Tampa Collection Agency

Tampa Collection Agency Serving Clients Nationwide

Empire Credit and Collection is a full-service debt collection agency that has been helping Tampa, St. Petersburg, & Sarasota businesses collect bad debt since 1979. Our debt recovery services are available throughout Florida and across the nation. Our tried-and-true processes makes us one of the few debt collection agencies to have a recovery rate noticeably higher than the industry standard. From Small Business Collections to Judgment Debt Collections, Commercial Collections, and beyond, our extensive network of 400+ affiliate attorneys and agencies are here to give you the support you need.

Protect Your Receivables During Uncertain Economic Times

Businesses globally face uncertainty and volatility in today's economic landscape. We understand the increased importance of cash flow and reduced receivables during this unpredictable time and are here to help. Protect your business now by contacting our expert debt collectors for a quick quote.

Should You Hire A Debt Collection Agency?

If you're unsure about hiring a team of professionals to help recover the money owed to you, consider the following:

• The customer has an long-standing history of being financially unreliable
• The customer isn't paying his / her debts, even with a payment plan
• The customer isn't responding to your initial attempts to collect monies
• The customer is refuting the charge and denying responsibility
• The customer is making false claims about your services, products, or business to steer clear of paying

Debt collection is a specialized trade, and if any of these statements ring true, don't delay your search for a professional agency. With our help, you'll work with a team of experts who are compliant with federal, state, and local collection laws.

When Should You Hire A Debt Collection Agency?

If you're collecting from a small to mid-size organization, it's important to closely monitor where they are in their phase of growth. If they've already received their funding and are still not paying their debts...beware. If a larger, more reputable company owes you money...that's typically a red flag. You can try collecting the debt yourself, but, your world is not on hold--you have your business to manage and many other obligations to tend to. When in doubt, work with a debt collection agency that has your best interest in mind so you have less to worry about. The longer you wait to collect, the more difficult it becomes to get what's owed to you. Your connections from said company may leave, documents become harder to find, accounts about commitments are forgotten, and many other issues arise that are challenging to navigate alone.

Time-sensitivity is pertinent to collecting. According to the , the chances of recovering debt goes down more than 1% per week. Based on our findings, it's critical to be in touch with a collection agency between 90 & 120 days from the customer not paying. After 120 days, you may not be able to collect at all. Don't risk working with an agency that's incompetent. Not only does it damage your reputation, but it could cost you your existing and future clients.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Consider hiring a debt collection agency if your customer is not responsive to your attempts to collect money, or is denying financial responsibility altogether.
• Avoid collection agencies that charge upfront fees regardless of whether or not you get paid. Your safest bet will be contingency collection agencies with No Recovery, No Fee policies, as they are incentivized to recover your debt quickly & efficiently.
• Working with a debt collection agency, who has your best interests in mind, will help you get paid at a faster rate.
• Have the debtor's contact information readily available.

Receive What's Owed To You, Or You Owe Nothing

With our steadfast, 3-phase approach, we guarantee you get paid. But in the off chance there is no recovery, you will not pay a dime and there are no additional charges of any kind.

• Phase 1

  • The first of four demand letters is sent to the debtor via U.S. mail.
  • The debtor will be contacted by one of our resources to find a resolution. The debtor will be called daily for the first 14 to 21 days.
  • If no settlement is made during this time, we move to Part 2 and escalate the case to our network of attorneys local to the debtor.

• Phase 2

  • The debtor/debt is sent to an attorney local to the debtors jurisdiction for part 2 collections.
  • The first of several letters are sent to the debtor demanding payment of the debt owed to you.
  • In addition to said letters, our attorneys assigned to your case will call the debtor to get in contact with him or her.
  • If there's still no substantial progress, you'll receive a letter covering all the issues surrounding the case and recommendations on how to proceed.

• Phase 3

  • There will be one of two recommendations:
    • If recovery of your debt is highly unlikely, we'll suggest you close your case. You will owe nothing.
    • or
    • If there is a good chance of recovery, but you do not want to take legal action, your case will be closed and you will still owe us nothing. If you agree to litigation, legal costs (filing fees, court costs, etc.), ranging from $700.00 to $1,200.00 are to be paid upfront. Our attorneys will file a lawsuit on your behalf for what's owed, including but not limited to, the cost to file this suit. If we fail to collect through litigation, you will not pay a cent.

Looking For Additional Collection Resources?

• Hillsborough County Bar Association
• Florida Department of State
• Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation
• Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce
• Tampa Bay Business Journal
• Tampa Bay Chamber
• Tampa Bay Licenses & Permits

Ready To Get Started? Here's What's Next...

We'll ask you to gather as much information about the debtor as possible. That includes:

1. Contact Information
   1. Addresses
   2. Email Addresses
   3. Names (i.e. nicknames, maiden names, etc.)
   4. Telephone Numbers (i.e. mobile, home, office)
2. Names of his / her friends, neighbors, relatives, and spouses
3. Paperwork relevant to the original agreement (applications, permits, contracts, etc.)
4. Details of the original agreement with the debtor
5. The debtor's response from any efforts you made to collect

Providing us with all the specifics will increase your chances of collecting your money faster.

We Help Businesses Like Yours!

Mary H.

★★★★★

I have been desperate in saving our company from a lot of trouble that comes with collecting money owed by our purchasers. Until I found out that it's easier to find a sensible solution and a third party to collect it for us. Success rate is satisfying. I highly recommend!

Rob A.

★★★★★

We've been working with Melissa L. for several months now and the process and communication has been wonderful. We don't send a significant amount of business to Empire, but when we do, we get results. Exactly what we needed.

James L.

★★★★★

The representative, Ron, was absolutely wonderful! He seemed very dedicated toward receiving my business and helping me to set-up our collections account. Ron was very knowledgeable and efficient in the way he was able to walk me through sending over our collection invoices. I would highly recommend Empire and Ron to anyone who needs help with collecting on overdue accounts.