Douglas Chancellor Meyers & Associates, LLC (DCMA) is a third-party collection agency based in Missouri. DCMA has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), such as misrepresenting the legal status or amount of a debt and attempting to collect debts not owed. If DCMA has contacted you about delinquent financial obligations, make sure you understand your rights before you respond.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Douglas Chancellor Meyers & Associates, LLC was founded in January 1995. The BBB established a profile page for DCMA in September 1995, and DCMA has been a BBB-accredited business since 2011. The BBB lists DCMA as a collection agency that uses the alternate business name, Gilbert Hunter Schuman & Associates. Buzzfile estimates DCMA’s annual revenue at just over $215,000and the size of its headquarters staff at2 employees.
DCMA hosts a publicly available website at www.dcmapay.com, however, as of October 2019, site visitors are redirected to a page that states the site is temporarily unavailable. However, DCMA has profile pages on three different social media and networking sites—LinkedIn, Facebook, andAlignable. The LinkedIn page was automatically generated by LinkedIn and only provides minimal company information, such as location and industry data. The Facebook page is maintained with industry-related posts, but there is no information on the About page, and there are no reviews or other information about the company.
According to the DCMA profile page on Alignable, Douglas Chancellor Meyers & Associates is “a third-party collection agency…that collects on any type of past due account,… whether it is 60/90 days past due or completely charged-off…DCMA also does first-party servicing for clients that do not wish to hire internal staff and pay benefits, thereby saving them money in the long run.”
Douglas Chancellor Meyers & Associates states that it is “a family-owned collection agency with 22 years of experience.” DCMA’s staff is comprised of “real people… not an automated service,” and DCMA is “in the business of helping people resolve their accounts.” DCMA accepts delinquencies from “all types of clients, large or small, and from any kind of business.” DCMA will “customize a program that meets client needs, whether… for first-party servicing or third-party collections.”
The Alignable page also includes 17 client recommendations and a Question-and-Answer section with posts from clients asking general questions about DCMA’s collection practices. However, there is no information about DCMA’s regulatory compliance policies, and there are no links or references to consumer protection resources, laws, or enforcement agencies.
Who are we? We are Lemberg Law, a Consumer Law Firm
Lemberg Law is a consumer law firm helping victims of collection harassment and abuse. We are ranked A+ by the BBB. We’ve helped more than 15,000 consumers stop harassment and recover money from debt collectors. Harassed? Abused? Misled by a collector? Call our Helpline today! There is no charge unless we win.
As of October 2019, the BBB has closed 11 complaints against Douglas Chancellor Meyers & Associates in the preceding three years, with 3 complaints closed in the past 12 months. Most of those complaints alleged problems with billing and collections. As of December 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 1 complaint against DCMA. Justia lists at least 3 cases of civil litigation involving DCMA.
Douglas Chancellor Meyers & Associates, LLC
1000 Fairgrounds Rd.
Saint Charles, MO 63301
Telephone:(636) 925-2480
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely DCMA would sue you for a debt you may not owe or they cannot validate. However, debt collection agencies are known to have summoned debtors to court and garnish wages after a default judgement. Contacting an attorney BEFORE this could possibly happen would be a smart move. We’ve helped thousands of consumers fight back against unscrupulous debt collection harassers. Find out if we can help you too today!
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Unlawful Debt Harassment? Learn the Law & Sue the Collector.
Absolutely. You can sue a debt collector. Here is a Sample Case Complaint:
In May 2017, in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division, a judge issued an order in a case alleging Douglas Chancellor Meyers & Associates had violated certain provisions of the FDCPA. In this case, the plaintiff had allegedly incurred a debt, and DCMA began collection efforts at some point prior to February 2016. In February, after receiving a collection letter from DCMA, the plaintiff sent DCMA a letter in which she disputed the debt. Subsequently, when the plaintiff examined her credit report in October 2016, she discovered that DCMA had re-reported the debt in September without listing it as “disputed by consumer.” The plaintiff’s complaint stated that because the FDCPA requires collection agencies to include this information when a debt has been disputed, DCMA had violated several sections of this law, and specifically Section 1692e(8). DCMA requested that the court dismiss the complaint.
At the May 2017 hearing, the court stated that in order to dismiss a case, they must first “accept the allegations contained in the complaint as true and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the” plaintiff. In addition, the plaintiff’s “actual allegations must be sufficient ‘to raise a right to relief above the speculative level,’ however, and amotion to dismiss must be granted if the complaint does not contain ‘enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” The court noted that the FDCPA prohibits the use of “any false, deceptive or misleading representation or means in connection with the collection of any debt.” In addition, “Subsection 1692e(8) specifically prohibits a debt collector from ‘communicating or threatening to communicate to any person credit information which is known, or which should be known to be false, including the failure to communicate that a disputed debt is disputed.’” The court also cited a previous decision that found that “if a debt collector elects to communicate ‘credit information’about a consumer, it must not omit a piece of information that is always material, namely, that the consumer has disputed a particular debt.”
Attorneys for DCMA requested that the court dismiss the complaint because the plaintiff “failed to allege that Douglas Chancellor Meyers & Associates had engaged in any collection activities in violation of Section 1692g of the FDCPA.” The plaintiff argued that she had cited a violation of the FDCPA Section 1692e, and that she had stated facts to “sufficiently plead… a cause of action under section 1692e(8).” The plaintiff’s complaint also stated clearly that she had disputed the alleged debt, and specifically alleged that DCMA had re-reported the debt without indicating it was disputed. As a result, the court found that the plaintiff had “pled sufficient facts to state a claim under Section 1692e(8).” Therefore, DCMA’s Motion to Dismiss was denied.
Federal laws protect you. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) regulates the behavior of collection agencies by prohibiting actions such as the use of abusive or threatening language; harassment; or the use of false or misleading information to collect a debt. The FCRA regulates how collection agencies and creditors report delinquent debts to credit reporting agencies. Additional consumer protection laws include the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).
But here’s the rub: If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. These laws provide individuals like you with a means to seek monetary damages in court. For example, the FDCPA allows consumers who have been violated to recover damages of up to $1,000, plus attorney fees and court costs.
You may have a case, if…
“I used to get up to 15 calls a week from several collection agencies. It got so bad I felt like I should just get a new phone number to make it quit. Happily, I discovered Lemberg Law. They immediately put an end to the calls. Now, when my phone rings I do not dread it.”
“I would recommend your company to anyone. You have the debt collectors off my back, and I will finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Throughout the entire procedure your employees were courteous and professional. I was blown away by their efficacy also.
“Prior to contacting you, we had tried repeatedly to handle this matter without threatening litigation. In the end, not only were they unapologetic, but they were dismissive – even of an attorney friend who called on our behalf. Sincerest thanks for resolving this matter for us!”
We can absolutely help. Call us today.
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Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
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I won a civil case against Douglas Chancellor and Meyer along with two other defendants ( Sun Cash and Transunion) I was paid by Transunion and Sun Cash but DC&M never paid me . Is there anything I can do?