Joseph, Mann & Creed: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

Media Collections, Inc.; Media Collections Inc dba Joseph Mann & Creed; JMC

Headquarters

Twinsburg, OH

Collects

telecommunications accounts, media and newspaper accounts, education accounts, e-commerce and retail balances, commercial accounts

Phone numbers it lists

(216) 831-5626, (877) 369-5092

Website

jmcbiz.com

149 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Media Collections, Inc from November 13, 2023 to November 12, 2026. A complaint is a consumer's account, not a finding that the company broke the law. Read the complaints in the CFPB database.

Who Is Joseph, Mann & Creed?

Joseph, Mann & Creed (JMC) calls itself a commercial and consumer collection agency and accounts receivable management company. Its website says it was established in January 2001 and is headquartered in the Cleveland, Ohio area; the street address it publishes is 8948 Canyon Falls Blvd., Suite 200, Twinsburg, Ohio 44087.

The CFPB complaint database lists this company as "Media Collections, Inc." Texas Secretary of State bond records connect the names: an active Texas debt collector bond was filed in 2020 for "Media Collections Inc dba Joseph Mann & Creed" at the same Twinsburg address, replacing an earlier bond (2004 to 2020) for the same principal at a Shaker Heights, Ohio address. JMC's site lists NMLS ID 950663 for Maryland and Nevada, plus Nevada compliance manager certificates.

Why Joseph, Mann & Creed May Be Contacting You

JMC lists a broad client base: telecom, media and newspapers, education, e-commerce, point of sale, sports and entertainment, travel and hospitality, gaming and business services, both domestic and international. For an individual, a JMC letter or call is most likely about a closed phone, internet or cable account, an unpaid subscription, a school balance, or an online purchase. Final bills for equipment that was never returned are a common source of telecom collection accounts. The validation notice should tell you which company placed the account.

How to Check a Debt Joseph, Mann & Creed Says You Owe

Service-account balances often include early-termination charges and equipment fees that are easy to contest. Before paying:

• Wait for the validation notice required by 15 U.S.C. § 1692g and Regulation F (12 C.F.R. § 1006.34). It must name the creditor, itemize interest, fees, payments and credits since an itemization date, and give a dispute deadline. Here is what it should include.
• Pull your own records. Find your final bill, any return receipt for equipment, and your cancellation confirmation. Check that you weren't billed past the date you canceled.
• Dispute in writing within the validation period if the balance or the account is wrong. JMC posts a "Requests and Disputes" page, but a mailed letter you keep a copy of is the safest record. Our dispute guide explains the steps.
• Ask whether the original company still owns the debt or sold it to a debt buyer.
• Mind the limitations period. In Texas, most debt suits must be filed within four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and a debt buyer may not sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Other states set different periods.

What Joseph, Mann & Creed Can and Can't Do

When JMC collects consumer accounts for other businesses, it is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6), and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act applies:

• It must say it is a debt collector in every communication; JMC's own privacy notice says its policy is to give that disclosure on every contact.
• It can't call more than seven times within seven days about the same debt, or again within seven days after talking with you about it (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)). See our Regulation F summary.
• If it texts or emails, it must give you a simple way to opt out. JMC's site has opt-in and opt-out pages for communications.
• It can't collect amounts the original contract doesn't authorize, such as made-up fees.
• It must stop contacting you, except for limited notices, if you tell it in writing to stop.

We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Joseph, Mann & Creed or Media Collections, Inc. If you think JMC broke these rules, talk to our FDCPA attorneys.

We Sue Debt Collectors That Break the FDCPA

Texas Debt Law files Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits against debt collectors in federal court for consumers in Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and Colorado. If Joseph, Mann & Creed or anyone collecting for it harassed you, misstated what you owe, threatened action it could not take, or told others about your debt, you may have a claim. A court can order a collector that violated the FDCPA to pay your actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages, and your attorney's fees and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). An FDCPA claim generally must be filed within one year of the violation (§ 1692k(d)), so keep your letters, call logs, voicemails and screenshots, and talk to us early. Texas residents may also have claims under the Texas Debt Collection Act. Learn more from our FDCPA attorneys.

Free FDCPA Case Review(214) 851-2250

Or start your free case evaluation online. No lawyer can promise a result; every claim depends on its facts and proof.

Sources

• Joseph, Mann & Creed: home page
• Joseph, Mann & Creed: Who we are (industries served)
• Joseph, Mann & Creed: Privacy notice
• Joseph, Mann & Creed: California privacy policy
• Texas Secretary of State debt collector bond search (Media Collections Inc dba Joseph Mann & Creed, file 20200121)
• CFPB enforcement actions search
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Media Collections, Inc, debt collection

This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Joseph, Mann & Creed has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.