Please stop being a shill and responding to a year-old post.

@ FIGHTING BACK!

There are far too many inaccuracies in your post for me to address, so allow me to just correct you on one in particular:

In the field of medical debt collections, it is not necessary to have a "judgement from the courts" to list an account to your credit. Original creditors (i.e. medical providers) VERY rarely list to their patient's credit.  Instead, they procure a third-party collection agency to collect upon their accounts. Said agency will then list to an individual's credit if there is no payment or certain account activity within a specific time frame.

Please, before you spout out ignorance, inform yourself....

So, riddle me this weirdness. I just received a call from the same number (1-800-455-0260) saying that they are with the Law Office of Stern and Associates and are trying to collect a cheap balance I owe.

Here's the catch. I received the call on a Google Voice business number that we set-up several years ago and have never used. We don't even have it posted anywhere online. We've never even taken calls through the system. My boss was thinking about using Google Voice, but ended up going with a different service. How in the world did they get that number? The only reason I was aware of the call is because I received notification in my email.

This definitely seems sketchy. My only thought is that maybe the number we received on Google Voice used to blog to someone else. In that case, I don't know what to do.

And you suck at communicating your thoughts in written format such that they can be understood by anyone with a basic comprehension of the English language.

Acum stai fundul gras jos, taci din gur? mare ?i cunosc rolul.

Hey Double Dee,
I am experience something with Stern and Associates. They are trying to collect a debt that has been paid through another a company called Portfolio Recovery Associates , LLC. and this has been since 2011 they say and the payment is $10.00 shy of what I paid Portfolio. I have never heard of Stern and Associates. They said they sent 3 notices, this is the first one. they have put a negative listing against our credit with the 3 credit bureaus. After 2 years here they come saying we owe haven't heard from them until now. I believe portfolio sold them our debt so they could collect money from us. . I guess I will call FTC to see what is going on.

Johnnie

I got an automated phone call telling me that I owe money that will be collected to Stern and Associates Attorney at Law. The case/ reference number was not clear. I was told to call between 8 am and 8 pm. I came back home after those hours. I do not recall owing any money to anyone, since my bills are up to date. Is this an illegal phone call, is this a leggit place? Or is this number impersonating a valid business? I'd appreciate anyone's input. Thank you

And how is it that you file things on people's credit reports without having a judgement from the courts, since you are not the originating creditor?

I assure you, if you folks EVER mistake me for one of the people you're trying to collect from, and put  ANYTHING derogatory on MY credit report, I WILL come after you for LIABLE, WITH MALICIOUS INTENT.  So, go for it!

Oh, and IF I EVER have any delinquent debts, you will find that I refuse to even attempt to conduct business with someone who refuses to conduct themselves in a PROFESSIONAL AND COURTEOUS manner.  I don't care who you are.  IF I owe someone money, they'll be more likely to collect IF they behave properly AND provide a WRITTEN DEBT VALIDATION LETTER.  By the way, I don't respond well to threats or attempts of intimidation.

A delinquent account on your credit report can not be deleted. Your credit report is a history of your payment activity. The creditor can mark the entry 'paid in full' but that entry remains for 7 years.

The collector (criminal) who told you this is lying (well, when aren't they lying?).

You may be able to force the entry to be removed, however. Send a validation letter (look on the internet for an example) to the collection agency return receipt requested. Keep the green card when it is sent back to you as proof of notification. If the agency can not validate the debt as per the FDCPA (look this up online), then send a letter to the credit report agency challenging the entry. The credit reporting agency will be forced to remove it. If the collector responds to the credit report agency that the debt was valid after not validating it, sue them. They are in violation of federal law (FDCPA). You will be awarded $1000 for each violation.

Look up NACA attorneys on the internet. Most will take the case with no money up front. They will take a portion of the money awarded to you as payment (i.e. you are awarded $1000, they get $500). Best of all the scamming collector slinks away ....

