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Report: #315920

Complaint Review: Freedom Debt Relief , Freedom-debt-relief.com - San Mateo California

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  • Reported By: Hartford Connecticut
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  • Freedom Debt Relief , Freedom-debt-relief.com 1875 South Grant Street - Suite 400 - San Mateo, CA 94402 San Mateo, California United States of America

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SPECIAL UPDATE: April 25 2011: Freedom Debt Relief remains committed to increased customer satisfaction and has improved their business practices over the years to better serve their customers. Freedom Debt Relief is truly dedicated to making sure their customers are satisfied and that any complaints which do arise are addressed promptly and fairly.

To date, Freedom Debt Relief has made good faith efforts to resolve all complaints reported on Rip-off Report. Based on our experience, the member business has proven to be among the top members of the Rip-off Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation and Customer Satisfaction Program as a Verified Safe Business.

Over time and since becoming a member, Freedom Debt Relief has remained actively engaged and improving the way they address customer service complaints. As an active and current member of the Rip-off Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation and Customer Satisfaction Program we are happy to report that now more than ever Freedom Debt Relief remains committed to improving customer satisfaction.

Remember, no company or individual can ever satisfy 100% of the people 100% of the time. There are no products or services that will always be perfect for everyone and even the best companies will receive complaints from time to time. However, by participating in the Corporate Advocacy Program, the member business has made a commitment to working with its customers to resolve complaints quickly and fairly whenever possible.

Please keep in mind that as a consumer you have some responsibilities as well. Success has many definitions that based on your past experiences, current situation and your perceived expectations. Success with any product or service is always based on the proper application and understanding. The fastest car will not run if you never turn the engine on. Look at how you used the product or service that was provided in relation with the instructions that you received. The Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation and Customer Satisfaction Program will help you get your voice heard but please be prepared with documentation and fair representation of your concern, also have an idea of how the company can fix your concern. Can they offer additional services, extend warranties, offer a fair refund or just get you talking with someone that can help. ..let them know and let us know!

*Any consumer not receiving satisfaction from a member of the Corporate Advocacy Program should email us at editor@ripoffreport.com
 Freedom Debt Relief is Rip-off Report Verified

Rip-off Report Investigation:

Editor's UPDATE: Positive Rating and Recognition has been given to Freedom Debt Relief for its Commitment to Excellence in customer service.

Rip-off Report's investigation of Freedom Debt Relief (FDR) uncovers continuous commitment to ongoing improvements in customer service with the goal of total client satisfaction. This means that clients can expect the company will always work towards finding a mutually satisfactory resolution to any complaints or concerns. FDR's primary concern is to get their clients debt free in 2-3 years with the best possible client experience.

Freedom Debt Relief's CEO stated "We understand that the only way to grow as a company is by recognizing that we can and should get better every day and then committing the resources necessary to achieve excellence". He then added, "We have a terrific business committed to excellence but we also know that we have made mistakes, all businesses do, but it's how we react to those mistake and fix them that makes us a better company ".

As a sign of their commitment, Freedom Debt Relief recently conducted a customer and employee survey with a the commitment to continual improvement and customer service excellence. As a result of this survey Freedom Debt Relief has implemented new processes centered around a superior customer experience. An executive told Rip-off Report that Freedom Debt Relief's corporate mantra is clients first, employees second and profits third if you take care of the first two the third will follow.

Rip-off Report has confirmed that Freedom Debt Relief's approach to business includes company-wide quality assurance initiatives. The result of which, leads to continual dedication to client focused processes, customer outcomes and employee relations. Rip-off Report was pleased to learn that the company's past and current approach to business is focused on its pledge to total commitment towards client satisfaction. Rip-off Report also learned the company has won an award as Best Places to Work in its market in addition to a prestigious award by Ernst & Young as Entrepreneurs of the Year in northern California.

A senior Freedom Debt Relief executive commented "We're at a time in our country's history where the average American family is saving less than $450 per year and has a mountain of debt compounding at very high rates. We do our very best to get our clients out of debt and have a track record of settling debt for 49% of what is owed but this is not a silver bullet, there are no free lunches". Rip-off Report feels it should comment that when a consumer assumes credit card debt it can often become a very difficult process keep up with interest and to pay back the full principal owed. In addition there are the aggressive collector calls and stress. In the business that Freedom Debt Relief operates they understand the pain associated with unsecured debt spiraling out of control and they have built a team around reducing that pain to the extent it is possible

It is our opinion that individuals experiencing financial difficulty can feel confident in the fact that Freedom Debt Relief has worked with thousands of customers and has successfully settled tens of thousands of accounts. FDR has over 450 employees dedicated to providing the best possible customer service and client outcome.

