David Mitchell S.
I am both Embarrassed and Ashamed!
I am both Embarrassed and Ashamed! I cannot believe that people would consciously occupy themselves all-day long with an effort to scam people; what a gross expression of artistry. These people are, to be sure, con artists. My first thought was to not delve in such a situation, but because I have always paid my bills and have never neglected them, I was hoping this would be a viable option to be fair with my creditors, given this turn of personal events; I have recently experienced some extreme health challenges along with a drastic change in income status. So, I viewed this option as a means of handling my debts responsibly, to bring about a positive conclusion before any lateness would occur, given my situation. It has been since October 25, 2023, and I've been unsettled ever since. Phone calls, emails, text messages, mailings have been very unsettling. The company never talks about their fees, but only that once there is "enough" money accumulated in the account. I was told their fee for settling each account would be $25.00. I thought that was great, so I subscribed to this service. But I was then heartbroken, after four months, during a recent phone call with one representative who spilled the beans about their fee, and said, read your contract. Nestled way down in the contract is a fee of 25% of each debt settled. Who in their right mind, knowing this upfront, would agree to such?! So, the plan here is to string the time out as long as possible to ensure that late fees attach, making their portion as large as possible before contacting the client about settlement. 25% of $9500.00 = $2,375.00. That's just for one creditor! Just imagine if one has multiple credit accounts for settlement?! However, to date, there is no activity worth speaking of; my agent does not respond to my inquiries (voice nor email), the main number is inoperative, and my number has been blocked from my agent; my escrow account is missing money - even though there's been no authorized expenditure toward the settling of any debt; the list of accounts was inaccurate, and finally my emails to the company I've been switched to (Atlas), is not responding to my inquiries; their site says it will take 5-7 days before anyone will get back to me. Today, I have contacted the Federal Trade Commission regarding this. I do not know what the outcome will be here, but I have to do something. For sure, I now have to go back to every one of my creditors and attempt to arrange a solution to bring this situation to the best possible conclusion. My advice to any who read this is: Follow your first mind. In reading these reviews, both positive and negative; I noticed a lot of positives which is what won me over, but what I have been caused to focus on more clearly because of my experience, is the fact that there are no reviews which state that this company has successfully settled anyone's debt. Not one! Don't be swayed by a nice voice over the phone, or their explanation of how credit or debt settlement works; you already know this information; they are masters at persuading people to subscribe to their service as a 'convenience' to you, that's why they are the ones talking on the phone. That's what makes them con artists. I knew better, and I'm ashamed and embarrassed for not doing what I should have done. And now this is the result of false thinking. Extreme Inconvenience.