How To Deal With Northstar Location Services

What Is Northstar Location Services?

Northstar Location Services LLC is a third-party debt collection agency. They’re part of The Northstar Companies, which has offices in both the U.S. and Canada. Northstar collects different types of consumer debt, including overdue credit card bills, medical bills, and utility balances.

Here’s their contact information: 

🌐 Website: https://www.thenorthstarcompanies.com/ 

📞 Phone number: (716) 817-6770 / (877) 630- 6700

📍U.S. office: 4285 Genesee Street, Cheektowaga, NY 14225

Canada office: 350 Bertie Street, Fort Erie, Ontario L2A 1Z5

Why Is Northstar Location Services Contacting Me?

If Northstar is contacting you, it likely means a company you owe money to has hired them to collect a debt. This could be from a credit card, medical bill, utility account, personal loan, or another type of unpaid balance.

Here’s how it usually works: If you miss several payments, the original company (called the creditor) may try to contact you through calls, emails, or letters. If they don’t get a response, they might bring in a debt collection agency like Northstar.

💬 Once Northstar is involved, they take over the collection process and become your main point of contact for anything related to the account — like settling the balance, setting up a payment plan, or asking questions about the debt.

Is Northstar Location Services Legit?

Yes, Northstar Location Services is a legitimate debt collection company. They’re not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), but as of late 2025, they have an A+ rating with the agency.

That said, many consumers have filed complaints about their experiences with Northstar. Northstar has a 1.0 out of 5-star customer review rating on BBB and has received 54 complaints in the past three years. In the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaint database, Northstar has received 113 complaints in the past year alone.

Several consumers say Northstar tried to collect a debt they didn’t owe. Others report receiving repeated phone calls, even after asking the company to stop. Some also say they weren’t given enough information to verify the debt.

Note to reader: These reviews and complaints highlight relevant issues but may not represent all consumers’ experiences.

🛡️ Trying to collect on a debt that someone doesn’t actually owe, or continuing to call after being asked not to, may be a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). This is a federal law that protects people from harassment and unfair practices by third-party debt collectors. 

🗂️ If you think a debt collector has broken the law, you can file a complaint with the CFPB. In some cases, people take legal action and recover money because of the violation.

How Do I Know if I’m Being Scammed?

Even though Northstar is a legitimate debt collection company, scammers sometimes pretend to be from real agencies like Northstar to trick people into giving up personal or financial information. 

🚩 A scammer may pressure you to share sensitive details, like your bank account number or Social Security number. This is information a real debt collector would usually already have. If someone asks for it without a clear explanation, that’s a red flag and could be a sign of a scam.

One of the best ways to protect yourself is to validate the debt (more on that below) and trust your gut. If the person seems pushy or something feels off, ask questions and take your time. You don’t have to move forward until you feel ready.

📣 If you think you’re dealing with a scammer, you can report them to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the government agency that helps protect consumers from fraud and identity theft.

Do I Have To Pay Northstar Location Services?

You might have to pay Northstar, but before you do, it’s important to make sure the debt is valid. Debt collectors sometimes get details wrong — like the amount owed or even who actually owes it. These kinds of mistakes are common when debts are transferred between companies.

✅ Debt validation helps confirm that:

• The debt is really yours.

• Northstar is allowed to collect it.

• The amount is correct.

Step 1: Send a Debt Verification Letter

If Northstar hasn’t already sent you a debt validation letter, you can request one from them. You can also create and send them a debt verification letter. 

📨 A debt validation letter is something the debt collector is required to send, either with their first contact or within five days of it. This letter should include important details about the debt, like the amount owed, the name of the original creditor, and how to dispute the debt in writing.

A debt verification letter is a letter you send to the debt collector if you didn’t receive a validation letter, need more information, or think there might be a mistake. Some use it to dispute the debt; others use it to double-check certain details.

📝 If you send a written dispute within 30 days of the debt collector's first contact, they usually have to pause collection efforts until they verify the debt.

If the debt turns out not to be yours, or if they can’t verify it, they’re not supposed to keep contacting you. But if they can prove the debt is valid, you’ll need to decide what to do next — whether that’s paying it, negotiating, or exploring other options.

