Freedom Debt Relief

Do you know that after your bills are paid and the companies you owe forgive you a good portion of your debt, that the IRS come after you later? for example, I owed a Credit company 8,000. It was paid off through FDR after a lengthy time and 3 years later, IRS wanted me to pay 860.00. FDR will not tell you that, and if you have several large debts to pay off, you will have to pay tax on every single one.

I am currently having the exact same experience as JL O. from Virginia Beach. Different creditor, but the EXACT SAME thing. When I call FDR, they do answer me. They tell me they’re trying to contact the law offices of the debt collectors. I call those offices and I’m told they haven’t been contacted at all. It’s very frustrating. My account pages states that there’s a confirmed settlement with this creditor, but the FDR people tell me over the phone that the account is still active and there is no settlement yet. I was happy until this happened. FDR takes 25% of every payment you make, as their fee. That was totally reasonable to me, for them to take this mess off my plate. However, THEY AREN’T. I’m being sued. I’m scared and frustrated. I’m constantly making calls. I’m not sure if I’ll have to go to court. So what are they doing for me?
UPDATE:
They came up with a settlement with this company. It was much more than they ever told me I should expect to pay. I was willing to accept, however, and was interested in paying it off asap. I called to find out the total due to pay off everything. During the conversation I figured out the the fees they were charging me for settling that card were MORE than they talked the creditor down. I asked if they could lower the fees just a little, and they gave me the run around. I called several times over a few days. First I was told that they probably would. Then I was told that they probably wouldn’t. Eventually I was so frustrated that I removed that card from their system. They were supposed to send the collection agency a letter that they no longer represented me, so that I could talk to them myself. (The collection company legally couldn’t tell me anything about it at all, because FDR had power of attorney over my account) Well, they didn’t send it for about a week. It took several phone calls over several days to both companies. In the meantime, the offer expired and a judgement by default was entered against me. Finally when the collection company was able to talk to me, they gave me almost the same offer as I was going to get with FDR, so I’m paying less because I avoided paying those fees. But now I have a judgement on my credit score. It’s one of the worst things you can have. Needlessly! I’d been trying to pay it off for so long, and kept getting the run around. It would have been so much easier to take care of this myself. They really did nothing for me.
UPDATE:
I finished paying everything with them over a month ago. I asked them to pay off the final card and credit me back the $ 1300 extra I have in the account. (The extra is not because they got me a better deal. It’s because I had to remove an account with them and pay it on my own.) Now this month I see they sent out another check for $ 200 to the creditor when there is MORE THAN ENOUGH to pay it off. Not to mention, they charge me $ 10 for every check they send out, for like shipping. So I had to call, ask why the hell they won’t just pay it off and give me my money back. I called weeks ago. It should have been done. Now they tell me it’ll be a few weeks before they’re able to do that, and then a few more weeks before I get my money back. Everything about this is a huge pain.

I am almost in tears writing this! FDR is a mfing scam! I’ve been in the program since August 2014. They settled one account. I have about 2800 sitting in the account. And here comes a lawsuit from a credit union. If you have a credit union credit card do not ever go with a debt resolution firm. The credit union want ALL of their money. I am now in litigation with a pre trial date of January. Fdr did nothing to resolve the account. And those mofos are just sitting with my money, probably collecting interest in which they’ll keep. I closed my account this evening. And will have to call the lawyer to see if we can work out a payment arrangement. I will then contact my other accounts to work out a payment arrangement myself! Never, never again will I trust those dummies. The people who answer the account are not trained to handle anything! Say no to fdr and settle the accounts yourself!

Wow, what a relief it is. Yes, this process is tough and requires some thick skin. Breaking free from the system is no small feat, but having these guys working for you is a game changer. Many of my accounts were settled for half of what was owed and my family is able to get back on its feet.
About 6 months in, because of our perfect payment record we were able to qualify for a loan with them to settle with our debtors even faster! I’ve recommended them to family and friends and now they too are on their way to being debt free too.

***PLEASE PLEASE READ***
If you are stuck in a financial hardship, please hear me when I say DO NOT USE FDR!!! As I am writing this, I am on hold with an attorney’s office to resolve an account that was sent to a law firm for collection. This attorney’s office sent me a summons to appear in court.
I was enrolled in the program for 15 months and all was good. I felt confident that things were going smoothly… even had 2 accounts paid off. What they forget to tell you is they do not contact any accounts unless they are trying to negotiate settlement and they don’t actively negotiate until you have enough funds. SO, for 15 months I had companies not getting payment and not getting communication that I’m enrolled in a debt relief program. Hence, the summons from Discover. (Discover was one of the smallest balances I had yet they were the first to summons me to court… beware, if you have Discover they are quick to turn your account over to a law firm)
Now, here is were things turned south with FDR. Customer service was all happy and great with them… until I got the summons. I called them looking for guidance and they were just terrible. I spent TWO WEEKS of constantly calling them every single day… yes EVERY SINGLE DAY, and not one person helped me or gave me a response. At first they had me rush to the bank so they could send more money to Discover to resolve this. HA, that was a joke. Nothing happened with that money… it just sat in my account. I got the run-​around for two weeks, meanwhile, I have a court date pending. I can’t tell you how much sleep I’ve lost over this.
My account has been cancelled with FDR. Thankfully I was able to receive assistance from a family member to pay off all of my debts. When I called each creditor, ALL of the accounts were with a law group, except for one (Citibank). I was in the process of being sued by each and every creditor! Very few creditors negotiate with FDR. I spoke with some great people within these law firms who say they see people in my situation every single day. Until the laws change, companies like FDR continue to scam away. Save yourself the time, hassle, stress, and most importantly MONEY and negotiate a payment plan on your own. FDR charges a ridiculous fee for what you can do on your own!

*MUST READ*
If you’re like me, when you first talked with someone from FDR, you were grasping at straws, hoping they were the solution to your financial problems. With no other option, and the hope to avoid bankruptcy, you ignored the little voice in your head that was telling you «it is too good to be true», didn’t you?
PLEASE, let me be the one who took the hit, and don’t fall victim to these vultures that pray on folks in already difficult situations.
This is what they’ll say…
You have to fall behind on your credit cards which will allow them to contact your creditors and negotiate with them from a position of strength
They will stop the harassing calls
They won’t receive any money till they settle the debt
What really happens is your credit score is annihilated, they only contact small $$ creditors because they can only negotiate with whatever money you have in the «settlement account». This leaves you vulnerable to being sued if your larger debt creditors don’t want to wait for FDR to reach out to them (and don’t expect any help if you are summoned), which they won’t. And if they do reach a settlement agreement, and you say ok on that recorded line, they IMMEDIATELY take 20% of your ORIGINAL debt amount and pay themselves before they send a dime off. So a $ 5k debt that they settle for the terms of 12 payments over a year equaling $ 2500 will make them $ 1000 off top. If you decide you want to cancel, and request your money back from your account, they take the $ 1k regardless of if they’ve made a payment to the creditor or not.
The program takes an average of 3 years to complete, and it still dings your credit even after you settle because it shows on your credit report as settled for less than agreed. Realistically it could take 10 years to get your credit back to good.
Call me at 916−228−9931. I’ll tell you my story and answer any question I possibly can. I was ripped off for $ 2300 by these vultures. I’ve helped over 50+ people save themselves the heart ache and feeling of betrayal they’d get from this crooked ass company. I don’t want anything other than to help you avoid getting ripped off like I did. I told you FDR that I’d get my money back one way or another. I’ve cost you guys easily $ 100k, and I’m gonna keep on helping people to see the truth behind your crooked as scam.

Be very wary of this company. They take advantage of consumers who are unaware of the legal process for negotiating debt. In my own case during 2013 and 2014 I paid 9000 toward a debt settlement with my largest creditor. Of that, 5k went to the creditor and the rest was paid i fees. Then I requested that my payment date be moved forward one week – no change in amount – due to my salary pay date change. I discovered later (no communication from the company) that the agreement had defaulted. When I called, I was told it was my fault because I moved the date. However, when I investigated, calling the creditor, the creditor’s information was quite different.
Moving a debt payment from the 7^th to the 15^th should not create an insufficient funds payment for a creditor for a payment they processed on the 25^th. Since then I quit the program and during the process sent them a certified letter signed receipt which they signed for and then told me it was never received. It took five weeks of calling to get my complaint in their system and they have denied my request for refund of fees. During this process, this company misinformed me about what actually occurred and they also used strategies during phone conversations that are in effect strategies for entrapment.
In the beginning this company was helpful as I did not understand how to negotiate to settle debts. .But I learned that process and realize in hindsight that it more cost-​effective to learn one’s rights and to negotiate for oneself. Ultimately this company puts collecting their fees first before providing ethical and quality service to their clients.
Recommend that if you want to address debts, find an affordable attorney or go to an area non profit legal services. Do not recommend using this company.

My wife finally got out of the program offered by FDR (Freedom Debt Relief). After over 3 years in the program with minimal positive result, my wife drop this program. Remember, these people are not lawyers and actually I found out that what they do to negotiate your debt, you can do yourself. All you need is the willingness to save cash and deal directly with the creditor, instead of paying thousands of dollar to be in debt resolution program plus additional maintenance fee every month as long as you are in the program. If they are lucky to settle a debt on your behalf (which is a fifty fifty chance) you still have to pay taxes on the forgiven amount. Like I mentioned in the beginning, they are not really lawyer, so they cannot really represent you legally. All they can do is negotiate for you which like I said you can do yourself. Another thing is that some creditors don’t deal with debt resolution company period. We found that out after my wife signed up for the program. After accounting for the thousands of dollars in fees and the time consumed, I can say that Freedom Debt Relief program is something I cannot and will recommend to anyone.

this is the biggest scam ever!!!
dont do it!!!
they lie, cheat and steal from people in vulnerable situations
the only reason they talk to you — is to support their income
no help at all –
terrible customer service — all liers
have been in program for three months — they have done nothing to help only make my situation worse!!!
i quit program and went to lawyer — -
do not even waste time callin or considering
you can thank me later
freedom debt relief is a fraud

they will not help you once they get all your money. they have ignored my pleas for assistance since one of the accounts they settled is now a civil suit. they have been dragging their feet and have not gotten back to me with anything. they keep saying they will call back but nobody does. they said my account is closed so they can’t help. however, my account just closed in november and i presented them with this problem in the same month and it’s march now and they didn’t take care of it and now, i have a civil law suit against me! they’re crooks!

I had signed up for this company to get help paying off my debt, but changed my mind and canceled. Needless to say, I was bombarded via phone and e-​mail by the sales rep trying to convince me not to cancel, but I did anyway.
As others have stated, they want all their fees paid up front before they can do anything. That process can take months and months, and in the mean time you’re sinking into a deeper hole with your creditors (obviously because they’re not receiving any payments, not even a dollar). That, and the fact that what they do is no different from what you can do on your own (meaning contact creditors to try to negotiate a settlement), prompted me to cancel with them. After all, you don’t need to pay a company to do what you can do yourself for next to nothing.

The weakened economy has put consumers in a deeper hole to the point where basic living necessities are barely affordable. It also does not help that credit card companies are charging outrageously high interest rates, where paying the minimum does not even cut down the principle balance. My uncle, like many, was in this situation and wanted to file for bankruptcy. I did research for alternatives to bankruptcy and came across debt settlement. Freedom Debt Relief seemed to be the front runner, so I had my uncle give them a call.
My uncle called and said the sales rep was very helpful and provided an overview of how the program worked. He said Freedom Debt Relief negotiates directly with the creditors to obtain optimal settlements. My uncle faxed over his credit card statements to see if he qualified for the program; he was approved and signed up for the program. Five months into the program, and Freedom Debt Relief has already settled 1 of his 6 accounts. He is expected to be in the program and be debt free within 30 months.
If you are having trouble paying off your unsecured debts, I highly recommend calling Freedom Debt Relief. There are many options out there, but they seem to be legit. In addition to their professional debt consultants, customer service is exceptional and has a quick response rate.