This review is the result of a question I received asking me about this company.
Address:
Freedom Business Group, LLC
3370 Capital Circle NE
Tallahassee, FL 32308
Website:
DebtHarmony.com
The domain name was originally registered on April 11, 2007.
Description:
Debt settlement company.
Management
James K Steinmetz
Jacqueline N Steinmetz
Contacts
Krista Setinmetz – info@debtharmony.com
Kyle Steinmetz – kyle@fbgrp.com
Phone Number: 1-866-448-2014
Email – inquiries@fbg.org
Relationships
jckc.us
consolidation911.com
fbg.org
DebtHelpForMom.com
ListMyDebt.com
USAdebt.net
JustDebt.net
Interesting Points
I found the information on their site about bankruptcy to appear to misrepresent the facts about bankruptcy.
Bankruptcy should always be a last resort as it could have a long-term negative effect. There is also a monetary cost associated. You could be required to go to court and possibly face some of your creditors. Bankruptcy will remain on your credit history for up to 10 years and can impact your ability to get credit, or possibly employment. Additionally, a bankruptcy history can impact the cost insurance and your lifestyle. – Source
Bankruptcy is an appropriate solution in any situation where the consumer wants to stop collection activity, avoid lawsuits and resolve their debt is a reasonable manner. While there is a monetary cost associated with bankruptcy it is usually less that the cost of debt settlement and the added fees and penalties debt settlement clients incur. While a Chapter 7 bankruptcy will remain on your credit report for up to 10 years, a Chapter 13 bankruptcy will be reported for 7 years just like the bad debt created by debt settlement. There are very few people that are actually prevented from getting a job as the result of bankruptcy, I would estimate the percentage of people that have a tougher time getting a job or security clearance as the result of debt settlement would be higher. Bankruptcy can impact the cost of insurance but debt settlement can as well due to the lower credit score one would have once their accounts go into default and debt is forgiven and reported as a bad debt. You would think that Debt Harmony would know better since James Kyle Steinmetz filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2003.
Debt harmony says collection calls will slow.
Most of your collection calls will begin to dissipate if you apply the techniques we will provide to you. However nobody can guarantee that you will not receive any harassing creditor calls. – Source
Collection calls actually accelerate. As your debt become delinquent when you enter the debt settlement program you should expect collection calls to accelerate. No debt settlement company has any control over preventing calls from any original creditor that owns your debt. The reason nobody can’t guarantee you won’t get collection calls in a debt settlement program is because you will get them.
I stopped pointing out misleading messages on the site at this point. Overall the site seems to be a marketing portal to encourage people to signup for their debt settlement services without providing a comprehensive review of the tax consequences of settling debt, warnings about lawsuits from creditors when settling debt or a discussion about the effectiveness of debt settlement as a solution. You might want to read The Truth About The Failure Rates and Completion Rates of Credit Counseling, Debt Settlement, and Bankruptcy.
BBB Reviews & Ratings
BBB review on the day I wrote this rating.
Complaints
None found.
Picture of Web Site
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