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Freedom Debt Relief

Freedom Debt Relief

Name: Freedom Debt Relief
Rating: 4.7

4.7

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15,022 User Reviews

7.7

Overall Score

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4.7

star star star star star_half

15,022 User Reviews

7.7

Overall Score

Visit Site

The Good

The Bad

Bottom Line

Reviews

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Company Details

Lowest Cost

% of enrolled debt

Undisclosed

Minimum Debt Requirement

$7, 500

Services Offered

Debt Settlement, Free Consultation

Accreditations

AFCC, IAPDA

Is Nonprofit

Time in Business

24 Years

Company Headquarters

2114 E Rio Salado Pkwy Tempe, AZ 85281

Number of Reviews 15,022

info Source of Information

Author: Jenna Vasquez

LAST UPDATED: April 19th, 2022

Freedom Debt Relief, a subsidiary of Freedom Financial Network, has resolved billions in consumer debt since its founding in 2002.

The company has considerable industry experience and high client satisfaction ratings.

With all the major industry accreditations, Freedom Debt Relief (FDR) is a great option for many consumers. Its minimum debt requirement is $7,500. Freedom Debt Relief accepts clients dealing with financial hardship that meet this threshold and clients that can make regular payments to an account to pay for settlements. Freedom Debt Relief employs professional debt experts to negotiate and settle debt for those suffering financial hardship.

The company offers a debt settlement program that involves negotiating with creditors to lower total debt owed and is available in 41 states. It does not, however, offer debt management plans or credit counseling for those not interested in debt settlement, as Freedom Debt Relief is a debt settlement company.

On average, Freedom Debt Relief charges 22 percent of your total enrolled debt, which means the cost varies depending on your financial situation. To settle a $20,000 debt, it will cost around $4,000.

View Freedom Debt Relief reviews below.

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The Good

Excellent Settlement Program and Debt Relief Services
Experience and Accreditations
Great Freedom Debt Relief Reviews
Online Dashboard
No Fees Charged Until After Debt Is Settled

Excellent Settlement Program and Debt Relief Services

As a leading debt settlement company, Freedom Debt Relief has several great advantages to its debt settlement services, including

Low minimum of $7,500 in debt to begin debt settlement
Costs between 15 and 25 percent of the total unsecured debt
Free consultation with a Certified Debt Consultant

Freedom Debt Relief offers a free consultation with a highly trained, IAPDA-certified debt consultant when a consumer decides to enlist the company's debt settlement services.

According to a four-year study by Freedom Debt Relief, its customers start the program with a median of $28,000 in debt, which decreases to $3,800 after 45 months in the program. The graph below shows the decrease in debt over time and how this directly affects the increase in customers' credit scores.

FDR Debt Settlement Graph

Experience and Accreditations

As an accredited debt relief company, Freedom Debt Relief has over 17 years of experience in the debt settlement industry. It has settled over two million accounts since its founding and regularly settles over 50,000 accounts monthly.

Freedom Debt Relief has years of experience standing between the creditor and the client. FDR will work to obtain settlements that resolve credit card debt (or any type of unsecured debt, such as personal loan debt or medical debt).

FDR will walk clients through the debt settlement process: first, customers will voluntarily choose to stop making monthly payments to lenders. Instead, clients will elect to make a monthly deposit into a separate special purpose account to save money to pay for the settlements once negotiated. Freedom Debt Relief will then work to negotiate a settlement on behalf of its clients.

Unfortunately, this settlement process will affect your credit score. If you miss any minimum payments on your credit card or other debt, this will decrease your credit score. A four-year study by Freedom Debt Relief found that its customers' credit scores dropped in the first six months of the debt settlement program, then began to recover. According to the study, most customers' credit scores recovered to their previous position by the time they completed the Freedom Debt Relief program. It's smart to have a plan for boosting your credit score before you start the debt settlement process.

The graph below shows Freedom Debt Relief's customers' credit scores over time as they improve their debt through the company's program.

Freedom Debt Relief Credit Score Graph

Great Freedom Debt Relief Reviews

Most Freedom Debt reviews on Best Company are positive. People commend FDR for having good customer service, explaining debt management, and keeping them updated on where they are at in the debt settlement program.

Clients drowning in high amounts of unsecured debt (credit card debt, personal loans, medical debt, student loan debt) usually find that the company can save them from paying a large percentage of what they owe. One Freedom Debt Relief review even states that the company helped him save several thousand dollars in interest as well as settling all of his outstanding debt.

Despite the debt settlement program's tendency to negatively affect credit scores in the first six months, clients with mountains of credit card debt find it extremely helpful for debt reduction. It's also important for people to know that forgiven debt is considered taxable income, so you may owe more in taxes when using debt settlement services.

Online Dashboard

One feature that sets FDR apart from the rest is a unique and intuitive online dashboard to track clients' pace throughout the program. This helps people to actually see their progress while settling their debts. It also offers education to help clients improve their financial knowledge.

Not many debt settlement companies in the industry offer this debt relief service as part of their packages.

No Fees Charged Until After Debt Is Settled

As opposed to a debt consolidation company which consolidates all of a customer's debt into one consolidation loan and one monthly payment, debtors approach Freedom Debt Relief as a last resort in order to escape high amounts of debt and avoid declaring bankruptcy.

Freedom Debt Relief doesn't charge an upfront fee or any other fees until after debt is settled with creditors. This practice is standard for the industry. Debt relief companies, like National Debt Relief and Pacific Debt, also do not have upfront fees.

