Edward Sloan & Associates , Inc. (ESA) is a third-party collection agency based in Texas. ESA has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), such as failure to verify debts and harassment. If ESA has contacted you about past due collection items,make sure you understand your rights before you take action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Edward Sloan & Associates, Inc. was foundedin 1991and incorporated in 1994. The BBB established a profile page for ESA in 1998. The BBB lists ESA as a collection agency. Buzzfile estimates ESA’s annual revenue at $500,000 and the size of its headquarters staff at 10 employees.
According to its website, Edward Sloan & Associates is “a professional accounts receivable recovery agency dedicated to providing…clients with professional, reliable service.” In addition, “ESA is not a management firm, consulting company, or legal firm”; and does“not offer invoicing, billing, or auditing services.” ESA’s“staff does not consist of attorneys, paralegals, or consultants.” Instead, ESA is “a collection agency…that specializes in accounts receivable recovery.”
The ESA website consists of only one page and does not provide any detailed information about the types of business or industries for whom they collect debts. ESA states that their staff’s experience has enabled ESA to “maximize the recovery from the rural market as well as the ‘big city.’” ESA refers to its clients’ businesses as “facilities.”
The Edward Sloan & Associates website does not provide a lot of detailed information about its business practices. The website lists the following collection services: monthly invoicing; early-out collections; pre-collections; payment plan consulting; predictive calling; and letter series collections. Aside from this list of services, ESA provides only generalized descriptions of its services. For example, ESA’s “mission is to aggressively and effectively work toward collecting…accounts receivable…by educating the debtor of all liabilities and actions that they could face for non-payment.”
The ESA website does not provide any detailed information about its regulatory compliance policies. Their “goal is to recover… debts and maintain… good working relationships with… debtors…by providing…clients with superior quality service.” However, there are no links or references to consumer protection resources, laws, or enforcement agencies.
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.
As of June 2019, the BBB has closed 7 complaints against Edward Sloan & Associates in the past 3 years, with 1 complaint closed in the previous 12 months. All of those complaints alleged problems with billing and collections.Neither the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) nor Justia has posted any complaint information about ESA.
Edward Sloan & Associates, Inc.
PO Box 788
Winnsboro, TX
Telephone:(903) 342-3402
Website: http://www.esacollections.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely ESA 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 Complaint:
Complaints against Edward Sloan & Associates cite problems resulting from disputes about the validity of debts, the accuracy of information reported to the credit reporting agencies, and allegations of harassment. In November 2018, a complainant stated that ESA had refused to respond to a request for debt verification and subsequently “continued collection activity on an account they had never validated.” According to the complainant, he had sent ESA a request for debt verification, which ESA received in October 2018.The complainant stated ESA never responded to his request. In addition, “under the Texas Finance Code, the debt collection agency has thirty …calendar days to respond to a debt validation request. All debt collectors operating in the State of Texas must be able to verify, or ‘validate,’ any debt… they are attempting to collect.” Furthermore, debt collection agencies must “provide the alleged debtor with specific information concerning their debt, including but not limited to, the name of the original creditor; the original date of default or non-payment of the debt; the date the debt was transferred from the original creditor to the third party debt collector; the original balance; and the current balance.” The complainant also stated that “if a debt collector …fails to respond to a debt validation request, then they have essentially admitted… that the debt in question is inaccurate;… all collection efforts on the debt must cease; and any derogatory listing should be permanently removed from any consumer credit reports.” Because the complainant had not heard from ESA within the 30-day period,he stated that he “could sue them and ask for thousands.However,” he wanted “to make every effort to resolve this matter amicably without presenting this case in court.” He stated that if ESA “deletes the account and ceases reporting to the bureaus, he will consider this matter resolved.”
In response, Edward Sloan & Associates agreed that if “the consumer notifies the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period described in subsection (a) of this section that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, or that the consumer requests the name and address of the original creditor, the debt collector shall cease collection of the debt, or any disputed portion thereof, until the debt collector obtains verification of the debt or a copy of a judgment, or the name and address of the original creditor, and a copy of such verification or judgment, or name and address of the original creditor, is mailed to the consumer by the debt collector.” They also stated that “collection activities and communications that do not otherwise violate this subchapter may continue during the 30-day period… unless the consumer has notified the debt collector in writing that the debt… is disputed.” However, they concluded by stating that the “account was listed in 2013” and insisted that ESA had already “responded to the validation request.” ESA instructed the complainant to “contact them directly… to verify the address he provided is correct.”
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).
But here’s the rub: If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. These 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…
“With your help the nagging collection calls have ceased! I was thrilled I was also able to get damages from the collection agency. I am unable to adequately express my joy. I am so thankful I made the call.”
“I would recommend your company to anyone. You have the debt collectors off my back, and I will finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Throughout the entire procedure your employees were courteous and professional. I was blown away by their efficacy also.
“After speaking to one of the partners, and going over the plan of action, I felt I’d chose the perfect company to go to work for me. He was very accommodating in describing what was going to happen. I would strongly recommend Lemberg Law to anybody being hassled by debt collectors”
“Prior to contacting you, we had tried repeatedly to handle this matter without threatening litigation. In the end, not only were they unapologetic, but they were dismissive – even of an attorney friend who called on our behalf. Sincerest thanks for resolving this matter for us!”
We can absolutely help. Call us today.
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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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