Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  01/10/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Initially, I agreed to render Start New Financials' services to help with a credit card. Shortly after, I denied the service after reading their documents, learning that they need a waiver for regarding my clearance, and finding them non-trustworthy. I never signed the waiver for them to move forward with their service, but they processed the initial payment anyway. I denied the service at least a week prior to January 10, 2025, texted and emailed correspondence very directly mentioning that I denied the service.

  

  Business response

  01/12/2025

  Hello ***** - Thank you for giving us an opportunity to respond to your comments.  Your request for a full refund is acknowledged.  Assuming your draft successfully posts on 1/14/25, your refund will process via electronic transfer of funds on 1/15/25.  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and we wish you well.

   

• Initial Complaint

  11/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I consolidated all my debts with them. At some point one of the creditors where not getting paid so I got a loan from Lending USA to pay off Start New Financial. They paid them off so I assumed I was Good. Now I am trying to buy a Condo and my Credit score is low so I pulled my Credit report and see one of the Credit cards that was suppose to be resolved shows a balance. When I called Start New Financial, they said that CC was not part of the settlement but it should have been. They are saying its not there problem. When I called the collection agency, Start New Financial are the ones that are suppose to make the payment but they are not. Thanks,****

  

  Business response

  11/25/2024

  Hello ******************** you for reaching out.  The credit card you are referencing was not included in your program payoff because, at that time, the creditor was reporting that the account was not eligible for a settlement.  At that time, your credit report was indicating that you were making payments or partial payments toward the full balance, which generally precludes any opportunity for us to settle the debt for a reduced amount.

  Customer response

  11/25/2024

   
  Complaint: 22602324
  
  I am rejecting this response because: New Financial was making payments at the time of the settlement, not me.  They are the ones that stopped making payments that were negotiated. Then When Start New Finical was paid off by my loan form ***********, they said it was not part of the settlement because it was current by them. So they stopped making payments after I settled, now they are putting this back on me, They are shysters

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ********

  

  Business response

  11/26/2024

  Hello **** - To clarify, Start New Financial never made or facilitated any payments toward your ******** account ending in 2362.  As a debt settlement company, Start New Financial only facilitates payments to enrolled creditors for which a settlement has been negotiated.  A settlement was never negotiated for Citibank 2632.

  Customer response

  11/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 22602324
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  It was part of the first settlement. Start New Financial are the ones that were making payments. I defaulted on that loan in 2021. If I were making payments, then why was the company that bought the debt looking for Payments from Start New Financial. They would not settle for a full amount because Start New Financial had it current. When I got a loan to pay off Start New Financial, they settled the other debts, then quit making the payments on this loan, so now its in default. I had not idea they stopped payments. I did not find out until l Tried to purchase a Condo and found it on my credit report. When I called the 800 number ***************), they were expecting payment from Start New Financial, not me. Start New Financial was paid a significant amount from the loan I got from Lending USA to take care of this debt but they decided to quit making payments. If they did not get enough to cover, then its their fault for poor planning.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ********

  

  Business response

  11/26/2024

  Hello **** - It still seems there is either a miscommunication or misunderstanding.  Start New Financial did not get paid any funds for the handling of ******** 2362 because Start New Financial did not negotiate a settlement for Citibank 2362.  Start New Financial only charges a fee when it is successful negotiating and making a payment toward a settlement.  When you originally enrolled your creditor accounts, ********************** did not start making any payments toward your creditors.  As an example, we did not facilitate any payments toward your ***** account until 10/2722 (when we ultimately reached a settlement), even though you enrollment began in June 2022.  Settlements are not pre-arranged to begin at your time of enrollment.

  Customer response

  11/26/2024

  Call the person who bought the debt. They will tell you who was making payments on the debt and who quit paying. They already negotiated it is why it was not on the pay off. Why would I take out a loan for ****** dollars at 25% interest and pay off Start New Financial and not have all the debts closed. I had no idea they were going to just drop the ball on the one they were already paying and let it go defaulted. If they negotiated a payment plan, which I am sure the party below can verify, then they are obligated to continue to make payments, not just stop paying. I had no idea until I checked my credit report a year later.

  I have no documentation because I had to move and leave my belongings because of a bad situation but the party below will verify Start new Financial negotiated with them.

   

   

  Contact Info

  **************

  PO Box 6241

  *********************

  Customer response

  11/27/2024

  If they did not negotiate with ****, Why were they making payments to the company that bought the debt. They are liars but I can't prove because of the documents issue. The person that bought the debt can verify that they were making payments but they are big company and I am the little guy so I expect to get screwed. They will keep me form ever buy anther house/Condo.

   Screw then I hope somebody can eventually shut down there scam of a business.

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  11/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Sept. 21, 2023 I gave *** permission to get an addition deposit of $12, ****** They had to divide the amount into 2 deposits, $10,000 and $ *****. On the second deposit, on a recorded line, I instructed them that the money was to be used to settle my account with ** ******. They ignored this. Phone number I had been using no longer worked. No contact with them for 5+ weeks. In this time my account status showed 2 smaller debts , that were already set up in payments, were paid off but no progress on ** ******. I contacted **********, asked, per my contract...stating that I will at all times retain full ownership and control of my account pg. 7 article 4a paragraph 2., for my funds to be returned to me. Crossroads said talk to ***. I was not satisfied with the results, I cancelled my contract. Then I was told that it would be weeks before they finalized my cancellation. ********** wants 17 more days release my funds. Furthermore my contract states, that *** is supposed to, stay in contact with me to keep me updated on my account, get my approval for all settlement offers. This was only sent to me by e-mail 6 to 12 months after they had already accepted the offers for other debts and payments had been made through out these months. (Original contract was signed on 8/25/2022.)I do NOT think anyone should use this company. They are not upfront with you. They have told me lies. Example: We are saving your payments so we can make an offer to the company. They save you payment every month so they can take their fee first. They pay the debt by payments strung out over years. If I am the owner and in full control of my account funds, I want my money back now not 5 to 6 weeks from now or longer. $21,498.00 have been pain in the last 12 months. $732.. a month since start of contract and the extra deposits of $12,****** in Sept 2023. My balance in my account is $11,900.35 as of today 11/02/2024 and they are taking an additional $732.00 on 11/04/2024.

  

  Business response

  11/04/2024

  Hello ************ We are in receipt of your review and have escalated your concerns to upper management for proper review.  At first glance it seems, more than anything, we are likely guilty of miscommunication.  We sincerely apologize.  There should be no issue with returning the funds that you have deposited into your special purpose savings account with very little delay.  With all due respect and sincere humility, we offer our belief that we have been honest and transparent with your while working to resolve your debt.  We understand there can always be different view points and so we are not dismissive of your concerns.  We'll have a supervisor reach out to you to try to better understand your feedback.  Ultimately we'll try to turn your feedback into improvements in the customer experience for you and other consumers.  **********

• Initial Complaint

  09/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am 28 months into my 18 month contract which is already 6k over what they said my settlement would be. I have a balance of $180 but when I call they say I owe more until maybe JULY of next year. I have paid almost 16k Into this. They say they settled at 50 percent BUT I didn't have 30k in debt. I will be seeking a lawyer.

  

  Business response

  09/17/2024

  Hello ****************** you for your inquiry.  To confirm, your original contract parameters were for an estimated 18 month term and $546 monthly program payment.  Roughly eight months after your initial enrollment you requested to add two new creditor accounts to your program, thus increasing your total enrolled debt amount by roughly $7,300.  The extended length of your estimated program term (beyond the originally estimated 18 months) is explained by the increase in debt we were tasked in resolving combined with the reduction in your monthly program payment from $546 to $525 (occurring in February 2023 through the present).  We sincerely hope this helps provide context and alleviates your concerns.  ********* :) 

  Customer response

  09/19/2024

   
  Complaint: 22299700
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  i understand i added on another creditor and spoke to someone two days ago saying you settled at 50 percent. Spoke to another woman yesterday and she said i only owe 3 more payments, so where is this July time frame coming from and what happened to it being settled for cheaper?
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Jennifer 

  

  Business response

  09/19/2024

  ************ Our file indicates your program is projected to end after your 12/20/24 monthly program draft clears, so yes, three more drafts after the draft this month (September).  Perhaps there was a miscommunication by our representative in that we can see that one of your settlements with *********** is theoretically scheduled out through July 2025.  However, we/you will be able to pay off that settlement much earlier.

