A call from Meade & Associates catches people off guard in a specific way. Unlike some collectors whose names signal no connection to anything familiar, Meade & Associates is a real, long-established Ohio agency that has worked with hospitals, universities, utility companies, and banks for nearly five decades. That institutional legitimacy is part of what makes the experience of being harassed by them so disorienting, you find yourself asking whether you should just pay because surely a company this established must have their facts right. Our firm hears this hesitation from clients regularly.
At Consumer Rights Law Firm PLLC, we have been handling debt collection harassment cases since 2010, and we hold a 5-star rating with the Better Business Bureau because we understand that legitimacy and legality are two different things. Meade & Associates can be a real company operating for decades and still cross the legal line in how they contact you, how they report to credit bureaus, and how their representatives speak to consumers who dispute debts. The BBB complaint record, the CFPB complaint database, and federal court filings confirm that this happens regularly enough to take seriously. This guide gives you the verified facts before you respond, pay, or ignore the calls.
What Is Meade & Associates? Is It a Legitimate Company?
Yes, Meade & Associates is a legitimate, long-operating Ohio debt collection agency, founded in 1978, incorporated in 1981, and in business for nearly half a century. However, the depth of its complaint record across the BBB, the CFPB, and federal courts makes clear that a decades-long history does not equal uniformly lawful collection conduct.
Meade & Associates, Inc. is a full-service third-party collection agency headquartered in Lewis Center, Ohio, in Delaware County. The BBB opened its file on Meade & Associates in 1979 and categorizes them as a collection agency and financial planning consultant. Their own website describes the company as a mid-size firm with the capabilities to service large, multi-million dollar corporations a positioning that reflects their genuine industry footprint but also explains why consumer contact sometimes feels more transactional and less accountable than it should.
Verified Company Information:
- Full Legal Name: Meade & Associates, Inc.
- Founded: 1978
- Incorporated: 1981, Ohio Corporation
- BBB File Opened: 1979
- Headquarters: 737 Enterprise Drive, Lewis Center, Ohio 43035
- Local Phone: (614) 436-6160
- Toll-Free: (800) 686-3233
- Fax: (614) 841-0581
- Email: info@meadeandassociates.com
- Office Hours: MonâThu 8 AMâ8 PM; Fri 8 AMâ4:30 PM; Sat 8 AMâ12 PM
- BBB Accredited: No, Meade & Associates is not BBB accredited
- BBB Rating: Not Accredited
- BBB Complaints Closed (Last 3 Years): 78 with 22 closed in the most recent 12-month period
- CFPB Complaints Closed: 38 (since March 2015, as documented)
- Federal Litigation: 60+ federal cases documented
- Type: Third-Party Debt Collector / Corporation
- Professional Affiliations: 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, Ohio Retail Merchants Association, American Collectors Association, Central Ohio Patient Account Managers
â Meade & Associates Better Business Bureau Profile
In our practice, 78 closed BBB complaints in three years for a mid-size regional agency is a volume that signals structural issues not occasional missteps. That complaint density, combined with their size and their multi-industry reach, is the first thing our attorneys look at when a client comes to us about Meade & Associates.
What Industries Does Meade & Associates Collect For?
Meade & Associates collects across a notably wide range of industries, which means consumers can encounter them for debts ranging from old hospital bills to college tuition balances to utility accounts to veterinary charges, often without recognizing the connection to the original creditor.
According to their official website Meade & Associates actively services:
- Higher Education
- Healthcare
- Commercial Debt
- Banking
- Veterinarians
- Utility Companies
- Service Providers
- Payday Loans
- Retail Store Credit Cards
- Returned Checks
The breadth of this list matters for consumers because it means a call from Meade & Associates can be connected to almost any type of account and in many cases, particularly with medical debt, the consumer may have no idea the account ever went to collections. In our practice, clients who come to us about Meade & Associates more often than not describe receiving a collection notice or credit report alert for a medical or university balance they believed was either paid, covered by insurance, or simply never communicated to them as outstanding.
Why Is Meade & Associates Calling You?
Meade & Associates is contacting you because a creditor, a hospital, college, bank, utility provider, or other business has placed a delinquent account with them for collection, or because they have purchased the debt outright.
Their own website states: “We focus on being respectful and informative when dealing with your likely repeat customers.” That phrase “likely repeat customers” is telling. Meade & Associates positions itself as a relationship-preserving collector, particularly for healthcare and education clients. But the gap between that marketing language and what consumers actually report experiencing is the central tension that drives their complaint record.
