Consumer complaint received 2021-09-06
Company: Lakeview Law Group, PLLC
State: MO
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit repair services
Issue: Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing

Complaint:
I received a flyer in the mail from XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ). They were offering low-interest loans to consolidate credit card debt. I had XXXX high-interest credit cards, so I contacted them and gave them my personal information to start the process. They got me and said I didn't qualify for the loan, but they referred me to Lakeview Law Group ( XXXX ). The program is set up where they contact the creditors to stop charging interest, and I would pay the principle to eliminate the debt. I talked with a gentleman over the phone who explained that they would negotiate with all my creditors and would have them paid off in 3 years with a payment of {$440.00} a month. When I finished with the representative on the phone, he set me up with a salesperson who would come over to my house and go over everything with me again, and I would officially sign a document. 
I had five credit cards XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and XXXX  XXXX. I had not missed a payment on these cards- but due to COVID, it sounded like a good deal. The salesman who came to my house repeated how the program worked ; they would contact the creditors and negotiate to freeze the accounts. Lakeview would have power of attorney and make the monthly payments. Once again, my payment was {$440.00}, which would be taken out automatically on the XXXX of every month for three years. I had two questions- how would doing this affect my credit score, and how much was I charged. The salesman said my credit score would not be impacted because of the monthly payments, and the charge was XXXX dollars. I signed. After signing, the salesman said it would take three months to build up a bank before payments would start. I asked if I should continue to make payments, and he said no because the companies wouldn't negotiate if I did. He reassured me that with COVID happening, people were using this method to pay off their credit cards. His last statement was I could sleep well knowing I would have my credit cards paid off in three years and save a lot of money. 
The first payment was made on XX/XX/2020. I started calling after the 3rd payment in XXXX, asking how things were going. The standard answer was it's in our negotiating team. I started getting calls from the creditors. I would call Lakeview again and be told the same thing, and I was advised not to talk with or answer the calls from the creditors. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter from XXXX XXXX. I sent it to Lakeview, and they said it was sent to the negotiator. This was the first red flag. I asked what was happening, and that's when I was told they were waiting for charge-offs from the creditors. The representative or salesman never mentioned this. I don't know how many times I called and asked what was happening, and I would get, we are negotiating. 
I got served court papers on XX/XX/XXXX, and I sent them to Lakeview ; again, I was told it was negotiated. I waited and called weekly. They said I didn't need to go to court on XX/XX/XXXX. I got a judgment against me. Every time I called, I talked with someone different. When I called about the judgment, I asked why it got this far because they had the money ; that's when the second red flag occurred. I was told they have never talked to XXXX. XXXX, they sent letters, after more phone calls, they said the judgment would be paid. It was more than this if they had done what the salesman told me and started after the third month. I asked a friend to read the contract to see if I could get out. The biggest red flag occurred ; she said if I tried to get out, I would lose everything I had paid and owe them a fee. Also, found that besides the XXXX dollars, they are charging me twenty percent of the monthly payment. The salesman never mentioned this. I trusted these people, and now my credit is ruined when they said they were here to help. They have recorded every conversation, so they know and I may never recover my credit, and there are no guarantees that the creditors will be paid. I just received another letter from an attorney 's office for payment on XXXX. I sent it to a representative that said he would personally be handling my account after the XXXX. XXXX account finally got paid. He emailed me letting me know that they have sent power of attorney to them and started negotiations. He also had the nerve to ask me for more money. Why would I pay more money? They are the ones who figured what I would pay monthly to take care of through negotiations. 
I have accepted that my credit is ruined, but Lakeview needs to take some accountability in this matter. I don't want others to fall for the misleading information as I did.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation