ComplaintsforPacific Debt Relief

• Initial Complaint

  09/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In January 2023, I reached out to Pacific Debt Relief to help me get out of debt and signed up with an account with them. I ensured when I spoke to ******* which I had several phone calls before making this step and be one of their customers. After I signed about 1.5 year my situation had changed and had Family Medical needs. I realized I no longer can resume making $550 a month. I called them and asked to withdraw from the program as I was told they charge their fees monthly so im case I need to withdraw from the program I can get my money. However, I had approx $8,000.00 im my secure account with cftpay. When I called and spoke with ***** he said that Im only looking for $2,000 in refund as they rest of the money will be their 20% settlement fees. I explained that I was never told that and discussed my conversation with Rochard but we were getting no where. I told him its not fair they put me in more debt and take my money and charge 3 years ahead of service not going to be provided. Altough, I have Family Emergency to take care of. Im failing complaints against Pacific Debt Relief and CFT Pay who manage my account. It hurts when you trust what they say and be with them 1.5year and they play games afterward. I need my full refund back $6,258.93 back. Im not letting them play with my money and family needs. This is the initial complain and will be taken further until this issue is resolved.

  

  Business response

  09/21/2024

  We are sorry to hear about your change in circumstances. It does look we negotiated a settlement on you only account enrolled which resulted in a savings of over $10,000 for you. Please be advised we work for many month essentially for free until we can obtain a settlement on your behalf. The current settlement was agreed to and approved by you in May 2023 and is scheduled to be completed in 2026. Our settlement fees, which are outlined in detail in your client agreement and reviewed in your Welcome Call, are 100% contingent on success. Our fees are only earned once we 1) obtain a settlement 2) you agree to the terms and 3)  the first payment is made to the creditors. It does appear that all three of those standards were met. With that said, we will work with you to try and reach a mutually agreeable resolution. We will escalate your request to a manager and have someone reach out to you this Monday. 

  Customer response

  09/22/2024

  Hello,

  Your reaponse is copy and paste what you probably told your customers in the past. First the original creditor amout is $31,518. You reached settlement with creditors for $21,421.16 and add %20 settlements fees for $6,303 which brings my total to pay now $27,724 saving less than $3k which make no sense. You are hiding the truth in your response. Although, as debt relief company that wont allow you to charge upfront fees for 3 more years. The agreement made that you charge your fees monthly. This is unfair practice taking advantage of people struggling with debt and this has been sent to ***. You have already taken fees monthly and Im deemanding full refund for the full amount on my account. 

  

  Business response

  09/24/2024

  Our representative ****** reached out yesterday and was able to speak with the client. We have requested that *** withdraw the requested funds and return them to the client's account on file. We hope this resolution resolves the matter to your satisfaction and wish you the best of luck moving forward. If anything further is needed, please feel free to reach out to ****** directly as she will ensure your account is closed and funds returned as requested. Funds are typically returned within 2-3 business days so please reach out to ****** if you do not see the deposit to your account by this Friday. 

  Customer response

  09/27/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/27/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have found that in the last 9 months this company has not been doing as they have said. When I joined in December 2023 they said that I would be hearing and talking about my account it wasnt until I would contact them. Seeing they negoatited half but the fee they took was basically the same amount Im not saving any money then after I complained they settled another account for the amount the company asked for. I said they are not able to collect a fee on that they said they were because they negotiated payments AFTER I COMPLAINED

  

  Business response

  09/04/2024

  Thank you for your inquiry. We are sorry to hear you are not with the satisfied with the early results of your program . Our records indicate that you enrolled in March of 2024, so please be mindful that you are only in your fourth month of the program and that the original program estimate was for four years (48 months). It does appear your most recent draft(s) were returned or did not clear and we have been actively reaching out to get these resolved. Most recently, your Program Specialist ****** reached out yesterday to offer a reduced fee on the next settlement we have planned, but it appears we have not received a response. We will escalate this matter to a Manager for further follow up as we would love the opportunity to hear your concerns and see if there is anything further we can do to retain you as a client. 

  Customer response

  09/04/2024

  I am not paying your fee on account that this company didnt settle no a reduced fee is not acceptable. Show me proof on how you settled the account! The amount settled for came from the letter and having me pay $3 for a phone payment this day and age they can take the payment from MY account. 
  That is the over all. Issue I am not paying your 25% fee for an account that is the amount on a letter that was sent to you 

  

  Business response

  09/05/2024

  We had our ***********************, our Director of Client Experience reach out to this client today and have reached a mutually agreeable resolution to this matter. If anything further is needed in the future regarding this matter, please feel free to reach out. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Unable to get refund as they send it a closed bank account and the representative is unwilling to help, keeps telling me to call the bank where I no longer have an account

  

  Business response

  11/07/2023

  Our Account Manager ***************************** reached out to review the closing of the account following successful completion of our program. There was no refund due at the end of the process and everything was closed out correctly. If there is still any confusion, you may reach out to ******************** directly via email at *************************************** . Additionally, if you need a copy of your Completion package or any other program documents, please do not hesitate to reach out. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I mistakenly signed up and now I am getting constant phone calls all the time and have emailed them not to call me. I don't want any further contact from this company.

