When you’ve been told you owe a debt, as you have been by Ad Astra Recovery Services, it can be hard to keep calm and make well-considered decisions. After all, it’s not only a threat to the balance in your bank account, it’s also wrecking your credit score.
But to beat Ad Astra Recovery Services, you’ll need to take measured action to determine if the debt is even yours and if you really owe it. Here’s how to do that.
Table of Contents
- What is Ad Astra Recovery Services?
- Who does Ad Astra Recovery Services collect for?
- Is Ad Astra Recovery Services a scam?
- How to stop Ad Astra Recovery Services from calling you
- How to remove Ad Astra Recovery Services from your credit report
- How to deal with Ad Astra Recovery Services harassment
- Should you pay Ad Astra Recovery Services?
What is Ad Astra Recovery Services?
Ad Astra Recovery Services, Inc. is a debt collection agency that was founded in 2007 and is based in Wichita, KS. 1 In addition to debt collection, Ad Astra Recovery Services provides the following services:
- Check recovery
- Debt reporting
- Payment plans
- Litigation
The company is currently owned by CURO Group Holdings Corp., which announced their acquisition of Ad Astra Recovery Services in 2019. 2 Before that, the two companies had an exclusive partnership.
Who does Ad Astra Recovery Services collect for?
Ad Astra Recovery Services collects unpaid consumer loan debt exclusively for CURO Group Holdings Corp. 2 Specifically, CURO operates under the following brand names:
- Speedy Cash
- Rapid Cash
- Cash Money
- LendDirect
- Avío Credit
- Opt+
- Revolve Finance
You may start getting calls and letters from Ad Astra Recovery Services if you have unpaid loan debt from any of the above companies.
Is Ad Astra Recovery Services a scam?
No, Ad Astra Recovery Services, Inc. isn’t a scam. They’re a legitimate debt collection agency, and they’ve held a membership with ACA International since 2007. 3
Ad Astra is also accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), with an A- rating. 1 However, even though they’re a legit company, Ad Astra Recovery Services could still violate your rights.
Moreover, you should be vigilant about scammers that may pose as Ad Astra representatives to collect money from you. Be sure to verify any debts you’re contacted about before you make any payments. To do so, contact Ad Astra Recovery Services directly using their online form or the contact information below.
VIDEO: Ad Astra Recovery Services in 2 Minutes—Fix Your Credit Report & Know Your Rights
How to stop Ad Astra Recovery Services from calling you
Ad Astra Recovery Services will call, email, or mail you if they believe you have an unsettled debt. The reason debt collectors like these are calling you is simple—they want to pressure you into paying up.
Unfortunately, Ad Astra Recovery Services representatives will keep trying to contact you unless you pay the debt, prove that it doesn’t belong to you, or reach an agreement with them (or with your original creditor).
Don’t ignore debt collectors like Ad Astra Recovery Services—in the end, you may get sued, and you may even have your wages garnished. It’s smarter to engage with them tactically to ensure you don’t have to pay, or that you get the best deal you can.
To begin, you can get Ad Astra Recovery Services to stop calling you—at least temporarily—by sending them something called a debt verification letter.
Send a debt verification letter
A debt verification letter is a formal request that obligates a debt collector to provide further evidence of a debt. You must send it within 30 days of them first contacting you. Note that Ad Astra Recovery Services should have sent you a debt validation letter proving you owe the debt first, as it’s required by law.
Benefits of sending a debt verification letter
Sending a debt verification letter has three benefits:
- You’ll prevent Ad Astra Recovery Services from calling you during this period: When you send a debt verification letter, third-party debt collection agencies like Ad Astra Recovery Services are required by law to stop contacting you until they can provide evidence that you actually owe the debt they’re trying to collect. 4
- You’ll get more information about the debt: You should never pay a debt that you don’t recognize. Forcing Ad Astra Recovery Services to provide documentation will help you determine whether this is a legitimate debt that you actually need to pay. It’s an easy way of figuring out if the debt collector is a scam agency.
- You may successfully disown the debt: If Ad Astra Recovery Services can’t provide more information about the debt (which is frequently the case), then they have no choice but to delete it from your records.
Beware the statute of limitations
The verification materials that you receive may show that your debt has passed the statute of limitations. This is a legal limit that means the debt is too old for Ad Astra Recovery Services to sue you over, at which point it’s known as time-barred debt.
