Should I Pay or Ignore ACI Debt Collectors?

Getting a debt letter from a company you don’t recognise can be a worry. After all, you may not realise you had any arrears. It could leave you asking the question, “should I pay or ignore ACI Debt Collectors”?

If you found yourself in this situation, this post could help you deal with the problem so it’s less stressful, especially if you’re struggling to pay the bill.s

Read on to find out whether you should pay or ignore ACI Debt Collectors!

Do you have to pay ACI Debt Collectors?

You might not have to pay ACI Debt Collectors.

If you genuinely can’t afford your debt repayments then looking into whether you could have your written off might be just what you need. 

If you want to find out whether you qualify for having debt written off or payments lowered then fill out the short form below.

Who are ACI Debt Collectors?

ACI stands for Asset Collections and Investigations. The company is one of the many debt recovery businesses that operate in the UK. They have headquarters in Blackpool and first started doing business in 2015 trading as Reconnect UK.

Today, the company trades under ACI-UK Limited and is part of the Perch Group. Their details can be found on the Companies House website.

When Asset Collections and Investigations contact you, chances are they could be acting on behalf of a client you owe money to. Or they may have taken over the debt as explained later in my post.

Is the debt collection agency regulated?

Yes. The debt collection agency is authorised to operate in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Asset Collections and Investigations has also agreed to abide by the Credit Services Association’s code of conduct as they are members of CSA.

Can you lower your repayments?

If you’re struggling to pay back your debt, then you might qualify for a debt solution.

Some solutions lower your monthly payments while others write off a portion of your debt. 

To find out whether they could work in your situation, hit the button below.

Get Started

How do I know if a debt collector is legitimate UK?

You may be worried that calls from a company like ACI could be a scam. If so, you can check whether they are legit by asking them to provide you with details of their business which is a legal requirement.

Check out what happened to one person who was convinced the texts, phone calls and messages he received were from scammers!

Source: Moneysavingexpert

Asset Collections and Investigations details can be found on the Companies House website. As such, you can rest assured they are a legitimate company.

Why would Asset Collections and Investigations contact you?

Asset Collections and Investigations would likely contact you over money owed to one of their customers. When you’re in debt to a company and they fail to collect the outstanding, they could pass your details to Asset Collections and Investigations.

It’s then up to the debt recovery agency to contact you to recover the debt. As such, you could start getting phone calls, text messages, and several letters asking you to pay!

Each time the tone of a phone call or letter could be slightly more threatening. For example, debt collectors tend to send frightening payment demands that threaten legal action.

It’s a common tactic used to scare you into paying what’s owed!

What powers do debt collectors have?

A debt recovery company’s legal powers are limited. They have the same powers as the original creditor.

For instance, Asset Collections and Investigations can ask you to pay, send you payment demand letters and threaten you with court action. They can also report you for defaults to credit reference agencies!

Which is exactly what the original creditor can legally do.

Do Asset Collections and Investigations buy debts?

Yes, in a way they do. However, it’s Perch that buys the debt from an original lender when it’s part of a business’s administration process. In short, Perch owns the debt but Asset Collections and Investigations chases the debtor for payment.

What can you do if Asset Collections and Investigations is chasing the wrong person?

If you know the recovery agency is chasing the wrong person, you should tell Asset Collections and Investigations by writing a letter.

Make sure you send it by recorded delivery and don’t sign the letter.

Mistakes happen, although Asset Collections and Investigations claims to go to great lengths to find the right person. This involves using ‘reliable’ sources like credit reference agencies.

You can also call the debt collector or email ACI and they should launch an investigation to put things right.

What can debt collectors do?

A recovery company like ACI must abide by the CSA code of conduct and UK laws. For example, they must respect privacy laws and your rights as a consumer!

That said, a ACI can do the following:

• Contact you by email, phone, text or letter. They have the right to visit you at home if all other methods failTalk to you politely and discreetly about any money you allegedly owe to one of their customers
• Ask that you pay the outstanding sums of money to them directly rather than to their client

ACI can do all of the above without breaking the code of practice or UK legislation that governs debt recovery.

What can’t ACI do?

Debt collection agencies can’t act inappropriately or unlawfully when they contact you. For instance, they can’t do or say any of the following:

• Force their way into your property
• Pretend they are court-appointed bailiffs, now called enforcement officers
• Show you papers and other documents that look like a court has issued them
• Use legal jargon to confuse you
• Talk to a family member about the money you allegedly owe one of their customers
• Discuss things with your neighbours, friends or your employer
• Visit you where you work
• Seize possessions or clamp vehicles
• Pressure you into taking out more loans to repay the money you allegedly owe
• Harass or threaten you

Should you pay Asset Collections and Investigations straight away?

No. Although you may have to pay the amount owed in the end. However, first, you need to check a few things out because mistakes happen.

Maybe the debt’s been settled and you have no outstanding debts, or it’s partly paid!

Plus, the debt recovery agency could be chasing you for a debt that’s too old to enforce. Moreover, the debt might not even be yours to pay!

So, before you fork money over to ACI, you should write to the debt collector asking them to:

• Check the debt isn’t statute barred
• Prove you owe the money

That said, you can check whether a debt is statute-barred yourself by simply seeing if there’s a County Court Judgement registered against it. If you establish the age of the debt and find it’s too old to enforce through the courts, you won’t have to settle it!

When is a debt too old to enforce?

A debt is too old to enforce through the courts when it’s six or more years old. However, for a debt to be statute barred, the following must apply:

• You or a representative hasn’t admitted owing the money in the six years
• You or a representative hasn’t paid anything towards settling the debt in the six years
• A court hasn’t issued an Order to Pay against the debt (County Court Judgement)

You can’t be made to pay if the debt ACI is chasing you for meets the above criteria. As such, you should write to the debt collector telling them to stop contacting you.

If ACI continues to contact you, whether by sending letters, emails, texts or calling, you should file a complaint against them. Why? Because it could be seen as harassing behaviour which is unlawful.

You could also file a report with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) if the debt collector continues to harass you!

Does ACI Debt Collector have to prove the debt?

Yes. Absolutely they do. It’s not up to you to prove you don’t owe the money although any proof that you settled things does help. Especially when you know you have no outstanding debts!

You should send a recorded delivery letter to ACI telling them to ‘prove the debt’ is yours. It’s something they must do if they haven’t already done so!

Without sufficient proof, you can’t be made to pay. Moreover, a judge would not rule in a debt collector’s favour if they can’t prove you owe the money!

Don’t just accept ACI’s word for it either. Make sure you get written confirmation which could be an authenticated copy of a Credit Agreement!

What if ACI can’t prove the debt?

You can’t be forced to pay if ACI can’t provide solid proof you owe any money. In short, a judge would find it hard to rule in the debt collector’s favour if they can’t show you actually owe the money!

What happens when you don’t respond?

Things escalate when you don’t respond to a debt collection agency. For example, you’ll be hounded more and more with calls, letters, emails and the like, all demanding payment!

If ACI is chasing a debt owned by the Perch Group, which the company is a part of, they could take you to court. In short, you’d face legal action!

Instead of binning a debt letter, it’s far wiser to reach out to ACI and discuss things. As mentioned, the debt may be too old to enforce, or they could be pursuing the wrong person.

If you don’t respond to a debt letter, you may never find this out. Plus, the problem doesn’t go away!

What legal action could ACI Limited take?

When you don’t respond to a debt letter and you refuse to pay a proven debt, ACI could advise a client to start legal proceedings against you. That said, if they are chasing a debt owned by Perch, things change.

In short, you could face court action that’s brought against you by Perch, which ACI is a part of.

A County Court Judgement could be registered against you and credit reference agencies would be informed of every default you make.

When you don’t respond to a court order to pay, a judge could instruct enforcement officers (bailiffs) to visit you to recover what’s owed.

A court-appointed enforcement officer has the power to seize your possessions!

How can you file a complaint against ACI?

When you’re unhappy with the way ACI handles things, you can complain directly to them. If, however, the debt collector doesn’t make things right and you’re still unhappy, then you can contact the Financial Ombudsman Service.

You have the right to file a complaint with the FOS and an investigation should be launched. If the ombudsman finds that the debt collector acted unlawfully, they could be penalised.

Moreover, you could receive compensation for their actions!

Will your credit file be affected? 

Yes. The legal owner of any debt is obliged to report everything that affects your credit to credit reference agencies.

As such, when you default on a payment, a report is sent to them.

What if you partially settle the debt?

If the debt is proven, and ACI accepts a partial settlement, a report is registered on your credit file. In short, other lenders can see you only paid a lower amount than the original debt.

What if you settle the debt in full?

If ACI agrees to a payment plan and you settle the debt over time by paying it off in instalments, your credit file will show the debt is ‘paid in full’. The same is true if the debt collector accepts a ‘full settlement payment’ from you.

How do you contact ACI Debt Collectors?

I’ve listed ways you can contact ACI Debt Collectors in the table below:

What free debt help is there in the UK?

Fortunately, there is free debt advice and help in the UK. It’s provided by several leading UK charities, some of which I’ve listed below:

• StepChange
• Advice Direct Scotland
• Citizens Advice
• National Debtline
• Money Advice Scotland

Their advice could be invaluable if you’re struggling and you’re unable to keep on top of your debts!

Make sure you let ACI Debt Collectors know you’re seeking debt advice which is something they must allow you to do. Moreover, tell them as soon as possible to prevent them from escalating matters!

There are other options available which could solve a debt problem. But you should seek expert advice before deciding which one is best for you. In short, you should seek advice from one of the UK’s debt charities.

Alternatively, you could seek independent advice from a debt management company but you’d have to pay! So, if your struggling with your finances, it may not be an option.

Choosing the wrong debt solution could end up making your situation a lot worse. Whereas, the right one could get you out of a financial hole!

“It will only get worse” 😩

It’s cliché to say, but with debt it’s true; the longer you leave it, the worse the problem gets. 

There are straightforward and effective ways to deal with debt, but you have to know your options. 

Fill out the short form to find out about the debt solutions that could reduce your monthly payments or even write off some of your debt.

Get Started

Lastly, should you pay or ignore ACI Debt Collections?

The one thing you shouldn’t do is ignore a debt collection agency like ACI. First, it won’t make them go away. Second, you could miss out on finding out important information.

For example, the debt could be too old to enforce through the courts which means you can’t be made to pay.

Next, the debt might not even be yours but someone else’s which means Asset Collections and Investigations is pursuing the wrong person. If you don’t let the debt collector know, they’ll just keep pestering you!

However, if the debt is proven, you can’t get out of paying what you owe. If you refuse to settle the amount, you could face court action. You may end up with a County Court Judgement on your credit file.

Plus, credit reference agencies would be told of the defaults which will negatively impact your ability to get a bank loan, credit card or mortgage!

Also, it’s your right to file a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman if you feel Asset Collections and Investigations acted unlawfully.

The best thing to do before you pay ACI is to seek free debt advice from one of the leading UK charities.

Thanks for reading my post. I hope the info in the article helps you deal with a debt collection agency so the experience is less stressful. But more importantly, the outcome is a positive one.