FREEDOM FINANCIAL NETWORK
Consumer Complaints
There are over 95 complaints on file for FREEDOM FINANCIAL NETWORK. Dated between 2019-12-16 and 2019-07-18.
Complaints Page 3
2019-09-19
San Jacinto, CA
Unexpected or other fees
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit repair services
Complaint: This complaint is concerning the predatory and unethical business practices of Freedom Debt Relief. We had worked with Freedom Debt Relief for approximately two years paying off debts. We were working on the last account debt to be paid off and in XX/XX/2019 we had asked Freedom Debt Relief how much money we would need to deposit as a one time deposit so that all of my remaining debt would be paid off. They told us a quantity of {$1400.00} including their service and settlement fees. Freedom Debt Relief said that it was not possible to deposit to the account immediately and that the earliest they could withdraw the money was on XX/XX/XXXX. Freedom Debt Relief pulled out the money from our bank account on XX/XX/XXXX and then stated that they take up to 30 days to process the payment to the creditors. I checked with them at least 2 times before the 30 days had passed to see if they were able to prompt the system to send the payment to the creditors and they said they could not do it until 30 days passed. Once the 30 days passed ( XX/XX/XXXX ) they had not done the payment to pay off the debt and they only did a regular scheduled payment to the creditor ( {$210.00} ) instead of paying the debt in full and finalizing the program. On XX/XX/XXXX they pulled out additional service fees and now state that there is not enough money in our Freedom Debt Relief account to pay off the debt to the creditor in full as we initially had the agreement to do and Freedom Debt Relief is now requiring us to provide an additional payment to them in order to complete the amount needed to pay off the debt and because it takes 30 days to process when you do an extra deposit, they will charge additional service fees again for the next month. I authorized to make an extra deposit for {$45.00} so that there is enough money for the remaining of the debt plus additional fees that are accruing because of their negligence. If they do not do the deposit this time, again I will not have enough money to pay off the debt in full and will need to deposit even more money on fees for work that they are not doing.
I also asked for the transcripts of the chats ( all of these conversations were via online chat so there is written evidence of everything ) and when I asked for the transcripts, they replied they do not provide transcripts of the chats. We had an agreement with Freedom Debt Relief to pay off a debt in full and we are experiencing negligence and/or intentional actions by Freedom Debt Relief to not fulfill their agreed responsibilities and in addition to this they are charging us more fees and requiring us to make more deposits because of their refusal to fulfill their obligations as were agreed to. We need this cycle to end.
Company Response: Closed with monetary relief
2019-09-11
Graham, NC
Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing
Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service: Debt settlement
Company Response: Closed with monetary relief
2019-09-11
Occoquan, VA
Fraud or scam
Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service: Domestic (US) money transfer
Complaint: When I signed up for freedom debt relief in XXXX of XXXX with my payments beginning draft in XX/XX/XXXX, I was told settlement fees would only be taken AFTER each account is settled AND paid in full. I had three accounts with freedom showing paid in full at the termination of my program in XX/XX/XXXX. Upon further inspection freedom did not pay off any of these accounts in full yet they charged settlement fees. Now freedom is denying this was said or implied, just as they did with their previous lawsuits ( of the many reasons for their suit filed in XX/XX/XXXX : deceives consumers about the extent of their services and deceives consumers about its fees. ) I have since discovered they lied about being better business bureau affiliated. They actually have a b- rating due to multiple complaints and government actions ( aka lawsuits ) against them. I have tried explaining to freedom all the troubles they have caused me ( just as in previous lawsuits against them ) they caused me further credit delinquency and have caused me to accrue more debt due to fees and their lack of follow through. When I was in email conversation with XXXX XXXX XXXX, a reputation management specialist, she advised since I signed the contract I was entitled to no further action up to and including a full refund due to their negligence in upholding their end of our contract. .She would not hear me out, not even to consider a partial refund. She then exchanged a snarky email with her supervisor and had a copy sent to me. She lied about these lawsuits and said they were settled in XXXX when in fact they were settled in XX/XX/XXXX. This company took {$1900.00} of my hard earned money and paid less than {$330.00} of my debt while taking astronomical fees for their settlements. Also once I complained, XXXX XXXX was able to produce a settlement agreement with XXXX and XXXX, and a memo of my financial ledger ( which I have never seen. I believe this would fall under deceives in general ). I also advised XXXX XXXX I preferred email contact as I work nights for my local XXXX agency yet she continued to call me, more proof freedom doesnt listen to her clients or previous clients as in this case. She also advised through better business bureau that the matter is resolved and it is far from resolved.
Id love to provide all of our email exchanges as well as screenshots of my account with freedom debt relief. I also have print out of others complaining on bbb and also reporting them as scam artists.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-09-04
San Gabriel, CA
False statements or representation
Debt collection: Credit card debt
Attempted to collect wrong amount
Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX, I signed up with XXXX XXXX from XXXX XXXX, which represents Freedom Debt Relief. She did was not explain in detail the fees Freedom Debt charges after specifically asking Ms. XXXX about how does Freedom gets paid. She advised me that Freedom only takes 25 % from the deposits that were made.
Even after speaking with numerous customer service reps and even after a customer service rep that I contacted on XX/XX/XXXX, regarding one of my accounts being negotiated ( XXXX XXXX ), still did not explain that this account was being charged {$1100.00} alone which is 21 % of how much the loan was negotiated and I had numerous accounts that was going to be negotiated.
On XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke with XXXX XXXX on the information and advised and from what the previous customer service rep advised to me, regarding my fees on each account that Freedom charges on each account that is negotiated. That is when I have decided to cancel my Freedom account due to not given proper detailed information that I asked for even after I specifically asked for, which kept me from making a sound decision of my options with freedom.
On XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, I requested to cancel my account with Freedom and refund my deposit of {$910.00}. My payments were deposits and deposited into a holding account, therefore my deposits are entitled to be refunded back to me. XXXX XXXX advise my deposits will not be refunded and on XX/XX/XXXX, advised my Freedom Account will be closed. Freedom Debt wasted my time and my debts went into default therefore I had to file for bankruptcy.
Company Response: Closed with monetary relief
2019-09-03
Winton, CA
Incorrect information on your report
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting
Account information incorrect
Complaint: On XX/XX/2019 I was issued a paid-in-full letter from Freedom Financial. They continue to report an incorrect balance of {$12000.00}, when, in fact, there is XXXX balance due to them. I have paid the account in full and I was never late.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-31
AL
Unexpected or other fees
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit repair services
Complaint: Freedom debt relief has been charging us for over a year now for services that was not explained
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-28
MO
Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit repair services
Complaint: I went to freedom debt relief after paying my credit cards half on my cards and even paying some in full only to find out my estrand husband ran all my credit cards up behind my back so i reach out to freedom debt relief was in program 21 months they took XXXX dollars from me only to find out they had done nothing but. took my money my check started get garnish i started getting judgements now im about to be homless
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-27
Sacramento, CA
Charged fees or interest you didn't expect
Payday loan, title loan, or personal loan: Installment loan
Complaint: I was told my loan was been processed for disbursement on XX/XX/XXXX. Every day since day of processing, my account has been accumulating interest even when no disbursements have been made. I have contacted the credit card companies who have stated they have not recieved any funds from FreedomPlus and does not see anything incoming as of XX/XX/XXXX. I have contacted FreedomPlus to request documentation that the loan was disbursed in order for them to charge interest. I was told they could not provide any such verification. They have refused to remove the interest off of my loan even though they have not disbursed funds. I told them I starting to feel like this is a scam and to please cancel my loan if they will not disburse. I have received no communication regarding the cancellation of my loan ... no follow up to any of my requests.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-27
Tuckasegee, NC
Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit repair services
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-20
San Jacinto, CA
Fraud or scam
Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service: Debt settlement
