Consumer complaint received 2018-03-12
Company: Feldman & Stern, LLC
State: IN
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Communication tactics
Sub-issue: Used obscene, profane, or other abusive language

Complaint:
This company called 4 times on Thursday XX/XX/XXXX leaving messages saying I needed to quit avoiding them. Never stated who " they '' were but that I owed a debt and I needed to call " the firm '' now " or else ''. When I was available I returned the call only to be sworn at and repeated yelling, not even allowing me to say anything but my name. The man, XXXX XXXX, told me he knew I owned a company and if I didn't pay in full ( kept yelling over the top of me ... can you pay?? can you pay?? I know you are just avoiding this and quit hiding ) he would take my company, our house, property, and he would send the police the very next day. I knew this was not legal and since he refused to give me an address for the company and the " secretary who answered the phone refused as well, I was unsure if this is a legitimate company/person. I tried telling him not to call me or my husband at work but since he was talking over me he was ignoring me/probably wasn't even listening. I tried explaining that we had been separated and I was not getting my mail and I was requesting he contact me in writing so I could take a look at what he was yelling at me about. He never acted like he even heard me. Then when he was done yelling at me, he hung up on me. 

On Friday ( next day ) he called again and it was a repeat of what happened the day before. I tried explain again that I needed him to listen to me that I wasn't avoiding anything but that I had not been at the address he continued yelling and was not responsive to anything I tried to say. He said his peace and hung up on me. I tried 4 more times to call back and then the secretary didn't even answer my calls. I left a message saying it was never my intention of not paying, that I had been into the office of the original debt and they didn't know how to operate the printer/computer to get me a receipt and after XX/XX/XXXX visit I figured they might call asking me to come in when they got the issue fixed. Then the separation and I lost track. The same day, they called my husband at work yelling at him with the same empty, illegal threats. He told them he would take care of it, but then they continued threats of police, using obscene, make false claims about me to my husband, taking even the kitchen sink and taking our home and business ( of which I have been not working since the accident that caused the issue to begin with ). My husband returned the call when he got home with me sitting beside him, the man yelled again and my husband just stayed quiet hoping for a time to say something. He finally let him but threatened if he didn't pay by the end of the week he would send the police and continue to harass him at work .This harassment has continued and is causing undue stress where there is already plenty from the medical issues from the car accident. When he hangs up he calls from a different number the next time repeating the whole process. My husband did miraculously get to talk to him the last time he called on Friday coming to an agreed upon amount for the debt even though it was more than we told him we had due to medical care. He told my husband he would give him a week to get the rest together. Then, he continued by calling me again today even though I told him not to several times last week. The XXXX person continued to ask for bank account information each time he called so we could pay the amount ( I refused without being able to verify he was even a real business ).

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation