Is Array Services Group, Inc Calling You?*

Is Array Services Group, Inc calling you? Here’s what you need to know.

Anyone can suddenly find themselves deep in debt. Perhaps you’ve lost your job due to restructuring and layoffs, or become too ill to perform the duties you’re responsible for. Maybe your spouse suddenly announced their intention to file for divorce, and legal costs are consuming much of your salary.

Whatever the reason, when your accounts go into arrears, the creditors will likely send them off for collection. That’s when the situation becomes even worse: debt collectors start calling constantly and demanding payment in ways that are far from civil.

The law dictates that third-party debt collectors be professional and fair when trying to collect payments from you. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, they are not allowed to do any of the following:

• Fail or refuse to validate the debt they are attempting to collect
• Threaten to have you arrested or imprisoned for owing money
• Use the phone to harass you (e.g. calling nonstop, hanging up when you answer)
• Fail or refuse to identify themselves as debt collectors
• Call you at work when your employer does not allow such calls
• Use profane or obscene language
• Talk about the debt to anyone except you, your spouse, or your attorney

Who Is Array Services Group?

These tactics and others like them are illegal, but that doesn’t stop debt collectors from using them to scare or bully consumers. These companies count on you being too intimidated or unfamiliar with your rights to protest.

Array Services Group Inc is a collection agency located in Sartell, Minnesota. The debt collection branch of its operation is J.C. Christensen and Associates, Inc, which has been performing debt recovery services since 1977. A search of the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirms that the company has been a defendant in several cases involving alleged breaches of the FDCPA.

Alleged Complaints against Array Services Group

Minette Thomas-Dodson. v. J.C. Christensen and Associates, Inc.**

According to PACER, in March 2012 J.C. Christensen and Associates, Inc. sent New York resident Minette Thomas-Dodson a collection letter regarding a debt she owed to HSBC Bank Nevada N.A./ Orchard Bank. The letter identified the current creditor as ‘Cavalry’ and the agency’s client as Cavalry Portfolio Services LLC.

Ms. Thomas-Dodson later insisted that she did not receive a validation letter within five days of receiving this first communication. She also felt that the name ‘Cavalry’ did not adequately disclose the identity of the current creditor, so she retained a consumer attorney and accused J.C. Christensen and Associates, Inc. of failing to disclose their identity when attempting to collect a debt, and using deceptive or misleading means to collect a debt.

How Do I Get Array Services To Stop Calling?

The phone numbers associated with Array Services Group Inc are 1-877-272-7729 and 1-320-253-7800. If either number appears on your caller ID, a debt collector is trying to collect money from you. If the company does not send you a debt validation letter, fails to make it clear exactly who your creditor is, or calls you repeatedly, see a consumer attorney.

Both omissions violate the FDCPA, and your attorney can help you sue Array Services Group Inc for statutory damages of $1,000 per FDCPA violation as well as actual damages, court fees, and attorney costs. No matter how much you owe, debt collectors need to obey the law when collecting it, or else face this type of consequence.

**Case taken from PACER (pacer.gov). File number is (Case 1:12-cv-05555-PAE, from United States District Court, Southern District of New York)

*Disclaimer:

The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Array Services Group, Inc or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.

Helpful Resources

Going to Court Against Array Services Group*
Going to Court With a Collection Agency