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Tara of Fort Smith, AR November 22, 2008
Basically i have been with their program for 6 months now, and have currently paid them 1,500. Upon entering the program i was told that they would help me by reducing my credit card balance by 40-60%. That i was to save each month so that when they did reach a settlement than i was to pay them with that money. Or if i didnt have it than to cash out my 401k or borrow from family members.
Their fee was 3,000 in the end but they were there for me. Well everyday i recieve harassing phone calls from credit card companies and they would tell me that they havent heard from credit solutions or recieved any paperwork from them. So each month my balance grew on 1 card from 7500 to 9500. 2 of the cards have been sent to collection agencies. I feel that im on the verge of being sued and currently talking to a bankruptcy laywer.
I called to tell them that i wanted out of the program and want my money back. He told me that there was no refunds. I had agreed online to this,even though there is a 100% money back guarantee on the website. I am very upset that they have put me in a worse situation than i was in. I only wanted help but instead i have been taken advantage of.
The damages have resulted have been that each month the finance charges and late fees have multiplied. That everyday i recieve calls and messages from creditors. That they have taken 1500 from me and have done nothing, then they wont refund me. That i am about to be sued anyday, which has reduced me to consider bankruptcy. The embarassment that this will cause to me. Future job positions that i may been considered move up to with my employer. (management) To have my credit show seriously deliquint pay history. And to have my credit ruined for the next 5 to 7 years. Rhonda of Bradford, PA November 13, 2008
I have been with Credit Solutions since July/Aug 2007. I have paid them monthly and am still in debt. There were NEVER reasonable offers made to me and I always spoke to a different person on the phone. Today, I was on the phone with them for no LESS than 25 minutes asking for confirmation that I was OUT of their program.. 25 MINUTES! Getting passed from one person to the next. Why it was so difficult to get out of their program is uncomprehensible to me. It was real EASY for them to take my payments. I have never argued with creditors as much as I had to argue with them to cancel out.
I am here to tell you, Credit Solutions is not the ANSWER! I am STILL deeply in debt, been sued and out a lot of monthly payments which could have been used for the good. If Credit Solutions would have argued with my creditors, and tried to convince them, the way they tried to convince me to stay in their program, things might have turned out differently. All I know is that they are that much richer now that they have my money along with everyone else's on this site. I am so sorry for us all. Hopefully people will read these complaints before they get mixed up with Credit Solutions.
Matthew And Carissa Renken of Jerseyville, IL November 10, 2008
We, up until involving ourselvs with CSA, had a very good credit history but were beginning to be overwhelmed by credit card bills after I lost my full time job. We joined CSA in Aug of 07. We had enrolled multiple accounts with them and paid well over 1000.00 for there service..or shall i say lack there of. CSA was to work with our creditors directly on our behalf to negotiate settlements on our accounts for a fraction of the balance. We were under the impression that we would pay CSA a service fee for a period of time and save extra funds on our own to pay the settlements as they came. We would be taking care of our debt in less than 4 years. CSA representative stressed that they would be working with us on a wkly and monthly basis touching base with us to insure we were saving out funds.
After a month or so went by and I never got a phone call from CSA I began to worry. The only people I had heard from were my creditors...EVERYDAY. My creditors all stated that they had not been contacted by CSA and some even told me that they do not even acknowledge this company. They even tried to warn me. I began calling CSA for answers. CSA representatives advised us to not speak with any of our creditors as this would only jeprodise the settlement process that CSA was working out and confuse the creditors. They assured my that they were contacting my creditors and that the creditors would tell me anything to get their money. Little did I know that CSA were the ones willing to tell my anything!
I continuted to be as patient as I could with CSA over the next month but this did not last as one day my husband was issued papers to appear in court. We were being sued by one of our creditors who'm CSA were to be working with. It was at this time that I knew something was wrong. I started calling CSA and had to do so on a daily basis. I was never able to get the same representative and I had to completely explain my situation over, every time i called.
Nobody was ever willing to truly help me. I would just get the same excuses. I spent days on the phone, hours of my life I can never get back, crying and pleading with CSA to take responsibility. It took everything just to get them to stop taking money out of my account. In the end I had to settle EVERY one of my accounts on my own. I demanded a refund of my money but CSA would only make a request on my behalf. I never saw a penny returned. My husband was sued in court. Our credit record is ruined until 2015. Nobody will lend us a penny.
Louis of New York, NY November 7, 2008
I was paying them to negotiate to my credit card bills. I was advised to tell the collections agencies to call them and to send any collection notices to them. I did this for almost two years and would speak periodically to a woman named Gail who told me they were close to negotiating settlements.
Well guess what? I am being sued by a collection agency in Ohio who being represented here by an attorney here in NYC. I went down to the civil court house to explain and now I have a court date set for February 2009. I also found out that this collection also no longer owns the debt because another agency called me to tell me they own it. I am currently negotiating with them.
However, I called Credit Soultions and have gotten no where. I was told that Gail never ever worked there. I paid them money to help me. I immediately called my bank to stop payments to them and I called Credit Solutions to cancel my account.
I am a basked case right now because I am underemployed and can barely make my rent.
Jenifer of Eugene, OR November 7, 2008
We joined credit solutions program to get out of debt. They reassured us that we were better off working w/ them than getting a consolidation loan. It was suposed to be a 3 year program. That sin't the case. Once you sign up they what you to pay it off as soon as you can, even if that means borrowing money from family.If that was avaible why we would have joined?
They tell you not to pay your bills that they would contact the creditors and let them know you were in this program to get out of debt. aacording to our creditors they were never contacted until we hammered CS to settle. We even tried to get out of Cs but were denied. Even though they have a money back gaurentee. We kept getting promised that they would take of things and not to worry.
However we got harrassed by our credotrs for not paying, they called, sent threatening letters, even came to the house. When we overpayed (CS) them they refused to re-imburesed money owed back to use. States they don't do things like that. they are horrible!
We are more in debt than what we were prior to program. It has caused us great emotional/mental stress.
Beth of Circleville, OH November 5, 2008
I too, was a client of Credit Solutions of America. I too, paid them a large sum of money to work on my behalf to settle my debts. I too, had to deal with a new person each time I called them and had great difficulty getting responses to e-mails and phone calls. I finally had to borrow money from another source to settle all of my debts, through Credit Solutions. They guaranteed my that they would send the settlement letters for each account so I would have proof that all were settled. I have not received any settlement letters from them. That has been over 3 years ago.
Last October, I received a letter from a debt collection agency claiming that I still owed a company money. I called Credit Solutions. After numerous phone calls and explaining my situation to numerous people, I was finally told that my information was in the archives and would have to be researched. Months later, when I was finally able to speak to someone, I got the same story. This person was able to tell me the date of my payment and the amount I paid to settle the account in question. I once again, asked for the paperwork to be sent to me. I never received it. I called back again, a month or so later, told them how angry I was and told them I would report them to the Better Business Bureau. They have never returned my calls or e-mails since then.
Last month, I began receiving phone calls again from a new debt collector for this same account. The balance has now grown higher. I still have not gotten what I need from Credit Solutions to prove that I have settled the account. The money I paid them is gone. I cannot do anything about it. All I want are the settlement letters and proof of payments they have on file for me so I can prove to these collectors that my debts have been settled.
Because of Credit Solution's misrepresentation of their abilities, I have been sued, taken to court, had my wages garnished and had a lien placed on my home. I have had my debts settled for over 3 years now and thought I was rebuilding my credit. Imagine my surprise and disappointment in finding that I am still being hounded by creditors for an account I believe to be settled. Something needs to be done so that Credit Solutions cannot keep doing this to others.
The money I paid them is gone. I cannot do anything about it.
Todd of Los Angeles, CA October 29, 2008
I was led to believe that Credit Solutions was going to be making payments to my Credit Card companies. Every time I called, I got a different person and a different story. Once they told me the correct process (after several calls and emails) I was already months into the program. It's great that they can get your debt down so much but then the condition is to pay it off in just a few payments. Defeats the entire reason I joined the program as I am sure others as well. If I could do this, I wouldn't be where I am in the first place.
When I tried to cancel, I was told I only had a few months left in the program and I might as well stay so that my creditor don't come after me. After a few months went by, they continued to take payments out. Now I've now paid them over 2000.
This has caused me much anguish and stress. Countless hours spent on the phone, either trying to find out how the program really works and/or trying to cancel. Now bank fees due to them telling me they would put my account on hold due to me being out of work on a medical leave and then NOT putting it on hold as they said they would. Plus over 2000 given to them in which I would have never joined the program if they would have told me up front how it really works. Kimberly S. Pershing of Frederick, MD October 23, 2008
I signed up with credit solutions being mislead that they were taking money from me each month to make payments to my credit card companies. The way i understood the company was that they let you make one low monthly payment, to to them, and they would pay all other companies to make your dept go away. Recently my husband and I were trying to buy a house and to our surprise, credit solutions has not done anything with the money they were taking from my account each month.
None of my 3 credit cards were touched since i signed up for their services. so where did the 100 dollars a month since nov 06 go? I called the company to ask them why my credit score is going down and not up, their responds was that I was to pay a fee for there services and on the side save money on my own to pay off the credit card companies. Then why did I need them? I could have saved that 100 a month and used it towards my own payments. I would have not have signed up for this service had this been explained to me in the beginning. I was looking for a way out not a bigger hole.
Now my husband and got a large dark cloud over our dreams of owning our own home. My credit score is lower than I would ever dreamed it to be. I am not perfect but I would have never signed up for their services had i known the out come. Barbara of Denton, TX October 12, 2008
On Dec. 31, 2007, I signed a Limited Power of Attorney with CSA-Credit Solutions of America, Inc. to proactively intercede and to intervene and/or negotiate , mediate, or arbitrate the settlement of any and all of my creditor claims, suits, liens, judgments and/or disputes. I was told that within 7 days, CSA would contact the two credit card companies I had given them- Wells Fargo and Chase.
I was told that they would contact these companies and let them know that I was working with CSA. I was told not to speak with the credit card comapnies when they called but to let CSA handle it. I received dozens of phone calls from these credit card comapnies every day- I was harrassed constantly by them. Finally I called CSA and asked why I was getting these calles when I was paying them to handle them. They gave me the State Attorney General's website to file a complaint and to ask them to Cease and Desist. Supposedly CSA had contacted both companies but I continued to be charged interest and received continued bills and notices from Chase and Wells Fargo. Every time I called to ask why they were still charging me interest and what CSA was doing to arrange a payoff, I got no answer. They said, call us when you have the money to pay them. CSA told me I should be faxing copies of anything I got in the mail from either company to them. I did this but never received any contact from CSA acknowledging the receipt of those. Every time I called, I spoke with a different person. No one knew my situation. When I asked if I could take a half-day off and come meet with them, they told me they did not have in-person appointments. Then I got emails saying that a settlement had been arranged and to look at my online account. By the time I got home from work and got the email and called the person, of course they were gone for the day and I had to talk with somebody else, another new person. The settlement were very time limited , the amounts were a large lump sum like 10k or 12k and I had a week to take advantage of the offer.I got one guy's name in settlement named Kevin at extension #19823 and told him that these were not a solution for me. Yes the reduced payoff amount was good but there was no way I could get that large a sum of money in that timeframe (I'm a public school teacher. I explained my situation to him and asked him to go back to the credit card company and explain that I needed a smaller payoff amount and a longer time frame for multiple payments. ThHe told me they wouldn't do it. By now both accounts have gone into collection status, my credit report says Serious Delinquency and no one will lend me a penny.When I received a legal document from a collection agency, Mann Bracken, saying that I had a month to payoff 75% of the account balance or go into Arbitration I called CSA and spoke to someone in their Arbitration Dept. He directed me to www. arb_forum.com to fill out a Respondent's Form. He wished me good luck. Basically I was on my own even though I'd paid them over 3,000 to handle this form me.
Lilly of Sun Valley, NV October 8, 2008
My husband signed up with credit solutions, to cut one of our credit cards debt to 50% of what we owe. He was told that the first 3 installments were for their fees and if at any time he wanted to cancel the account we would be refunded the full amount that was taken out of the account for their fees. He was advised to close the checking where the credit card was affiliated with. And we were to open up another account and have the funds taken from the new account.
None of what they told my husband was true. The Rep who opened the account for him was supposedly no longer working for them any longer, and some other person had taken over his extension and title. We were starting to get the run around we now smelled a rat. So we closed the account they were taking the money from. But now we are so behind on the payment four months and 1,500 later.
They were taking 230.00 from the account so they got us for 1,020.00 and they refuse to give us a refund. We need to start a consumer class suit against them. They should be forced to refund all the money plus interest and late fees that the credit card companies are charging us.
It has caused us to file bankruptcy and we are now six months behind on our credit card payment. Our credit is so damaged now. We can't get another offer on credit to help us out of this mess. This company should no longer be in business to rip consumers off.
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