Are You Being Called By Routhmeir Sterling, Inc.?*

Are you being called by Routhmeir Sterling, Inc.?* Here’s what you need to know.

Being in serious debt is highly stressful, and when you are no longer able to meet even the minimum payments, it gets worse because collection agencies will start demanding money. Although collecting a debt is legal, you have certain rights and protections that make it illegal for them to threaten or otherwise abuse you.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, is a consumer protection law that regulates what third-party debt collectors may say or do to settle a debt. Unethical and deceptive approaches like those listed below are illegal when used to collect money.

• Swearing and calling you names
• Claiming that you have committed a crime and that they will call the police on you if you don’t pay
• Failing or refusing to identify themselves as debt collectors in every communication
• Calling you several times per day using an auto-dialer
• Pretending to be members of law enforcement
• Telling uninvolved third parties like your friends and co-workers that you owe money

Company Profile: Routhmeir Sterling, Inc.

If you are being called by Routhmeir Sterling, Inc., information about the company is below.

Routhmeir Sterling, Inc. is a debt collection agency with a presence in Wylie, Texas and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was established in 1999 and is managed by Todd Cory. Records on file at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirmed that consumers who believed they were being harassed by Routhmeir Sterling, Inc. have used the courts to fight back.

Alleged Violations against Routhmeir Sterling, Inc.

According to PACER, an Iowa resident allegedly began receiving calls from Routhmeir Sterling, Inc. at her workplace during the first week of March, 2010. She told the caller that she could not receive calls at work and to cease contacting her there. She later complained that Routhmeir Sterling, Inc. continued to call her at work, and that her co-workers and HR manager were all told that she owed money and papers would be served on her at work.

She alleged that Routhmeir Sterling, Inc. collectors also spoke to her personal friends and told them that she owed a debt. When she spoke to the company and requested a bill to verify the amount she owed before she agreed to make a payment, the collector allegedly retorted that that she would see her in court before she would receive a bill.

Feeling harassed by Routhmeir Sterling, Inc., she sued the company for the following alleged FDCPA violations:

• Failing to validate the debt
• Discussing the debt with her friends and coworkers
• Calling her at work after she asked them to stop
• Using harassing and abusive means to collect a debt
• Misrepresenting the character, amount, or legal status of the debt
• Using false, deceptive or misleading means to collect a debt
• Threatening action that could not legally be taken
• Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt
• Failing to identify themselves as debt collectors in all communications

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for Routhmeir Sterling, Inc. are:

• 1-214-295-6347
• 1-319-450-7776
• 1-888-687-8930

If any of these number appear on your caller ID when the phone rings, it means that you are being called by Routhmeir Sterling, Inc.. If they call you repeatedly at work and discuss the debt with your friends and coworkers, hire a consumer attorney. Such tactics violate the FDCPA, and if you file a claim against Routhmeir Sterling, Inc. and win, the company could be ordered to pay you $1,000 per violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. When your rights are infringed upon, an attorney can help you make the company pay.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 4:10-cv-00193-JEG-RAW from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Central 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 Routhmeir Sterling, Inc. or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.