HP Sears: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc.; Herbert P Sears Co Inc; HPS

Headquarters

Bakersfield, CA

Website

payhps.com

223 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc. from November 13, 2023 to November 12, 2026. A complaint is a consumer's account, not a finding that the company broke the law. Read the complaints in the CFPB database.

Who Is HP Sears?

HP Sears is the name consumers see; the legal entity is Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc. The Better Business Bureau lists it as a corporation formed in May 1947, with its office at 1100 Mohawk Street, Suite 210, in Bakersfield, California, and names Chris Thompson as CEO. The company's online payment portal shows the same address and its California license number, 10044-99, and states that it is a debt collector attempting to collect a debt.

The payment site notes that card payments carry a separate $9.50 expedited fee charged by its processor, EZPay365, and that payments mailed or brought to the office carry no extra fee. That is worth knowing before you pay online.

We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against HP Sears.

Why HP Sears May Be Contacting You

The BBB describes HP Sears as providing collection services to a range of businesses and industries. It does not publish a client list, and we did not verify the specific types of accounts it handles. As a Central Valley agency with a long history, it may contact you about a local business account, but only the creditor named in your letter tells you what this particular debt is.

To use the HP Sears payment portal, you need a reference or case number from your letter plus identifying details. If someone calls claiming to be HP Sears and you have never received a letter, ask for one before you pay.

How to Check a Debt HP Sears Says You Owe

A case number is not proof of a debt. Use the steps below to confirm it.

• Get the validation notice. It must name the creditor, give an account number, and show how the balance was built from a fixed date (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
• Dispute within the validation period if you don't recognize the creditor, think the amount is wrong, or believe you already paid. A timely written dispute stops collection until HP Sears mails verification.
• Ask who the creditor is today. Confirm whether the original business still owns the account.
• Watch the add-ons. Separate the original charge from interest, collection fees and processing fees, and ask what authorizes each.
• Check the date of default. If you live in Texas, most consumer-debt suits must be filed within four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). California and other states have their own deadlines.

See our explanation of validation notices.

What HP Sears Can and Can't Do

As a third-party agency collecting debts owed to others, HP Sears is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6), and California's Rosenthal Act adds state rules for collectors there. Key limits:

• It may not charge a fee to pay by a particular method unless the fee is expressly authorized by the agreement or permitted by law (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)). Ask about free payment options; the portal says mailed and in-person payments have no fee.
• It must cap calls at the Regulation F presumption of seven in seven days for each debt (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
• It may not report a debt to a credit bureau without first communicating with you about it (12 C.F.R. § 1006.30(a)).
• It must stop most contact if you tell it in writing to stop (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(c)).

Read about pay-to-pay fees, or contact our FDCPA attorneys.

We Sue Debt Collectors That Break the FDCPA

Texas Debt Law files Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits against debt collectors in federal court for consumers in Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and Colorado. If HP Sears or anyone collecting for it harassed you, misstated what you owe, threatened action it could not take, or told others about your debt, you may have a claim. A court can order a collector that violated the FDCPA to pay your actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages, and your attorney's fees and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). An FDCPA claim generally must be filed within one year of the violation (§ 1692k(d)), so keep your letters, call logs, voicemails and screenshots, and talk to us early. Texas residents may also have claims under the Texas Debt Collection Act. Learn more from our FDCPA attorneys.

Free FDCPA Case Review(214) 851-2250

Or start your free case evaluation online. No lawyer can promise a result; every claim depends on its facts and proof.

Sources

• HP Sears: online payment portal (license and disclosures)
• BBB business profile: HP Sears (facts only)
• CFPB enforcement actions search
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Herbert P. Sears Co., Inc., debt collection

This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that HP Sears has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.