NCRC, National Consumer Resource Center Will not send refund of set-up fee. ripoff Cocunut Creek Florida

Unlike many others on this site, I have fortunately NOT had the experience of NCRC not paying off my debt. I did have some initial issues with them lowering my interest rates & telling me to stop making payments until my accounts went through "re-aging." As most claim, the accounts never do go through re-aging & you are left with late payments & late fees, which DID get reported against my credit. This was many years ago, I am never late on payments for anything & I have since cleared my credit, bought a home & moved on.

I did manage to pay off my debt in 5 years, some of which was due to a large lump-sum payment that I made on my own to one of the creditors. The rest of my creditors did go through the process with NCRC & I did pay them off on time. I never had any issues with changing payment amounts, rearraging payments, etc. Also (and thank goodness), I had no issues in getting them to stop my auto-debit monthly payments.

HOWEVER, my initial agreement with this company stated that upon completion of the program, I would receive my $230 deposit back as long as I obtained letters from each of the creditors stating that my accounts were paid off & closed.

I did everything that I was supposed to, and have sent everything in toe NCRC-- several times. I have followed up with numerous phone calls. Once the "customer service" representative finds out that you are calling about a refund, they will no longer deal with you & transfer you to the "refund department" (And they will literally transfer you mid-sentance. They will not even hear you out.)

Well, the "refund department", if it exists, is a department where no one apparantly ever answers the phone. I have left about 6 messages on this line & have never received a call back. I have sent about 6 letters to them, via fax and regular mail, asking for (and eventually) demanding my refund as promised in the fully executed contract that I still have on file. All have been ignored.

When I got married & changed my name & address, I notfied NCRC of all of this & where they could send my refund. I am being completely ignored. I could use the $230, sure -- but it isn't a ton of money. It is just now more of the point that they are stealing this money that is rightfully mine. I guess this is how they stay in business by not returning deposits & the lousy $35 a month that I foolishly paid them each month for a job I could have done myself. But I was young, fresh out of college with a ton of college debt, and found this as an alternative to paying off my debt load.

I would not recommend this company to anyone & wish someone would bring about a class action suit against them. Its a shame that the BBB won't help and lets them get away with this sort of behaviour & ripping off consumers. Especially when their consumers are obviously people in financial need.

Jaime
Potomac, Maryland
U.S.A.