How to Beat ARC Collections

Legal Expert, Paralegal
Dena Standley, BA

Dena Standley is a seasoned paralegal with more than 20 years of experience in legal research and writing, having received a certification as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal from Southern Technical College.

Edited by 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 ARC Collections is contacting you about a debt, you can force them to validate it by sending a Debt Validation Letter. And if you've been sued for debt, you should respond to the lawsuit with a written Answer. SoloSuit can help you with both of these actions and more.

Accounts Receivable Consultants (ARC) collections boasts of being different from other debt collection agencies by offering superior services. But, do they? Is their collection strategy different from the rest? Do they use unlawful methods or harassment in an attempt to collect debts?

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), consumers have reported several occasions of ARC collections violating their consumer rights. For instance, they try to collect a debt they do not owe, enter an unfamiliar or paid debt on a credit report, and call numerous times. Below is an example of a complaint from their BBB profile.

“This company is falsifying the amount in the debt. When questioned on the details in that debt, the employees refused to answer and resulted in harassing me, stating that I was 'playing games' and other rude and harassing statements.”

ARC has been in business for over 20 years and strives to collect from debtors without settling for less. The table below gives you their contact information.

ARC Collections Contact Information:

Physical address: 10712 W. Grange Avenue, Hales Corners, WI 53130
Phone number: 414) 427-7820
Email: info@accountsreceivableconsultants.com Website

If you have been contacted by ARC collections, you need to know your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Afterward, you can respond using the following methods we will discuss.

Use these methods when ARC Collection initially contacts you

ARC is often compensated on a contingency basis, meaning they get paid based on the amount they can collect from a debtor. This agreement explains why they aggressively collect their debt. Do not be intimidated when they contact you; follow these steps:

Request everything in writing: A call may miss some vital information, and you need evidence in case of a mistake.
Send a Debt Validation Letter: This document requests the debt details to determine whether it is yours and its accuracy.
Dispute the debt when you find discrepancies: If your records and the debt information are different, dispute with the three credit bureaus.
Request more information on the discrepancies: If they have not entered the debt in your credit report, ask them to send more information about the doubtful sections.
Negotiate for a lower amount and plan to pay: Once you confirm the debt is rightfully yours, negotiate to pay a lower amount. At this point, a creditor is happy to get part of the money back.
Request for a pay-for-delete agreement: Ask ARC to remove the debt on your credit report once you pay part or the entire debt.

ARC has a right to ask for their client's money. If you ignore or deceive them, you may receive a lawsuit with other allegations apart from demanding their money.

How to respond to ARC after they sue you?

Unfortunately, these scenarios happen far too often. Dealing with debt collectors becomes emotionally exhausting, so you start ignoring their calls. ARC then decides to sue you for the alleged balance, but you ignore the Summons and Complaint you receive after the suit is filed. Since there was no response within the allotted time frame, the debt collector files a motion to ask for a Summary Judgement. A judge is likely to grant the judgment, given the lack of response on your part. Then you may find yourself facing wage garnishments, liens against your property, or other consequences that could have been avoided by filing a timely Answer.

Debt collection agencies sue consumers who refuse to comply with their attempts to collect their debt. The first instinct of a consumer is to panic and often make regrettable financial and legal mistakes. You can still deal with ARC collections by doing the following:

Send SoloSuit's Answer: You have 14–30 days to respond to a lawsuit, or else ARC will receive a default judgment. Respond by sending an Answer which denies or admits the allegation. You can also raise any defenses against the claim.
Send a Motion to Compel Arbitration: If your credit card contract has an arbitration clause, send this document to force ARC to settle the debt out of court.
Prepare for court: If you believe you have a strong case and want your day in court, prepare thoroughly for court.
Gather your evidence: Collect any receipts, past communications with ARC, the Debt Validation Letter you sent to ARC, and the debt verification notice they responded with. Highlight the key points that will benefit your case.
Go to court and argue your case: Do not respond in the affirmative to any allegations ARC makes. Think through every question they ask and respond briefly.
Settle the debt for less: No matter where you find yourself in the debt lawsuit process, you can always reach out to the creditor or debt collector suing you to discuss a settlement.

Watch this video for tips on how to draft and file an Answer to your debt lawsuit:

SoloSuit's software ensures that consumers can effectively handle their debt situation without incurring unnecessary legal costs. Our documents are professionally drafted and contain all the details to ensure they stand in court. Explore our legal documents and beat ARC collections.

Decide what to do next

This calculator is for educational purposes only.

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit makes it easy to fight 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.

Respond with SoloSuit

"First time getting sued by a debt collector and I was searching all over YouTube and ran across SoloSuit, so I decided to buy their services with their attorney reviewed documentation which cost extra but it was well worth it! SoloSuit sent the documentation to the parties and to the court which saved me time from having to go to court and in a few weeks the case got dismissed!" – James

Get Started

We have answers.
Join our community of over 40,000 people.

You can ask your questions on the SoloSuit forum and the community will help you out. Whether you need help now or are just looking for support, we're here for you.

Ask a Question

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