Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  04/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have paid my debts IN FULL to this company in October 2021. I was under the impression I would completed with the program in a few weeks after the payment was made (this was the statement made to me by them). They continued to draft money out of my savings beyond my control, without my permission. Now I am being sued by an account that was settled with them, and they have not given me any support in resolving this matter. I have a court date and have been expecting a statement of completion. Instead I got served. All I get is apologizing from the poor customer service reps. ****** in management or legal or priority has done anything to actually resolve the issue. The account in question has been paid by me, and the company could not complete their end of the bargain by communicating with the bank. Now I have been summonsed and have a court date on an account that I paid off!!! It was settled but they dropped the ball and are now being completely unresponsive because they cannot figure out where the money went or what went wrong. I am not the only one who was sold on false promises. This company needs to button up or shut down. I want all my money back, including all the fees except the the actual settlement amounts. They deserve no profit from this job that is still not completed and currently ruining my life.

  

  Business response

  04/18/2022

  ******,
  When signing up with Start New Financial you were put in a 46 month program term. At this time you have been enrolled for 19 of the 46 months. When a client completes all settlements and clears all settlement payments we are happy to close out their account, stop drafting and return any funds left over in their escrow account. We have received the paperwork you have sent in and our payment team has been working with ***************************** to find out what has happened and why they are not showing the account is settled in full. We have sent them the proof of payment we have from the escrow bank showing all agreed payments made to the settlement. Unfortunately these investigations do take time from the law offices and we will update you as soon as we have answers on what has happened. Our office has completed the agreed payments to settle the account in full and we are  are following up with ***************************** as much as possible to get the situation fixed and make sure they have the proof they need to show the same. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

• Initial Complaint

  04/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Start New Financial had settled two credit card debts for me. I had made several calls to get updates on my accounts and was very much keeping track of the settlements and amounts owed throughout this process. I had called in January of 2022 and was told I had already paid off my one debt and was just paying off the other. I had asked for a payoff amount then in which they provided an estimate. I called back in March to get a FINAL payoff amount in which I had to wait 24-48 hours for their finance department to get back to them with this amount. They called and gave me a PAYOFF amount of $1,900. I set up to make that final payments and confirmed with the women on the phone that this was the final payment in which she responded yes, this will be your final payment and you have completed the program. I call back two weeks later and spoke to a gentlemen that confirmed I had paid off my account and we were waiting for it to reflect on my account and that I would even receive a check with whatever money was left in my escrow. About a week later I receive a text asking for me to call and they tell me I still owe over $700 in fees! Fees for what?! Fees are included in monthly payments and it was confirmed several times I was completed with the program and I was even going to receive money back. After reading other similar situations on here its evident they try and take advantage. Whats the point of a payoff and confirmation of completion if youre going to come back and ask for more money?! I have requested the recorded phone calls the state they have in the beginning of every call and am awaiting those. We will see if they will hand those over as I rightfully should have access

  

  Business response

  04/18/2022

  
  ******,
  The fee's included in your monthly payment are the ******************* fee of $9.85 in order to keep your escrow account open and a $55 service fee for ********* ******* ***** which is an optional service you choose upon enrollment. The 25% Service fee's to Start New Financial that are mentioned in the contract are not included in your monthly payment as Start New Financial can not collect a fee until the work has been done and an account was settled. When paying off an account early those fee's should also be taken in to consideration as they are owed to Start New Financial for doing the work and settling the account(s). All payoff amounts are estimated and we try to explain that to any client when requesting a payoff, we have several systems that are needing to be check and sometimes payments or fee's are not accounted for when giving the initial estimated payoff. We are trying to perfect this system however sometimes mistakes are still made when giving payoff amounts. If you are needing a transaction history on your account this can be provided upon request. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On March 18, 2022 a representative for the company knocked on the door of my son's apartment in *****, **. The representative asked my son if he was having a debt problem. My son told ***** the rep, that he was having credit card problems and the representative came up with a plan to resolve my son's debts by paying $344 a month for 48 months. My son signed an agreement and called me after **** left the apartment. I asked my son for the representative's phone number and I immediately called **** and told him to cancel the plan. **** tried to sell me that the cost would include payments to the company and clear my son's debt. I told him that I would handle my son's problem and again told him to cancel. **** stated that it would not be necessary to cancel because my son did not fully register for the program and had only initiated the plan. On Monday, March 21, 2022 my son contacted the company and told them that he decided against continuing with the debt program. On the same day I logged on to the company's website in an attempt to cancel for my son but was unable to because an account had not been set up. At that time I figured the plan had been cancelled but on April 1, 2022 $172 was taken out of my son's checking account. My son contacted **** who told him that it would take at least another week for the plan to be cancelled and for my son to receive a refund. The representative for the company and the company have acted in bad faith. I want my son's money refunded immediately.

  

  Business response

  04/04/2022

  
  *****,
  
  
  First and foremost we want to apologize for this experience. Our company's services are designed to help people in the best way possible. However, each agreement can be terminated at the request of the consumer. This is something that is never meant to be argued or disagreed upon. We sincerely apologize for our representative's behavior. We understand that his actions made the situation for you and your son complicated. We will be immediately speaking with him and other members of our management team to come up with disciplinary action. Your son's funds will indeed be refunded per our company policy. We apologize for this troubling experience and we thank you once again for bringing this to our attention. 

  Customer response

  04/05/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I selected Start New Financial to consolidate four credit cards bills. The agreement was actually done over the phone with a representative named *****, I don't have her last name. Her direct phone number is ********** if she is still there. We agreed in September 2018 to settle the account for a monthly payment of $536 a month for 42 months starting in October 22 2018, This contractual agreement was completed in March 22, 2022. Of the $22500 i paid in, they settled all four of the credit cards account for $14,338. this gave the over $8000 in profits,I contacted the company to let them know that i was closing out the bank account i had set up to withdraw monthly payments, it was at this time they told me i had to pay another 11 months. I told them i was not going to pay another penny. the original amount was $26,600. My payment of $536 for 42 months totaled $22,500. This leaves them a balance of $8,100 to cover their fees ,etc. this is 36% of the money i paid.I really did not expect this, i trusted them at their word,However, after reviewing the welcome letter they sent me, there was no mention of the amount of money or time, But, when i was on the phone with ****** she said the conversation was being recorded, I now believed i was scammed. Plus my credit score dropped from 6.8 to less than 4 while waiting on the accounts to be settled. The account in question is SNF ******* or SNF ******. This account is in connection with ********** ********* ************.

  

  Business response

  03/28/2022

  *******,
  
  Debt settlement is an estimate, there is no exact science when it comes to negotiating credit card debt, there are many contributing factors. This is gone over in your enrollment call, welcome call, and can be found in your contract as well. You enrolled $26,000+ in credit debt, all of your debts have been settled, or are in active settlements. Your final settlement *** **** ** ****) has payments running through February 2023. We understand you have chosen to close your file, and will handle the remaining 11 payments of $251 (April 2022 - February 2023). We recommend letting Start New Financial complete your final settlement however, the choice is yours. Please let us know if you would like to speak with a supervisor to go over your debt settlement plan.
  
  Thank you,

  Customer response

  03/28/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I was told verbally it would be $536 for 42 months.

  The welcome letter they sent me had no such numbers in it.

  I can send you everything they sent me. I can try  to take photos of the pages or mail you hard copies.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business response

  04/08/2022

  *******,

  Debt settlement is always an estimate, this is outlined in your contract. Unfortunately, we cannot predict down to the penny what each creditor will settle for. We have honored your request and have closed your account. We will not continue drafting your account.

  Thank you,

  Customer response

  04/12/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I'm not  satisfied with the proposed solution. The only response I saw *************** New requesting me to keep paying for 12 more months after I had already paid 42 months. What I thought was helping me  turned out to be a scam.

  I've paid $22500 of which they settled the debts for only $14300. Where is the extra $8000? I can't afford any more, it wS a struggle to pay this.  I was happy the 42 months were up. 

  I need Start New to honor the agreement.

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

• Initial Complaint

  03/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Start New Financial is not able to settle a small credit card **** in a timely manner, causing a delinquent status and a poor credit score for me, for almost a year. They also did not settle a large credit card **** at the price agreed upon, causing me to pay a higher monthly fee for years.

  

  Business response

  03/11/2022

  *******,
  
  It sounds like you don't have the most up to date information on your file. You enrolled two accounts; One Discover account with a balance of $17,385.87, and the ** Maxx with a balance of $847.11. The Discover account with a balance of $17,385.87 is in an active settlement, and because of the size of the balance and settlement this is using all your funds until March ****- leaving no funds for the small account. ********% of your debt is in a settlement we simply don't have funds to settle the small account. If you would like to draft additionally at any point to speed up the settlement process our customer service team can process that equest for you.
  
  Thank you,

• Initial Complaint

  03/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I entered into a contract with Start New Financial in 2020 to assist me with a debt settlement of all my creditors. In February of 2022, I received a copy of a Request for Entry of Default from ***** *** ***** (representing ***** *****). I immediately emailed it to Start New Financial on 2/18/2022 and followed up with a call to them to confirm they received it. I was told it would take 24-48 hours for the email attachment to be uploaded into their system. I then called again on 2/25/2022 @ 9:00am and spoke with Jody at SNF. She informed it was not received and to call back later that day. I called, again, @ 4:50pm and spoke with Norma of SNF. She informed me they still have not received it and suggested I email it again in which I did that same day. She also told me that someone from their Priority Team would reach out to me once the document appeared in their system. I double checked my emails to make sure the emails went through and they did. I, again, called SNF on 3/1/2022 @ 8:30am and spoke with Cody. He informed me they are still waiting for the documents to show received in their system and that it should appear by the end of the business day. On 3/1/2022 @ 1:10pm, I called Andrew C******* in the ******* ********* ***** ** **** ******** ** ******* (the company that connected me with SNF). I explained my situation and frustration with him. He told me he would email a supervisor in the Negotiations Dept of SNF and ask them to call me ASAP. On 3/2/2022 @ 4:40pm, I spoke with Angela of SNF and she confirmed the document now appears in their system and someone from their Priority Team will be called me in the next day or two as they are gone for the day (they are located in ******** and are EST). On 3/4/2022 @ 8:37am, I called SNF as no one has returned my call or reached out to me at all. I am just trying to find out what I need to do next as I know time is of the essence. To date, I have not received one call from SNF since 2/18/2022. I am furious! Please help.