FDR recognizes that complaints posted on Rip-off Report (true or not) are issues that need to be addressed and if handled correctly can be valuable learning opportunities. With the feedback generated by Rip-off Report's Investigation FDR has made organizational changes allowing their clients a more streamlined approach to problem resolution and a total overall commitment to customer experience.

In summary, after our investigation, which included discussions with Freedom Debt Relief Senior Management, Rip-off Report is convinced that the company has been and is committed to quality delivery of services resulting in total client satisfaction.

Read more about FDR Freeodm Debt Relief's Commitment to Excellence and Total Consumer Satisfaction and why consumers should feel safe, confident and secure when doing business with a member of Rip-off Report's Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program. ..yes, a long name for a program that does a lot for both consumers and businesses alike.

Read about Rip-off Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program,..A program that benefits the consumer, assures them of complete satisfaction and confidence when doing business with a member business. this program works.

===================== NOW TO THE ORIGINAL REPORT THAT WAS FILED

=====================

*NOTICE!..the complaint below is not from an actual Freedom Debt Relief customer.

Freedom Debt Relief, Freedom-debt-relief.com, FDR, FREEDOM San Mateo California

The scumbags at freedom debt relief, freedom financial netowrk, FDR, freedom debt, or whatever other names they use ruined me financially by making promises they can't keep. If I knew they were just a bunch of teenagers over there stealing money from people I would have never signed up with them. I feel like flying out there and ringing there b*****d necks.

I've contacted FDR when I had to charge every credit card I had to pay for my son's cancer treatments. I am self employed with a small contracting business and don't have the greatest health insurance. My debts acrued close to $200,000 and had no way of paying this back. They advertised that they could lower my debt 50% and offered a reasonable monthly payment.

Well, it's been 1 year now and I've paid them close to $40,000 so far. And guess what? They haven't done anything but create me serious financial problems when they were supposed to be helping me get out of this mess.

I have notices to appear in court because I'm getting sued because the creditors didn't get any of their money. My credit score is now equivilent to that of a street bum who never paid a bill in there life. I've told my rep Steve about this law suit and he said that my creditors only work with attorneys and they couldn't help me and to hire an attorney.

Duuuuh. Why didn't you tell me to hire an attorney in the beginning scumbag? Why are you even in business? On top of that, I am yet to see my $40,000 they've collected from me. They said they would return my money but is has been close to three months now and are dodging my calls! Needless to say I've contacted the Federal Trade Commission and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal about this. These money collecting teenagers need to be shut down like the Ameridebt scam.

Andrew Housser and the Better Business Bureau should be ashamed of yourself. Some BBB Accredited business you run. Go to hell...

Here's there contact info:

Gary a. Hartford, Connecticut
U.S.A.

Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on American Debt Relief

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 03/08/2008 05:08 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/freedom-debt-relief-freedom-debt-reliefcom/san-mateo-california-94402/freedom-debt-relief-scam-reviews-complaint-investigation-freedom-debt-relief-fdr-dedi-315920. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
0Author
4Consumer
6Employee/Owner

#10 REBUTTAL Individual responds

Response to "DAN Commodore USA"

AUTHOR: Gregg - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Regarding comments made by "DAN Commadore and/or from Commodore USA"

I have no client in my database with that name or from the location of record as ever being a client, muchless an active one.

In 10 years in the industry; I have NEVER quoted a payment length to ANY client.

We guarantee to save our clients 2 times our fees in writing, but at the same time can make no specific defined amount as to how many payments this would take.

The Contract (which must be received in full with ALL pages signed before enrollment is allowed) specifically states:

Page 1 -

"ESTIMATED MONTHLY DRAFT & ESTIMATED

NUMBER OF MONTHS $283.00 / 38 Estimated Months "...(for example only)

Page 11 - Authorization to Debit Bank Account:

"Amount of Debit: Date of Debit:

$283.00 On or after the 28 day of each month until further notice"...(for example only)

 

Page 14 - TASC Standard Disclosure Statement:

5. Your Debt Settlement Program assumes an effort that will continue

for many months. The time needed to produce a settlement depends

on a number of factors. These may include: (a) The financial

hardship, (b) the age and balance of the accounts that you owe your

creditors, (c) the funds you have available to pay for a settlement and

(d) the willingness of individual creditors to enter into debt settlement

negotiations. While no guarantees can be given, generally the quicker

you save money the sooner you will be in a position to reach your

goals. However, each settlement must be acceptable to both you and

your settling creditor.