• Initial Complaint

  09/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed a 48-month contract with Start New Financial Services and was told that August 17th would be my last payment and I would complete the program. Now I am being told that two accounts have not been settled and there was 48 months to negotiate with the creditors and this was not done. I am being told that I now have to pay two times a month for an additional 10 months. I am furious that a 48-month contract is not being honored by this company and they want more money to resolve what they had 48 months to do. I cannot afford another 10 months of this and being ripped off.

  

  Business response

  09/04/2024

  Hello ***** - Thank you for reaching out!  We understand your frustration, getting out of debt isn't easy and is almost always a long and sometimes difficult road, but you are almost there!  Your enrollment agreement stipulates that we'll work together to resolve your roughly $75,000 worth of unsecured debt over an estimated time period of 48 months.  Over the past 48 months, we've resolved roughly $59,000 which is such a great accomplishment for you!  When we negotiate with creditors, we can't predict their behavior and we must work between the guardrails of how much money they are demanding versus the funds you have available, and when.  This is the reason we don't guarantee any sort of timeframe on the length of your program, as much as we wish we could.  Some of our clients complete their program prior to their estimated term length, some finish right on time, and some take a bit longer.  Start New Financial has nothing to gain by extending your estimated program length.  In fact, it's the opposite.  As much as we love our clients and love what we do, the sooner we can resolve their debt the better for everyone.  We are only compensated as we actually resolve debt accounts so it's in our best interest to resolve your debt as quickly and efficiently as possible.  Hang in there, you are doing a great job!

• Initial Complaint

  07/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Payoff of account. Final payment was scheduled and received. Received notice of additional payment needed, after payoff amount was paid.

  

  Business response

  07/22/2024

  Hello ************ - Please excuse our initial miscalculation.  No further program payments are required to process your program completion.  Congratulations on your graduation and we wish you all the best for your future.  **** care :)

• Initial Complaint

  07/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company sends out predatory mailings that are deliberately misleading, they look like debt collection correspondence and list a phone number *************) while not listing their company name. I get one of these letters at least once a week for either me or my husband, and sometimes for my ex husband who has not lived with me for over 10 years. I have never done any type of business with this company before, and with practices like this I will not do business with them in the future. The sheer number of letters could constitute harassment, while the deliberately misleading look and language of the letter is pretty typical of an identity and financial fraud scam. This company is using underhanded tactics to get more customers, which tells you how bad of a company they really are. If they were a decent and above board company they would not need to stoop to these levels to get customers. Yesterday is a day too late for them to go out of business. Stop the harassment.

  

  Business response

  07/09/2024

  Hello *************** - We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.  We make every attempt to make sure our marketing efforts are measured and thoughtful.  Having said that, we understand we will not always meet all consumers' expectations.  We have removed you as a potential client so you should no longer receive any correspondence.  Again, we're sorry for the inconvenience.

• Initial Complaint

  06/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been calling Start New Financial for over a 6 weeks. My question is what is the balance owed on my account and pay off date? I can not get anyone to answer my question, reasons why, you have a payment pending in 3 days, I do not know why the creditor is no longer accepting money from you, and my personnel favorite, we do not have a supervisor available, they will call you back in 48 to 72 hours. Only the customer service rep calls back, agrees you have waited a long time for an answer, and will send the question back, please be patient, another 48 to 72 hours.

  

  Business response

  06/20/2024

  Hello ***** - Thank you for reaching out about your concern.  We're sincerely sorry that our service has not met your expectations.  Not an excuse, but the circumstances of your account were somewhat unique and that likely contributed to our difficulty in effectively communicating with you the status of your account.  The end result is positive - we are able to complete/graduate your file at this time.  We'll have a member of upper management contact you to further discuss and confirm your account completion.  We apologize for the inconvenience and also thank you for your business.  