  

  Business response

  03/09/2022

  
  *****,
  
  Your file shows you spoke with one of our paralegals from the Priority Department on 3/4 regarding the summons. Our paralegal went over the summons details, and options available to you.  Based on the conversation and the status of your settlement plans you are pursuing a takeout loan. If you would like to speak with the priority team again you can contact Customer Service and be transferred to the priority department during business hours to go over questions or concerns. If you need anything additional please let us know.
  
  Thank you,

  Customer response

  03/09/2022

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ******

• Initial Complaint

  02/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  ****** ******* account #**************** and Start New Financial have NOT resolved any of my accounts as promised. I have consolidated 3 accounts with one (********* ** **** **** Enrolled Balance : $1,053.00) and no settlement. I am paying monthly $526.00 (total of $6,382.25 has been paid) and I was told that with in the 6 months something will be worked out. I have called several times in the last 3 months and keep getting the run around. I also requested to get a copy of the "verbal" contract in writing and got in the mail a WELCOME PACKET. I don't know how they came up with the monthly payment amount and according to the "website", the projected end date November 2023 (totaling $18,936). The total amount in the accounts for consolidation is $16,982.00. I feel like this company has taken advantage of me and my situation. I am not getting anywhere with this company and my credit record is not getting any better since I thought this would help get me back on track. All I am is losing monies that I can you to pay off these accounts and or file for bankruptcy. I go to their website and no document are ever added. Have requested to get a written statement from them in how the amount was concluded and nothing. I feel like because I am hispanic and don't speak or read English good, I am being take advantage of and being ripped off. They keep saying just call back in 15 and we should have something. I have stopped February payment because I refused to keep paying monthly and getting nowhere with Start New Financial. They have not been able to get any accounts "released" or not enough money was in the account to move forward, yet I am paying $526 monthly for over a year. Please help.

  

  Business response

  02/28/2022

  *****,
  
  You enrolled into our program under the name ***** ****** however, your creditors have you under the name of ***** ******. This is a problem because the authorization that you signed doesn't reflect this name, therefore your creditors aren't recognizing our company for an authorization to work your accounts. We should be able to resolve the ***** ***** as soon as we have the proper documentation from you. Our Customer Service team is reaching out to you to correct the name on your contract. Once corrected we can move very fast on your file.
  
  Thank you,

• Initial Complaint

  02/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I hired the ************************** Start New Financial. I have had this company since 2019. When I initially enrolled I was not made aware of a 25% service fee for all accounts the company establishes settlements for. When I entered into agreement with this company none of my accounts were in collections. I was told not to make anymore payments and any negative correspondence from my creditors should be directed to them. I was not told that all my accounts will have to go into collections before a settlement amount could be negotiated. This as you could imagine destroyed my credit due to the missed and bad payment history this advice created, to so call get me to settlement amount. One of my accounts I was told to default on. The company Discover, then decided to *** me for the amount owed. SNF charges monthly fees from your monthly payment to provide legal representation in the event a creditor takes you to court. Well, Discover took me to court and I was given zero legal representation. Long story short the law office that took me to court also refused to discuss any details of my case with me, and said they would only speak or communicate with SNF. I contacted SNF for information on my case and they provided zero details on my case. I was asked to sign a court-ordered settlement of which SNF lost. The law firm then placed a judgment against my home and I only found this out after I tried to refinance my house and the title company Notified me of the judgment. Next, here I am at the last payment of my judgement and SNF says I owe an additional **** dollars for service fees for getting an settlement amount and (judgment against my house) before I am free and clear. This company is not honest and practices poor to zero good business ethics. At no time was I told about a 25% service fee and no time was I told I would have to destroy my credit history on all my accounts before they could help me. I was taken advantage of, manipulated and lied too continuously.

  

  Business response

  02/25/2022

  *****,
  
  Start New Financial does have fees associated with our service, this is gone over on your enrollment call, welcome call, and can also be found on page 2, and page 6 in your contract. We have settled your Discover account ending in ****. This settlement will be completed in March of 2022, once the final payment clears the judgement will be lifted and the account will reflect a zero balance. Most clients see an improvement in their credit score once settlement(s) are paid off and reflect zero balances. A copy of your stipulation detailing the agreement of the Discover settlement has been emailed to you, and we are having a supervisor reach out to discuss your account as well.
  
  Thank you,

*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. ↩