CFPB Consumer Complaint Profile

Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc.

Consumers have filed 454 complaints with the CFPB against this company, a record that maps out how disputes over credit, billing and collections tend to unfold.

Data updated 2026-08-14

454
Total complaints
Above average
112
Last 12 months
99.8%
Timely response
Top decile
29
States affected

Subscribe to this company's annual complaint changes (RSS)

The verdict

Out of 3,843 financial companies in the CFPB database, Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc. has accumulated 454 complaints, placing it #534 by volume. It posts a 99.8% on-time response rate, the 79th percentile among companies with 100+ complaints.

#534
of 3,843 companies by volume
99.8%
on time (79th pctile)
Debt collection
most-complained product
29
states with complaints
B-
PlainCredit Trust Score
69/100
Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc. · 3 of 3 dimensions reported

Based on this company's own CFPB response record -- timely response, dispute rate, and relief rate, each benchmarked against every tracked company with 10+ complaints. Not a measure of product quality, pricing, or company size.

Timely Response B+ 99.8%
Share of complaints answered within the CFPB response window
Dispute Rate B- 9.0%
Share of responses the consumer disputed (lower is better)
Relief Rate C 3.3%
Share of complaints closed with monetary or non-monetary relief

Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc. vs. all companies by on-time response rate

Every company with 100+ CFPB complaints on file (1,335 total)

99.8% Top 21% higher than 79% of 1,335 companies

companies with 100+ CFPB complaints, bucketed by value

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

Source Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database · 2026-08-14

What changed

CFPB Consumer Complaint Database 2024 to 2025 complete years

  • Annual CFPB complaint volume moved from 75 in 2024 to 92 in 2025 (2024 → 2025).

See the full year-over-year release diff

Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc. timely response rate 99.8%
Industry benchmark

Percent of CFPB complaints answered within the regulator's expected window. Industry benchmark sits at 95%.

Reading this profile

Complaints by Product

Debt collection - I do not know 124
Debt collection - Medical debt 106
Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports - Credit reporting 49
Debt collection - Medical 46
Debt collection - Other debt 40
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports - Credit reporting 36
Debt collection - Credit card debt 12
Debt collection - Other (i.e. phone, health club, etc.) 11
Debt collection - Auto debt 6
Debt collection - Private student loan debt 6

Top Issues

1.Attempts to collect debt not owed 137
2.Written notification about debt 53
3.False statements or representation 46
4.Took or threatened to take negative or legal action 43
5.Cont'd attempts collect debt not owed 36
6.Incorrect information on your report 35
7.Improper use of your report 28
8.Communication tactics 25
9.Disclosure verification of debt 13
10.Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem 13

Complaints by Year

Year Complaints
2013 7
2014 14
2015 24
2016 20
2017 17
2018 27
2019 20
2020 23
2021 46
2022 25
2023 32
2024 75
2025 92
2026year in progress 32

Complaints by State (Top 15)

California 239
Texas 85
Florida 31
Arizona 30
Nevada 14
Georgia 11
New York 7
North Carolina 5
Washington 3
Louisiana 3
Maryland 3
Utah 2
Illinois 2
Massachusetts 2
Montana 1

Company Responses

Closed with explanation 439
Closed with non-monetary relief 15

What the CFPB Complaint Record Shows for Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc.

The CFPB Consumer Complaint Database has logged 454 complaints against Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc. overall, with 112 of those filed in the trailing 12 months. Reports have come from consumers in 29 states and territories, making this a multi-regional complaint footprint. "Debt collection" tops the product-level breakdown by a clear margin, marking it as the area of greatest consumer friction. The specific issue named most within that category is "Attempts to collect debt not owed," a reasonable starting point for understanding recurring friction.

Within the Bureau's 15-day response window, Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc. posts a 99.8% reply rate on forwarded complaints. That figure is at or above the industry benchmark and suggests the company's intake and escalation processes are functioning as designed. The company's response carried a 9% formal-dispute rate on resolved cases, indicating how frequently the initial fix fell short. Resolved complaints closed with monetary or non-monetary relief for the consumer at a 3.3% rate.

How to read complaint counts

Complaint counts alone do not tell the full story: larger institutions with more customers will naturally generate more complaints in absolute terms. The more informative signals are the direction of the yearly trend shown above, the state-level concentration, and the ratio of monetary-relief closures to closed-without-relief outcomes. Together, these fields provide context for reading the published CFPB record; they do not establish wrongdoing or resolve an individual dispute.

Educational data summary, not financial or legal advice. Individual complaint outcomes vary. Consumers should consult a qualified attorney or financial advisor for guidance on a specific dispute.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many CFPB complaints does Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc. have?

The CFPB has logged 454 complaints against Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc. to date, of which 112 came in over the last 12 months.

Does Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc. respond to complaints on time?

Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc.'s CFPB timely-response rate is 99.8%. This is considered excellent.

What product generates the most complaints for Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc.?

Among all products tied to Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc., "Debt collection" accounts for the largest share of complaints (full breakdown above).

What is the most common complaint issue with Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc.?

Consumers most often cite "Attempts to collect debt not owed" when complaining about Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc.; the full issue list with counts is above.

How do I file a complaint against Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc.?

You can file a complaint against Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc. directly with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. The CFPB will forward your complaint to the company and work to get you a response, typically within 15 days.

In how many states have consumers complained about Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc.?

Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc. has drawn CFPB complaints from 29 states and territories. That figure covers the 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and smaller CFPB-tracked jurisdictions (Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, military postal codes), so it can run higher than the 52 states/territories with a dedicated page on this site.

Nationwide companies with similar complaint volume or dispute rates

Two CFPB peer sets for Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc.: nearest financial companies by total complaint volume and by the share of complaints consumers mark as disputed. These are cross-firm neighborhoods, not the product-category list below.

Also handles Debt collection

Other companies with the same primary CFPB product category on file.

Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database Data through March 2026