  

  Business response

  10/20/2023

  Thank you for reaching out. Please be advised that we have added your number to our Do Not Call list. You should not receive any more calls. If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out for further assistance.

   

   

  Customer response

  10/20/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I engaged Pacific Debt to help me negotiate a settlement on my credit cards. I made sure to be clear about what I wanted. I said I wanted all of my accounts settled simultaneously. Instead the company worked on 1 account at a time and did not attempt to work on subsequent accounts until the preceding account was paid off. At the rate they were going it would have taken 10 years to finish this process. Sometime in the spring I added an additional $431 to my monthly payments bringing my total contribution to $1,000 a month with the understanding that the 3 remain accounts would be settled. I was told, by a laughing employee, that is not how it works. Again I made sure to ask that question during the sales call. In addition, I was told that I had to pay 20% of my original debt to Pacific Debt. before they would even attempt to negotiate any further accounts. I believe they worded that part of their policy to purposely mislead me and others. 20% is higher than my credit card interest. I understood the 20% fee was being added to the settlement amount and NOT the original outstanding amount. Furthermore, my original outstanding amount increased significantly over the course of a year because Pacific Debt would not engage any of the cc companies until that time. I have since fired them for their refusal to do what I signed up for. I would like BBB to help me negotiate ******'s fee to be closer to what a not for profit should be charging for their services. Keep in mind they only settled 2 of my 5 accounts and the BoA account did not even amount to any reduction. I ended up owing BoA MORE after ******* negotiated with them. They will tell you that it was unavoidable as the debt for *** went to attorneys and I was going to be brought to court. However, if ******* engaged with **********, the debt would not have gone to the lawyers in the first place. Since firing ******* I was able to negotiate a settlement on all 3 outstanding accounts with a reduction in debt between 50-60% and I was provided a generous timeline to pay. What P. Debt could not do in 2 years, I did all of that all in a matter of 2 hours.

  

  Business response

  06/30/2023

  Thank you for your feedback. We strive to provide a high level of service and transparency with our clients and it seem in this case you do not feel we have achieved that. In reviewing the notes on file, we did confirm with ***************************** that they cleared the June payment for your settlement installment on the **** of America account, this is the final payment we will be making and you will be responsible for the remaining payments. We have closed your account with PDI and CFTPay and waived all remaining settlement fees as requested. You will see a deposit to your bank account early next week for $886 - a refund from your CFTPay account. For the Chase account that was settled, all installment payments were made and the original balance of $14521 is now paid off. As far as our fees, they are very competitive in the marketplace and we only get paid once a settlement is reached, you agree to the terms, and we begin making payments. The fees are based on the enrolled amount - not the inflated amount with interest. We often work many months at no cost before we collect anything, as our fees are contingent on your success. We discounted the fees you paid on the settlements received and offered to discount them moving forward. We are not a non profit credit counseling organization, and even if we were, those companies reorganize the debt so that you pay back the full balance plus interest. They also receive a payment from the creditor called a "fair share". We are glad to hear you were able to settle your remaining debt and wish you the best of luck as you move forward. You will see Please reach out if we can be of further service. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  SCAM. They use the front Pacific Debt but they will transfer you to a different company called CLEAR ONE who has a LOT of bad reviews! They will talk you out into joining the program and once they're done, they will NOT help you get your account canceled. I've been on hold for an hour now to cancel my account with CLEAR ONE because obviously PACIFIC debit washed their hands OFF it. Stay away from this company. I should have listened to the the other reviews saying you're doing this but I put my trust thinking you already had this sorted out.I NEED YOU TO CONTACT ******************* TO CANCEL MY PROGRAM!

  

  Business response

  12/01/2022

  Pacific Debt is not a scam. Out company has been in business for 20 years and takes great pride in helping consumers in debt. We do service most consumers who come to us, but in some cases we enroll clients with our trusted partners based on their state of residence or debt type. We can confirm your account with Clear One was cancelled and no money was withdrawn from your account. Please note that Clear One does maintain an A+ rating with the better business bureau and responds to all complaints. We can not control wait time on hold, as there are times where there is a high volume of calls. One of our enrollment managers did speak with this consumer to confirm the account has be closed. We have never denied a consumer from cancelling our program or a program with a partner. We are here to help. 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