Not upheld: Debt collection practices complaint against ACI-UK LIMITED
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-5862327 of 2025-10-17T00:00:00+00:00. Debt collection practices complaint against ACI-UK LIMITED. Outcome: Not upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-5862327 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2025-10-17T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | ACI-UK LIMITED |
| Product | Other regulated product |
| Claim type | Debt collection practices |
| Outcome | Not upheld |
| Remedy | None. The complaint was not upheld. The ombudsman advised Mr B that if he wishes to limit future contact, he should work with ACI to establish an affordable payment arrangement. |
Summary
Mr B complained that ACI-UK Limited, a debt servicing company managing three of his accounts, contacted him excessively both before and after he established a payment plan on 2 April 2025, claiming this affected his mental health. ACI had made approximately 56 contact attempts over 10 months (May 2024 to March 2025) across the three accounts. Mr B alleged continued contact after the payment plan was agreed, but provided no evidence to support this claim, having deleted his records. The ombudsman found ACI's pre-payment plan contact reasonable given Mr B's non-engagement and ACI's lack of knowledge about his mental health issues, and found no evidence to support allegations of excessive contact post-payment plan. The complaint was not upheld.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that ACI's pre-payment plan contact of approximately 56 attempts over 10 months (5-6 per month across three accounts) was reasonable given Mr B's non-engagement. Although Mr B struggles with mental health, ACI had no knowledge of this at the time. Regarding post-payment plan contact, Mr B provided no evidence to support his claims of continued bombardment, having deleted his evidence, and ACI's contact history log did not corroborate his allegations. Without evidence of wrongdoing after the payment plan, the complaint could not be upheld.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| ACI-UK LIMITED, all decisions | 26 | 14% |
| Debt collection practices, all decisions | 4,798 | 26% |
| Other regulated product, all decisions | 51,105 | 30% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website