George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.
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:
To settle debt with Account Services, validate the debt, negotiate a settlement offer
(30-50%), get the agreement in writing, and pay promptly to close the account. Solo can help you
resolve your debt at any stage of the debt collection
process.
If you've received a debt collection letter from Account Services, you're likely wondering what it's about. You
probably have never heard of the company, and you'd likely remember if you had borrowed money from them.
If you're like many people, you throw the letter away, thinking it's some sort of scam. Before you do this, take the
time to read through it.
Like many other debt collectors, Account Services purchases aging debts from creditors—usually for a fraction of the
outstanding debt—and attempts to collect them from the original consumer.
Often, they'll purchase thousands of debts at once. They earn their revenue when they manage to collect an old debt
via their debt collection procedures. This article will break down everything you need to know about Account
Services and how to resolve debt with them.
Let's jump right in.
Settle debt with Account Services
You can negotiate debt settlement at any stage of the collections process. SoloSettle makes it easy.
Account Services USA is a legitimate debt collection agency based in San Antonio, Texas. They have been in business
since 1965 and are known by alternate names such as Healthcare Financial Services, Account Services Inc., ASI, and
Account Services Collections Inc. They have an A accreditation on the Better Business Bureau platform for having
only 14 complaints on their platform. Their contact information is as follows:
Physical Address: 1802 NE Loop 410 Ste 400 San Antonio, TX 78217-5221
Account Services purchases a wide variety of consumer debts, including overdue healthcare bills, credit and consumer
loans, retail debt, utilities, telecommunications, and apartments. On their website, they have divided these
services into three categories:
Medical or early out recovery services
Financial recovery services
General business recovery services
If Account Services has purchased an old overdue bill that you may owe from these businesses, you're likely to
continue to hear from them via phone and letter until the matter is resolved. Make sure that any collection
activities are handled respectfully and don't violate the Fair Debt Collection Privacy Act
(FDCPA).
What collection activities violate the FDCPA?
The FDCPA was signed into law in 1977. Its intention is to protect consumers from abusive and harassing practices by
debt collectors. The FDCPA established a slew of regulations on the industry and created a list of rights for
consumers. Actions that are prohibited by debt collectors under the FDCPA include:
Calling at odd hours, such as before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
Threatening you with arrest
Pretending to be a member of law enforcement or an attorney, if they're not
Demanding more than is actually owed
Using profanity or other abusive language
This is just an example of a few of the prohibited actions. If Account Services are contacting you for an old debt,
inform them of your rights. They are likely to respect the law and use the proper approach.
Read Account Services Reviews online
Like with most businesses, consumers have differing views about their interactions with employees, services, or
products. In debt collection, the consumer needs to understand that the debt collector’s aim is not to make their
lives difficult but they only want to get their clients’ money back so that they can stay in business. Account
Services USA doesn't have many reviews online, but you can check the few available on Better
Business Bureau.
If your concern is that you do not owe the debt or that the amount is inaccurate, you can address it by sending a
debt validation letter.
Send a debt validation letter to Account Services
If you've received communication from Account Services about a debt, you should carefully review the information
they sent to see if you can learn more about what the original debt was for. When attempting to collect a debt, most
debt collection services will list the original creditor, the amount you owe, and possibly other information, such
as an account number.
Account Services should reach out within 5 days of initially contacting you to verify the debt with the information
listed above. If Account Services fails to do so, or if you suspect that the information they've given is incorrect,
send a debt validation letter within
30 days of initial contact.
The Debt Validation Letter requires debt collectors to validate a debt before they can continue collection efforts.
In order to validate a debt, the collector must provide the following 5 points:
The amount of the debt.
The name of the creditor.
The collector will assume the debt is valid unless the consumer sends them a debt validation letter within 30
days.
If you send the collector a debt validation letter, they will need to mail you validation of the debt.
If you send them a debt validation letter, they will need to mail you the name and address of the original
creditor.
Many collectors have a hard time gathering all this information, and they would rather drop the case altogether than
spend the time and money to validate a debt.
What should I do if I'm being sued by Account Services?
If you've received notice of a lawsuit to collect a debt from Account Services, you don't want to ignore it. If you
do and the action goes to court, a default judgment will likely be entered against you.
A default judgment stays on your credit report for up to seven years and gives additional rights to Account Services
to enable them to collect the money due. They may be able to garnish your wages or freeze your bank account.
The first step in addressing the lawsuit is to draft and file a written
Answer in the court. Here are 3 steps to follow when responding to a debt lawsuit against Account Services:
Answer each claim listed in the Complaint document
Assert your affirmative defenses
File the Answer in court and send a copy to the plaintiff
Now, let's break each step down a little further.
