Kross, Lieberman & Stone, Inc. or KLS is a third-party collection agency based in North Carolina. KLEShas received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including failure to verify debts and threatening to take actions that cannot legally be taken.If you have been contacted by Kross Lieberman & Stone, make sure you understand your rights before taking action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Kross, Lieberman & Stone, Inc. was founded and incorporated in 1990. The BBB established a profile page for KLS in 1995. Buzzfile estimates KLS’s annual revenue at $1.2 million and the size of its headquarters staff at 10 people.
According to its website, Kross Lieberman & Stone “is a full-service agency committed to turning problem accounts into cash flow.”KLS’s“goal is to not only concentrate on providing excellent collection recoveries for…clients, but to also provide excellent service before and after the ‘sale.’”
Kross Lieberman & Stone offers “a variety of first party to third party services, …including basic skip tracing, credit reporting, bad check recovery, and our extremely effective normal collection procedures which include both immediate phone contact and letter services.” Service divisions include outsourcing programs such as extended business office, early out, and billing services; custom collections; bad check recovery; second placement; international collections; and litigation services.
Kross Lieberman & Stone accepts accounts for commercial clients, including problems resulting from unrecovered rebates, coupon and advertising reductions, and returned or destroyed product credits; healthcare and medical providers, including hospitals, clinics, family practices, pharmacies, and laboratories; and retail clients, including CPA’s, utility companies, internet retailers, catalog companies, and retail and service providers.
KLS’s Resources page provides fairly extensive information about professional associations, industry trends, and frequently asked questions. However, there is no dedicated page for links and references to consumer protection resources, laws, and 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.
The BBB has closed 15 complaints against Kross Lieberman & Stone in the preceding 3 years, with 5 complaints closed in the past 12 months. Most of those complaints allege problems with billing and collections. Since May 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 25 complaints against KLS. Justia lists at least 4 cases of civil litigation involving Kross Lieberman & Stone.
Kross, Lieberman & Stone, Inc.
991 Aviation Pkwy., Ste. 300
Morrisville, NC 27560-8564
Telephone:(919) 861-2400
Website: https://www.kross.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely Kross, Lieberman & Stone 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!
Get Free BBB A+ Attorney. Call 475-277-1600 NOW
Unlawful Debt Harassment? Learn the Law & Sue the Collector.
Absolutely. Here are some Sample Cases against Kross, Lieberman & Stone, Inc.
In August 2013, in the North Carolina Court of Appeals, a judge issued a Decision in a case alleging Kross, Lieberman & Stone had violated certain provisions of North Carolina’s state Debt Collection Act (NCDCA). In this case, the plaintiff had originally contracted with a construction company in 2010 to perform home renovations. Due to a dispute about the bill after the project was completed, the plaintiff refused to pay the construction firm, who then hired KLS to collect the debt. The plaintiff hired an attorney to represent her in the matter of collection activity by Kross, Lieberman & Stone. Subsequently, the plaintiff and the construction company became involved in a legal dispute about the bill that was ultimately resolved through mediation. In 2011, the plaintiff filed a lawsuit against KLS, alleging they had engaged in unfair practices “by contacting the plaintiff on the construction company’s … behalf after being informed that…she was represented by” an attorney. In November 2011, KLS moved to have the complaint dismissed “for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.” Specifically, Kross, Lieberman & Stone argued that because the plaintiff could not identify any specific financial or other damage she had suffered as a result of KLS’s violation, there were no grounds upon which they could be held liable for misconduct.
During the appeal hearing in August 2013, the plaintiff argued that the original verdict had been made in error and was reached by applying an incorrect provision of the NCDCA. The judge in this case reviewed the original case and noted that the NCDCA provides for two kinds of penalties—penalties resulting from actual damages and penalties resulting from civil damages. Although the court agreed that the plaintiff failed to demonstrate any actual damages upon which a decision in her favor could be granted, they disagreed with the original decision that dismissed her claim to civil penalties. Because the NCDCA was enacted to ensure that collection agencies are held accountable for their actions regardless of whether they cause any demonstrable harm, it contains a provision that allows consumers to sue for civil damages in cases where a debt collection agency can be shown to have committed a violation as a matter of law. Thus, the appeals court reversed the lower court’s dismissal of the plaintiff’s complaints and found that KLS should be held liable for civil penalties. However, the plaintiff failed to specify the exact amount Kross, Lieberman & Stone should be required to pay, so the case was remanded for further proceedings.
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.
Your debt harassment checklist:
“With your help the nagging collection calls have ceased! I was thrilled I was also able to get damages from the collection agency. I am unable to adequately express my joy. I am so thankful I made the call.”
“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.
“After speaking to one of the partners, and going over the plan of action, I felt I’d chose the perfect company to go to work for me. He was very accommodating in describing what was going to happen. I would strongly recommend Lemberg Law to anybody being hassled by debt collectors”
“I just wanted to let you know we received the check from your office on now and I wanted to take some time to inform you that we really appreciate all of your efforts in this matter.”
We can absolutely help. Call us today.
Share your story
Have you had a bad experience with this agency’s debt collectors? Sound off and share your experience with other visitors in the comment box below.
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."
See more posts from Sergei Lemberg
KLS called me continuously until I finally answered and told me I owed them $268 I asked if I could set up a payment plan and the man got an attitude with me saying they don’t do that. I was transferred to someone else and she said they don’t like to set up payment plans and I explained I don’t make that much money so she set up a payment plan of $20 a week on Fridays and said if anything happens and the money does not come out they will have to cancel the plan and I would have to pay it in full and it would go against my credit. The first Friday she called me at work and said the payment did not come out because of insufficient funds. I told her I’d check my card and call right back so I checked my card and I had sixty some dollars on it so I told her to try again and if it didn’t take it call back before the end of the day so I could use another card and call my card company. She didn’t call back so I assumed it came out only for her to call me Monday again at work saying she cancelled the payment plan because it didn’t come out and that I have to pay it in full I told her I don’t have that kind of money and she got ill with me and I haven’t made a payment since because they obviously don’t want to work with anyone. But I later found out that she lied and the payment did in fact come out and I’m assuming she lied so she could cancel the payment plan so I’d have to pay it in full. I checked the remaining balance on the account and it’s $248 which is $20 less than what it was the exact amount of what the payment plan was. Now it is going against my credit. The woman’s name was Bridget and I don’t know the name of the first man I talked to. I have another account in the KLS collections and set up a payment plan with zero problems whatsoever the man didn’t understand why the woman and man before told me that they couldn’t really do payment plans. This needs to be taken off my credit because I was paying it and trying but that just isn’t good enough for them.