Consumer complaint received 2025-11-21 00:00:00
Product: Debt or credit management — Debt settlement
Issue: Charged upfront or unexpected fees — 
Company: NATIONAL DEBT RELIEF LLC
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
Addendum to Case # : XXXX Consumer : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX National Debt Relief ( NDR ) Issue : Misrepresentation, withholding of material information, fabricated timelines, fee-driven delays and deceptive settlement practices INTRODUCTION IN MY OWN WORDS My name is XXXX XXXX, and I am writing this in my own voice because the timeline matters, the order matters and the way I discovered the truth matters. I trusted NDR during one of the most vulnerable times of my life, believing they were helping me. Instead, when I put all the pieces together, I realized they were giving me false timelines, withholding critical information from me and creating misleading documents that did not match what my creditors told me. 
I am a single mother with no support. I work full-time, manage everything alone and relied on NDR because I didnt have the time or emotional bandwidth to negotiate with creditors myself. What I uncovered over the last 48 hours shows a pattern of behavior from NDR that feels deceptive, reactive and financially harmful. This is my full timeline exactly how it unfolded, with every date, every call, every contradiction and every discovery I made. 
FULL CHRONOLOGICAL TIMELINE START TO FINISH XX/XX/XXXX & XX/XX/XXXX XXXX ( I learned this later ) I didnt know this until I called XXXX XXXX XXXX but : In XX/XX/XXXX, NDR negotiated a XXXX settlement They let it expire because they failed to finalize it In XX/XX/XXXX, they renegotiated a second settlement I am not sure which XXXX is the XXXX Ive been paying on all year I am not able to validate this since NDR has not provided the settlement details I requested NDR never disclosed there were XXXX settlements or that they allowed it to lapse. This was my first sign that they may have put the cart before the horse and then never told the truth. 
XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX ( My Largest Debt ) XX/XX/XXXX NDR texted me that a settlement is ready. I realize now they also sent an email that included the terms. XX/XX/XXXX The next day, NDR asked me for {$4000.00} upfront and said it was needed to negotiate. Since I didnt have the money, they stated they could not negotiate. I didnt know this violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule. I didnt know a real settlement ALREADY EXISTED behind the scenes that did not require a lump sum. I simply trusted them. 
Later I learned ( on XX/XX/XXXX ) XXXX law firm XXXX XXXX XXXX had issued a valid settlement offer in XXXX and NDR let it fall through I believe because they could not collect the lump sum from me to fund their fees. They never responded to it. That reality only came to light MONTHS later. I found this out when I decided to call the creditor directly due to NDRs vague responses, magical settlement out of nowhere without providing me with the information I requested, and telephone calls that seemed manipulative. My intuition was screaming. 
XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX Listed Much Lower My XXXX XXXX account reported ~ {$3200.00} in XXXX. Yet NDRs settlement showed {$4900.00}, and I was enrolled at {$10000.00}. At the time, I didnt know the settlement amount didnt match the creditors own figures. 
EARLY XX/XX/XXXX XXXX Start Asking Questions Between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, I repeatedly asked NDR for : Written settlement documentation Negotiation dates Creditor confirmation Balance verification Trust account statements Timeline proof They refused to provide what I was truly asking for in writing. They kept sending vague summaries. They avoided written answers and instead tried calling me. They sent responses like : Were working on finalizing the settlement.

Looking back, these were stall tactics. They werent working on anything. I now understand this delay had a purpose. NDR stalled while I was asking for proof, and then just a couple business days later they suddenly emailed me a new settlement with dates and payment terms. It felt strategic. They wanted me to believe it had just been finalized. But when I called the law firm, they confirmed NDR had not spoken to them since XXXX. 
The updated settlement they sent was not new at all it was an exact copy of the settlement that had been negotiated and allowed to expire back in XXXX. NDR never told me that. They simply recycled the expired settlement and presented it as if it were brand new hoping I would agree to it. They were trying to appease me, using a settlement that was no longer valid, while my trust account had only about {$1100.00} at the time. Just like they let the original XXXX settlement expire because I couldnt provide {$4000.00} upfront to fund their fees, I now believe they never intended to act on this one either. 
There was no plan to pay the creditor they were just trying to stall me until my trust account grew enough to collect their fee. This was never about resolving my debt it was about keeping me quiet. 
When I replied to the updated settlement and made it clear I would not accept it until they answered my questions and confirmed it with the creditor NDR finally called XXXX XXXX XXXX the night of XX/XX/XXXX to try and renegotiate and cover their tracks. This was confirmed by the law firm on a recorded line. XXXX XXXX XXXX told me NDR had not contacted them at all since XXXX until they suddenly reached out on XX/XX/XXXX, after realizing I was not going to back down from the information I requested. They told me they could not send me any documentation directly, but I welcome the CFPB or any enforcement authority to reach out to either XXXX & XXXX or XXXX to confirm everything I was told. 