Upon enrollment, customers will open an FDIC-insured bank account that the client controls. Clients will put all of their money that would have gone toward paying their debt into this bank account instead. This is the main reason why this program hurts your credit score more than debt consolidation.

Next, FDR or its representatives or agents will negotiate with your creditors to settle on debt to pay.

Freedom Debt Relief makes money by charging fees on the enrolled debt amount. Its average fees are a bit high (around 22 percent fees on enrolled debt), but its services are thorough.

The company's ability to help clients find an easier road to financial freedom and paying off debt is highly valuable.

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The Bad

Freedom Debt Relief Cost
Limited Availability
Limited Services
Complaints
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Lawsuit

Freedom Debt Relief Cost

One concern with Freedom Debt Relief is its price. On average, Freedom Debt Relief charges $4,000 to settle $20,000 in debt (22 percent of total debt). If Freedom Debt Relief cuts your debt in half, you would end up paying $14,000 instead of $20,000.

Users are charged an average of 22 percent of their total debt to use FDR. While this number is in line with their competitors, it is only an average. Customers could end up paying more or less than this to use FDR. FDR’s prices range between 15 and 25 percent. The rates vary depending on the state the client lives in.

Current national debt relief trends indicate that debt settlement companies tend to charge a percentage of enrolled debt as opposed to saved debt. This means that the more total debt you have, the more debt settlement companies will charge you.

Although working with a debt settlement firm still saves you from paying thousands of dollars to creditors, it's better to work with companies that charge a percentage of saved debt rather than enrolled debt.

So exactly how much will Freedom Debt Relief cost you? It will cost you around 22 percent of your total enrolled debt, but you will have to have a consultation to get an accurate estimate. The fee is competitive for the industry. The fee is assessed when a successful settlement is reached.

However, Freedom Debt Relief’s services are high quality and make it easier to make your way to living debt-free.

Limited Availability

Freedom Debt Relief offers debt settlement programs in only 41 states. If Freedom Debt Relief does not offer its debt relief program in your state, you'll have to consider other debt settlement companies.

Most debt settlement companies have a minimum debt requirement to ensure a payout. A debt settlement company that charges by saved debt will not run into this problem as much.

Freedom Debt Relief requires a minimum debt amount of $7,500 (the amount of which is charged fees between 15 and 25 percent). While this threshold is low compared to other debt settlement companies, it does rule out people struggling with lower debt amounts.

An additional limitation with Freedom Debt Relief is that the company only works with debtors with unsecured debt. Freedom Debt Relief is not an option for those struggling with secured debt. The difference between unsecured and secured debt is that unsecured debt is not backed by assets or collateral, while secured debt is.

Limited Services

Some debt relief agencies provide services outside of debt settlement, such as credit counseling, advocating for a lower interest rate on your debt, or debt management plans. However, Freedom Debt Relief does not offer these services.

As such, if you choose to go with Freedom Debt Relief to help you work toward resolving your debt, be aware that you will be signing up for a debt settlement program, and may still receive calls from a debt collector or face the risk of a negative impact on your credit score.

Complaints

While most of the Freedom Debt Relief reviews are positive, there are still several Freedom Debt Relief clients who have complaints about the debt relief company. The two main complaints that people seem to have are the following:

Debt settlement takes too long or isn't as effective as people hoped
FDR charges too much for its services, sometimes costing consumers up to 25 percent of their total enrolled debt

These complaints are fairly common within the debt settlement industry. It’s important for clients to be fully informed about what debt settlement is and how it works. Potential clients should use the free consultation to learn more about the time it takes to reach a settlement and specific price information.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Lawsuit

In 2019, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Freedom Debt Relief reached an agreement that FDR would do the following:

Make it clear that in some cases, FDR may not be able to negotiate a debt if the creditor is unwilling to negotiate
Let consumers know that, in some cases, the creditor will only negotiate if the client is also directly involved in the negotiations, and that the consumer has the right to refuse to participate in the negotiations and can remove the debt from their program without penalty
Make it clearer to consumers under what circumstances they will be charged a fee
Stop charging fees on all accounts where the settlement amount was not reduced, or where the creditor wrote off the debt on their own
Make it clearer to consumers that, if they end their program early, any money left in their program savings account belongs to them, minus any funds earned by the company according to legal statutes
Pay restitution money to injured consumers
Pay a civil penalty

It's a good idea for potential clients to do some research on the process, consumers' rights, and industry standards for settlement companies before setting up a free consultation with a debt settlement service. It's also recommended to read recent customer reviews to get a better sense of Freedom Debt Relief's commitment to clients and how good its settlement services are.

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The Bottom Line

Freedom Debt Relief offers several outstanding features for anyone looking to settle their debts: all major industry accreditations, ample debt settlement experience, thoughtful and experienced debt consultants, negotiation with each creditor, and more. The company's 15 to 25 percent fees are pretty standard in comparison to other debt settlement companies (like National Debt Relief).

If you choose a debt settlement plan to resolve your debts, the debts you settle are marked as "settled" on your credit report. While there are some risks to debt settlement, this process allows you to settle debts, avoid bankruptcy, and become debt-free.

While people interested in other debt resolution methods, like credit counseling, a debt management plan, or debt consolidation loan will need to consider other companies, Freedom Debt Relief is a good option for those seeking a debt settlement program.

FDR's debt negotiation experience is worth the money. Freedom Debt Relief customer reviews relate that the company has saved them thousands of dollars by negotiating with their creditors. If you're looking to settle your debt through debt negotiation and a reliable debt relief program, we highly recommend using Freedom Debt Relief if you receive a reasonable quote from the company during your free consultation.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

4.7

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15,022 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

81%

4 grade

12%

3 grade

2 grade

1 grade

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Verified Customer

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Timothy Boyd

I used them for almost a year and put over 3 thousand dollars into my account. The debt settlements that were settled and paid didn't even total 1000 dollars, so between settlement fees and other monthly charges they got over 2000 thousand dollars from me. Then once I canceled the account they took the remaining money that was in my account and said that i still owed them more. DO WHATEVER YOU MUST DO TO GET AWAY FROM freedom debt relief, RUN, CRAWL, HIDE, JUST DONT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THEM. I learned on my own that the companies that we owe will work with us and make payment plays that we can actually make and keep thwe debt from collections.

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We are so sorry to hear you were not satisfied with our program. Settlement fees are outlined in your contract documents and are collected once the settlement is authorized and a payment has been made. We guarantee savings for our clients. Termination during ongoing settlements hurts you because it does not allow us to continue to pay your creditors when you have already paid for the service. A member of our team will be reaching out shortly to explain in detail. Thank you.

Jul. 10th, 2019

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Shelly Lamont Phoenix, AZ

If I could give a zero I would! I've been paying money on time and y'all were supposed to contact my credit cards as my representative. I was sent a letter about my Bank of America card and asked for this to be top priority! Monday I was served with a lawsuit from BOA. I don't believe that y'all represented me at all and now I'm being sued because of your negligence of my account.

4 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We never intended to disappoint you, Shelly. To clarify, we do not reach out to creditors prior to making the account a priority. We are aware that during these times, the client may be at risk for getting sued but we’re prepared to handle these types of collection strategies and have engaged a network of attorneys, the Legal Partner Network, that specialize in resolving debt litigation cases. We know that it is frustrating when creditors choose litigation as an attempt to collect on a balance. At this time, we recommend you to call our Customer Service Team at 800-655-6303 in order to begin the process to submit the documents to our legal department so that they can begin working on this account. Our Client Services team is available 7 days a week to answer any other questions that may come up. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief to reach your financial goals.

Dec. 14th, 2021

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James E. Rodriguez Dallas, TX

I misunderstood. I thought this was a debt consolidation program. I was not aware that my debtors would not be contacted and informed that I wanted to pay off my debts. Instead I was informed to stop making payments, which in turn destroys my credit rating. Even though I had debt challenges, my credit rating was at 750 before FDR and now is at 530. What have I gained after two years that I could not have accomplished by continuing to make monthly payments on a timely basis.

6 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Hello, James. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We would like an opportunity to discuss the mentioned concerns with you. One of our experienced team members will be reaching out to you shortly. We truly appreciate your review. Please know we are constantly trying to improve our communication with our client and we are currently working on it as we speak.

Aug. 25th, 2020

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Nancy Yarusso

I am disappointed in how my case was handled. Arrangements were made for one of the three creditors which left no money to deal with the other two creditors until 3 years had passed. I was told I'd be debt free in three years. There was no negotiation with the first creditor so I could have made that arrangement myself. I didn't need Freedom to do that so what good did it do to pay Freedom for doing nothing. The attorney I spoke with, Mr Anderson I believe was less than helpful. I found him to be condescending and rude.

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We're very sorry to hear of your disappointments, Ms. Yarusso. Our negotiators take every opportunity available to negotiate the enrolled balances. However, we completely understand the frustration you feel regarding the aforementioned account balance. Although you've decided to discontinue in our debt relief program, we would still like an opportunity to speak with you in an attempt to address the concerns you had that led you to your decision. A team member will be reaching out to you shortly using the contact information we have on file. We appreciate the opportunity to service your financial needs. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

May. 29th, 2019

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Lynne

They basically lie to you after 8mos and making every deposit I was required to make they still had not settled one thing every time I called customer service I got fed a bunch of bs and told everything was good. I now have two lawsuits against me with creditors as they did not do as promised and I am now facing bankruptcy. Read the consumer affairs reports and lawsuits against this company and you will see they basically lie and you end up in worse shape.

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We are terribly sorry to hear of your experience in our program. Understandably, receiving notice that a legal suit has been filed by an enrolled creditor is quite frustrating. It is true that some creditors are more aggressive than others. Therefore, we have a sense of how aggressive they may or may not be based on this experience. We can share that insight with clients during the initial debt evaluation and put plans in place to prepare if threats of legal action happen.

We are proud of the value we provide to our customers. Our services, including coaching, are fully and transparently disclosed. No consumer complaints have been filed with the CFPB; the high satisfaction with our services by consumers whom the CFPB claims were injured speaks for itself. We hope our regulators will listen.

Please read our formal response.

Please know that it is disappointing to learn that your best option at this time is to move forward with filing bankruptcy. We like to consider our program as an alternative option to keep from having to use this option. However, we also know that bankruptcy can provide a real fresh start for some consumers. We wish you nothing but the best. Thank you for allowing Freedom Debt Relief the opportunity to service your financial needs.

Apr. 2nd, 2019

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Lisa Baltimore, MD

Their customer support is awesome. They're really good. They were very friendly and they're very alert and very knowledgeable. They didn't really keep me up to date. They wouldn't let me know what was being paid until after the fact until you wound up calling them and saying what's going on. I have actually been sued five creditors because freedom debt has not paid anything on it and I didn't know how they were doing it. I didn't appreciate it.

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Dear Lisa,

We’re sorry to hear about the trouble you have had with the program thus far! We definitely do inform our clients when we have reached a settlement on their accounts and we cannot move forward with a settlement unless we have the client's authorization. When you enroll your accounts in the program we are not paying them all at once. Our program works on negotiating based on the funds available in your dedicated account. We do not keep anything from our clients and we always encourage our clients to visit their client dashboard to see the status of their accounts as we will only contact you at the time we have reached a settlement. We truly care about our clients and always have the best interest for them. Please reach out to our client services department at (800) 655-6303 or if you have any questions or comments regarding your account. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief!

Mar. 28th, 2019

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Sharon Denton, MD

They said not to talk to our debtors and after I had paid over 8000 dollars to two of them because I was late on a pyt once in three years they said the debtor said its null and void and I have to start again. At the end it would only save me 92 dollars. That's it.

5 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Sharon, we're sorry to hear that you are not pleased with our services. We never intend for our clients to have a poor experience and we'd like to speak with you. We will be reaching out to you shortly to obtain your contact information. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief!

Jun. 19th, 2021

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Chester Riese Socorro, NM

My experience with Freedom Debt Relief has been great. I didn't know which way to turn until I talked to them. They have managed getting my account to where I have not been stressed out. It is great to know that everything is being taken care of as I could not go much longer. I am so glad to have them to help me.

5 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Thank you, Chester, for your amazing feedback! Our team takes pride in providing world-class customer service to our clients and we're always here for you. If you need any assistance, please call us at 800-655-6303. Thank you for being a valued client of Freedom Debt Relief!

Jan. 26th, 2021

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Anonymous

they are not a good company. they cost way more then they said they would at the start. bt the time iam done paying off my debts there will be no savings ,just about the same price as it was when i entered program but my credit is totaly bad now

6 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We appreciate your feedback and apologize for any disappointments you've experienced in your program savings. Our team would like an opportunity to further discuss the concerns mentioned. Would you please privet message us your contact information so we can reach out?

Nov. 26th, 2019

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Anonymous

I wasn't inform that I have to pay more money that I am giving already if I got sued. So after all the money that I put in it was a waste of time because I still had to file bankruptcy something that I didn't want to do from the beginning.

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We appreciate your feedback. Our team is deeply saddened to hear our program was not the right fit for you. There are rare instances with creditors where additional funds are needed, however we provide multiple options to resolve these scenarios on behalf of our client. A member of our team would love to discuss your account in detail and will be reaching out shortly. Thank you.

Jun. 27th, 2019

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Stressed to the MAX in Kentucky

In a worse situation after joining then before. Said don't worry. We have NLLG (lawyers), payments won't go up.Law group offered 1 thing, did another. Now I'm left with higher monthly payments than I had before I joined.And only 6 days to come up with an extra $600.00 & $255.00 for 9 more.

8 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We're so sorry to hear that one of your creditors is suing you! We know it can be very stressful and we want to make sure you have all the resources! We will be reaching out to you privately.

Sep. 18th, 2018

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Verified Customer

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Nelson Lamar, MO

They charge too much and they take all of their money out first before they pay the bills that are supposeed to be paid. We're paying almost six hundred dollars a month now for that.

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Thank you for your honest feedback, Nelson. We process our fees after a settlement has been authorized by you. As our client, please know that we have your best interest in mind when it comes to settling your accounts and distributing your funds to your creditors. If you have questions about our fees and how they are processed, we encourage you to reach out to our client services team by calling (800) 655-6303 or email . Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Feb. 27th, 2019

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Adam Isanti, MN

You pay more fees by the time your done then you originally owed the save nothing and your left with destroyed credit and never told that with every account you settle they will add more fees in the thousands

8 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We're sorry to hear your disappointment with the program, Adam. We would love to review your account with you and hopefully resolve the concerns you are having. We will reach out to you privately.

Sep. 18th, 2018

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Anonymous Adamsville, TN

Lied about a situation with money I had left in my account, when called about it I was told something totally different that previously told, it's just been a confusion and mess

8 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We're very sorry to hear that you having been experiencing some confusion! We would be more than happy to resolve the concerns that you're having! We strive to make sure each client is aware of their debt relief program and a smooth porcess! Please reach out to our client services department at (800) 655-6303 or for further assistance.

Sep. 18th, 2018

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Me Too Gaithersburg, MD

They're dishonest. They do reduce debt. I was asked to offer a review before I even got into the program. It costs you 22% of your debt. Total debt, not what they settled for. If they can't or won't help you get it below 50% of your owed amount, they question you for declining the offer. I applied for a loan to pay off the debt, got denied, then this company called me to offer me this program. The loan was never a real offer. After a year, they offered a loan at 25+% APR to fund the rest of this FDR account. Asking me "don't you want to do the right thing?" on the phone. I said, "sure, that's why I applied for a loan to pay off debts and your company declined me." then he had nothing to say. If I had taken it, it would've been 110% of my owed amount total.

4 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Hello, thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you feel this way about our company. An account specialist will reach out to address your formal complaint. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Jan. 21st, 2022

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Jeepgirl67 Houston, TX

Freedom Debt Relief made enrollment fairly easy. They handle the arrangements and make it easy to settle your debts with minimal effort on your part. However they do charge a fee for each debt they settle usually a percentage of the debt enrolled which seems a little high to me in retrospect. Unfortunately I have had one of my accounts go into litigation and have had an extremely difficult time getting updates from the law firm and FDR. Information is either not notated on my account or passed along to the other party in a timely manner and FDR is not willing or able to provide specifics or transparency when it comes to where they are at in the process with the litigation account. Most of the CSR reps are as helpful as they can be without having all the information from the attorney but there are a few that are downright rude and one specifically that told me to call back and talk to someone else before hanging up on me when I asked for her supervisor. I did call back and speak with someone else who was absolutely amazing and couldn’t provide additional information but did give me a timeframe of when I could expect next steps and more transparency in the process. I’m extremely disappointed with the way this account has been handled so far but this last call has given me hope that it will be resolved soon.