The calling pattern clients describe to our firm typically starts with one of three scenarios: a debt they recognize but believed was handled, a debt that appears inflated or inaccurate, or a debt they do not recognize at all because it stems from a billing error, a wrong-person mix-up, or a deceased family member’s account being pursued against a surviving relative. Each scenario carries different legal implications and each one requires a different strategic response before you engage with Meade & Associates directly.
What Do BBB Complaints Against Meade & Associates Actually Say?
The BBB complaint record for Meade & Associates is one of the most substantive and specific complaint files we review for a mid-size Ohio collection agency. With 78 complaints closed in three years, the patterns across those filings are not random.
â Meade & Associates BBB Complaints Official Page
- BBB complaint alleges Meade & Associates charged $2,318.06 to a consumerâs benefit card and then refused to provide proper itemized validation, claiming they were not required to do so and stopping communication.
- Another complaint describes repeated hang-ups while a consumer disputed a debt confirmed as paid by the original provider, with Meade allegedly refusing to review proof and instead demanding immediate documentation.
- A third complaint reports a representative allegedly stating they did not care whether a debt was valid and refused to discuss corrections, instead insisting only on collection without addressing disputes.
In our practice, this type of interaction is not unusual when collectors are operating under a commission or quota pressure but it is legally significant. Under FDCPA Section 807, a debt collector is prohibited from using false or misleading representations, including about the nature or validity of a debt. A representative who openly states they do not care whether the debt is valid is documenting their own violation.
What Does the CFPB Complaint Record Show About Meade & Associates?
The CFPB has closed 38 complaints against Meade & Associates since March 2015, with recurring themes of debt reporting without verification, calls continuing after stop requests, and in at least one case, threats of arrest, a classic and clearly prohibited FDCPA violation.
Consumer Reviews and Platform Reports
Beyond the BBB and CFPB, consumer review platforms paint a consistent picture of Meade & Associates that tracks directly with what our clients describe.
WalletHub consumer reviews include this first-hand account from a consumer, submitted about a 2023 interaction: “I paid off this account on the 3rd of January, 2023 and they reported it as UNPAID on the very NEXT day. AFTER I MADE THE PAYMENT TO THEM AND SPOKE EXTENSIVELY TO A REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT IT IMPACTING MY CREDIT.”
â Meade & Associates WalletHub Consumer Reviews
Has Meade & Associates Been Sued?
Yes, Meade & Associates has been named as a defendant in more than 60 federal lawsuits, reflecting a sustained pattern of consumer litigation rather than isolated disputes.
Case 1 Sells v. Meade & Associates Inc 2024
- Case No 2 24 cv 03996
- Court U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio
- Filed September 30 2024
Source: CourtListener Sells v. Meade & Associates Inc
This active federal case filed in Meadeâs home jurisdiction reflects ongoing FDCPA related claims being brought against the company.
Case 2 Brendler v. Meade & Associates Inc 2025
- Case No 2 25 cv 00849
- Court U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio
- Assigned Judge Michael H Watson
- Referred Magistrate Kimberly A Jolson
- Last Updated October 2 2025
Source: CourtListener Brendler v. Meade & Associates Inc
This 2025 case continues the pattern of federal consumer litigation in Ohio against Meade & Associates.
With 60+ federal cases documented over the company’s history and two cases filed in 2024 and 2025, the litigation pattern for Meade & Associates shows a company that continues to generate consumer legal claims well into the present. For a mid-size Ohio agency, that pace of litigation reflects persistent, not occasional, compliance failures.
What Calling Tactics Has Meade & Associates Used?
Across the complaint record, federal litigation history, and what clients describe in our practice, Meade & Associates uses a set of contact patterns that collectively create strong legal claims, particularly for consumers who have documented the calls.
- Abandoned call campaigns: Consumers report dozens of calls with no voicemails. In our practice, this often points to automated dialing systems that outpace available agents, creating âring and dropâ calls and potential FDCPA and TCPA exposure.
- Calls after stop requests: Some complaints describe continued automated calls even after consumers verbally asked them to stop. Each post-revocation automated call can trigger TCPA damages, in addition to FDCPA violations for continued contact.
