Meade & Associates is a third-party collection agency based in Ohio. Meade has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) such as attempting to collect debts not owed and threatening to take illegal actions. If you have been contacted by Meade, 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), Meade & Associates is a legitimate collection agency founded in 1978 and incorporated in 1981. The BBB opened its file on Meade in 1979. Meade is listed as a collection agency and financial planning consultant headquartered in Lewis Center, OH. Buzzfile estimates Meade’s annual revenue at $1.1 million.
According to its website, Meade & Associates “strives to be a leader in its industry by providing the highest level of expertise and satisfaction,” with a mission to “maximize…clients’ recovery, while handling their accounts in a manner designed to protect their image and reputation.”Meade “takes a hard line on past due receivables…when…internal efforts have not proved successful and within at least 120 days for best results.” Meade’s collection services are designed to reduce overhead, increase cash flow, increase production, and minimize future bad debt problems.
Meade’s collection staff is active in pursuing delinquencies for college and university student loan and student accounts; commercial debt; banks; veterinarians; utility companies; and other service providers. In addition, Meade’s healthcare division services hospitals, primary care providers, specialty care providers, nursing care providers, OB/GYN offices; medical clinics; dental practices; and chiropractors.
Meade & Associates is a full-service collection agency that offers credit bureau reporting, skip-tracing, and litigation services. They cite professional affiliation with ACA International; Ohio Bursars Association; Ohio Association of College and University Business Officers; Ohio Receivables Management Association; Medical-Dental Hospital Business Associates; Healthcare Financial Management Association; and several additional professional organizations. However, Meade’s site is entirely client-facing and does not contain any links or references to consumer resources or consumer protection laws or 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 78 complaints against Meade & Associates in the past three years, with 22 closed in the past 12 months. Almost all of those complaints allege problems with billing and collections. Since March 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 38 complaints against Meade, and Justia lists at least 3 cases of civil litigation naming Meade as a defendant.
Meade & Associates
737 Enterprise Drive
Lewis Center, Ohio 43035
Telephone:(800) 686-3233
Website: http://www.meadeandassociates.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely Meade & Associates 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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Absolutely. Here are some Sample Cases
Many of the complaints against Meade & Associates allege problems with accuracy in documentation, which is often met by rude, dismissive, and abusive customer service when consumers attempt to resolve misunderstandings. For example, in November 2016, a complainant indicated that Meade had contacted him regarding a “non-valid” debt. When the complainant contacted Meade, he reported that “the representative stated, ‘I do not care if the debt is valid, my job is to collect the money.’” The complainant reportedly offered a reduced payment amount and that information on his credit report be amended, and indicated that the Meade representative “laughed…uncontrollably and then stated, ‘This is not ‘Let’s make a deal.’” The complainant further reported that Meade could not “provide any evidence that the debt [was] valid (aside from his address and personal information); that no phone calls or notices were received; and that there was no attempt to validate the debt.”
Meade & Associates responded by apologizing for any misunderstanding, insisting that they had “made 43 calls to the phone [number the complainant] provided to [the healthcare provider] and also sent a letter back in March to the address that was provided, [which] matches the address [the complainant] used in the complaint.” Further, Meade requested “the breakdown…from the client as [they did] not have it on site.”
Prior to closing the complaint, the complainant noted that “[u]pon receipt of…[delinquency] notice she promptly notified the agency that [he had] disputed the debt’s validity (via email to the address provided). The 40 phone calls may not have been answered personally due to the harassing nature and telemarket-like nature of the tactics. However, no voice messages were ever left, nor was any notice that some third party with personal information was going to file a derogatory credit notice…The company has failed to provide the requested documentation to validate the debt (as required by law), which was requested in March.”
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 was so excited when you told me about the positive outcome of the lawsuit. If the need ever arises again, I will not hesitate to call your office or recommend your law services to a friend in need.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I couldn’t be happier with all the hard work your office has done for me. I feel throughout the whole process I was kept informed, and my questions were always answered completely. The calls have stopped, I no longer have a mountain of junk bills piling up, and I owe it all to Lemberg Law.”
“I found your website. I filled out the information and much to my surprise received a call back within the hour. She listened intently and addressed each one of my concerns. She immediately forwarded me an email and advised I would not be charged for services rendered. She made me feel confident and assured, and that someone was in my corner.”
Chances are good that we can help. Call us today and we’ll explain.
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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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Meade and Associates has attached two different derogatory complaints on my credit over the last year. Both claims have been BWC related and both have been paid by BWC prior to the derogatory mark being filed. Its impacted my credit score both times and Meade has been very slow in correcting these errors, one of which is still on my credit report. What recourse, if any, do I have? Thanks.
I’d like to know what’s considered to be verbally abusive, by law via a third-party debt collection agency.
Same with me ! But she said she would be Dead before she say all the debt. It really hurt me, and the fact the debt was a result of my breast cancer!!!!!! KB
I told them I could pay 10 dollars every other week. Tina would not except and said they were taking me to the next level. Is there anything I can do?