Adler Wallach & Associates or AWA Collections is a third-party debt collector based in Southern California. AWA has received many consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) such as failing to verify debts and reporting inaccurate information to the credit reporting agencies. If you have been contacted by AWA understand your rights before responding.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. The Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) profile page for Adler Wallach & Associates, Inc. indicates a founding date of 1993. BBB opened its file on the same day. AWA is listed under collection agencies and collection systems, and the BBB has cited the alternate business name, AWA Collections. Buzzfile confirms the founding date and estimates Adler Wallach & Associates’s annual revenue at $1.4 million. Buzzfile also estimates that AWA employs a staff of 2 at its headquarters location in Orange, CA.
AWA states as its mission its intention to be a “a company of unyielding standards and integrity… committed to providing consumers and commercial institutions the dignity they deserve to resolve their delinquency by offering them reasonable financial solutions that will result in recoveries that will exceed our clients’ expectations.” AWA is “large enough to offer rates that are competitive with larger firms and…small enough to provide…consistent, knowledgeable and expert attention.”
AWA Collections provides the following debt collection services: early-out billing for first-party creditors; pre-collection services such as letter campaigns; full-service third-party collections for consumer creditors; commercial bankruptcy filing and monitoring; a competitive second placement collection program; mailing and invoicing services; litigation and judgement execution; and credit bureau reporting, asset investigation, and skip tracing.
AWA is a member of the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals (ACA International); Hearing Fusion; Strategic Management Consulting (SMC); AllMeds, Amazing Charts, Medcor, AdvancedMD, and Tennessee Dental Association; and provides links to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. AWA’s website also provides contact information for site visitors who have received collection notices. However, there are no references or links to consumer protection laws or resources.
Who are we? We are Lemberg Law, a Consumer Law Firm
Lemberg Law is a consumer law firm helping victims of collection harassment and abuse. We are ranked A+ by the BBB. We’ve helped more than 15,000 consumers stop harassment and recover money from debt collectors. Harassed? Abused? Misled by a collector? Call our Helpline today! There is no charge unless we win.
The BBB has given AWA Collections a rating of F. There are 30 closed complaints against AWA in the past three years, with 10 closed in the past twelve months. Almost all of these complaints allege problems with billing and collections, with 7 complaints alleging additional problems with customer service. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has logged 56 consumer complaints against AWA since March 2015, alleging violations ranging from attempts to collect debts not owed, to inaccurate credit reporting, to misrepresentation and false statements. Justia lists at least 3 cases of civil litigation naming AWA as a defendant.
Adler, Wallach & Associates, Inc.
1045 W Katella Ave #230
Orange, CA 92867
Telephone: (888) 771-3690
Website: http://www.awacoll.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely AWA would sue you for a debt you may not owe or they cannot validate. However, debt collection agencies are known to have summoned debtors to court and garnish wages after a default judgement. Contacting an attorney BEFORE this could possibly happen would be a smart move. We’ve helped thousands of consumers fight back against unscrupulous debt collection harassers. Find out if we can help you too today!
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Unlawful Debt Harassment? Learn the Law & Sue the Collector.
Absolutely. You can sue a debt collector. Here is a sample case filed in Federal Court
In August 2017 in United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas, a judge issued an Order regarding a civil action brought against AWA Collections for alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA). The plaintiff claims that an AWA representative contacted him by phone on April 27, 2017. The plaintiff claims that during the call, the representative spoke to him and a third party about his debt without identifying himself as debt collector (the so-called “mini-Miranda”). The plaintiff contended that he never authorized AWA or its representative to disclose information about his debts to third parties, and further that the AWA representative made “misleading, false, and deceptive” statements, resulting in mental anguish and damage to his reputation. The civil action asks the court to issue a declaratory judgement confirming that AWA violated the FDCPA; an injunction preventing AWA from collection activity while the matter is pending; a further permanent injunction enjoining AWA from collecting the debt; and an order of attachment and judgement awarding the plaintiff $1,000 in statutory damages, costs, and attorney fees. The judge in this case was placed in the position of deciding the case for reasons other than the alleged violations. The law “must accept as true all factual allegations contained in the complaint” as the beginning point of issuing a judgement, but AWA’s motion to dismiss was not based on a denial of liability for the stated violations. Instead, because the plaintiff requested an injunction, rather than equitable relief in the form of a fine, AWA argued that the FDCPA does not allow private individuals to request legal remedies in the form of injunctions, a level of authority reserved for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). As a result, the judge was required to grant AWA’s motion to dismiss the case, regardless of the validity of the plaintiff’s claims.
Federal laws protect you. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) regulates the behavior of collection agencies by prohibiting actions such as the use of abusive or threatening language; harassment; or the use of false or misleading information to collect a debt. The FCRA regulates how collection agencies and creditors report delinquent debts to credit reporting agencies. Additional consumer protection laws include the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).
Yes. If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. Federal laws provide individuals like you with a means to seek monetary damages in court. For example, the FDCPA allows consumers who have been violated to recover damages of up to $1,000, plus attorney fees and court costs.
You may have a case, if…
“I would recommend your firm to anyone. You got the debt collectors off my back, and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Throughout the whole process your staff were professional and courteous. I was blown away by their efficiency as well. Thank you guys so much!”
“I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you! Being in debt is hard enough without being harassed by collection agencies, but thanks to you I no longer have to be a victim. I did not know what to expect when I emailed your company, but from the beginning you guys were on the ball.”
“I would like to thank you and your staff for all the help you’ve provided to me. Honestly, you have a wonderful staff that has dealt professionally and been very empathetic at a time in my life when I hit a speed bump.”
Chances are good that we can help. Call us today and we’ll explain.
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Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
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Rude employees. I’ll wait 7 yrs before giving them a dime. Rental company didn’t get their equipment in 2016 after going out of business. And didn’t hear from them until 2019. Now they want me to pay plus interest. Like I said 2 more yrs I think I’ll wait considering how awful their attitudes are. Asked for information on original creditor got nothing but a contract with no information
I called today at 3:00 PM and Ernesto badge number 261 was very rude and hung up in my face while I was asking To speak with someone different than him regarding my bill. Better customer service is needed with AWA he transferred me to someone else and they were very rude as well. I do not like the customer service, I see why people don’t pay their bill you have to go through rude ass people just to get a bill paid or a payment plan for that matter.
How did you deal with them on your credit report after she was exonerated?
I bailed out my daughter and paid All American Bail Bonds . She became very ill with Lupus and was in and out of hospitals. The bail bonds man hired some men to arrest my daughter. Mind you she was on a wheel chair on her way to get Dialysis. They had spoken to her fiance who made plans to meet with the bail bonds man after her Dialysis. Instead they grabbed her before her treatment and took her to jail. There she became quite ill. When she went to court she was exonerated of everything and released.
Now All American has sent to AWA Collections for me to pay $5700.00 for the extra charge of having to get her. Mind you that they had already made plans to meet after treatment. They also kept the wheelchair and an expensive hand bag.
I feel they are trying to extort money. I paid for the bail and did not agree to the $5700.I also would like my credit score not to have the collections attached to it.