Consumer complaint received 2019-11-20
Company: FREEDOM FINANCIAL NETWORK
State: NY
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Debt settlement
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
Hello. 
I had been with the Freedom Death Relieve company since XXXX of XXXX. I had a hardship in my life that time after the divorce and had depth in the credit cards of amount about {$11000.00}. At the end of XXXX, I believe, of XXXX I received the call from the Fredon Death Relieve company representative, who start asking me about my depth and how I am doing with it and if I need help? After almost 2 hours of the conversation that day I gave an answer to what I will need more information, so he should call me back. He did call me back the next day and this was continuing about a week in total. I had no money to pay my next bill to the bank, so I had asked him carefully all the questions with the information I had for that time about their company and agreed to try the program. We settled the monthly payment to their program in a month of $ XXXX monthly payments and, as I had informed today ower the phone by the other customer service representative, what they have started my program on XXXX XXXX of XXXX, when I had informed him earlier, what I will not have money for the first payment earlier than XXXX. Somehow by the system, or they didn't charge me, or payment didn't go true, I don't remember now, my first payment had to be preseed in XXXX of XXXX, actually two payments. Because I was not expecting the two payments in one month, I was surprised and had a withdrawal of {$200.00} back, which I had paid later on. 
On Friday, XX/XX/XXXX of XXXX my bank account, which was connected as a payment method to this company, had being frauded by the wrong check from oversees and my bank account went in $ XXXX. I contacted the bank and informed them about fraud and all the needed actions had been made by the bank and me to protect my account from future withdrawal and fraud. The FDR program had forced my account twice while all this was happening and had forced to the charge of my account even after it had been revoked and closed. I went to the bank and did a dispute of all transactions after the fraud check to bring my balance to the XXXX and to be able to close it and open a new one. After that, I realized, what it is actually a long time past after when I have enrolled in this program and what I suppose to be finis with my payments to them by now, or at least should be close to that. Today I finally found a time to go online to their web site and visit my page to find out, what is going on with my program and how much I still have to pay before they will close all the bank accounts and finally resolve my problem. 
What I found out today, firs put me in shock then made me stressed, mad and devastated. Unfortunately, all the information, that the representative had been provided while he was so badly wanted me to enroll in their program, it was a falsification of information, what considers as a fraud, as much, as I know. when he was explaining me, how the program works, he was assuring me, what with the debt of about {$11000.00} and with the payments of {$250.00} every month, including their fees of 25 % from the whole amount of {$11000.00} I will be finishing this program in about 3 years and will be debt-free and able to build my new credit history, because by time I will be in their program, I will be considered in death and my credit score won't be growing by time I am not closing all depth with 3 banks, which I had for that time. When I went online to my page today, I found out what I had already paid about {$8100.00} and I still have to pay another {$7000.00} and something, and I can not give you the exact number because I am not able to see this information on my page, what was also falsification of information, because how I was informed by the representative in XXXX before I inrolled in to the program, he told me what I will be able to see all the information about settlements, about payments and about their future actions and what I can change it or stop it any time by my self from my platform, because it is still my money before they are going to the bank and they are just staying on their platform for safe them for the future settlements. Today, when I was very limited about any information from my page, I had asked the representative, why is that. He answered, what is how to program working and I am not allowed to see this information. If I want to know it, I have to contact them to provide me this information. I was very confused and disappointed by their actions and conversation, and more questions I was asking about my account and each month and the transaction, more he was getting frustrated, which make me feel even more nervous. Each time he could not explain the actions that have been made by his company, he would point me to the agreement terms and was pointing what all this situation was from beginning my fault and they actually help me. That was, even more, the worst experience and information for me. For the first several months they were charging me monthly fees of {$720.00} plus settlement fees.So, from XXXX to XXXX of XXXX it was the monthly fees and my payments. Then in XXXX of XXXX from nowhere, they start charging me a {$3.00} dollars fees every month for Phone payment, which I have never heard about before and never agreed or gave my promotion for any fees, like that. When I have asked a representative, what is the payment four, he just answered, what is for the phone bill and if they charging me that means is legal, what I was not agreed with at all. Wen I have told him, what they have to wave all these fees, he starts laughing and asked me if this is something else he can do for me. This is was so frustrating, how he started acting. Also, every other time when he had no answer, he was putting me on a brief hold, I don't remember how