Stenger and Stenger: Who the Firm Is, Complaints, Lawsuits and What to Do

Who is Stenger and Stenger?

• Legal name. Stenger & Stenger, P.C., with Phillip Stenger named as president on its BBB profile.
• What it does. A collection law firm. Its website calls it attorneys at law, and its footer says it is a debt collector. It runs separate pre-suit and post-judgment collection departments. It does not present itself as a lender or a debt buyer.
• Where it is based. 2618 East Paris Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, with attorneys it says are licensed in 12 states.
• What it collects. On the consumer side, mostly credit cards: 225 of the 360 debt collection complaints naming it in the CFPB database are tagged credit card debt. Its practice areas page also lists commercial collections.
• Who it collects for. Its website lists client types such as banks, credit unions, finance companies, hospitals, retailers and businesses, without naming them. Court records name some: in Crow v. Stenger & Stenger P.C. the letter was sent for Citibank, and Jones v. Stenger & Stenger, P.C. named CVI Loan GT Trust I alongside the firm.
• How it contacts you. Letters carrying an eight character file number, calls, court papers when a creditor sues, and after a judgment, garnishments and credit report inquiries. Its phone lines are 888.305.7775 toll free and 616.940.1190, with TTY at 888.520.0466.
• How payments work. Online at paystenger.com, by phone, or by mail, with checks made payable to the original creditor.

Stenger & Stenger, P.C. practices collection law from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Its own website gives the address as 2618 East Paris Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, the main phone as 616.940.1190 and a toll free line of 888.305.7775. The site's footer carries the line every collection law firm uses: this is a communication from a debt collector. Another Michigan collection law firm whose complaint and court record we cover is Roosen Varchetti & Olivier, in Clinton Township.

The firm's About page says it was established in 1994 and calls it "a collections law firm dedicated to providing legal representation to the world's leading creditors." It describes separate pre-suit and post-judgment collection departments, staffed by attorneys, paralegals, representatives and skip tracers. It says its attorneys are licensed in Michigan, Indiana, New Jersey, Minnesota, Kentucky, Colorado, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Nebraska, Montana and Tennessee.

Its practice areas page lists banks, credit unions, finance companies, hospitals, health care organizations, medical practices, retailers, wholesalers, government entities, businesses and individuals as clients. The listed practice areas include commercial collections, collections litigation, creditors rights litigation, contract litigation and receivership. Other creditor law firms work the same way; see our Rausch Sturm review for a Wisconsin firm's complaint and court record.

The BBB names Phillip Stenger as president and records the business start date as December 27, 1994. A Super Lawyers directory listing shows Phillip S. Stenger at the same Grand Rapids address, licensed in Michigan since 1988, with a law degree from Wayne State University. The BBB profile also notes that Phillip Stenger owns Capital Alliance Financial, LLC.

In the sources checked, it describes itself as a collection law firm acting for creditors, not as a lender or funder. The firm acts for the creditor. The creditor decides what it will accept, and the firm carries out those instructions.

The public record at a glance

• BBB rating and accreditation. B+, accredited since March 21, 2019, as checked on November 9, 2026.
• BBB complaints. 106 in the last three years and 22 in the last 12 months. The BBB marks 86 as answered and 20 as resolved. The largest categories are service or repair issues (39) and billing issues (23). The BBB's category labels are generic. The example complaints it displays involve validation requests, garnishments and refunds.
• BBB customer reviews. An average of 2.64 out of 5 from 28 reviews.
• CFPB complaint database. 401 complaints list the company as Stenger & Stenger, P.C., from November 2013 to late October 2026. 194 of them were received in the three years before November 9, 2026. 360 are filed under debt collection, and 225 of those are tagged credit card debt.
• Federal lawsuits naming the firm. 52 federal dockets on CourtListener carry Stenger & Stenger in the case name. Most are coded consumer credit. Details are below.
• Regulatory or disciplinary action. None located in the sources checked. We found no CFPB enforcement action, state attorney general action or attorney discipline naming the firm.

A complaint count is not a finding. The CFPB database publishes what consumers report, and the BBB displays what complainants and the business each say. Read the numbers as a map of what people dispute, not as a verdict.

What the complaints say

The CFPB data shows what consumers most often report. The top issue labels are "took or threatened to take negative or legal action" (104 complaints), "attempts to collect debt not owed" (98), "false statements or representation" (56) and "written notification about debt" (47). Every one of the 401 complaints shows the company response as closed with explanation, and 400 were marked as answered on time. The states with the most complaints are Ohio (88), Michigan (67), Georgia (66), Indiana (47) and Tennessee (43).

The recent BBB complaints follow the same pattern. In October 2026 a consumer reported a credit report inquiry from the firm with no earlier notice of a debt; the firm answered that the inquiry was part of post-judgment collection and offered a validation packet. In July 2026 a consumer reported a garnishment on a judgment they said was already paid; the firm answered that it had received the court-held funds and closed the file as paid in full, and the consumer rejected that answer. In April 2026 a consumer reported a state tax refund taken after payoff; the firm mailed a $57.00 refund and the complaint was marked resolved.

Two lessons come out of those files. First, keep proof of every payment and every satisfaction of judgment, because garnishments can run on after a balance is paid. Second, when something is wrong, put it in writing and keep a copy.

Lawsuits filed against the firm

A CourtListener search of federal dockets with Stenger & Stenger, P.C. in the case name returns 52 cases in courts from New Jersey to Colorado and Minnesota to North Carolina. A broader full-text search of federal dockets for the phrase "Stenger & Stenger" or "Stenger and Stenger" returns 31 dockets, many of them bankruptcy cases where the firm appears as a creditor contact. Being named in a lawsuit is not proof of wrongdoing. Here is what three of the dockets actually show.

• Crow v. Stenger & Stenger P.C. (S.D. Ohio No. 1:24-cv-00532, filed September 25, 2024). A self-represented consumer sued the firm and individual defendants under the FDCPA. According to the court's orders, the firm sent him a collection letter for Citibank dated November 15, 2023. He asked for verification of the debt on December 12, 2023, and the firm filed a collection suit against him in Butler County, Ohio on February 6, 2024. On May 14, 2025 Judge Susan J. Dlott denied the firm's motion to dismiss for lack of standing. On April 6, 2026 Magistrate Judge Karen L. Litkovitz granted the consumer's summary judgment motion in part. She held that summary judgment was warranted for him on his claim that collection continued before the debt was verified (15 U.S.C. 1692g(b)), because the defendants had not supported every element of their bona fide error defense. She denied his second claim, finding that pleading unjust enrichment as an alternative to breach of contract in the Ohio suit did not violate 15 U.S.C. 1692e. Damages were left for a later phase. The docket also shows an appeal opened in the Sixth Circuit (No. 26-3417); we did not review the appeal papers, and the case was not final in the sources checked.
• Jones v. Stenger & Stenger, P.C. (E.D. Mich. No. 2:16-cv-12399, filed June 26, 2016). A proposed class action against the firm and CVI Loan GT Trust I. The court ordered the plaintiff in August 2016 to show cause why the case should not be dismissed for failure to prosecute, and on August 10, 2017 it entered an order dismissing the case without prejudice. There was no ruling on the merits.
• Recent filings. Hagen v. Stenger & Stenger, P.C. (D. Minn. No. 0:25-cv-02433, filed June 11, 2025) and Petkus v. Stenger & Stenger, P.C. (E.D. Mich. No. 5:26-cv-11727, filed May 27, 2026) are both coded consumer credit and were open in the sources checked. We did not read their pleadings, so this page does not describe their claims.

What the record shows, put plainly: the firm handles collection suits, it has been sued by consumers, and in one federal case a court granted partial summary judgment to the consumer on a validation claim, with damages and an appeal still pending. That is a reason to check its paperwork carefully. It is not a reason to ignore it.

Why the firm is contacting you or your business

Because a creditor has placed an account with it. On the consumer side that is most often a credit card. On the business side it can be a business credit card, a business line of credit, an equipment or vendor account, or a bank's commercial loan, since the firm lists commercial collections and businesses among its clients. If you signed a personal guarantee, the creditor can pursue you as well as the company.

A letter from a law firm usually means one of three stages. Before suit, the firm is asking for payment and may be checking whether a suit is worth filing. During suit, it represents the creditor in court. After judgment, its post-judgment department works on collecting through garnishment of wages, bank accounts or tax refunds. The letter, the summons or the court notice tells you which stage you are in. Read it before you call.

