Canadians Warned About Vortex Debt Group

Well here it comes again, more warnings from Canada about Vortex Debt Group in Florida.

CBC News out of Canada today is reporting:

“I feel like a victim of a crime, like somebody’s just come into my house and stolen things from my house from me, because basically that’s what they’ve done,” said Adrienne Saunders, of London, Ont., who signed up with Vortex in April after she saw a pop-up ad online and inquired about the company’s services as she and her husband mulled his possible retirement.

After speaking to a representative over the phone, Saunders signed an electronic contract after the representative assured her she would have three days to cancel if she decided not to proceed.

The same day, she and her husband decided to cancel the contract. The next day, she cancelled the contract online and printed the cancellation confirmation. She said the representative called her to try and persuade her to stay with the company, but she refused. Days after cancelling the contract, on April 19, Vortex took $450 from her bank account.

‘How can people like that sleep at night’

She told her bank to cancel access to her account and initiate recovery procedures, which were successful. Saunders has tried to contact the company and the representative she talked to directly by telephone and emails, but has yet to get a response.

“They’ve taken money out of our bank account, and it really gets me angry that they can do that,” Saunders told CBC News.

“I mean how can people like that sleep at night? I just don’t understand that. Because the way I was brought up and the way I live, you know, you don’t do that. That’s underhanded.”

Vortex Debt Group has been operating in the debt settlement industry all over the U.S. for almost 20 years. The company has not responded to requests from CBC News for comment.

The company says on its website it has a team of representatives that “help to settle your debt for less than what you owe,” and focuses on consumer credit counselling, bankruptcy, debt consolidation and managing accounts.

The company uses telemarketing to reach consumers offering debt negotiation services and charges a set-up fee, as well as a monthly monitoring fee.

‘Lucky for us, our account was empty’

Susanne and Corey Cyr of Mississauga, Ont., also contacted Vortex after Susanne saw an ad on Facebook.

“My husband has been out of work since last April, and with his EI about to run out and our bills accumulating, I went to the internet to see what kind of help I could find for us,” Susanne, a 40-year-old bus driver with three daughters, told CBC News.

After filling out a questionnaire, the couple said they received a phone call from a representative who convinced them to disclose personal details, including their bank account information.

“They said that it was so they could type up the paperwork and mail it to us,” Susanne said. “We were to look it over, sign it and send it back right away so we could get started.”

After the couple received the documents, they noticed several errors and missing information and called the company to fix the mistakes.

“We didn’t sign anything, and called to get the paperwork corrected,” she said. “A few days later, they tried to take money out of our bank account. Lucky for us, our account was empty.”

The couple said they contacted their bank to report what happened, and their bank manager agreed to waive the non-sufficient funds fee. When Vortex tried to withdraw money a second time, Corey Cyr called the firm to “tell them to get lost.” – Source