Complaint: XX/XX/2019 was contacted by a financial advisor from XXXX XXXX XXXX. He said I wasn't qualified for the loan due to high ratios, then he proceeded to solicit service for Freedom Debt Relief. At the time, I was unaware that he was employed by XXXX XXXX. It was very aggressive sale tactic. I informed his I wasn't late with any of my creditors. He told me it would take years (15) to get out of debt and this is a quicker solution. I asked him who would notify the creditors and he said they would. This ended up to be a lie. He did not thoroughly explain how the fees worked. After we enrolled, we had to have the start date at the time of my husband's SSI deposit which is the XXXX of the month. After we made the second deposit. On XX/XX/2019, we received a Settlement Agreement for Rise Loan. The loan was for XXXX, the settlement amount was XXXX. The settlement fee was not listed on the authorize to settle form. It did state that "This settlement and any associated fees are scheduled to be paid over 8 payments." I was taken back when I checked my XX/XX/2019 statement on my dedicated account and it showed my deposits of XXXX, XXXX distributed to Rise and all the remaining funds to fees. I called customer service and was told that all their fees are to be paid up front not as noted on the settlement agreement. On XX/XX/2019 I spoke with customer service to again clarify the interest rate and terms. I told her I was not happy with there service as it causing me more fees from my creditors. After speaking with customer service a week later, I sent a notice in writing that that we were terminating the plan. Customer service requested that I call them and I didn't get notice that we were terminated until XX/XX/2019. At that time, we requested the remaining money in the dedicated account and they informed me that it was all towards their fees due. I questioned why they would be entitled to the XXXX remaining amount and she stated that we owe the full fee charged for the settlement. We feel their business practice is very deceptive and they prey on vulnerable people. This is no different than the payday loan business on steroids. We had 24 accounts listed and by not notifying our creditors that we enrolled in their plan, would leave us open to not only destroyed credit, but being sued. I would have NEVER agreed to NOT having my creditors notified. If I would have known that for each account they were going to take all the fees in front of the creditors, I would NEVER have agreed. Now, we are left with excessive fees, late payment fees, and creditors calling constantly. Words cannot say how dissatisfied I am. I feel scammed and they practice deceptive business practices. Now they tell me out of nearly $900, that most of the money went to them. This is not right! Lastly, I noticed that they were sued and settled in XX/XX/2019. Yet, still their methods of business remain the same and I just became another victim of there scam.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-19
Springfield, MO
Fraud or scam
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit repair services
Complaint: Freedom Debt Relief and XXXX XXXX XXXX took $XXXX of my money after they said they settled a debt. I had several credit cards to have settled, they did settle two of them as promised, but then it went south I had saved up $XXXX in my account, they could have taken care of half of my accounts with this but they went after the largest account so they could take my money and get paid instead of paying off my debts. They negotiated $XXXX month payments for like 5 years. Then they emptied out my account for their commission so when the payment was due on the settlement they negotiated. I had a XXXX balance and the creditor withdrew from the agreement.I called several representatives in the company to find out why my account was XXXX yet not one of my existing debts had been paid nobody could answer me. It took me several days and phone calls to have someone finally explain what they did. This was deceptive business practice on their part,they only went after this account as soon as I reached their commission amount in savings andleft nothing in the account to pay the debt. They won’t give me a refund and the lady I spoke to that finally answersWhere my money went admitted they could have handled it better but I still wasn’t getting a refund so I closed my account.After I closed my account I was harassedFor 3 more months asking me where my payment was and that I needed to submit it.My account was closed they still wanted me to send them money. They blamed the fact that I deferred a few monthly payments and that nullified my contract and ability to get a refund. When I signed up I was verbally told by XXXX XXXX that they would work with me, the money in the account was mine and I could use it if needed and I could also defer payment if I had a hardship without penalty but none of that was true.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-13
Queens, NY
Fraud or scam
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit repair services
Complaint: Ok i was promised a settlement of XXXX to XXXX to settle my debt of XXXX their fees included now they settled one card with their fee it comes out to XXXX dollars that's no where near what They promised me/imagine when they settle the other 2 cards how much will it be and at the end of the program id probably end up paying XXXX dollars when i caught on to the scam after 9 months i asked for a refund because i was mislead they kept XXXX and now i have XXXX left in their account and they want to keep it as well i no longer want to continue the program im not in a contract and would like a refund they denied it so now im XXXX down i want a full refund Nd i want to warn everyone about freedom debt relief they tell you one thing and on the disclosure its something else i work hard for my money and they took advantage of someone looking for a way out of debt
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-10
Rncho Domingz, CA
Confusing or missing disclosures
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit repair services