THE BREAKING POINT XX/XX/XXXX & XXXX XX/XX/XXXX The Day I Discovered the Truth Call # XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( Morning ) They had not heard from NDR since XXXX The XXXX settlement was real NDR never followed up No new negotiations occurred after summer The account had been untouched for months This directly contradicted everything NDR had told me. I remember sitting on my couch shaking. I had trusted them. They had lied. 
Call XXXX XXXX XXXX ( Afternoon ) They confirmed NDR had allowed the XX/XX/XXXX settlement to lapse They confirmed a new settlement was made in XX/XX/XXXX They told me historically payments post on variable dates NOT the XXXX NDRs portal falsely shows every XXXX payment as posting on the XXXX This was the first time I realized NDRs reporting was not accurate or trustworthy. 
XX/XX/XXXX I Revoked Their Authority I called XXXX XXXX XXXX again to revoke NDRs authorization over my account. Thats when they told me : Oh they called last night trying to make an offer. Last night meaning XX/XX/XXXX. After I discovered the truth. After I pushed back. After I said I wouldnt accept anything until I had answers. Thats when they scrambled. Thats when they tried to make it real after sending me a settlement that didnt exist. 
At some point I believe in XXXX ( I believe I mentioned this on my original case ) : Trust Account Discrepancy Portal showed : {$720.00} Email showed : {$580.00} No fee, no draft, no explanation. No matching deduction. Just another red flag. 
ADDITIONAL ISSUES PATTERNS THAT MATCH FEE-FIRST STRATEGY For my other large XXXX account already settled through NDR, the payment structure itself reflects the same feefirst behavior I am documenting here.

NDR collected thousands of dollars in fees upfront, and then structured the settlement so that for many months only very small payments were sent to the creditor. The largest payments were pushed to the final months long after their fees were already paid. 
This structure : Maximized NDRs fee collection early Left me delinquent longer Delayed meaningful progress Created risk of default or re-aging if anything went wrong Put the burden entirely on me while NDR benefitted first It matches the exact pattern I experienced with my biggest XXXX account : fees first, creditor last. 
And when NDR sent me the updated settlement for XXXX XXXX in XXXX they included a new expiration date, to make it seem time-sensitive and active. But this was false. The offer they provided had already expired back in XXXX, when they failed to follow up with the law firm. It was a stale settlement, dressed up with a fake deadline. You can see this in XXXX of the screen prints Ive attached. 
PATTERNS OF MISCONDUCT XXXX. Withholding valid settlements XXXX XXXX offer was hidden for XXXX months XXXX XXXXXXXX lapse was never disclosed XXXX. Presenting settlements before they exist XXXX : A settlement is ready before they secured terms XXXX : A fake updated settlement sent using XXXX terms XXXX. Requesting upfront money without disclosing real status {$4000.00} demand in XXXX for a settlement that was already negotiated XXXX. Manipulating timelines Telling me negotiations were ongoing when they werent Only contacting the creditor AFTER I caught them XXXX. Falsifying or fabricating records Portal shows every payment posting on the XXXX XXXX confirmed this is false Expiration windows were fake the settlements werent real XXXX. Trust account irregularities Conflicting balances No explanation for discrepancies Lack of settlement letters to support fees 7. Fee-first behavior Settling small debts first Delaying large debts Prioritizing fee triggers over actual resolution Structuring payments to delay meaningful progress XXXX. Stalling tactics Avoided written answers Used vague phrases like were finalizing Sent a fake settlement after pressure XXXX. Reactive, not proactive NDR only contacted the law firm after I called Their response was not strategic it was to cover up the truth EMOTIONAL + FINANCIAL HARM I am a single mother. I have no help. I was overwhelmed but trying to do the right thing. When I entered this program, I had almost an XXXX XXXX XXXX. I wasnt reckless I just couldnt afford to keep paying every bill, every month, as the cost of living kept rising. I expected some hardship. I expected to tighten my budget. 
But I never expected this : To feel like I was strapped every single month, afraid to spend a dime, and stuck in a limbo that never seemed to move forward. I wouldnt have chosen this path if I had known how it would really feel emotionally or financially. If I had known they were going to withhold information, manipulate timelines, and prioritize fees over my wellbeing, I would have made another decision. 
This company made me feel : Panicked Confused Ashamed Manipulated Emotionally worn down Betrayed Alone in the middle of a mess they created They deepened the hardship I came to them to help fix. 
WHAT I AM REQUESTING FROM THE CFPB XXXX. Full investigation into NDRs practices, including : Undisclosed expired settlements Fabricated timelines XXXXnternal placeholder payment dates Upfront payment requests without transparency Deceptive, reactive behavior 2. Trust account audit Verify fees, deposits, withdrawals, and true creditor payments XXXX. Restitution Refund of all fees Reimburse unaccounted funds Adjust any inflated settlement costs XXXX Credit reporting corrections Reflect accurate delinquency timelines and resolution XXXX. Enforcement action if systemic issues are found Because if this happened to me, its happening to others.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation