SRA Associates

I was contacted by SRA Associates for collection efforts on a bill from an auto finance company. It came as a complete surprise to me, as I had thought the situation was resolved with the dealership, when we received the bill in the first place and had called to figure it out. We had been told it would be taken care of. Tina, the representative, was more than professional, kind, and informative. She explained exactly what the bill was for. When I told her that I would need to contact the car dealership, she told me exactly what I needed from them to resolve the situation. While the dealership several times acknowledged that they were at fault and would need to fix it, they did not. At all times that I spoke with Tina and the other representatives from the company, they were polite and respectful. Tina went above and beyond not just trying to collect the debt, but to resolve the actual situation. She helped me call the dealership and spoke with them several times herself, where the told her that we did not owe the money and that they would resolve it. She has been assisting me with this situation for over three months, and even if we ultimately end up paying the bill and then recovering it later from the dealer, it has been very easy working with SRA and as my first experience with a bill collector, it’s been very positive and non-​stressful. Nobody wants to be contacted by a bill collector, but I truly found they were just interested in solving the problem, not harassing me for money I didn’t owe.

This is a small debt collection company centered in New Jersey and owned by John Chiaravalotti. I was contacted (at work) by Charles Smith and harassed for a debt I did not owe. Before he would give me any information about how he got my name or contact information he first requested my private information including my full social security number and home address. When I asked for his supervisor I spoke with the lovely NIcole Ebinowski. Equally rude and condescending, she confirmed they were calling me without giving me any prior notice of any amounts due. When I was finally able to pull the original creditor’s name out of her, I hung up and called that creditor only to confirm I had a zero balance. I can only assume this chop shop is either a fraudulent business or just hires people who are unaware of the Fair Debt Collection Act enacted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). I can’t imagine any legitimate businesses wanting to waste their time with this company.
I have subsequently filed a claim with the local better business bureau regarding this company and suggest others with similar experiences do the same.