Complaint Review: Academy Collection Service - Philadelphia Florida

Like most debt collection agencies, Academy Collection Service makes more money when they DON'T abide by the law as detailed in this email from a former employee: Subject: Academy Collection Service (Email From A Collector)11/08/04 Email: I felt compelled to write this letter to you after having read some of the information you have provided online regarding Academy Collection Service I was employed as a collector at Academy from **/**/ thru */**/ when I was fired. The reasons for my being terminated had everything to do with my unwillingness to violate FDCPA regulations as I was expected to at Academy Every word I have read about Academy online (all of it very negative) is completely accurate. I began keeping an informal log of each time I witnessed an FDCPA violation, other crimes being committed in the office, unethical/illegal demands placed on collectors by management, etc., and I stopped after reaching 150 violations in less than one week. We (the collectors) were regularly provided with written instructions on how to perform our duties which fell within FDCPA guidelines and then immediately thereafter given verbal instructions which were in direct contradiction to the written instructions. All collectors were not only expected, but required to do or say absolutely anything required to collect the most money from debtors as quickly as possible regardless of the law while at the same time it was understood that if a collector received a complaint from the Attorney General Office or other agencies we would not received our commissions on that particular account and would possibly be required to pay a fine. I saw a more than one instance in which collectors were fired for having received a complaint (these collectors were doing and saying the same things everyone did literally hundreds of times each day). After seeing people lose their jobs or being financially penalized through a variety of methods by Academy management personnel and because of the fact that I needed my job very much, I was afraid to violate the law as was expected for fear of losing my job. Academy management immediately began to penalize me financially for my "lack of compliance" and I was eventually fired because of it. I worked as a collector for about six years before leaving the business in the early 1990s and earlier this year returned to collections work obtaining employment at Academy. In my previous collections jobs I worked at reputable firms and I never felt like the "bad guy" in fact in general I had a good, positive and well-working relationship with the debtors with whom I had regular contact. I have never been employed at a place like Academy Collection Service before. It is a nightmare of a place that I never imagined could be doing business the way they are because of existing laws and regulations covering third-party collections. The other crimes being committed on a daily basis were just as mind boggling to me: drug dealing and drug use definitely being at the top of the list -- all being done very openly and with the knowledge of all who work there. Academy management regularly demanded it's collectors to change dates of deposit on posted-dated check-by-phone payments in order to look better and appear more productive to their clients. How were they able to do that in this day and age?...I supposed that to a degree I am a disgruntled employee (or ex-employee) but the daily routine at Academy Collection Service is extremely bad and very illegal and something needs to be done about it as well as about some of the collectors employed there who are honest and law-abiding people of quality who work in fear and are being manipulated into unethical and illegal collection practices in order to prevent severe financial penalties being imposed on them by Academy management or the loss of their job. J* Lawlessness and drug use are two common complaints we receive on most collection agencies. Academy owners Keith Dickstein and Janet Miller have never shown us any efforts being used to clean up their dirty house.

Agency Details Academy Collection Service, Inc. 10965 Decatur Road Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19156 Phone: (800) 220-0605 Local: (215) 281-7500 Fax: (215) 281-7512 Call Center: 9350 Ashton Road, #1 Philadelphia, PA 19114 LAS Vegas: 750 Pilot Road, Suite #A Las Vegas, NV 89119 Web Address: academycollection.com Head Debt Collectors: Keith Dickstein, CEO Janet Miller, Secretary, Treasurer