM1 validate the debt

Upon first contact, the ACSI-DM1 is obligated to send you a written notice within five days, providing details of the debt they are claiming. Review this carefully to make sure that the debt is legitimate and belongs to you.

You have the right under FDCPA to request verification of the debt. You should do this by sending a Debt Validation Letter within 30 days of the initial contact. The agency must then provide evidence that the debt is yours and is accurate. Until they do, they are not allowed to continue collection efforts.

To validate the debt, ACSI-DM1 must provide the following information:

  • Proof that you owe the debt
  • The amount of the debt
  • The age of the debt
  • Proof of ACSI-DM1’s ownership of the debt
  • The agent’s debt collector license, or right to collect on the debt in your state
  • A calculation of whether the statute of limitations has expired for collecting the debt
  • The last action taken on the account

If Automated Collection Services, Inc can’t provide this information, they can’t take you to court over the supposed debt. Sending a Debt Validation Letter is a great way to block a debt lawsuit and prevent going to court over a debt that is invalid.

Respond to your debt lawsuit

If the debt is valid and within the statute of limitations, ACSI-DM1 can sue.

The first step you should take is to respond to the debt lawsuit before your state’s deadline. To respond to a debt lawsuit, you have to draft and file an Answer into the case. In your Answer, you should:

  • Respond to each claim against you.
  • Assert your affirmative defenses.

SoloSuit can help you draft and file a customized Answer to your debt lawsuit in minutes and increase your chances of winning. Our software helps you create a personalized response to your debt case, helping you avoid losing automatically by default judgment. All you have to do is respond to a series of questions about your case, and an Answer document will be generated for you.

Your Answer will be properly formatted, contain appropriate legal language, address all the claims against you, and include a section for your affirmative defenses.

Settle your debt with Automated Collection Services, Inc.

After you respond to your debt lawsuit, you have time to work out a debt settlement with Automated Collection Services, Inc..

In a debt settlement, you offer a portion of the total amount due, usually at least 60% of the debt’s value. In exchange for a lump-sum payment, ACSI-DM1 agrees to drop any legal claims against you and release you from the remaining balance.

Once you've reached a settlement with ACSI-DM1, you should ask for a written agreement that outlines the terms you've agreed upon. Don't make any payments until you have this in hand. Finally, be sure to follow through on your end and make all payments as agreed upon. Late or missed payments can nullify your agreement.

After settling the debt, monitor your credit report to ensure the account is updated appropriately. The report should reflect the payment, and the account should be marked as "paid" or "settled."

To learn more about how to settle a debt with ACSI-DM1 check out this video:

SoloSettle, powered by SoloSuit, is a tech-based approach to debt settlement. Our software helps you send and receive settlement offers until you reach an agreement with the collector. Once an agreement is reached, we’ll help you manage the settlement documentation and transfer your payment to the creditor or debt collector, helping you keep your financial information private and secure.

Now, let's take a look at an example of how to settle a debt with Automated Collection Services, Inc.

Example: Joey is being sued for a student loan debt for $6,500. He doesn’t have the funds to pay off the full amount right now, but he can prove that he is experiencing financial hardship. He responds to his debt lawsuit by drafting and filing an Answer with the help of SoloSuit, then he utilizes SoloSettle to negotiate a debt settlement. After a few rounds of negotiation, Joey is able to settle his debt for 75% of the original amount, or $4,875, saving him $1,125!


Conclusion

Dealing with Automated Collection Services, Inc. or any collection agency can be intimidating, but knowing your rights and having a strategy can make the process more manageable. Always remember to document every interaction, verify the debt, respond to any pending lawsuits, and consider debt settlement.

By following these steps, you can work towards resolving your debt and improving your financial situation. And remember, SoloSuit can help you with each of these steps and more.

What is Solo?

Solo makes it easy to resolve debt with debt collectors.

You can use SoloSuit to respond to a debt lawsuit, to send letters to collectors, and even to settle a debt. SoloSuit's Answer service is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your Answer. Upon completion, we'll have an attorney review your document and we'll file it for you.

SoloSettle can help you contact your debt collector or creditor and negotiate the debt to settle for less, all online. It simplifies and streamlines the process to settling your debt.

No matter where you find yourself in the debt collection process, Solo is here to help you resolve your debt.

>>Read the FastCompany article: Debt Lawsuits Are Complicated: This Website Makes Them Simpler To Navigate

>>Read the NPR story on SoloSuit. (We can help you in all 50 states.)

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The Debt Hotline

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