I CAN state that the majority of my clients who have completed their programs have graduated (on the average) about 3-6 months sooner than their estimated payments as quoted on page one and 11 (as stated above).

 I enrolled my own Son in our program 3 years ago! This is not something a responsible Father would do if he wasn't convinced that this company above all others would help him better than any other.

All my clients review the contract with me paragraph by paragraph before I will accept it, or my Associate Jon will forward it to enrollment.

All my clients have my number (which has been the same for 8 years) and are encouraged to call anytime they have an issue.

I attribute my 95% retention rate to date to this; and the outstanding service one of the largest Client Support Divisions of any Debt Settlement Company in the industry can and has provided for me.

In closing if a single "missing" document (muchless THREE) was not signed and/or returned, he wouldn't be enrolled, he isn't a client, and I suggest our competetors spend less time visiting this site and focussing on THEIR clients.

An intersting FACT: Our nearest competitor has 1600 complaints; 200 resolved; compared to our 175 resolved compalints over the same period of time!

Being the 3rd fastest growing company in America; THE Leading Debt Settlement Company in the Industry with the record holding settlements per month of 28.6 MILLION dollars in September alone, we are becoming a target of frivolous fraudulent, and unsrupulous competition on an ongoing basis!

I thank Rip-Off for giving me the opportunity to respond in this case.

Respectfully,

Gregg R. Wright

Affiliate, Chicago, IL

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#9 Consumer Comment

WE'LL FIND OUT FDR!!

AUTHOR: Dan - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, August 29, 2008

I sought help from FDR. They did settle an account for me already. I have 2 left to settle. A while ago I signed a contract which did not include a specific number of payments I would have to make although I was told a specific number by the educator "Gregg" several times which I wrote down for my own records. I do remember requesting a paper that said an exact number of payments and never received one via fax. All of the sudden I call recently to inquire regarding another issue and it came up that the program would be 6 monthly payments longer than I was told. And when I questioned that I was told it was in my contract. I was e-mailed a copy of the contract that representive Luis Gomez had told me I signed and of course I had signed all of the papers--EXCEPT THAT ONE I DID NOT SIGN or initial because some of the pages you have to initial to acknowledge you've seen them. WELL--I HAD NEVER SEEN IT BECAUSE IT WASN'T IN MY CONTRACT PACKET. So I'm not sure what Luis was looking at. And I stapled all of the contract papers I signed and faxed back to them together. It's not in there. The paper in question that did give a specific number of payments was information that was filled out by someone at FDR WHICH AGAIN HAD NEVER SEEN. Well--I AM GIVING FDR A CHANCE TO FIX THIS. IF THEY CAN'T I'LL ATTEMPT TO SETTLE THE DEBTS MYSELF. IF THEY FIX THIS I WILL REBUT MY OWN RESPONSE HERE. I JUST FEEL LIKE TO RECRUIT ME I WAS TOLD SOMETHING THAT WASN'T TRUE AND POOR CALCULATING WAS DONE. I am not happy and feel ripped off. SO--STAY TUNED--I WILL FOLLOW UP EITHER WAY INCLUDING IF IF THE ACCOUNTS GET SETTLED. WILL STAY POSITIVE--MAYBE THEY'LL COME THROUGH. I picked them for a reason--through research I did I thought they were the best. We'll find out. MAYBE NONE OF THEM ARE ANY GOOD. WE'LL SEE. LOL

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#8 Consumer Comment

This rip off report is just plain wrong

AUTHOR: George - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, May 07, 2008

I used Freedom Debt Relief. My experience was nothing but positive. I didn't have the money to pay my creditors monthly. Without them, I'd still be in debt and dishing money out every month. However, now I'll be out of debt in another few months.



I found them to be nothing but outstanding.



George, Arizona

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#7 UPDATE Employee

You can't change the truth

AUTHOR: Joey - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Thursday, May 01, 2008

The facts are the facts:



Fact: I am an employee of Freedom Debt Relief.

Fact: We provide a service that reduces peoples credit card debt by about half.

Fact: Our clients become debt free in 2 to 3 years.

Fact: Management monitors employees to ensure we are honest and forthright.

Fact: Most consumers need help and guidence to get out of credit card debt.

Fact: We were recently honored as the best place to work in the Bay Area.

