How to beat Ellington and Associates Collections

Dena Standley | October 19, 2022

Legal Expert, Paralegal
Dena Standley, BA

Dena Standley is a seasoned paralegal with more than 20 years of experience in legal research and writing, having received a certification as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal from Southern Technical College.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Keep track of shady debt collection tactics used by Ellington and Associates for court.

Summary: Is Ellington and Associates bothering you about a debt? SoloSuit can help you beat them.

Multiple calls, emails, or voicemails from debt collectors can be frustrating and lead to financial and emotional stress. Ellington and Associates Collections is one such debt collection agency that aggressively contacts consumers to clear their debt.

While most consumers refer to this debt organization as Ellington and Associates, its official name is Stevens, Ellington, and Associates. It states on their website that they are committed to achieving maximum liquidations for their clients' outstanding receivables. In other words, they help creditors collect on debts. Ellington and Associates claims it is a mitigation or mediation firm, but its tactics reflect that of a debt collection agency. The contact information for Ellington and Associates is:

Address:
260 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 2200
Atlanta, GA 30303

Local Phone Number: (470)-221-7007
Toll-Free Number: (877)-470-0032

Website: www.stevensellington.com

Ellington and Associates has bad ratings

With a Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating or D+, Ellington and Associates definitely doesn't have the greatest reputation. Although it is not a BBB accredited company, Elligton and Associates still has several consumer complaints listed on its BBB profile.

Ellington and Associates uses all means possible to collect on debts and sometimes use tactics that go against the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Exercising your rights and knowing what steps to take after Ellington and Associates contact you will help you win.

Know your consumer rights

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), passed in 1978, protects consumers from debt collectors who harass them and use illegal means to collect the debt. Hundreds of debt collection agencies have been closed down due to bad business practices.

FTC and CFPB monitor the debt collection agencies in operation to ensure debt collectors do not mistreat consumers:

Calling before 8 am and after 9 pm to discuss a debt
Threatening violence, arrest, or other extreme measures
Calling multiple times a day with the intent to annoy or intimidate
Discussing debt with a consumer's family members, friends, or workmates
Lying about the debt amount or other details of the debt
Pretending to be a lawyer
Contacting consumers after they have sent a cease and desist letter
Reaching out about a debt not owed or that has already been paid off
Refusing to respond to requests for debt validation

Report Stevens, Ellington, and Associates to the FTC online platform or call 877-382-4357 when they violate these guidelines. You can also submit a complaint on the CFPB website or call 855-411-2372.

Request for more information

When Ellington and Associates contact you, try to get as much information as possible about the debt in question. You can take notes if on a call or ask for more details by email. Some essential information to request includes:

Proper identification of the debt collector
The contracting company's complete information
Ellington and Associates email address to send a written correspondence
Details of the debt in question
The request they are making

Do not give them any personal and financial information as they should already have it if they are legitimate debt collectors. Do not make any promises until you conduct further investigations or send SoloSuit's Debt Validation Letter, even if the information they give you is genuine.

Do not admit ownership of the debt

Ellington and Associates debt collectors will try to get you to admit to the debt in question. Do not admit or confirm ownership of the debt even if you are aware of it. Once you acknowledge a debt, even on a call, you may be giving up your legal right to fight or negotiate the debt.

Sometimes debt collecting agencies make mistakes. You need to confirm the correct debt amount, whether it belongs to you, and if the debt has expired. It takes seven years for most types of debt to expire and qualify for removal from your credit report. Debt collectors can still try to get you to repay an old debt.

In addition, withhold making payments until you confirm the debt is real. Any payments you make or offer to pay reaffirms that you owe the debt. Ellington and Associates is legally allowed to report the delinquent debt to the credit bureau.

Send a Debt Validation Letter

The best way to find out the legitimacy of the debt collector and the debt you owe is to send a Debt Validation Letter asking Ellington and Associates to validate the debt. The document they send should verify the original debt figure, the amount you paid, the balance remaining, and any extra fees the creditor quoted. Additional information that should be stated in the debt validation report include:

Information of the creditor who contracted Ellington and Associates to collect the debt
A statement allowing you to dispute the debt within 30 days or else treated as valid after that
Confirmation that Ellington and Associates will verify the debt by mail if you dispute the debt within 30 days
A statement allowing you to ask for more information about the original creditor within 30 days

Some debt collectors stop collecting debt once you ask for debt validation. This move is okay if it was a fake debt collector or you do not owe a debt to anyone. On the other hand, if you owe a debt and want to follow up on it, you can report Ellington and Associates to FTC and CFPB if they fail to respond to your debt validation request.

If Ellington and Associates respond, thoroughly review the documentation and confirm the information is accurate. Consult your lawyer on the best move to start repaying the debt to clear your name with the credit bureau.

Watch out for fake debt collectors

Individuals try to scam consumers by pretending to be debt collectors from collecting agencies such as Ellington and Associates. Watch out for the signs of a fake debt collector and cease all communication with them. A debt collector may be fake if they:

Fail to identify themselves in details
Expect you to pay a debt before validation
Use abusive language and threats
Refuse to give you additional information regarding your debt
Ask you to pay using non-traceable methods such as a gift card
Pressures you to start payment immediately

Differentiating between a genuine and fake debt collector can be a challenge. The best way to know you are dealing with a legitimate debt collection agency is to send a Debt Validation Letter. Not only will this letter prove a debt collector is fake, but it will also get real collectors off you back. To learn more about debt validation, check out this video:

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