Date This Problem Happened: January 31, 2012

State You Live in: California

Race/Ethnicity: White

Age Range: 51-65

Total Amount of Fee Paid: $3,000

Company Name: Freedom Debt Relief – Freedom Financial

Company Address:

4940 Wendler Drive
Suite 101
Tempe, Arizona 85282

Company Telephone Number: 800-655-6303

Website of Company: freedomdebtrelief.com

Consumer Statement:

I am dealing with a company by the name of Freedom Financial. I have been in a debt re-payment program for over 30 months. I am 97% of the way through the program and it has more-or-less worked for me. Now that I am completing my goals, I have asked for a reduction in my monthly draft. I am being refused.

There are three areas I feel I am being totally scammed in, to date:

The first: One of my creditors has been paid and post-settlement, it appears, the creditor has “sold” my settled account to yet another collection agency and they have turned to Freedom to re-collect a new amount, complete with their fees and interest. I have been told: “You have to settle for this amount” There has been no credit for anything I have paid in the past, nothing has been applied from the old “owners.” I have kept all of the settlement papers (faxes to Freedom). This has been ongoing since inception of the “sale&quo t; (from GE Money/Banana Republic to creditor to creditor). Freedom does NOT care.

Second: Draft amount reduction. They don’t care. 97% settled and they still want $600 in the “kitty.” I haven’t worked for nearly a year, but the draft still has gone to my account, a substantial amount sits in their account to pay my negotiated creditors and nearly every account is settled or cleared or deemed struck from existence. Having talked to yet another account representative, I took off two insignificant accounts and brought my accounts to 100% settled. Freedom, in turn, sent me a form telling me they had reduced my draft to $501 monthly. I didn’t agree to this (although their email to me told me I had four (4) days to fax the signed form back to them or the new draft amount would be null and void. I keep explaining I DO NOT have this money for them to withdraw from my account and do not want to jeapordize the existing structured settlement (Bank of America). These are the terms of that settlement: $2840 (Bank of America). Payments began in July @ $237.41 monthly ending in June of 2012. I have in my account $1,100. I had an additional account “SETTLE” this past week, for what I believed to be $306 (MACY’S) and asked the account representative to SETTLE IN FULL (the money was in my account) and to “make it go away…I’m done with Freedom”). This would leave approximately $900 in my account to pay to Bank of America. I believe Freedom Financial is deliberately putting my structured settlement in danger of failure in order for them to gain financially (kick-back?) on the money I have all ready paid to Bank of America. I have deferred February’s payment (financial reasons), but for me to have to financially burden myself with a $501 payment for them to draw interest on, when there is no reason ($237.41 monthly to BofA), puzzles me and makes me further think there is something serio usly wrong with this entity. To endanger my settlement will bring my obligation back to the $9,000 I originaly owed them and Freedom Financial will walk away with nearly $3,000 of my hard-earned money because this is what it cost me before they even began negotiating anything with my creditors.

By the way, the Macy’s account was settled for $506, through and including payments that will continue through 2013 (2013?????). What?

Scam. Total scam. I need an attorney. Do you have one for me?

Consumer Action Taken:

I have called and spent hours on the phone with these people with no luck.

They know about the problem with the two accounts (one paid and the other demand for payment). Please ask them to refer to the email “chain” to/from/Theresa Irwin/Chuck/Chen. I will demand the GE Money/Banana Republic Account to be fully resolved. If this is not the case, TWO structured payments in the amount of $181,49, plus interest be refunded to my account accordingly from September and October 2009.

I have requested the amount of the draft be lowered to $237.41 and the amounts to be paid to Bank of America, as I agreed, as and until this account is paid in full June of 2012. This account is to remain valid and Freedom Financial is to quit with the monkey business. Quit with underlying harrassment. Quit. I am unemployed, not destitute.

Macy’s Account – the account was to have settled, in full, in the amount of $306.00. Not $506, as indicated on my client profile. The recorded phone call will reveal a lot. Freedom Financial does this for a reason (to protect their callers). I did not authorize the settlement to drag on for a year as indicated in this written profile.

My profile reflects sufficient funds to complete the business between us. I do not authorize future drafts in excess of $237.41 from my bank account.

I do not have copies of my contract that can attached to this document (I have a re-built computer and those do not seem to be available). My account number with Freedom Financial is ALW842228 and by this email, you have permission to discuss this problem with

Note:

The Myvesta Foundation sent a letter to the company at the address given or found and asked them to publicly respond to this complaint.

If you feel you’ve been financially hurt by a debt relief company and deserve a refund, read these step-by-step instructions on how to proceed to attempt to get your money back.

If you do get your money back, come back and leave a comment about it. I’d love to praise companies that step-up and do the right thing for people.

Scam reports are submitted by consumers like you. If you would like to file a scam report, please click here.

If you are the company named in this report and you want to respond, please read How to Handle a Consumer Complaint Like a Pro And Come Out Smelling Like a Rose