Fact: The U.S. economy is not good right now and people need help with debt.

Fact: I am treated with the utmost respect as an emplyee of FDR.

Fact: The office I work in has 3 BBB complaints and we have signed up thousands of clients. Those complaints have been resolved.

Fact: The leaders of our company are Stanford educated.

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#6 UPDATE Employee

Frivilous Report

AUTHOR: Gregg - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, March 30, 2008

Yes that posting was done by one of our competitors. Interesting note: the last hyperlink below that says if you need debt help where does that take you?



The Rip-Off Report is a good sounding point for people but they donot/cannot monitor the origin of said complaints, and allow no accountability to those entering posts (in this case an envious competitor).



Several things make no sense here;



1) How would anyone who had a $200,000 Medical Debt be approved by our underwriting department with a payment that only comes to $40,000 a year. Depending on the State in which the party resided and the size of the individual Bills that payment if it ever got through underwriting would have to be in the $6,000 a month range! So if he was in the program a year well over 1/2 of his debts would already have been settled, and he would have invested well over $70,000.00 into the Savings Account he controlled (not the $30,000 he claims). If no debt was settled his money that was NOT used to settle debts would be sitting in his FDIC Insured Savings Account the HE CONTROLS, and it would have been returned to him by the Bank if he closed the account and cancelled the contract (which any moron would have done long before, under the circumstances being painted here)!



2) To get a $200,000 credit card line he would have had to have owned property with sizeable equity and an income to match, or Bankruptcy would have been what any of our Reps would have recommended.



3) He mentions nothing about Garnishments, Liens, arbitration or any normal rational option, and does nothing but call our summa c*m laude Standford Business Banking Graduates (and self-made millionaires) Teenagers?



4) Temporarily setting aside the fact that Freedom Debt Relief:



became the 2nd largest Debt Settlement Company in the industry in the first 5 years.



Will have over a BILLION dollars in enrolled debt by 2009



That we have the highest program retention rate in the industry,



the largest client service staff per members enrolled ratio in the industry,



the lowest settlements in the industry



We even pay for FDR clients memberships with www.myacu.org (to avoid the harassment this individual allegedly was getting, miraculously; without the legal that would inevitable have accompanied it).



That FDR is a Charter member of www.tascsite.org



That FDR is a MEMBER of the Better Business Bureau http://www.bbbonline.org:80/cks.asp?id=10403189534440503 for going on 6 years and has a complaint ratio of under 1/3 of 1%, and HUNDREDS less complaints than our nearest competitor.

Would any highly educated, or well founded victim who makes over $400,000 a year (needed to get a credit line that high) use such base language or state their argument so pathetically ignorant and be so infantile?



Would a true victim of any company go to the "Rip-off Report" first or would they have gone to the BBB, TASC, or The California Department of Consumer Affairs (who even a free legal site would have recommended) for professional resolution or Arbitration which our contract requires?. Obviously a legitimate victim would have... not an envious competitor



As an Affiliate of Freedom Debt Relief with 8 years experience, and over 3500 clients, my biggest hurdle is they do seem to good to be true. But rational based on fact MUST override unfounded albeit unfounded irrationally based allegations of dubious merit when considering any financial decision of this importance. I can also tell you what I tell my clients. If there was better company out there I would be working for them. I am not an owner of Freedom Debt Relief, just a proud Affiliate who gets up everyday KNOWING that no company can do a better job for my clients then them. I like the Rip-Off Report and have used it personally in the past. I am confident they will review and post my response too.



Respectfully,

Gregg R Wright

Chicago, IL

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#5 REBUTTAL Owner of company

This misleading posting is from a competitor

AUTHOR: Andrew - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, March 10, 2008

We have searched our databased and do not have any clients with the first name Gary in the state of Connecticut. After reading the posting, it is appears to be from a competitor. We have served over 40,000 clients and work hard every day to help our clients, and will continue to do so.

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#4 REBUTTAL Owner of company

A Bogus Complaint

AUTHOR: Brads_freedom - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, March 10, 2008

We work extraordinary hard for our clients, so when a competitor maliciously posts a bogus complaint it is offensive... but i cannot control other people's unethical behavior and just wish whoever posted this the best of luck in all future endeavors.



I would like, however, to state that after exhaustively researching this apparent complaint - i have found that we do NOT have any client named Gary in Conneticut and that we do not have any clients with over $100,000 in debt in Conneticut. So, as suspected, a competitor (and we're pretty sure we know who, but we are looking into the IP address of the user who filed this complaint) has filed this bogus complaint.



