Is SRS and Associates Inc. Calling You?*

Is SRS and Associates Inc calling you? Here’s what you need to know.

If you have an account (or two) in collections, you can expect to be pressured into settling it. Debt collectors are trained to use tactics that encourage you to pay the debt as quickly as possible and in full. Unfortunately, some of these approaches can quickly turn into abuse, harassment and deceptive behavior, all of which is against the law.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), a consumer protection law enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, dictates what third-party debt collectors can say or do while attempting to collect a debt. Deceptive and abusive tactics like the following are prohibited:

• Using profane and obscene language
• Threatening to have you arrested if you don’t pay
• Refusing to provide proof that you owe a debt and they are authorized to collect it
• Calling you several times per day using an autodialer
• Pretending to be lawyers or members of law enforcement
• Telling uninvolved third parties like your friends and co-workers that you owe money
• Demanding an amount that is not supported by law or the original debt agreement

Company Profile: SRS and Associates Inc.

SRS and Associates Inc. is a collection agency located in Vineland, New Jersey. It has less than 10 employees, specializes in payday loan collections, and is managed by Esther Dippolito. According to records archived at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website, SRS and Associates Inc. has been accused of violating the FDCPA during several debt collection attempts.

Alleged Violations against SRS and Associates Inc.

On or about December 11, 2007, a New Jersey resident received a call at her workplace from a SRS and Associates Inc. representative who identified himself as “Ronald Greenberg”. During the conversation, Mr. Greenberg allegedly warned her that if she did not satisfy the debt in full by December 14, a civil suit would be brought against her.

The plaintiff told Mr. Greenberg not to contact her at her place of employment because such calls were inconvenient and prohibited by the employer. She subsequently agreed to a payment arrangement, but the following week Ms. Badger called SRS and Associates Inc. to make changes to the arrangement. She left a message specifically requesting that Mr. Greenberg return the call to her cell phone number and not her workplace.

On or about December 19, however, Mr. Greenberg allegedly contacted her at her place of employment. During the conversation, they agreed to a new payment arrangement. Pursuant to the new arrangement, she authorized a check by phone payment on December 28, 2007. However, SRS and Associates Inc. failed to process such payment until January 3, 2008 resulting in a non-sufficient fund event. On or about January 8, 2008, Mr. Greenberg allegedly called her workplace and said that Ms. Badger had committed a criminal offense, when her account had insufficient funds.

Another SRS and Associates Inc. representative who identified himself as “David Greico, Chief Operating Officer from SRS and Associates” allegedly called her at her workplace and threatened that if he did not hear from her, “his decision-making process [will] be swift and deliberate.”

When more calls were allegedly placed to her workplace, She hired an attorney and filed a lawsuit accusing SRS and Associates Inc. of violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Using false, deceptive, and misleading ways to collect a debt
• Continuing to communicate with her at her place of employment when they knew or had reason to know that such calls were inconvenient to her and that her employer did not permit such calls
• Threatening to take action that it did not intend to take
• Implying that she had committed a crime

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire a Creditor Harassment Attorney

The phone numbers for SRS and Associates Inc. are 1-800-801-0065 and 1-856-691-3636. If either one appears on your caller ID when the phone rings, it means that a debt collector is calling. If they ignore your request to stop calling your workplace and threaten legal action that never transpires, hire a consumer attorney who can help you assert your rights in court.

SRS and Associates Inc. could be ordered to pay you $1,000 per FDCPA violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages, making their decision to harass you an expensive mistake.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is 1:08-cv-00596-RMB-AM from United States District Court, District of New Jersey

Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be constructed as legal advice. If you file a claim against SRS and Associates, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.