4 years ago Edited January 11, 2022

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Thank you for reviewing your experience, we are very sorry to hear that you are having a poor experience. A specialist will be reaching out regarding this matter. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Jan. 6th, 2022

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T. Fort Worth, TX

The list of negatives outweigh the positives of this company. Do NOT do it. I was sweet talked into going this route instead of bankruptcy and I strongly regret it. At this point I have paid too many fees and given too much money to walk away. If I had to do it over again it is a hard NO from me for FDR. Customer service is horrible, no one ever has answers for you that actually mean anything. Constantly told to check the dashboard for answers to questions, but the information is always the same. You never get to talk to the same person twice and no one ever seems to know what is going on. Oh and if a creditor decides to file a lawsuit... Good luck. You are given NOTHING as far as information. "It has been referred to our legal partner network" is the response. However the legal partner network does not communicate with you at all. Even better is that once referred to their legal partners, FDR goes hands off and you have to hope and pray it is being handled properly. I despise this company and strongly regret making the decision to use them. Creditors have reached out to me with settlement offers and I trusted the program so I denied them. Guess what..! Yes FDR settled the debt however, it was MORE than what I could have settled it for myself.

4 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Thank you for reviewing your experience, T. Its never our goal to disappoint you, we would like to communicate with you directly to address these concerns of yours. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Nov. 30th, 2021

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Floyd Kaster San Diego, CA

I enrolled in a 4 year debt reduction program with Freedom Debt Relief in February of 2018 with a monthly payment plan. October of 2020, I paid off the total balance of the estimated debt including estimated fees to settle the remaining debts. It is now October of 2021 and the debt's are now settled. FDR actually removed a unsettled debt without my knowledge nor authorization. I have exchanged 38 emails with FDR since October 2020 and continue paying service fees monthly to FDR. This is effecting my credit and continues to waste my time. I'm very disappointed with Freedom Debt Relief! I DO NOT RECOMMEND FREEDOM DEBT RELIEF.

4 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Hi Floyd , thank you for taking the time to review your experience. We strive to provide great service and provide debt relief. We take feedback very seriously
and for those reasons an account specialist will reach out to you shortly regarding your experience. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Oct. 27th, 2021

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Joe Puleo Hopewell Junction, NY

Not happy at all with the company. This is not helping me solve my debt problems faster, it’s just moving my debt from the creditors to freedom debt relief. Between the damage done to my credit from not paying my bills because they told me to stop doing that and the amount I’m paying in fees for their “help” I should have just kept paying off my debt because in the long run I’m paying pretty much the exact same amount. This is nothing but a shell game that moves your debt to them and then they charge you fees that are almost the amount of your debt reduction. I shouldn’t have wasted my time.

5 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We never intended to disappoint you, Joe. Our goal is to support our clients' every step. An account specialist will be reviewing your account shortly. We will be sure to reach out to you if necessary. Thank you for allowing Freedom Debt Relief the opportunity to serve your financial needs.

Sep. 29th, 2021

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cheryl L sioma Boston, VA

I applied to FDR to get a loan, after receiving many, many, ads in the mail. I was turned down. However, they encouraged me to apply to FDR and I did., EVEN THO NOT ONE OF MY PAYMENTS WAS BEHIND OR LATE. after a year, they bugged me for 2 months to get a loan, through them, which I refused! Now they seam so happy to be paying off my cards....but.......They waited till over a year of late charges have incurred, and then claim they are paying off my card by half. well, if I remove all the late charges, then they only paid off the interest. Oh, most government programs do not charge for the same services. FDR charges you a lot! Not at all happy with them and you will NEVER be able to speak to a person. EVER.

5 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We never intended to disappoint you, Cheryl. Our goal is to support our clients' every step. An account specialist will be reviewing your account shortly. We will be sure to reach out to you if necessary. Thank you for allowing Freedom Debt Relief the opportunity to serve your financial needs.