Complaint: I open an account with Freedom Debt Relief to consolidate my debt. My first payment was deducted out of my account in XXXX of 2018. My account shows that 2 accounts have been resolved, but when I look into details, I show that 3 payments have been made in full. This does not match my dashboard. The settlement amounts are less than the amount that the company claims has been paid. Im addition, my credit score stays the same or gets worse as time goes on. I reached out to Freedom Debt Relief in hopes of bettering not only myself, but my financial situation.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-07
Memphis, TN
Fraud or scam
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit repair services
Complaint: My complaint is against Freedom Debt Relief. I signed up with them because they said they could settle my debt quickly and improve my credit score. I paid them {$590.00} twice per month. I got several alerts that settlements had been made, but to my surprise, after over a year of paying them every month, none of my accounts have been settled. On top of that, they took {$590.00} out of my personal banking account on a date that was not allowed or authorized by me. My bank had to work to get that money back in my personal account because Freedom Debt Relief would not. I tried talking with them, I spoke with supervisors and I spoke with XXXX XXXX and they would not help.
Freedom Debt Relief has mislead me and made my financial situation worse. They told me not to pay on my debt and tell anyone that calls that my debt was being handled by Freedom Debt Relief however, nothing was settled.
They mislead me about their services, my rights, their negotiating power etc. They told me they can negotiate with any creditor and thats why i dont have to take any creditor calls. And if they say FDR cant work with them, then they are lying to me. But really, Freedom Debt Relief ( FDR ) was lying to me.
Thank you.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-07
Heights, TX
Fraud or scam
Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service: Debt settlement
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-07
Goshen, VA
Unexpected or other fees
Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service: Debt settlement
Complaint: I started using Freedom Debt Relief on XX/XX/XXXX.
I closed my account with them on XX/XX/XXXX.
I believe I've been charged fees for debts not settled and other extra fees.
XX/XX/XXXX, ( XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX, ( XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX, ( XXXX ) unsettled debt, XX/XX/XXXX, ( XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX, ( XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX, ( XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX, ( XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX, ( XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX, ( XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX, ( XXXXXXXX ) Claimed they had settled a debt on XX/XX/XXXX, and charged me a debt settlement fee of XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, I found out that it had never been settled. I asked for a letter stating that the debt had been settled. FDR sent me a paper twice but it wasn't proof of settlement. The third time I called them, I was given a hard time. These fees and a lot of other smaller fees were charged to me also. I really feel like this company was deceptive to me when I signed up for the program. I would never suggest this to anyone else.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-06
Blaine, MN
Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting
Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-04
Fresno, CA
Unexpected or other fees
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit repair services
Complaint: I was looking for a consolidation loan so I could payoff my credit card debt before I retired. I called many banks. Although my repayment history was good, I had too much debt. I kept on hearing that there was a way to payoff my dept at a much lower amount. The salesperson told me that it was a government created program and that I would be out of debt in three years. They said I would pay into an account and they would payoff my credit cards. They disclosed that I would pay two monthly service fees -- one for the service and one for an attorney -- about {$12.00} each. I never had a paper copy of the contract before signing it. They had me review it with them on the phone while I Iooked at the screen on my computer and I signed it electronically at that time. I never had a paper copy to review before I signed the contract.
I paid each month into an account and assumed that my debts were being taken care of. I started getting calls from debt collectors and I told them that they would now be paid by Freedom Debt Relief. I called up Freedom Debt Relief and they said that the calls would stop soon -- settlements took time. They never stopped. Nor did the collection letters.
They then told me of two settlements with two of my credit cards. The amounts of the settlement was much lower than what I originally owed. However, I found out that they add a fee of 21 percent on the original dept ( which in most cases was higher than my original interest rate ). They said that I had a agreed to that fee when I electronically signed the contract.