I can share with anyone who is interested that we have over 40,000 clients and have saved millions in debt for our customers. Debt resolution is not for everyone, but each of our 1,100 clients who had a debt resolved just last week can attest for how hard Freedom Debt Relief works for its clients. For consumers with serious debt problems, Freedom Debt Relief is one of the best companies out there. We are members of the BBB and on the Board of Directors of the Industry Assocation (TASC.org).



For folks who practice unethical behavior or file bogus complaints, we cannot stop that. We just keep working hard for our customers and welcome legitimate competitors to the industry, if they share a dedication to helping Americans deal with serious financial burdens.



Thanks.

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#3 REBUTTAL Owner of company

A Bogus Complaint

AUTHOR: Brads_freedom - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, March 10, 2008

We work extraordinary hard for our clients, so when a competitor maliciously posts a bogus complaint it is offensive... but i cannot control other people's unethical behavior and just wish whoever posted this the best of luck in all future endeavors.



I would like, however, to state that after exhaustively researching this apparent complaint - i have found that we do NOT have any client named Gary in Conneticut and that we do not have any clients with over $100,000 in debt in Conneticut. So, as suspected, a competitor (and we're pretty sure we know who, but we are looking into the IP address of the user who filed this complaint) has filed this bogus complaint.



I can share with anyone who is interested that we have over 40,000 clients and have saved millions in debt for our customers. Debt resolution is not for everyone, but each of our 1,100 clients who had a debt resolved just last week can attest for how hard Freedom Debt Relief works for its clients. For consumers with serious debt problems, Freedom Debt Relief is one of the best companies out there. We are members of the BBB and on the Board of Directors of the Industry Assocation (TASC.org).



For folks who practice unethical behavior or file bogus complaints, we cannot stop that. We just keep working hard for our customers and welcome legitimate competitors to the industry, if they share a dedication to helping Americans deal with serious financial burdens.



Thanks.

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#2 REBUTTAL Owner of company

A Bogus Complaint

AUTHOR: Brads_freedom - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, March 10, 2008

We work extraordinary hard for our clients, so when a competitor maliciously posts a bogus complaint it is offensive... but i cannot control other people's unethical behavior and just wish whoever posted this the best of luck in all future endeavors.



I would like, however, to state that after exhaustively researching this apparent complaint - i have found that we do NOT have any client named Gary in Conneticut and that we do not have any clients with over $100,000 in debt in Conneticut. So, as suspected, a competitor (and we're pretty sure we know who, but we are looking into the IP address of the user who filed this complaint) has filed this bogus complaint.



I can share with anyone who is interested that we have over 40,000 clients and have saved millions in debt for our customers. Debt resolution is not for everyone, but each of our 1,100 clients who had a debt resolved just last week can attest for how hard Freedom Debt Relief works for its clients. For consumers with serious debt problems, Freedom Debt Relief is one of the best companies out there. We are members of the BBB and on the Board of Directors of the Industry Assocation (TASC.org).



For folks who practice unethical behavior or file bogus complaints, we cannot stop that. We just keep working hard for our customers and welcome legitimate competitors to the industry, if they share a dedication to helping Americans deal with serious financial burdens.



Thanks.

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#1 REBUTTAL Owner of company

A Bogus Complaint

AUTHOR: Brads_freedom - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, March 10, 2008

We work extraordinary hard for our clients, so when a competitor maliciously posts a bogus complaint it is offensive... but i cannot control other people's unethical behavior and just wish whoever posted this the best of luck in all future endeavors.



I would like, however, to state that after exhaustively researching this apparent complaint - i have found that we do NOT have any client named Gary in Conneticut and that we do not have any clients with over $100,000 in debt in Conneticut. So, as suspected, a competitor (and we're pretty sure we know who, but we are looking into the IP address of the user who filed this complaint) has filed this bogus complaint.



I can share with anyone who is interested that we have over 40,000 clients and have saved millions in debt for our customers. Debt resolution is not for everyone, but each of our 1,100 clients who had a debt resolved just last week can attest for how hard Freedom Debt Relief works for its clients. For consumers with serious debt problems, Freedom Debt Relief is one of the best companies out there. We are members of the BBB and on the Board of Directors of the Industry Assocation (TASC.org).



For folks who practice unethical behavior or file bogus complaints, we cannot stop that. We just keep working hard for our customers and welcome legitimate competitors to the industry, if they share a dedication to helping Americans deal with serious financial burdens.



Thanks.

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