Step 2: Decide What To Do Next

It may not feel like you have much say in what happens after Northstar validates your debt, but you do have options, including:

• Dispute the debt if you believe something is incorrect.

• Negotiate or settle the debt if you agree it’s yours but want to try to reduce the amount you pay.

• Ignore the debt (though this is rarely a good idea and can lead to more serious consequences).

👀 Let’s look at each one in more detail.

Option 1: Dispute the Debt

If something in your debt validation letter doesn’t look accurate, you have the right to dispute it. The validation letter should include instructions on how to do this.

It’s also a good idea to check your credit reports. If a collector has incorrect information, there’s a good chance the credit bureaus do, too. You can dispute inaccurate entries directly with them.

✉️ You can send a 609 letter to the credit bureau to dispute a debt entry or request more information about an item that appears on your credit report. It doesn’t guarantee removal, but it may help uncover reporting errors you can dispute.

📃 You can get a free credit report every week from each of the three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — at AnnualCreditReport.com.

Option 2: Negotiate the Debt and Make a Settlement Offer

If you can’t afford to pay the full amount of your debt (which is common), you may be able to negotiate a settlement to pay less than what you owe.

Debt collectors are often open to settling because they know it can be hard to collect the full balance, especially if the debt is old or long past due. Getting a partial payment now can be better for them than continuing to chase the full amount.

🤝 Settlements often fall between 40%–60% of the original amount owed. You can start discussions by offering a lower percentage (even starting as low as 25%), but be open to meeting at around 50%. Showing your willingness to negotiate may help you get a lower percentage.

Want help getting started? Check out Upsolve’s guide How To Win Against Northstar Location Services for tips on how to negotiate a successful settlement.

Option 3: Ignore the Debt (Not Recommended)

It’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed by debt and want to avoid dealing with it. But ignoring it usually makes things worse, not better. The debt won’t disappear, and collection efforts often intensify over time, causing even more stress.

What Happens if I Ignore Northstar Location Services?

Avoiding contact with Northstar might feel easier in the moment, but it often comes with consequences. 

Ignoring a debt collector could make things worse by:

• Hurting your credit score

• Increasing what you owe through added interest, fees, or legal costs

• Opening the door to a lawsuit

If Northstar sues you and you ignore the lawsuit, they can win the case by default. This is called a default judgment. It may allow them to garnish your wages or take other legal action to collect.

Avoiding the debt doesn’t stop collection efforts or erase what you owe. Negative marks on your credit report usually fall off after seven years, but the debt itself can still be collected as long as it’s within the statute of limitations.

Can Northstar Location Services Sue Me?

Yes, Northstar can sue you if their collection attempts go unanswered. If they've tried contacting you multiple times and haven’t heard back, they may take legal action by filing a debt collection lawsuit.

Whether or not they sue depends on a few things, like:

• Your state’s wage garnishment laws

• How long the debt has been in collections

• The amount you owe

How do you know if you’re being sued? You’re notified through a summons and a complaint — two official court documents. The summons notifies you of the lawsuit, and the complaint outlines the details of the case. These papers are usually delivered in person, either handed to you directly or left with an adult at your home.

If you get sued, it's important to respond! If you're worried about responding on your own but can't afford a lawyer, you can draft an answer letter for free or a small fee using our partner SoloSuit. They've helped hundreds of thousands of people respond to debt lawsuits, and they have a 100% money-back guarantee.

SoloSuit is an affiliate partner, which means Upsolve may earn a small commission if you choose to use their paid service. This helps keep our services free.

Bottom line: Facing Northstar might feel stressful, but Upsolve’s guide How To Win Against Northstar can help you understand your rights and move forward with confidence.

Let’s Summarize…

Northstar Location Services (The Northstar Companies) is a legitimate debt collection agency that collects different types of consumer debts. If Northstar contacts you, first validate that the debt is legitimate. If the debt is accurate and yours, take action and respond to Northstar as soon as possible. You may be able to negotiate a settlement to pay less than what you owe. Taking on a debt collection agency, like Northstar, can feel overwhelming, but it can be necessary to protect yourself and your personal finances.