1. Answer each claim listed in the Complaint document
When you are sued for debt, the collector or creditor should send you some court documents called the Summons and
Complaint (or Summons and Petition, in some states). The Summons notifies you of the lawsuit, while the Complaint
lists each allegation against you.
The first section of your Answer should respond to each claim listed in the Complaint document. You can respond to
each claim by stating:
Admit—like saying, “This is true.”
Deny—like saying, “Prove it.”
Deny due to lack of knowledge—like saying, “I don't know.”
Keep in mind that most attorneys recommend to deny as many allegations as possible, or at least deny due to lack of
knowledge. Denying requires Account Services to do more work to prove their case. In many cases, debt collection
agencies purchase thousands of accounts at once. They may not have
the supporting documents needed to support your debt. If they don't, the lawsuit will be dropped.
After you've responded to each claim in the Complaint, you should include a section where you assert your
affirmative defenses. An affirmative defense is any legal reason that Account Services does not have a case against
you.
Let's consider an example.
Example: Suzie is sued for an old credit card debt in California, but the debt is so old that she barely remembers
anything about it. She decides to do some research and discovers that the debt is from more than 15 years ago. In
California, the statute of limitations on credit card debt is only 4
years. This means that the creditor only has 4 years from the last activity on the account to sue. Suzie included
this information as an affirmative defense in her answer document, and she ended up winning her case.
3. File the Answer in court and send a copy to the plaintiff
After you've drafted your Answer document, you should file it in the court and send a copy to the plaintiff (in
other words, the attorney representing Account Services). Keep in mind that you have 14-35 days to file your
Answer in court, depending on which state you live in. If you miss the deadline to respond, you risk losing
the case by default. Make sure to file your Answer as soon as possible to avoid default judgment.
Check out this video to learn more about these three steps to responding to a debt Summons and Complaint:
Do you need help filing an Answer against Account Services?
If Account Services is suing you for an overdue debt, SoloSuit can help. Our
free web app provides you with the paperwork you need to file an Answer to a debt collection lawsuit in your local
courts. Simply by answering a few questions, you can download a PDF that is personalized for you—all for free!
Settle your debt with Account Services.
Debt settlement is a viable option if you are struggling financially. This approach allows you to pay Account
Services an amount that is less than what you originally owe. Let’s discuss the step-by-step process of debt
settlement.
Review your personal finances to determine the amount you can offer to settle. A good starting point is around
50% if you can make it in a lump sum. Note that several factors are at play when determining how much you should
offer to settle debt, including the age of the debt, the amount owed, your current financial circumstances, and
the collector with whom you’re negotiating.
Send an offer to Account Services. You can call them to make an offer, send it in a letter, via email, or
through the SoloSettle app. Tell them why you need to settle
the debt, the amount you’re proposing, and the date you can pay. They may accept or respond with a counteroffer.
Once you and Account Services have reached an agreement, memorialize it in writing with a signed settlement
agreement. This document should contain the parameters of the agreement such as the amount forgiven, when the
settlement payment is due, etc.
Make your payment in a timely manner. Failure to pay the settlement on time could lead to legal action or make
matters worse. Stay true to your word and fulfill your end of the agreement.
Some creditors, banks, and lenders have an internal collections department. If they come after you for a debt, Solosuit can still help you respond and resolve the debt. Here’s a list of guides on how to resolve debt with different creditors.
If the thought of going to court stresses you out, you’re not alone. Many Americans who are sued for credit card debt utilize a Motion to Compel Arbitration to push their case out of court and into arbitration.
Below are some resources on how to use an arbitration clause to your advantage and win a debt lawsuit.
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Knowing your rights makes it easier to stand up for your rights. Below, we’ve compiled all our articles on federal debt collection laws that protect you from unfair practices.
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Debt collection laws vary by state, so we have compiled a guide to each state’s debt collection laws to make it easier for you to stand up for your rights—no matter where you live.
Don’t have time to go to your local courthouse to check the status of your case? We’ve created a guide on how to check the status of your case in every state, complete with online search tools and court directories.
Forgot to respond to your debt lawsuit? The judge may have ordered a default judgment against you, and with a default judgment, debt collectors can garnish your wages. Here are our guides on how to stop wage garnishment in all 50 states.
Debt settlement is one of the most effective ways to resolve a debt and save money. We’ve created a guide on how to settle your debt in all 50 states. Find out how to settle in your state with a simple click and explore other debt settlement resources below.
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We give a factual review of the following debt consolidation, debt settlement, and loan organizations and companies to help you make an informed decision before you take on a debt.
You can represent yourself in court. Save yourself the time and cost of finding an attorney, and use the following resources to understand legal definitions better and how they may apply to your case.