Question:
Dear Steve,
I signed up with these people from My Enrollment Center in Florida (Robert) for debt help more than 1 month ago.
They had me meet with a paralegal for Colonial Law Group, before signing the contract.
The customer support person I speak to is nice and professional, but they cant seem to get me any answers as to why the program payment has not been taken. I have not paid any of my bills since I signed up. They have all my personal information and I have sent them statements from my credit cards. I am not sure if I should cancel or not.
Answer:
Thank you for sending in your information. This is the second inquiry I’ve had about My Enrollment Center and Colonial Law Group in a short period of time. Please see Reader Expresses Concern About My Enrollment Ctr and Colonial Law Group for my previous observations on the companies.
A couple of points jump out at me from what you’ve shared. The first is the fact you were met by a paralegal before signing the contract. If the contract was for some sort of debt relief services then if history is a good guide the strategy employment seems to be an attempt to get around the Telemarketing Sales Rules that prevent advanced fees. This is often a strategy which is employed by alleged law groups. The loophole however has been discredited by the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Without seeing the contract you signed I have no clear idea what the program is you’ve enrolled into. You can forward me documents through this link.
Second, it sounds as if you’ve enrolled in some sort of debt reduction program or settlement program. In that approach the company would collect funds from you and NOT pay your creditors until sufficient funds were available for a settlement offer. Some variations include a self-saving component where you are required to save the settlement funds yourself.
Until adequate settlement funds are available, the company would not make payments to your creditors and you would fall delinquent and find yourself in collections.
It is alarming you have been unable to get the answers you so rightly deserve. If this situation persists then you might want to raise the level of your displeasure and follow the process I lay out in How to Try to Get a Refund From a Debt Relief Company.
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