Sep. 17th, 2021

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Kelly Parde Las Vegas, NV

I was targeted by Freedom Debt Relief back in November of 2020 during the peak of COVID. Like many other Americans, who were facing unemployment, eviction from their homes, and the fear of how to feed their families. This company targeted me based off of my overwhelming credit card debt and unmanageable interest rates. I was in a deep hole with my credit and unable to get a loan to consolidate everything and this company offered me hope. They promised to be my partner and to help lessen my debt. I was at my worst, and my credit card minimum payments had reached more than my rent but I was still paying all of my cards on time and my credit was in good standing. This company convinced me to stop all payments, assuring me that once they reached a default status they would quickly settle out my debts to lower them and that my credit would be impacted but I would be able to rebuild as I promised to get me out of debt "quicker." I agreed, they presented a "plan" that they put together selling me on the idea of being completely out of debt within 4 years if I made all my deposits. My deposits of $620.00 was half of what I had been paying in my monthly payments. I was convinced that these people wanted to help me. As months went by my credit got worse and worse as I was told this was a good thing. That being in default gave them more leverage to negotiate my settlements. Trusting this company and allowing for them to continue to keep me in a default status only put me in a more compromisable position. I have no credit, my credit history is now completely destroyed as I took their guidance and all my accounts are in default and now charged off to collection agencies. To extort even more money from you, this company claims to partner with a sister company called "Consolidation Plus." PLEASE if you are reading this PLEASE PLEASE do NOT work with them. I am glad I had this call with their representative Seyhan. It was clear while I was on the call she was reading a script and the call was a sales call. She made it sound like this was a great program to consolidate my debt to have everything paid off and for my credit to bounce back quicker. I was in a panicked state now, I have no credit, my credit history is ruined and I am a single mother with no options to even rent a home. Seyhan threw the BIGGEST punch to my stomach, when I found out not only that Freedom Debt Relief had only paid $1,370 to my creditors and that they collected $3,316 in fees before ANY of my debt had been resolved. She then to add more pressure into me signing their loan agreement told me my monthly payments would be $950 ($330 more than my FDR deposits) and that Freedom Debt Relief had extended my program from 4 years (the number they assured me I would be debt free by) to and additional 2 years, putting me at 6 years and adding an additional $14,880.00 on to my payments. I sat in my living room feeling consumed with fear, tears and regret. I have been so stressed and out of my mind with fear of what to do or what I would do if I lost my home. What will I do when I need to buy a new car? What am I going to do? I started feeling numbing in my face and have had the fear of a stroke. I've been under so much stress. I am begging you to please, do not put your trust within this company. I am not going through legal routes to recoup my money as this company is not compliant with the Federal Trade Commission and they are NOT in the business of helping you. They make you apply to see if you qualify for a "financial hardship" to be offered this program as a sales tactic to insert fear of losing out on an opportunity. It's a sales and psychology tactic that sickens me to my stomach. There are millions of Americans facing my exact reality and this company is praying for Americans in their weakest moments. Some at their absolute worse, who feel like they have NO other solutions and they are extorting money from the most broken. It makes me sick and I am beyond sick and mad at myself for trusting this company. If anyone is reading this who knows of an attorney or anyone who can help please help.

5 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Hello, Ms. Parde. We're so sorry to hear about your experience within our program. We never intend for our clients to have a poor experience. Please keep in touch with your assigned point of contact to reach a resolution. We greatly appreciate you choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Aug. 20th, 2021

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J. Buck Fair Oaks, CA

I submitted a rather large claim. My smaller accounts were settled first allowing my larger accounts to go to litigation costing me more money out of pocket as well as no savings found. I feel that FDR did not have my best interests in mind and have resulted in getting quick money from me and leaving me with more in payment than originally discussed and signing up for. My larger accounts should never have been let go so long they went to litigation. If more money was needed to make sure they did not then it should have been brought up. Extremely upset and disappointed. My deposits are now up over $100 than originally discussed with no savings at all.

5 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

It is disheartening to hear how dissatisfied you are with our service efforts. Our negotiators have built relationships with thousands of creditors. We know when to settle and how to prioritize your settlements – all based on your individual situation in terms of how much you owe and to whom. Unfortunately, some creditors are indeed more aggressive than others. Please know there is no benefit to keeping a balance enrolled any longer than necessary. We welcome any questions you have regarding our negotiation efforts and your account in general. Client Services is available 7 days a week to support your financial journey. Thank you for allowing Freedom Debt Relief the opportunity to serve your financial needs.

May. 17th, 2021

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Michael Mauro Buffalo, NY

Been faithful to my payments towards the program since day one, however the pandemic has caused major issues with my finances. I been out of work 6 months so I asked if there was any way to ease the payments in regards to their charges, freedom debt relief takes a ⅓ of my monthly payment for fees. I understand when a negotiation for payment has been made that payment should be made but freedom debt relief basically told me they are unwilling to help you in regards to their fees due to the pandemic situation. Their solution was pay or loose the negotiated term. They've shown me just like everyone else they're not here to really help they're here to make a buck off your hardships. So I continue to barely make my monthly payments to them while everything else holds in the balance. They're representatives basically drives fear into you by telling you if you don't make full payment we won't negotiate any further and your negotiated debt term with your debtor's will be lost.

5 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We apologize, Mr. Mauro, if our level of customer service has not been up to par. As your advocates, our responsibility is to educate our clients of all potential outcomes regarding their accounts. If we recognize a potential negative impact on any ongoing settlements, we must make sure our clients fully understand how this could impact their overall progress in our program. We would never intentionally make our clients feel threatened in any manner about the voluntary service we provide. This is a hardship program, and we are dedicated to serving our clients' financial needs as much as possible. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns we may address for you at this time. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief as your guide to financial freedom.

