This data comes from the CFPB Consumer Complaint Database and reflects consumer complaints, not proven violations.

CFPB complaint data Grade C 33 complaints

Esser, James & Associates - Debt Collector Complaint Profile

CFPB complaint profile across 17 states, reputation grade C.

Complaints by issue type

What consumers report about Esser, James & Associates

complaints
Source CFPB Consumer Complaint Database
Subscribe to complaint changes (RSS)

Data updated September 2026

CFPB complaint disposition

CCDB record esser-james-associates Esser, James & Associates

Grade C · 33 CFPB filings · 97% timely · lead issue: Improper contact or sharing of info

  • VOL 33
  • GRADE C
  • 12MO 0
  • STATES 17
  • TIMELY 97%
  • DISPUTE 30%
  • ISSUE Improper contact or sharin…
  • RANK #1,468
  • COMPOSE Not ranked

Volume peers

Nearest volume peer: Account Recovery Services, Inc. (33 complaints)

Account Recovery Services, Inc.Account Recovery Services, I…33Ashton & Weinberg, Inc.Ashton & Weinberg, Inc.33Asset Management Professionals, LLCAsset Management Professiona…33Cash Time Title Loans, Inc.Cash Time Title Loans, Inc.33Esser, James & Associates (this)Esser, James & Associates (t…33
CFPB complaint volume neighbourhood (this collector + nearest volume peers)

Esser, James & Associates's 33 CFPB complaints sit next to Account Recovery Services, Inc. on the volume neighbourhood; peer NAMES stay, and disposition VALUES are this collector's. Grades compare collectors to each other - a complaint is a filing, not a proven violation. How to read a complaint count →

How the 33 complaints break down

Every complaint issue type on record for Esser, James & Associates, not just the top ones shown above.

Reputation score breakdown

C
Composite reputation score
58.3/100
Esser, James & Associates

Blends complaint volume, timely-response rate, dispute rate, and recent trend from the CFPB Consumer Complaint Database into one comparable 0-100 score. Not an official CFPB rating and not a finding of wrongdoing — see methodology for the exact formula.

Complaint volume D
33
Fewer complaints relative to graded peers scores higher; volume reflects footprint as much as conduct.
Timely response A
97%
Share of complaints answered inside the CFPB’s 15-day window.
Dispute rate B
30%
Share of company responses the consumer disputed as inadequate; lower is better.
Recent trend B
Falling
Whether the last 12 months of complaints are rising, stable, or falling vs the prior period.

Steady monthly series

California is the plurality state for Esser, James & Associates (15.2%)

Figures below come from this collector's company_states / company_monthly rows and corpus RankMaps. Corpus placement method.

Plurality state
California 15.2%
Mid-band (15–30%) · 17 states with ≥1 filing
Even monthly load
Peak under 8%
Highest month 2020-06 at 7.3% (3 filings)
Corpus ranks
#1,468 volume
Composite not ranked (fewer than 200 complaints)
Volume rank among 5,420 collectors

How does Esser, James & Associates compare to its peers?

How does Esser, James & Associates compare? Versus a similar-volume peer and the national average (collectors with ≥50 total complaints), drawn from 10 collectors with a comparable complaint count
Esser, James & Associates National average
Complaints (last 12 mo)lower is better
0
0
268
Timely-response ratehigher is better
97%
94%
91%
Consumer-dispute ratelower is better
30%
12%
19%

Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database.

Response speed vs. dispute rate, among similar-volume collectors

Timely response and dispute rate track only weakly together nationally (r=0.22 among collectors with 5+ complaints): answering promptly does not reliably buy Esser, James & Associates a lower dispute rate.

Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 9 entities by Timely response rate (%) (X) and Dispute rate (%) (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. Responsive but disputedSlow & disputedResponsive & trustedSlow but undisputed 40%60%80%100% 0%10%20%30%40%50% Timely response rate (%) Dispute rate (%) Esser, James & Associates vs. 8 similar-volume peers, by response speed and dispute rate Esser, James & AssociatesE. A. Uffman & Associates, IncColumbia Collectors IncFirst Step Group, LLCCash Time Title Loans, Inc.G&P Enterprises, LLCCHS, Inc.GENERAL BUSINESS RECOVERIES, INC.CERTIFIED COLLECTORS, INC.
Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database

Esser, James & Associates's complaint volume in context

Esser, James & Associates vs all collectors by complaint volume

Where this collector's total CFPB complaint count sits among every tracked debt collector (volume, not a quality ranking)

33 73rd percentile higher than 73% of 5,420 collectors

0–20: 3,504 collectors (65%). Below this entry. 20–40: 565 collectors (10%). This entry sits in this band. 40–60: 260 collectors (5%). Above this entry. 60–80: 163 collectors (3%). Above this entry. 80–100: 112 collectors (2%). Above this entry. 100–120: 63 collectors (1%). Above this entry. 120–140: 67 collectors (1%). Above this entry. 140–160: 53 collectors (1%). Above this entry. 160–180: 42 collectors (1%). Above this entry. 180–200: 55 collectors (1%). Above this entry. 200–220: 536 collectors (10%). Above this entry. Esser, James & Associates 0 220 tracked debt collectors, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more collectors. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source CFPB Consumer Complaint Database · September 2026

Complaint Trend (24 months)

Falling ↓
2020-06 2025-01

Issue Detail Breakdown

Issue Complaints
Improper contact or sharing of info
9
Communication tactics
8
Cont'd attempts collect debt not owed
8
Disclosure verification of debt
3
Taking/threatening an illegal action
3
False statements or representation
2

Where do complaints against Esser, James & Associates come from?

Esser, James & Associates's own per-state count, not a national baseline.

Top states by complaints against Esser, James & Associates

Across 17 states with at least one filing

complaints
Source CFPB Consumer Complaint Database

Compare beyond geography

Nationwide peers by volume & timely response

Two PlainCollector-derived comparison paths for Esser, James & Associates: nearest all-time CFPB complaint volume and nearest CFPB timely-response rate among collectors with at least 100 logged complaints. State breakdowns above stay geographic; these neighborhoods vary by metric.

Similar filing volume

Nearest collectors by total CFPB complaints. This record: 33.

4 peers

Know your rights before responding to Esser, James & Associates: FDCPA rights guide · debt validation letter · rights library.

Data sourced from the CFPB Consumer Complaint Database. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCollector

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Consumer Complaint Database, 1,139,236 debt collection complaints are represented in the current PlainCollector snapshot. See our methodology for how PlainCollector computes each company's reputation grade from this data.

Every figure on PlainCollector is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.