First Credit Services on Your Credit Report: What to Know

First Credit Services (FCS) has collected gym membership debt since 1993 and serves over 2,500 health and fitness clients. Crunch Fitness and Anytime Fitness are confirmed clients from documented consumer complaints. If FCS appears on your credit report, the debt almost certainly traces to an unpaid gym membership, fitness club balance, or personal training contract.

Multiple consumer attorney sources confirm FCS is not known for suing consumers. Their most documented complaint patterns are calling from rotating phone numbers across multiple states and pursuing consumers for gym balances they say arose from memberships they tried to cancel but could not.

This guide covers who FCS is, the gym cancellation dispute pattern, and how to respond.

Who Is First Credit Services?

First Credit Services, Inc. (FCS) is a New Jersey-based debt collection and business process outsourcing agency founded in 1993 in Piscataway. The company employs approximately 352 people, generates about $231 million in revenue, and serves clients globally. FCS is BBB-accredited with an A+ rating despite 39+ complaints.

FCS also operates under the names FCS Collections, First Credit Inc, First Credit Collections, and 1st Credit Services. FCS uses an AI-powered omnichannel platform that contacts consumers via voice, SMS, email, and chat. They have been named in over 140 federal lawsuits, the majority filed by consumers alleging FDCPA violations.

The Gym Cancellation Dispute Pattern

The most common FCS complaint involves gym contracts consumers say they tried to cancel but could not. A documented complaint describes a consumer who moved states and tried to cancel their Crunch membership by phone. Crunch refused. The balance kept accumulating and FCS pursued it.

A second complaint describes repeated Anytime Fitness cancellation attempts that were refused or deferred before FCS reported the balance to credit bureaus.

Pull your original gym membership agreement before engaging FCS. If you followed the required cancellation procedure and the gym refused to process it, that failure supports a dispute at the gym level before FCS is ever involved.

Calling From Multiple Rotating Numbers

A documented consumer complaint describes FCS calling from numbers in Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, and Texas. The consumer had blocked multiple numbers but FCS continued calling from new ones.

FCS uses multiple phone numbers as part of their omnichannel platform. Regulation F limits collectors to 7 calls within 7 days on the same debt regardless of which number they use. Track every FCS call across all numbers and add them together. If the total exceeds 7 in 7 days, that is a Regulation F violation worth documenting for a CFPB complaint.

Calling Third Parties About Debts They Do Not Owe

A documented 2013 federal case, Jamison v. FCS, describes FCS robocalling a man repeatedly about his sister’s debt. A separate documented case describes FCS contacting a military spouse at her workplace about her husband’s debt. Both are specific FDCPA violations.

Contacting third parties and disclosing debt-related information is prohibited regardless of the relationship between the third party and the consumer. If FCS has called a family member, neighbor, or coworker about your debt, document that contact immediately and file a CFPB complaint.

FCS Does Not Sue Consumers

America’s Consumer Lawyer explicitly confirms FCS does not sue consumers. Any FCS threat of a lawsuit or wage garnishment is therefore a documented FDCPA violation. If FCS threatens to take you to court or garnish your wages, note the exact words and file a CFPB complaint immediately.

What FCS Cannot Do Under Federal Law

The FDCPA applies to First Credit Services. Under federal law, they cannot:

• Call more than 7 times within 7 days across any combination of phone numbers: A documented consumer complaint pattern.
• Contact third parties about a consumer’s debt: Subject of the 2013 Jamison v. FCS federal case.
• Contact consumers at their workplace: Documented in a military spouse case.
• Threaten lawsuits or wage garnishment they do not intend to pursue: Multiple attorney sources confirm FCS does not sue consumers.
• Send automated messages outside permitted hours: Alleged in documented consumer complaints about FCS’s AI platform.
• Use aliases to evade recognition: FCS uses multiple trade names to contact consumers.

File complaints at consumerfinance.gov. New Jersey residents can also file with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.

Gym Contract Cancellation Rights

Before paying any FCS gym balance, review your original membership agreement for:

• The required cancellation method and notice period
• Whether relocation to a different state constitutes valid grounds for cancellation
• Whether medical conditions constitute valid grounds for cancellation
• Whether the gym’s failure to process a valid cancellation request voids the remaining balance

Many states have specific health club contract statutes that limit minimum contract terms and provide cancellation rights for relocation and medical hardship. Contact your state attorney general’s consumer protection office to confirm which rules apply to your membership.

How to Check Your Credit Report for FCS Errors

Pull your credit reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. Search under First Credit Services, FCS Collections, First Credit Inc, First Credit Collections, and 1st Credit Services. Is the original gym or fitness club identified? Is the balance consistent with your membership agreement? Was a valid cancellation request ignored?

Any inaccuracy is grounds for a dispute with each credit bureau.

How Long Can FCS Legally Pursue the Debt?

New Jersey has a 6-year statute of limitations on most consumer debts. The relevant state is typically where you currently reside.

Your Options for Resolving an FCS Account

Once you have verified the underlying gym contract:

• Go to the original gym first: If the balance arose from a cancellation the gym refused to process, the gym’s management or corporate office controls the underlying account.
• Review state health club cancellation laws: Relocation and medical hardship cancellation rights vary by state and may apply to your membership.
• Document all calls across all phone numbers: Rotation across multiple numbers does not reset the Regulation F weekly call limit.
• Dispute if inaccurate: If the gym failed to process a valid cancellation, that failure supports your credit bureau dispute.

How to Contact First Credit Services

Handle all communication in writing:

• Address: First Credit Services, Inc., 9 Wills Way, Piscataway, NJ 08854
• Phone: (732) 726-1800

Bottom Line

First Credit Services collects gym membership debt for over 2,500 fitness clients including Crunch and Anytime Fitness. They do not sue consumers. Their most documented pattern is pursuing balances from memberships consumers say they tried to cancel but the gym refused to process.

Go to the original gym before engaging FCS. Review state health club cancellation laws. Document every FCS call across all phone numbers for Regulation F tracking.