- Inaccurate credit reporting: There are reports of debts being marked unpaid even after payment. Under the FCRA, furnishers must ensure accuracy and correct errors after disputes, including timely investigation and updates.
- Improper collection tactics: Complaints also include alleged threats of arrest, attempts to collect from relatives, and refusal to honor disputes. These behaviors, if accurate, can violate FDCPA rules requiring truthful communication and suspension of collection during validation.
What Are Your Rights Against Meade & Associates?
As an Ohio-based collector, Meade & Associates is subject to both federal consumer protection law and the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act, which gives Ohio residents additional protections on top of the FDCPA.
- Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA): Meade & Associates may violate the FDCPA if it uses excessive call attempts, contacts consumers at prohibited times, fails to provide required debt validation notices, continues collection after a written dispute or cease-and-desist request, or uses misleading, threatening, or abusive collection tactics.
- Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA): Meade & Associates may violate the TCPA if it uses autodialers, prerecorded messages, or automated calling systems to contact consumers’ cell phones without proper consent or continues automated calls after consent has been revoked.
- Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): Meade & Associates may violate the FCRA if it reports inaccurate, incomplete, or unverified debt information to credit bureaus or fails to properly investigate disputes regarding reported accounts.
- Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act (OCSPA): Meade & Associates may violate Ohio consumer protection laws if it engages in unfair, deceptive, or misleading debt collection practices, including misrepresenting debts or using improper collection methods.
How to Stop Meade & Associates From Calling You
Step 1: Start documenting immediately. Before you send anything or call anyone, screenshot your call log with every Meade & Associates call listed dates, times, and calling numbers. Save every voicemail including generic ones. Note for each call whether it was a live agent or appeared automated (pause after pickup, no immediate response when you answer), and whether the caller identified themselves and the company at the start. Flag every call that came before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. local time. What our clients tell us, without exception, is that every call they did not document is a call they wish they had.
Step 2: Send a written cease-and-desist by certified mail with return receipt:
Meade & Associates, Inc. 737 Enterprise Drive Lewis Center, Ohio 43035
State that you revoke any consent to phone contact and demand that all telephone communication stop immediately. Keep your USPS tracking receipt and the delivery confirmation. Every Meade & Associates call after the confirmed delivery date is a potential independent FDCPA violation.
Step 3: Send a written debt validation request simultaneously. If Meade & Associates has not provided you with written verification of the debt the amount, the name of the original creditor, and documentation that the debt is yours request it in writing. Under FDCPA § 809(b), if you send this within 30 days of first contact, Meade & Associates must stop all collection until they respond in writing. Calling after receiving your written dispute request is itself a violation.
Step 4: File official complaints:
- FTC
- FCC
- CFPB
- BBB
- Ohio Attorney General
Step 5: Contact Consumer Rights Law Firm PLLC at (877) 700-5790 for a free case review. If Meade & Associates has threatened arrest, continued calling after a stop request, used automated dialers without consent, reported inaccurate information to your credit bureau, dismissed a written debt dispute, or collected on a debt belonging to a deceased family member, our firm handles all of these situations, and we do so at no upfront cost to you in most circumstances. The FDCPA and TCPA require Meade & Associates to pay attorney fees when they violate the law. That fee-shifting provision is what allows us to represent consumers without charging them out of pocket.
Consumer Rights Law Firm, PLLC
Consumer Rights Law Firm, PLLC is a law firm that specializes in helping clients who are facing harassment from debt collectors in any form, including telephone communication. Rather than suffer alone, contact our office to begin the process to stop the Meade & Associates harassment. Our office has been assisting consumers since 2010. We have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
If you are interested in learning more about how to safeguard yourself and prevent harassment from Meade & Associates call us at (877)700-5790 for immediate assistance or visit our website at Consumer Rights Law Firm.
Success Stories
- “I would highly recommend the Consumer Rights Law Firm to anybody that has been harassed! They were very professional and straightforward about my rights”.
- “I had the pleasure of dealing with Consumer Rights Law Firm PLLC on 2 different occasions the staff were very courteous and helpful and they were familiar with the Collection Agency’s in question and the harassment calls stop, I was even compensated. I would recommend this company to anyone going thru this type of harassment a very satisfied customer”.
- “Because of a lie from a third party debt collector that threatened me financially I nearly made the mistake of paying the debt collector money I couldn’t afford. The people here were friendly, knowledgeable and settled my case quickly. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!”
