Called By Douglas, Chancellor, Meyers & Associates?*

Are you being called by Douglas, Chancellor, Meyers & Associates?* Here’s what you need to know

Some debt collectors want you to believe that they are in control. They demand payment in full immediately, threaten wage garnishment, tell you that you will be arrested, and make other empty threats. Don’t be intimidated. Instead, read up on your rights.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, prohibits third party collection agencies from using activities like those while collecting or attempting to collect a debt. The Federal Trade Commission will penalize any agency that uses them to deceive or threaten consumers into paying.

• Using profane and obscene language
• Threatening to have you arrested
• Discussing the debt with anyone but you, your spouse, your attorney, and any debt co-signers (if applicable)
• Calling before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in your time zone
• Threatening legal action they are not eligible to take or have no intention of taking
• Harassing you even after you dispute a debt

Company Profile: Douglas, Chancellor, Meyers & Associates

If you are being called by Douglas, Chancellor, Meyers & Associates, information about the company is below.

Douglas, Chancellor, Meyers & Associates is a debt collection office located in St. Charles, Missouri. It was established in 1992, has less than 10 employees, and is managed by its President, Douglas J. Gilbert. The company presently has a rating of B- with the Better Business Bureau. Digitized legal records archived at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website indicate that several consumers who believed they were being harassed by Douglas, Chancellor, Meyers & Associates rebuffed all payment demands and pursued compensation in court.

Alleged Violations against Douglas, Chancellor, Meyers & Associates

Plaintiff vs. Douglas, Chancellor, Meyers & Associates*

According to PACER, on February 25, 2014, a Douglas, Chancellor, Meyers & Associates representative who identified himself as Josh Fischer called the uncle of a Missouri resident and stated that he was an employment headhunter with a potential job offer for her. When she called him back, Mr. Fischer stated that his company had been hired by her old landlord to collect on an alleged past due debt.

Later the same day, February 26, 2014, collectors allegedly called The Plaintiff’s workplace three times and called her mother’s cellphone once. She later complained that the company would call her workplace as much as eight times a day. On February 27, 2014, her supervisor reprimanded her for receiving personal calls at work, saying that a collector had called the payroll department.

Feeling harassed by Douglas, Chancellor, Meyers & Associates, The Plaintiff hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Using false, deceptive, and misleading means to collect a debt
• Failing to identify itself as a debt collector in all communications
• Calling her at her place of employment after being asked to stop
• Discussing her debt with third parties

The matter was later settled.

Hire an Attorney

The phone number for this debt collection company is 1-636-925-2480. If it flashes on your caller ID when the phone rings, it means that you are being called by Douglas, Chancellor, Meyers & Associates. If they call you at work after being asked to stop, embarrassing you in front of your coworkers, hire a consumer attorney. If you decide to file a claim against Douglas, Chancellor, Meyers & Associates and end up winning your case, you could receive $1,000 per FDCPA violation plus attorney’s fees and court costs. Never assume that what you’re being told by a debt collector is the truth: get your advice from an attorney instead.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case: 4:14-cv-01624-RWS from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division.

Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be constructed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Douglas, Chancellor, Meyers & Associates, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.