many times in our two hours of conversation. Then, when we start moving forward with my account, I found out what they were using my payments absolutely in different ways, how they had explained to me earlier before I have signed for the program. After the first settlement, they were taking all my monthly payments to pay their fees first for each settlement in the amount of 25 % from the full amount of each debt to the bank, before they were starting paying off the debt to the bank itself. They were making a settlements with the banks of smaller amount of payback, but at the same time they were making the settlements with the banks starting with the smallest payments, like {$5.00} or {$10.00} dollars per month for 7-8 month, so they can cover their fees first in full amount from my payments from the settlement, then was just starting paying to the bank rest of the depth, which was delaying me to live this program for about 7-8 month for each settlement. Because of that I will pay 3 years more of monthly fees of {$720.00} plus Phone fees ( again came from nowhere ) of {$3.00}, and instead of leaving their program in spring of XXXX, how I have been promised, it has been delayed to summer or fall of XXXX, which made me felt in shock again. And of course 3 years of {$1000.00} does not give you that much profit from the one person, but what about if is millions of them??? when I was trying to explain to him, why I was so frustrated and disappointed, he was always mentioning, what is not in their interest to keep me in the program, what also a big lye. in conversation with the representative in XXXX before I had inrolled in to the program, he had told me about 25 % of the fees for the settlement, but he explained, what to pay my debt faster, they will take from every monthly payment the & XXXX monthly fees and 25 % from left amount before they will make a payment to the bank each and every month, before my all dept will be closed. In this case, it would be possible to finish it in 3 years, but they are frauded me and my trust by providing falsification of information to me. And I am absolutely sure, what I am not only one, who had being frauded by this company in this ridiculous and  insane way, how they did it. When the representative could not answer my questions anymore, he had transferred me to a different department. When the other agent picks up the phone ( female ), we started from the beginning. I had to explain to her from the beginning all the situation and my concerns and asked her questions, why they have been doing payments for the banks in the amount of $ XXXX {$10.00}, and was charging all their fees at the front and was dealing my date to leave the program. For what she started providing the falsification of the information again, trying to lye to me, what banks actually decided themselves go from smaller payment to the higher, that's why the program was doing this moves in an exact manner, which was absolutely not true, and they as my representatives, actually putting the banks to the terms of the payments and they were covering their actions by the credit-control program and what is not their fault. How it is not if you are controlling all the actions from the beginning of every settlement and your company the one, who is choosing what actions they will take in this matter. And of course, it is absolutely understandable, why they are taking this actions, so, no matter what they will charge their fees first and then they will start paying all your debts, and it does not matter for them, how long you will go true hardship because of this reason and what you will not be able to fix your credit score for another several year! And of course, they will be able to charge you more every single fee for another 3-4 years. All this company and the system built from the beginning, as a fraud, because first they promise you, what they are here for you and to help you, when they are still destroying your life by your own money you are paying for them and when you are realizing the whole true, they becoming very rood and unprofessional and kicking your out from the program! This is the another reason, why they are providing the all false information to you at first and charging you all the fees at front, because they know what clients ( not all of them, unfortunately ) finding out about the fraud and trying to leave the program, but they even more screwed after all because of Freedom Depth Relief Program! 
After, when it was going deeper and more frustrating, they wanted me to do my payment today, for what I had answered, what I am not ready after everything that I find out today and I would like to spik to the lawyer first and have my legal consultation before I will make any future moves with them and their program, for what she started acting very rood and have told me what he vill determine me from the program immediately and my fees, paid to them for last two settlements will be never returned and my settlements will be voided and come back to the same amount where it was before and I will have to start paying them from the beginning. It was the worst customer care experience and worst fraud, which had happened to me because the companies like that still exist and they have been actually legalized fraud in this country! It has to stop! 
P.S. After the firs representative put me on brief hold again, I had turned on the recording and had recorded about the last 49 min of our conversation with him first, then with the other representative. By the end of the conversation, I had informed her, what our call has been recorded by me. Also, I had requested a copy of our contract and I had no response yet, that is why I can not provide you with this information! 
Because I had tried several times to attach all the proofs but it does not let me submit the application, I have to attach just several files of the proofs.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation