Consumer complaint received 2022-06-04
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports — Credit repair services
Issue: Excessive fees — 
Company: FREEDOM FINANCIAL NETWORK (NV)

I joined Freedom Debt Relief to consolidate my debt, and have one place to pay and resolve my debt. For two years, {$310.00} was taken directly from my bank account to resolve these debts, twice per month at each pay period equaling about {$630.00} per month. I specifically asked when I joined how XXXX makes their money, and they pointed me to the fee column of the website which indicated about $ XXXX in fees. I decided I could live with that, and moved forward with the program. After a few months I began receiving requests to approve negotiations, which I did but after about a year, I looked into why things had slowed down. I realized that not only were they taking this monthly fee, but they were also taking 20 % of my debt amount as a fee as each resolved. And they were taking 20 % off the total, not 20 % off of what they negotiated down. I was livid. I messaged I called, I sent letters, the whole 9 yards. Nothing. 

During this time, I had to pivot my energies to a mother with XXXX a sister with XXXX and a demanding job that paid me exponentially more than I had been making when I enrolled in the program. I was able to pay some of these debts 100 % on my own. So I stopped approving debts and paid remaining debtors directly in full just so XXXX could not make their 20 % fee. Finally, in the XXXX of XXXX, I checked into my account again, and only had two accounts left to resolve. They were minimal - XXXX $ XXXX, the other {$900.00}. My " dedicated account '' had well over {$2500.00} in it, enough to pay both debtors in full and walk away from this god-awful program. Once again, I wrote and called and wrote and called requesting they pay the debtors in full without negotiating and stop taking {$630.00} out of my account each month ( {$310.00} each payday ) citing that I'm done with the program, they can easily pay the debtors in full and stop taking money out of my bank account. Well, they won't. This company is stealing over {$600.00} a month from me, amassing over {$5300.00} in my " dedicated account '' when the last two remaining debts that I have asked them over and over again to pay, equals a fraction of that ( {$2200.00} ). It has now been almost a year. The two remaining debts are STILL not resolved. They are minimal, and debts I could pay on my own, but XXXX has {$5300.00} they have taken from me to pay these debtors.

I am unable to remove my bank account from the website, and I can not update my bank account to stop them from deducting money from my bank account each pay period. They are STEALING money. If I did what they are doing, I would be in jail. They literally reach into my account twice a month and take {$630.00} and in spite of having enough and being told over and over again to stop, they continue. Further, they have not done the job they were paid handsomely and unknowingly to do. If that's not stealing I don't know what is. 

I also want to red-flag their fee process- they take a monthly fee plus 20 % of your total debt amount. They did not disclose the latter to me when I specifically asked upon joining.