CFPB Consumer Complaint Profile

Retail Merchants Associates

What 174 consumer complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reveal about how this company handles credit, billing and collection disputes.

Data updated 2026-05-15

174
Total complaints
33
Last 12 months
89.7%
Timely response
11
States affected

The verdict

Retail Merchants Associates ranks #1020 of 3,848 financial companies by CFPB complaint volume, with 174 complaints on record. 89.7% of its complaints get an on-time reply, falling short of the 93% median for the 100+ complaint peer group.

#1020
of 3,848 companies by volume
89.7%
answered on time
Debt collection
most-complained product
11
states with complaints
Retail Merchants Associates timely response rate 89.7%
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 58
Debt collection - Medical debt 54
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports - Credit reporting 26
Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports - Credit reporting 13
Debt collection - Medical 8
Debt collection - Other debt 5
Debt collection - Credit card debt 4
Credit card or prepaid card - General-purpose credit card or charge card 2
Debt collection - Rental debt 2
Debt collection - Other (i.e. phone, health club, etc.) 1

Top Issues

1.Attempts to collect debt not owed 45
2.False statements or representation 31
3.Took or threatened to take negative or legal action 19
4.Written notification about debt 19
5.Improper use of your report 19
6.Incorrect information on your report 14
7.Cont'd attempts collect debt not owed 10
8.Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem 4
9.Communication tactics 4
10.Disclosure verification of debt 3

Complaints by Year

Year Complaints
2013 1
2014 4
2015 4
2016 5
2017 8
2018 9
2019 9
2020 18
2021 8
2022 26
2023 32
2024 10
2025 28
2026 12

Complaints by State (Top 15)

Louisiana 137
Texas 25
Florida 2
Delaware 2
Montana 1
Georgia 1
Arkansas 1
Washington 1
Alabama 1
Connecticut 1
Maryland 1

Company Responses

Closed with explanation 164
Untimely response 9
Closed 1

What the CFPB Complaint Record Shows for Retail Merchants Associates

Retail Merchants Associates carries 174 complaints in the CFPB's database, 33 of them filed within the past 12 months. Consumers spanning 11 states and territories have weighed in, giving this a geographically concentrated footprint. "Debt collection" tops the product-level breakdown by a clear margin, marking it as the area of greatest consumer friction. Within that category, the most frequently cited specific issue is "Attempts to collect debt not owed" - a useful starting point for anyone trying to understand what goes wrong most often in the company's consumer interactions.

Within the Bureau's 15-day response window, Retail Merchants Associates answers 89.7% of forwarded complaints. That falls short of the 95% benchmark, a gap that tends to track with more disputes downstream. The company's response was formally disputed in 21.4% of resolved cases, indicating how frequently the initial fix fell short. Among resolved complaints, 0% closed with the consumer receiving monetary or non-monetary relief.

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 (which hints at regional servicing issues or regulatory exposure), and the ratio of monetary-relief closures to closed-without-relief outcomes. Taken together, these fields give consumers a reasonable empirical basis for deciding whether to escalate a dispute, and give researchers a starting point for investigating institutional patterns.

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 Retail Merchants Associates have?

Retail Merchants Associates has 174 total consumer complaints filed with the CFPB, with 33 filed in the last 12 months.

Does Retail Merchants Associates respond to complaints on time?

Retail Merchants Associates's CFPB timely-response rate is 89.7%.

What product generates the most complaints for Retail Merchants Associates?

"Debt collection" draws more CFPB complaints against Retail Merchants Associates than any other product - see the full breakdown above.

What is the most common complaint issue with Retail Merchants Associates?

The most common issue reported by consumers about Retail Merchants Associates is "Attempts to collect debt not owed." All complaint issues are listed above with their counts.

How do I file a complaint against Retail Merchants Associates?

You can file a complaint against Retail Merchants Associates 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 Retail Merchants Associates?

Consumers in 11 states and territories have filed complaints about Retail Merchants Associates with the CFPB. This count includes the 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and smaller CFPB-tracked jurisdictions such as Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and military postal codes (APO/FPO), which is why it can exceed the 52 states and territories that have a dedicated state page on this site.

Similar Companies

Matched by complaint volume nationwide and by product category - a different peer set than the sibling-portal links below.

Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database CFPB Consumer Complaint Database Data through March 2026

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.