May. 17th, 2021

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Ned Clark Los Angeles, CA

I was initially Pleased with Freedom Debt Relief (FDR)'s reputation and `Industry Footprint' as a large, responsible & effective Debt Negotiating Company - because doing this requires both Knowledge and Skills which I don't possess - and don't have the time to LEARN- much less spend handling these issues myself...I need to devote my waking hours to trying to keep my Tiny Family Business ALIVE. But over the last 12 months (corresponding with the COVID Pandemic), that satisfaction has been turned-into Angry Frustration by a SERIES of "Panic Situations" - ALL traceable to a mix of FDR's lackadaisical handling of documents & phone calls, as well as Ineffective Communication not just between FDR & myself, but between FDR & Debt-Holders - and even FDR and the "Legal Partner" which THEY (FDR) `Set Me Up With'. A GALLING example: In 4thQ 2019, I received an EXCELLENT Settlement Offer from CitiBank to clear $4,300 in card debt for $1,188.00; I made a Full Report to FDR, and presumed it had been `handled'...that is, until 1stQ 2021 - when FDR expected me to THRILLED' that they'd JUST Negotiated settlement wit the SAME Bank - for $3,660.00 (THREE TIMES AS MUCH AS THE ORIGINAL OFFER!). Now I've been Served with a SECOND Civil Lawsuit from DISCOVER's Collection Lawyers for the FULL / Original amount on the card - PLUS new Court Filing Fees - all because FDR `Fiddled while Debts Burned' for FOUR MONTHS re; over a prior Power-of-Attorney under a Negotiated Settlement. When my Business Income COLLAPSED due to California's (Necessary) COVID Shut-Downs, I'd sought a few "Financial Hardship Wavers" with FDR to reduce- or skip their bi-monthly Debits from my bank; the only problem was, FDR FAILED to advise the Debt-Holder OR my "Legal Partner" (National Litigation Law Group) of the situation...which triggered the Debt-Holder to "Terminate the Agreement for Non-Compliance" - oh, and with NO personal contacts about the `Problem' NLLG DROPPED my Representation...by email. Now DISCOVER's Collection Lawyers want 100% of the Original Debt PLUS new Fees for their Collections Actions. So, W.T.A.H. am I Paying Freedom Debt Relief to (1) NOT do Their Job, and/or (2) Force ME to have to `Do FDR's Job' of contacting the Debt-Holder & FDR's Legal Partner to correct- and work-around FDR's "Errors & Omissions"?

5 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We appreciate you voicing your concerns regarding your recent experiences, Mr. Clark. This is not our intervention by far. We prefer our clients to feel well-supported, especially during challenging times such as these. An account specialist will be reaching out to you shortly concerning the matter. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief as your guide to financial freedom.

Apr. 13th, 2021

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Gary Hall Jacksonville, FL

They lied to me told me the only fees I would pay were the monthly fees that came out of my deposits now I find out I have to pay a percentage of what my debt was on top of those fees I also settled one of my own debts and now they are charging me a percentage for doing their job They are super slow at getting anything done and will not communicate with you unless you harass them Totally do not recommend this debt relief company find an honest one Don't be like me and get stuck with this trash Because now no matter what I have to pay them the fees even if I cancel myself out of the program They didn't tell me any of that either They are a bunch of liars if I could have gave them 0 stars that's what I would give them

5 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We are disheartened to hear how frustrated you are with the costs of using our program, Mr. Hall. Yes, we do collect a settlement fee. However, our settlement fees are not charged nor collected until we've reduced the amount owed to the creditor and the first payment has been accepted toward the terms of the agreement. We are more than happy to explain the details of your account in greater detail. An account specialist will be reaching out to you shortly concerning the matter. Thank you for allowing Freedom Debt Relief the opportunity to serve your financial needs.

Apr. 6th, 2021

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John W Las Vegas, NV

I signed up and enrolled nearly $15,000 of debt with FDR. I was told that it would take a minimum of 6 months for my first settlement. I even deposited $3,500 into my dedicate account within the first two weeks and had another $3,000 on the way before I cancelled my program. They settled one account from Bank of America (original balance $750) for $450.00. Add on the 25% fee they charge per debt ($194.00 for this account) which only saved me $106. I could have settled myself and actually paid $300 per the bank rep I spoke with. This would have saved me an additional $350. Had I let them settle all my debts, say at 50% I would have paid $7,500. Add on their 25% fee of $3,750, I would have paid a total of $11,250 to settle $15,000 in debt. I did it on my own and settled $15,000 of debt for $6,125, saving me $8,875. So two suggestions: 1) If you don't have a decent amount of money to throw at your creditors like I did, go with the FDR program. However; 2) If you have a little extra that you can use, do it yourself and save a considerable amount of money.

5 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We appreciate you for taking the time to share your feedback with us, John. We agree that our program is not the best solution for every debt situation. However, real-life data shows that the Freedom Debt Relief program has helped many consumers. We wish you the absolute best in all your financial endeavors. Thank you for allowing Freedom Debt Relief the opportunity to serve your financial needs.

Mar. 30th, 2021

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Pipersix6 Minneapolis, MN

They flood you with Auto Dialer calls and send emails that you can't reply to or use to communicate with. No different than a creditor. I have invested over 8,000 into the program than when I asked to discuss my concerns they canceled saying I did not make my deposit which is not true, I never missed a deposit. They base their settlements on the charge-off amount plus interest since the date of the last payment. This is just wrong. A percentage of an amount that the creditor did not declare as a loss? FDR also claimed they would handle a 1099 if I received one. They did not do so. I plan to sure!

5 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Hello, thank you for bringing this to our attention. We would like an opportunity to speak with you about the mentioned concerns. One of our experienced representatives will be reaching out shortly.
Thank you for the review and your comments are greatly appreciated.

Mar. 2nd, 2021

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Veronica Vienna, VA

Many of my debts were held until the debts were increased so much, that afterward after they claim debt relief on a debts, with their fees counted in, you end up paying more. Plus the companies that you end up negotiated send you a 1099 for debt cancellation and you owe taxes like income. I was asked time and time again to get one of their associated “loans”! I ended up selling my home and giving them an extra 10k to excelerate the program. The money sits there, not getting any interest instead of my bank. They also charge you a fee to send a check of $10. Each time they mail a check. Funny they were doing this for a $14. Monthly debt for 8 months. Beware! I still have two debts that have not resolved and the cash is there to pay them in full. They just want their fees!