• Initial Complaint

  05/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I started with this guys in January 2024. I needed to cancel in May, because I lost my job in March. I contacted **** and other guys and they told me I had 738 in ****** and that I would be getting that back. I just found out today (5/17/2024) via email the following:"*****************************,We have completed a review of your account. After applying any fees due, your account balance is ****** your request on May 13, your Global dedicated account ending in 6475 has been closed."First of all they never got the rest of the creditors to settle, I was paying only one creditor. Yes, maybe it would have taken longer for them to come on board or not! What happens if they don't. How obviously suspicious that you are now charging a total fee of what my total escrow was, that you said you were going to refund back to me, you now plan to keep! Your fee was being taken out with every monthly payment...I can't believe I let them con me! Don't trust these guys they talk nice, but are devilishly sneaky!yes, they charge half per month, meaning they got there payment for services rendered ON A MONTHLY BASIS, but still say they are cutting there losses by taking money that no longer should be allocated left in my escrow instead of refunding that amount back to me, because of the cancellation. They decided to just keep it! NOT COOL!

  

  Business response

  05/20/2024

  Hello ****************** - Thank you for sharing this feedback.  While we certainly don't want to argue with you, it seems only fair to point out that we negotiated a settlement with your largest creditor to where you were required to pay back only 53% of what you originally borrowed.  Please understand we did not act deceptively in our collection of settlement fees earned for work performed.  On the contrary, and due to your decision to cancel the program, we collected significantly less income than we contractually earned.  Having said that, we do understand your right to cancel, especially considering the nature of your financial hardship.  Regardless, we're sincerely thankful for your feedback and will use it as an opportunity to improve where we can.

  Customer response

  05/28/2024

   
  Complaint: 21735605
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Global Holdings/Start New Financial were paid monthly which was half of the payment  of ****** in which half was sending to the creditor and half went to Global Holdings/Start New Financial.  Therefore they were paid their administration and all other fees, this was included in my monthly payments monthly.  The escrow belonged to me.  There $3000 and something was for the total amount should the payments have continued for the duration, but since I cancelled so should the rest of the fees.

  Send me my $738, which was promised to me.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business response

  06/18/2024

  Hello ****************** - Thank you for your response.  There seems to be a misunderstanding on how Start New Financial is compensated.  Due to your cancellation, Start New Financial was not fully compensated for the settlement it achieved on your behalf.  The collection of $743.99 on 5/13/24 was in accordance with the terms of your Debt Resolution Program Agreement.

  Customer response

  06/18/2024

   
  Complaint: 21735605
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  Again, you were taking out every month your payment, therefore I should not have owed you anything in accordance with your process.  You were paid on a monthly basis of half of what was going to the creditor, therefore you were already paid and what was in the escrow should have come to me.  That was my understanding.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business response

  06/19/2024

  Hello ****************** - Maybe a better way to explain it is that when we achieved a settlement on your One Main account, that entitled Start New Financial to a total fee of $3,142 (25% of the enrolled balance of One Main, $12,568).  When we started sending monthly payments to One Main (toward the settlement), we simultaneously started paying ourselves the fee that was owed.  At the time you cancelled, we had only collected roughly $430 of the total settlement fee to which we were entitled.  This is why we collected the remaining $743.99.  Even still our total settlement fee collected is still short about $2,000 from what is owed.  The same way your cancellation prevented One Main from getting was what promised with the settlement, Start New Financial's obligation was also not fulfilled.  It may be helpful if your review your transaction history with *************** (****************************) so that you may see exactly the flow of your program funds.  

• Initial Complaint

  05/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was enrolled in their program and scheduled to be finished June 17, 2024. Last month I called and made sure I was still on track and got a early payoff amount. I had them setup a auto draft to pay off balance. The payment cleared the bank and I celebrates paying off over a four year debt. Well today Start New Financial called wanting more money because a credit claims they never accepted a offer from Start New Financial. Start New Financial tells me they made a agreement with Global over the phone. So basically Start New Financial has been sending Global my money without a signed agreement and now wants another $747.00 from me to cover their mistake. I made my payments on time each month and never had any extensions. I even paid off early with a balance given to me by Start New Financial. This is wrong in so many ways and it should not cost me a dime.

  

  Business response

  05/14/2024

  Hello ********************** - Thank you for providing this feedback and giving us an opportunity to respond.  We'll promptly resolve this issue in a way that will not result in any further cost to you.  Thank you for your patience and we sincerely apologize for having raised this concern.  

*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. ↩