Just got a letter from Stenger and Stenger? Check these five things first

A letter, call or summons from Stenger and Stenger means a creditor has handed an account to a law firm. Most people searching the name want two answers: is this real, and what happens next. Here is how to get both before you pay or promise anything.

1. Check that it is genuine. The firm's payments page says your file number has eight characters and appears on every document it sends. Match the phone number and address on the letter to the ones on the firm's own website: 888.305.7775, 616.940.1190 and 2618 East Paris Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546. The same page says checks are made payable to the original creditor, not to the firm. A caller who asks for a gift card, a wire transfer or a payment to some other name is a warning sign.

2. Find the creditor and the stage. The letter should name the creditor. Ask in writing whether it is the original lender or a buyer of the account. Then work out the stage: a demand letter before suit, a summons with a case number, or a garnishment or credit report inquiry after a judgment. Each stage has its own deadlines.

3. Decide whether it is a personal or a business debt. The firm lists commercial collections among its practice areas, so a business card, a business line of credit or a supplier account can land there too. If the account is in the company's name, look for a personal guarantee in the application. A consumer debt carries federal validation rights. A business debt generally runs on the contract and the court rules instead.

4. Dispute in writing if anything is off. For a consumer debt, a written dispute within the window on the first notice pauses collection of the disputed amount until verification is mailed. For any debt, ask for an itemized balance and a copy of the agreement, and keep proof of what you sent.

5. If you pay, use the firm's own channels and get it in writing. The payments page lists bank checking account, debit card, cash, check and money order, with online payments at paystenger.com. Agree the amount and terms in writing first. If there is a judgment, ask for a satisfaction of judgment to be filed with the court once you finish paying.

For a business owner, timing matters most. A Stenger letter often arrives while other business debts are also behind. Answer any summons by its deadline, and look at every debt together before you commit cash to one of them.

Your rights: which rules apply to which debt

The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act covers consumer debts only. The statute defines a debt as an obligation arising from a transaction that is primarily for personal, family or household purposes. Courts have applied it to lawyers who regularly collect consumer debts, including through lawsuits. For a consumer debt, the FDCPA gives you the right to dispute the debt in writing and ask for verification within the window stated in the first notice. Once you dispute in writing within that window, the collector must stop collecting the disputed amount until it mails verification. When the plaintiff is a debt buyer rather than the original creditor, our Jefferson Capital Systems review shows what that changes in the paperwork.

A business debt is generally outside the FDCPA. A business credit card, a business loan or a supplier account is usually a commercial obligation, even when the owner signed a personal guarantee. The protections built for household debts generally do not apply to it. That does not mean anything goes. It means your defenses come mainly from the contract, the court rules and general law rather than from that statute.

Michigan's Regulation of Collection Practices Act follows the same line. It counts an attorney who handles a claim or collection for a client in the attorney's own name as a regulated person. Its definition of a debt is limited to obligations from purchases made primarily for personal, family or household purposes. So it reaches consumer collections by a Michigan law firm, and generally not commercial ones. Minnesota takes a different route: its collection agency statute excludes lawyers, as our review of Gurstel Law Firm explains.

Professional conduct rules apply either way. Every lawyer at the firm is bound by the rules of professional conduct of the states where they practice. Those rules forbid knowingly false statements of material fact to others. If you believe a lawyer has misrepresented something, you can raise it with the court in your case or with that state's attorney discipline body.

What to check in your own paperwork

• Who the creditor is. The letter should name the current creditor. Ask in writing whether it is the original lender or a buyer of the account, and for the date the account was opened and the date of default.
• Which entity owes it. Is the account in the company's name, your name, or both? Find the application or agreement and look for a personal guarantee. That one signature decides whether your personal assets are in play.
• The balance and how it was built. Ask for an itemized statement: principal, interest, fees and any payments credited. Compare it with your own bank records.
• Whether a suit or judgment already exists. Search the online records of the court in the county where the business operates or where you live. If a judgment exists, get its date, amount and case number.
• Your payment history. Pull proof of every payment you made to the creditor or the firm. Several of the complaints above were about money taken after a balance was paid.
• Time limits. Note the date of your last payment. Statutes of limitation vary by state and by type of contract, and only a lawyer licensed there can tell you whether one applies.
• Who you are dealing with. Call the firm only at the numbers on its own website or on court papers, and send letters to the address on those papers. Do not pay anyone who contacts you claiming to be from the firm without checking.

If a lawsuit has been filed

The plaintiff will be the creditor, with Stenger & Stenger as its lawyers. In Michigan, smaller claims are usually filed in district court and larger ones in circuit court. Michigan Legal Help says you have 21 days to answer a complaint handed to you in person, and 28 days if it came by mail or you were served outside Michigan. Other states set their own deadlines, so read your summons.

If you do not answer, the court does not make the creditor prove anything, and the creditor wins by default. A default judgment lets the creditor ask the court for garnishment of wages, bank accounts and tax refunds, each subject to that state's limits and exemptions. Ask a lawyer whether your business can appear without one. Ask the same question about a personal guarantee.

Filing an answer does not end the chance to settle. It keeps it open. Some collection suits settle after an answer is filed, with the terms written into a stipulation the court can enforce. This page is general information, not legal advice. If you have been sued, talk to a lawyer licensed in the state where the case is filed.

Can a balance Stenger & Stenger is collecting be settled?

Often, yes, if the debt is real and the numbers are documented. Collection firms work within settlement authority set by their clients. Creditors weigh a lump sum or a short payment schedule against the cost and time of a judgment and garnishment. A business that can show a real drop in revenue, with bank statements, usually gets a more serious hearing than one that only asks for a discount.

Whatever you agree, get it in writing before you pay: the amount, the schedule, that it settles the account in full, and, if there is a suit or judgment, a dismissal or a satisfaction of judgment filed with the court. Keep proof of every payment. Then check that any garnishment has been released.

Business Debt Adjusters negotiates business debt, including business credit cards, business loans and merchant cash advances. We review the agreement, the guarantee, the balance and any court filings, and we tell you what is realistic before you commit to anything. If several debts are pressing at once, see how business debt settlement works and business credit card debt relief. If a merchant cash advance is part of the picture, see how MCA debt relief works, whether a merchant cash advance is a loan, and settlement versus bankruptcy.

Sources

• Stenger & Stenger, P.C., About (established 1994, collections law firm, pre-suit and post-judgment departments, 12 states)
• Stenger & Stenger, P.C., Payments (payment methods, paystenger.com, eight character file number, checks payable to the original creditor, phone, TTY and fax lines), read November 11, 2026
• Stenger & Stenger, P.C., home page (attorneys at law, debt collector footer, contact numbers), read November 11, 2026
• Stenger & Stenger, P.C., Practice Areas (client types, commercial collections and litigation practice areas)
• Better Business Bureau, Stenger & Stenger, PC profile (B+ rating, accredited since 3/21/2019, business started 12/27/1994, Phillip Stenger, President)
• Better Business Bureau, Stenger & Stenger, PC complaints (106 in 3 years, 22 in 12 months)
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database, company: Stenger & Stenger, P.C (401 complaints, 2013 to 2026)
• CourtListener federal docket search, case name Stenger & Stenger, P.C. (52 dockets)
• CourtListener docket, Crow v. Stenger & Stenger P.C., S.D. Ohio No. 1:24-cv-00532 (orders of May 14, 2025 and April 6, 2026)
• Better Business Bureau, Stenger & Stenger, PC customer reviews (2.64 out of 5 from 28 reviews)
• Super Lawyers, Phillip S. Stenger (Stenger & Stenger, PC, licensed in Michigan since 1988)
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database public API query, company: Stenger & Stenger, P.C (counts by product, issue, state and response)
• 15 U.S.C. 1692a, FDCPA definitions of consumer, debt and debt collector
• Michigan Compiled Laws 445.251, Regulation of Collection Practices Act definitions
• Michigan Legal Help, Going to Court to Defend a Debt Collection Case (21 and 28 day answer deadlines, default)

Facts on this page were checked against the linked sources on November 9, 2026, and the contact and payment details were rechecked on November 11, 2026. Business Debt Adjusters is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized to represent the company described.