I have dealth with Stern and Associates before, and did not have a single problem.  Their sole purpose is to recover outstanding medical debts.  I owed a medical bill to their client, I called them because I received their letter, and I set up an arrangment to pay my bill (it was, gasp, that easy!).  Furthermore, they are BBB accredited (simply check the BBB website and you will notice that they have an A+ rating) and the address in Charlotte is a PO Box, so it is impossible that that address can be a physical location of another branch or, as you so wonderfully put it, "a location move based on complaints...".  Having worked in the medical field (accounts receivable), many establishments use a PO Box in which payments are mailed, the institutions financial establishment processes the payments, and the processed payments are then sent to the physical location of the medical institution for posting (this process is known as using a "lock box").

I am rather tired of so many people viewing debt collectors as "scum".  They are simply doing their job (a job that brings in roughly 6 billion dollars a year back into the US economy, mind you).  Perhaps if you look at things in a more logical manner (and maybe do some research), you wouldn't appear so naive when posting nonsensical comments...

Also, what on Earth are "heavy-handed slugs"?

Hi d,
Can you text me a way to contact you, I also just received a notice that
Stern and associates placed a 31.00 collection on my credit report, trans union.

Until it happened to me, I might have sided with the idiot who calls himself "successful". But, obviously I am on this site for a single purpose and only that purpose, i.e. trying to find out what kind of "company" this Stern and Associates, really are. Question to "successful": IF you're so successful, then why would you be browsing a site such as this? 1. You either work for them - or - 2. You have a vested interest in them - or - 3. You're really not as "successful" as you purport to be. Stern and Associates are nothing more than heavy-handed slugs. I find myself only filled with more questions than answers, i.e. Are they BBB accredited? Is Charlotte yet another branch or is it merely a location move based on complaints filed and listed against a Raleigh / Greensboro location, i.e. trying to stay one step ahead.....?? They simply reinforce the vision of so many - the geographic area is nothing more than an area filled with unethical business practices who prey on anyone unlucky enough to fall into their sights.

what a fob

Collection Leach - do not owe any thing and they are threating to serve papers that they cannot legally do - In PA have to be served by the Sheriffs Office


http://www.sternrecovery.com/

You obviously have anger issues!  I teach school and have a career and you have no idea what has happened in my family with our income situation!  Not all bad people who debts!  You can lose anything at a snap of a finger!!!!  Disability with a child anything! Death!  You must not have a lot of life experiences or you wouldn't post such hateful things.

Wow... If this does not apply to you what concern is it of yours. You evidently can't be too successful considering the fact that you have the time to sit on a website and post things that have nothing to do with you so you say. If you are so successful why or better yet how did you find this website.  You had to be looking for something concerning this company or debt collection. So my advice to you (since it appears that you are looking for it) you really need to get a life "Mr. Successful".... LOL... I bet.. Too funny....

Yes, if you pay the debt in full they will remove it.  I had to take care of a medical bill through them about two or three months ago (wasn't a hastle whatsoever; not sure why alot of these people had any problems).  If you want the paid in full letter, send a self addressed stamped envelope and they will mail one out to you (at least that is what I had to do...understandable to a certain degree what with rising postage costs I guess).  Now, it did take the credit bureaus about a month and a half to remove the debt listing, but it did come off completely.  

Hope that helped!

Has anyone actually paid off a debt and got it removed from their credit report?  They are not willing to send it to me in writing but state that they do remove from your credit report if paid in full.  Has anyone had any experience with this?

I just got a rude call from him too and I have been paying on my account.  He said I had to pay more than I've been paying.  When I said I was on a fixed income, he said it didn't make any difference, I had to pay what he said I had to pay.  He wouldn't give me any information I requested and hung up on me.  He hinted that he would sue me if I didn't pay.  I will contact the company who hired him and his bosses to let them know how he treats people.  Rude, rude rude.

I can say without any doubt that the other posters who left negative comments about Dennis Mitchell at Sterns are 100% correct.

He is unnecessarily rude. He even insulted me for no reason, basically said I was worthless, and then said *I* had a bad attitude. Geez

He must be a very unhappy person who just enjoys creating more misery.

If the people who hire Sterns had any clue about this guy they would use another agency. NO ONE is going to make any effort to pay when they are being treated like scum by such a pompous, arrogant jerk who is making NO EFFORT to work with you or listen to what you have to say.

I have something to share:
Out of thin air, Stern and Associates put a collection notice on one of my 3 credit reports, TransUnion, on 6/2011.
I called them to find out what it was all about, and was sent a primitive-looking log of some Lab work bill that was supposedly perforned on 7/2007.  This is over 4 years old!  I never heard of the Lab's name, or aware that they did any work for my Doctor.
Well, the statute of Limitation in North Carolina is 3 years.  There is no chance in the world they can collect on me.
On my finding out about this Statute, I called Stern and told them to clear up my credit report.  They said not until I pay the amount.
I think I figure out how they work: Negative info on your credit report will stay there for 7 years, meaning that even if they cannot collect the debt, as it was expired by law, they make you pay something to clear up your otherwise clean credit report from what they had put in there.
I called the FTC and they said they would look into a pattern of such practice from the company.  Hurray!

Hey, they called me AT WORK today and some girl Erica who talks WAY too fast (like maybe she's in a phone room and does this all day???) and said she was with some law firm ( its not possible to understand her after playing the message four times) and gave me some case number. I'm in North Carolina, and if it IS a debt collector of some kind, it is illegal for tem to call you at work...............

I get repeated calls from this number, but since I screen all calls and purposely don't answer unsolicited 800 numbered calls, I've never answered

Think about it Brian...how would they know it a business line genius? Also, using that line in order to skip your debt doesn't stop them from taking legal action...so good try but just pay your bills deadbeat.

In this day and time when jobs are hard to come by and you get hit with a job layoff.
So if you have a job and can pay your bills good for you.
But you can't say a damn thing if you have never truly struggled.  
People who struggle are not DEADBEATS.

the people called to us from 919-755-3900 were crime business and crime people but I wonder, why the  police over there can not do anything to them or teaching them lesson about a word ((respect)) ((polite)) ((impolite)) ((annoyed)) tell them what is meaning those word above.

I looked up the Stern place on this site before I called and I was very afraid to deal with them after reading all of the comments.
So as it turns out, my insurance only paid barely HALF of what my total bills were for several unpleasant trips to the hospital. To top it off nobody even notified me that I had anything to pay until I get a threatening letter from these people! It is very frustrating to have something go to an ATTORNEY without you even being aware of it.
I talked to Dennis as well & he wasn't what I expected (kind of nice/funny) although I did end up having to start up payments in order to nip this in the bud (I learned about ignoring bills the hard way). OH well still was easier than dealing with the god damn hospital.

I went to get my hair done yesterday and there was a lady sitting next to me going on an on about this guy that had called her about a medical bill and how rude he had been. And then she said who he was an where he was from and i was completely shocked. She told me her daughter wanted her to go to this 800 website and look at all the complaints and put in her own. I decided i should look too.

I'm so shocked and just can't believe none of this because I am embarrassed to admit that I had a medical bill  to in the Spring and I also talked to Dennis.  But I don't have anything at all to complain about. When I talked to him, he was very nice and I knew that I couldn't pay it all at one time but it also would have been wrong for me to not pay my doctor at all. He told me i could send in a payment each month with I got my disability check and that its what I did. It took me 4 months to pay it, but I was glad I could. I even called Mr. Dennis back when I made my last payment and he was happy to send me a receipt that my account was cleared.

I asked that lady why she thought he was so rude and she only told me that he kept asking her to make a payment on her bill. That didn't seem to bad to me. Maybe she was just embarrased to that she owed something to someone. All I know is I don't think Mr. Dennis was rude with me.

Poor economy or not, unfortunate things happen and financial hardship is not always the result of laziness.  I would hold off before accusing anyone of being single-minded when you are so quick to judge a person in a bad situation.  Try Econ 101 again and add a little bit of common sense and/or decency.

I am a former employee of this agency.  Take it from me, it is easier to either not answer the calls or just be brutally honest with the collector (with all due respect).  The calls stop eventually.

Good luck finding a job in the mean time.  Don't let collection calls get you down.

Dont worry honey they did the same thing to me.  My Insurance DOES pay everything because I have tons of money.  Guess They dont understand that we are rich and they are working class idiots that call people and yell all day!