If this is the case, you can send Ad Astra Recovery Services a letter telling them to stop contacting you. Legally, they’ll have to abide by that.
The statute of limitations on most debts is between 3 and 6 years, but the exact amount of time depends on several factors, including the state you live in. The best approach is to check your state attorney general’s website and email their office if the information you’re looking for isn’t available online.
How to remove Ad Astra Recovery Services from your credit report
If your credit score is suffering as a result of Ad Astra Recovery Services debt, there are three ways to recover:
1. Dispute the debt with all three credit bureaus
If you think that the debt associated with Ad Astra Recovery Services on your credit report is illegitimate (e.g., if you paid it on time or it belongs to somebody else), dispute the item on your credit report. You can also dispute debts that are older than 7 years (measured from the date of your first missed payment)—by law, they’re supposed to fall off your credit report by then.
To dispute a debt for free, send a credit dispute letter to the credit bureaus that are showing Ad Astra Recovery Services on your credit report.
To find out which credit bureaus you need to send the letter to, request your free credit report from each of the major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) at AnnualCreditReport.com. If they don’t respond to your dispute within 30–45 days, then they’re legally obligated to remove the item in question.
2. Negotiate with Ad Astra Recovery Services
Unfortunately, if the debt is legitimate and it’s less than 7 years old, removing Ad Astra Recovery Services from your credit report will be very difficult (although not impossible).
Your best move at this point is to simply pay the debt. Newer credit scoring models ignore paid-off collection accounts, which means paying off your collection will boost your credit score even if you can’t remove the item.
However, when you pay, there are two negotiation strategies you can try as a last-ditch attempt to remove Ad Astra Recovery Services from your credit report:
- Pay for delete: You might be able to convince Ad Astra Recovery Services to remove the negative mark in exchange for paying off the debt. You can open these negotiations by sending them a pay-for-delete letter.
- Goodwill deletion: This is an alternate strategy you can try after paying your debt. Once the account is paid off, you can send Ad Astra Recovery Services a goodwill letter asking them to empathize with your situation and remove the mark from your credit report as an act of kindness. Create your letter using our free goodwill letter template.
3. Wait 7 years for Ad Astra Recovery Services to fall off of your credit report
Unfortunately, most collection accounts will stay on your credit report for 7 years after your first missed payment. Even if you pay off your debt to Ad Astra Recovery Services, it will remain on your credit report.
Learn more about Ad Astra Recovery Services’s impact on your credit score:
- How many points will my credit score increase after I pay off collections?
- How to rebuild your credit after having a debt sent to collections
How to deal with Ad Astra Recovery Services harassment
Unless you tell them not to, Ad Astra Recovery Services will keep contacting you until you pay off or settle your debt. However, there are restrictions on how they can go about doing this.
Restrictions on Ad Astra Recovery Services
When attempting to collect payments from you, Ad Astra Recovery Services must adhere to the regulations specified in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. This is a federal law that prevents debt collectors from engaging in harassment or predatory behavior, such as lying to you or calling you incessantly or at unreasonable hours.
Ad Astra Recovery Services representatives also need to follow the rules set out in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with these laws so that you can take action against Ad Astra Recovery Services if they do something illegal.
Can I sue Ad Astra Recovery Services for harassment?
Yes, you can sue Ad Astra Recovery Services for harassment. If you can show that they’ve violated your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, then you can collect $1,000 in statutory damages for each violation as well as payment for any damages that you’ve sustained as a result of their violation. Ad Astra Recovery Services will also have to pay your attorney fees and court costs.
How to file a complaint against Ad Astra Recovery Services
If a debt collector violates your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or does something illegal, then you can report them to the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or your state attorney general. From there, you’ll be able to find out whether you can also sue Ad Astra Recovery Services.
Another option is filing a complaint on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website, but this might not have the outcome you’re hoping for. Bear in mind that the BBB is actually a private organization that has no affiliation with the US government. They’ll forward your complaint to Ad Astra Recovery Services, but there’s no guarantee that the agency will address it in a satisfactory manner. What’s more, if your dispute is sent to an arbitrator, then you may give up your right to take Ad Astra Recovery Services to court.
Should you pay Ad Astra Recovery Services?
You should only pay a collection agency like Ad Astra Recovery Services if you’re certain the debt is yours and you owe it. If you’re struggling financially and can’t afford to pay this debt collector, you can get help from a non-profit credit counselor.
