Apelles: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

Apelles, LLC; Apelles LLC

Headquarters

Columbus, OH

Collects

financial institution accounts, retail service accounts, government accounts, medical bills, business service accounts

Phone numbers it lists

(800) 825-4425, (614) 899-7322

Website

apellesnow.com

108 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Apelles, LLC from November 13, 2023 to November 12, 2026. A complaint is a consumer's account, not a finding that the company broke the law. Read the complaints in the CFPB database.

Who Is Apelles?

Apelles, LLC is an Ohio limited liability company that the Better Business Bureau lists as formed in July 2003, with its office at 3700 Corporate Drive in Columbus, Ohio. The BBB names Michael Fitzmartin as president. Apelles describes itself as a nationwide provider of debt collection and "customer lifecycle management" services, including accounts receivable outsourcing, fraud management and debt recovery. Its website gives a mailing address of P.O. Box 1578, Middletown, OH 45042, a toll-free number of (800) 825-4425, and a local number of (614) 899-7322.

We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Apelles.

Why Apelles May Be Contacting You

Apelles names five kinds of clients: financial institutions, retail service organizations, government entities, medical care providers and business service providers. Its "lifecycle" approach means it may be involved at different stages, from early reminders handled for a creditor to recovery of charged-off balances. A contact from Apelles could therefore be about a bank or card account, a retail or service contract, a government charge, or a medical bill. The creditor named on the letter is your starting point.

Apelles also lists fraud management among its services. If you believe an account in your name was opened by someone else, say so in writing right away.

How to Check a Debt Apelles Says You Owe

• Get the validation notice. It must give the creditor's name, the account number and an itemization of interest, fees, payments and credits (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
• Dispute in writing within the validation period. Apelles must stop collecting until it sends verification.
• If it's identity theft, include an FTC identity theft report or police report with your dispute. In Texas, a court order declaring you an identity-theft victim now requires collectors who receive it to stop collecting the resulting debt (see Texas HB 4238).
• Ask who owns the account and whether it has been sold.
• Check the time limit. In Texas, a suit on most consumer debts must be filed within four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Ohio and other states set different periods.

What Apelles Can and Can't Do

When it collects debts in default for its clients, Apelles is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). Under the FDCPA and Regulation F:

• It may not continue collecting a disputed debt until it has mailed verification (15 U.S.C. § 1692g(b)).
• It may not report a debt it knows is disputed without noting the dispute (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(8)).
• It may not call more than seven times in seven days about one debt, presumptively (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
• It may not contact you at an inconvenient time or place, including before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a)(1)).

Learn what times collectors may call, or contact our FDCPA attorneys.

We Sue Debt Collectors That Break the FDCPA

Texas Debt Law files Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits against debt collectors in federal court for consumers in Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and Colorado. If Apelles or anyone collecting for it harassed you, misstated what you owe, threatened action it could not take, or told others about your debt, you may have a claim. A court can order a collector that violated the FDCPA to pay your actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages, and your attorney's fees and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). An FDCPA claim generally must be filed within one year of the violation (§ 1692k(d)), so keep your letters, call logs, voicemails and screenshots, and talk to us early. Texas residents may also have claims under the Texas Debt Collection Act. Learn more from our FDCPA attorneys.

Free FDCPA Case Review(214) 851-2250

Or start your free case evaluation online. No lawyer can promise a result; every claim depends on its facts and proof.

Sources

• Apelles: home page
• BBB business profile: Apelles, LLC (facts only)
• CFPB enforcement actions search
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Apelles, LLC, debt collection

This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Apelles has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.