Stanislaus Credit Control Service , Inc. (SCCS) is a third-party collection agency based in Northern California. SCCS has received consumer complaints alleging many violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), including failure to provide verification of debts and attempting to collect debts not owed. If SCCS has contacted you about past due financial obligations, understand your rights before taking action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Stanislaus Credit Control Service, Inc. is a legitimate collection agency, founded in 1961 in Modesto, CA. The BBB opened its file in 2003. SCCS is listed as a corporation and a collection agency. Buzzfile lists a founding date of 1955 and estimates SCCS’s annual revenue at $2 million and the size of its staff at 37 people.
SCCS’s website states that since 1955 they have “been an innovative leader in the collection industry” and that in 1990, they “were among the first agencies in the nation to acquire and adopt the efficiency of the predictive dialer.” SCCS’s use of predictive dialing increased their “contact rate by 300%,” and is part of a collection strategy that understands “the importance of a telephone call during the pre-collect stage.”
SCCS does not specify in which industries its collections staff specialize, although they do indicate that they collect delinquent healthcare accounts and returned checks. Their full-service collections office uses several different strategies, including their “Letter Services Plus” and “Direct Assignment” programs; their proprietary NSF check recovery program; a legal recovery program; and a policy for cancellation of accounts.
The “Letter Services Plus” program provides dunning letter and telephone calling collection efforts. Their “Direct Assignment” program “is designed especially for the toughest collection cases, using vigorous collection techniques with proven results.” Their NSF check recovery program offers various contingency- and commissions-based rating plans. Their legal recovery program addresses accounts that have failed to respond to direct assignment or NSF recovery techniques and are offered on a contingency basis. Accounts are cancelled at no charge to the client.
SCCS cites compliance with Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations and the FDCPA and Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), but their site does not provide details of their compliance policy or training. There are no links or references to consumer protection laws, agencies, or resources.
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 28 complaints against Stanislaus Credit Control Service in the preceding three years, with 17 complaints closed in the past 12 months. As of October 2017, the BBB has given them a rating of F and has placed an Alert on their profile page indicating SCCS has failed to respond to a pattern of allegations. Since March 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 22 complaints against SCCS, and Justia lists at least 3 cases of civil litigation naming SCCS as a defendant.
Stanislaus Credit Control Service, Inc.
914 14th Street
Modesto, CA 95354
Telephone:(209) 523-1813
Website: http://www.sccscollects.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely SCCS 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 Complaints
The following statement appears on the BBB’s profile page for SCCS:
“Complainants generally allege Stanislaus Credit Control Service, Inc. does not respond to consumers attempting to address concerns regarding their accounts.
“While most complaints remain unanswered, the company responds to some complaints by stating third-party nondisclosure laws prohibit their ability to respond to complaints lodged through the BBB.
“BBB believes that the complaints contain a pattern of allegations and contacted the business on August 10, 2016 and September 12, 2016. We requested the company provide to us steps that it is taking to eliminate the underlying cause of complaints, if any.
“The company responded to our request on August 10, 2016, indicating that they would need to consult their lawyer prior to issuing a formal response. As of today, we have not received a reply to our correspondence.”
In March 2016, in United States District Court, Northern District of California, San Jose Division, a plaintiff filed a complaint against several defendants, including SCCS, for allegedly reporting “inaccurate information [to the credit reporting agencies and] failing to perform reasonable investigations or correct the inaccuracies.” The plaintiff cited the FCRA, the California Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act (CCRA) and the California Unfair Competition Law (UCL). Although the court upheld the plaintiff’s right to bring charges under the FCRA and the CCRA in the event a creditor or collection agency had reported inaccurate information about her credit, the court also found that she had failed in both cases to provide enough specific details of these errors, thus requiring the court to dismiss the charges. Similarly, the plaintiff’s claims under the UCL were non-specific and also dismissed at the hearing.
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…
“We realize that ours is just one small case among many – and many more serious – but are heartened by the fact that you accepted it and represented us with a professionalism that belied the small dollar amount.”
“If you are unsure about this company…DONT BE!!! They are for real when they say they are here to help you. It only takes a few short minutes of your time to talk to a rep. I was a skeptic, but you did everything you said you would! I can’t say thank you enough!”
”Lemberg Law has saved me from the endless calls, and harassing voicemails. They really do go to bat for you. I didn’t know that debt collection agencies can end up paying your legal bill. What a surprise, to receive free legal help. I’m very grateful for all the hard work they did to finally give me my life back.”
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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