An experimental study of the optical properties of acceptor-center doped quantum wells (QWs) is presented. We have studied the effects of acceptor doping at concentration levels varying from 10(16) up to 10(19) cm(-3) using steady-state photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE). The quenching of excitons has been investigated by comparing the results obtained for n- and p-type bulk and QW structures doped both in the well and in the barrier. At a doping concentration higher than 5 X 10(16) cm(-3), an additional excitonic component is observed on the low energy side of the principal neutral acceptor bound exciton (BE). The second feature is associated with BEs formed by excitons bound at interacting accepters. Additional information is obtained from temperature, excitation intensity dependence and time resolved measurements. The effect of hydrogen passivation of the same samples is also studied.