After a while, they called me up and said I could pay off my debts with a loan from them. This is what I wanted to do in the first place. Then they started pressuring me into taking the loan. The loan was for {$50000.00} at 22 %. I said the percentage rate was too high and they said I could not get a lower rate because I had so many delinquencies. I said that I had been paying all my cards on time until they got involved. I did not take the loan. That would have been a worse mistake than signing up in the first place.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-08-01
Soquel, CA
Written notification about debt
Debt collection: Credit card debt
Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Complaint: I have been on XXXX since XXXX XXXX. I had used my 401k to supplement my XXXX income to continue to pay 5 obligations. I ran out of 401k money in XX/XX/XXXX and am still on temp XXXXy. I was solicited by Freedom Debt Relief ( FDR ) to consolidate my obligations I have been unable to pay. I contacted their 800 # and the program was explained by XXXX XXXX, Senior Financial Consultant. He sent me the documents to sign to set up the program and explained that my credit would most likely have late payments on it. I explained to him that I know I owe the money and intended to pay if I was awarded social security XXXX. He assured me that they would be able to negotiate settlement amounts, and I reiterated how important it was to minimally affect my credit. They determined an amount to collect from me of {$760.00} per month to pay the obligations they would be negotiating settlements on. Although this amount is high it was much less than the monthly payments I have been making. I did not think I had a choice. They have withdrawn 6 monthly payments from my account for a total of {$4500.00}. Since XXXX only one account ( XXXX ) settled in XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX has filed legal papers to sue me for the amount I owe. In order to respond to the summons I had to engage the legal company FDR has a relationship with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ). To respond to this summons it is a cost of {$220.00}. I requested that money from the bank holding the deposits from FDR. According to FDR because I took this money out they could not pay {$200.00} to the XXXX account therefore it is delinquent now. The issue I have is that FDR withdrew their fee the minute XXXX responded to a settlement and drained the account that had my deposits. I have been in contract for their services for 6 months and all I withdrew was {$220.00}. I believe that FDR is capitalizing on the fact that they are controlling my deposits and paying themselves when only one account has been settled. Yet that account XXXX is now delinquent to the settlement that FDR blames on my withdrawal. The bank account ( XXXX XXXX ) currently shows {$930.00} when they have withdrawn from me {$4500.00}. This company has taken advantage of my hardship and paid themselves with very little performance on the negotiating. They claim they have to wait to see what the court will say about the XXXX account, a court case I had no idea would come up from the structure of this program. I do believe that this company has misrepresented how efficient their operation was supposed to be. They should not withdraw their fee until each of the 5 obligations I had were settled. Only then do I believe they have earned their part. Thank you for your assistance.
Company Response: Closed with monetary relief
2019-08-01
Unexpected or other fees
Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service: Debt settlement
Company Response: Closed with monetary relief
2019-07-30
Santa Rosa, CA
Fraud or scam
Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service: Debt settlement
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-07-28
Ft Myers, FL
Written notification about debt
Debt collection: Credit card debt
Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Complaint: I went with company spent alot of money and only one of my debts were cleared, i gave XXXX a month for over a year. I talked a gentleman he said is there any money that they keep on hand, so i called and nothing was done, so i still have alot of debt and thought most of it was handled with freedom debt relief, not sure what has happened but i know i spent a bunch of money, i dont want to get anyone in trouble I just want my credit score back and money what is owed to me thankyou XXXX
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-07-28
Grants Pass, OR
Fraud or scam
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit repair services
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-07-26
Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing
Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service: Debt settlement
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-07-25
OH
Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit repair services
Complaint: XX/XX/2017 I signed up with Freedom Debt Relief, since that time they've paid off one credit card and I have about nine others to go. There are two cards that are aggressively pursuing me, one has already wiped out my entire account the other is going after my work pay. During this time they've been completely silent, even accused me of not turning in paperwork, which I did several times. I called FDR they said, I will have to handle the two cards on my own. I told them, " this is what I pay you all for '', to that they said there was nothing that they could do. They are not even making phone calls to the companies they're just watching me drown while still profiting off of me. Of the $ XXXX that I have paid them to date, I can account for {$7500.00}.
Company Response: Closed with explanation