5 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Veronica, thank you for bringing this to our attention. We would like an opportunity to discuss the mentioned concerns with you. One of our experienced team members will be reaching out to you shortly. We truly appreciate your review.

Nov. 9th, 2020

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Dayna Young Allen, TX

DO NOT ENROLL WITH THIS COMPANY. I was sued twice by creditors while in the program and ended up paying more than my original debt. I enrolled with them because I had debt from helping my father pay his medical bills. He has since passed away. I was with them for 3 years and had to defer my monthly deposits twice due to my father being in the hospital and taking a leave of absence from work. One of my settlements during one of these months had a payment of $10 per month for the first 10 months. When I deferred my deposit that month, FDR did not send the $10 payment because they said I didn't have the funds. I did have the funds and the worst part was they still took out $500 that same month for their fees on another settlement. I was sued by the creditor because the settlement went null and void due to the non payment of the $10 and I ended up paying more than the original debt. The second time I was sued was on one of my settlements that was supposed to be paid off. I had paid all of my settlements and called to "graduate" from the program. I was then told that the last payment on one of my accounts was rejected from the creditor. FDR told me they sent the payment, twice to the creditor and it was rejected both times. Obviously I asked why and I was told it was being sent to their escalation dept. I called and called and was never given an answer. In Jan. of this year, 2020, I was served with papers that I was being sued by a collection agency. FDR never did their part to find out why this had happened and the creditor sold the account to a collection agency. I found out all of this on the day I was served with the lawsuit. I lodged a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and was recently in touch with someone at FDR regarding this issue. They came back with, we have found that you didn't have the money your account to make that last payment. I then asked them, if I didn't have the money in my account, why did you send 2 payments to them? I have yet to get an answer. The bottom line with FDR is this . . . if you are enrolled and have any kind of life altering situation (my dad having open heart surgery which led to my leave of absence from work) and have to defer a deposit, FDR doesn't care. I have all the bank statements from my dedicated account showing I had enough money to make the settlement payments during the two months I deferred the deposits and they still let my settlements go null and void. I have had to pay more money to my creditors by enrolling with FDR than I would have if I had just paid the accounts off on my own. And, the customer service is useless. When you call with any kind of issue, you have to tell whoever answers your call the whole situation again. You can never get the same person on the line, so needless to say, I have spent hours upon hours re-stating my question/problem. The standard response is, we are sending this issue to our escalation dept. and someone will get back to you. I don't think they even have an escalation dept. because in all of this time and the 2 major issues I've had, I've NEVER spoken to anyone. No one has ever called me back and I was blindsided by a lawsuit from a collection agency, not even from the original creditor. Again, do not sign up with them. I'm writing this review to hopefully stop anyone else from going through what I have. It's not only the money but the anguish I suffered from a company who can get away with anything and not care one bit how it affects their clients. As long as they collect their settlement fees and all the other fees charged, it's all okay. I have fees on my bank statements for $10, $3 etc. for FDR to send a check to a creditor. Every month they sent a payment, the charge stated on my statement said, $3 for paper check sent or $10 for express payment sent. Why was it sent express?? This was every month for most of my settlements. All of it is just maddening. Just FYI, I HAD TO click on 1 star for the review as it wouldn't let me put 0 stars.

6 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review, Dayna. We're sorry to hear about your experience and we would like to discuss this with you. A member of our team will be reaching out to you shortly to discuss your concerns. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief!

Aug. 25th, 2020

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Andrea Tencza Seneca, SC

Everything was going along fine, and Freedom From Debt settled 4 of my accounts. The last account was a problem. I was not aware that I had to appear in court, and I don't know who appeared in my behalf. It was settled for the full amount, over $29,000 + interest !of medical debt. I NEVER would have agreed to that, but since I had signed a POA, I gave FFD the right to act for me. It would have been better for me if I had gone to court to give my side of the story. I paid for legal representation, and I feel betrayed. Calls to my "advisor" did not help. So, do your research to find out what debt relief companies have the best rating.

6 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Andrea, thank you for bringing this to our attention. Please allow us to reach out to you so we may the address the mentioned concerns. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Aug. 25th, 2020

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Manny Lujan Sedalia, MO

The program was great until I cancelled it due to costs. I called to close my account a few days before they withdrew the monthly fee of $254 from my bank. The lady I spoke with said she closed it. On payday I checked my account & FDR withdrew the $254. I called a second time & a man closed my account & said the $254 would go back into my bank acct. on the 20th - It didn't - I called a 3rd time asking for my $254 plus whatever was left in my dedicated account. The lady told me that FDR had to contact my creditors due to negotiations & they would need to listen to my recorded audios about cancelling before they could reverse the transaction. According to my agreement, I can cancel at any time without penalty & get what's owed to me. The agreement also stated that upon cancellation, FDR would immediately stop all interaction (HAVE NO CONTACT) with my enrolled creditors. So why was I told I had to wait another 7 days so FDR could make a decision about reversing the $254 withdraw? I called again to ask about my money & the lady hung up on me & sent me to the survey. I tried again & another lady told me that it looked as though my issue was being resolved because my dedicated account balance was ZERO! That I should look at my bank account again because the transaction was reversed. Here I am on the 22nd & have yet to receive my $254 or the money that already in the dedicated account!!! Aug the 17th was the $254 withdraw date. I called to cancel on the 14th, then again on the 18th, again on the 20th, the 21st and today is the 22nd... and to this day... I have NOT received MY MONEY!! I am so angry with FDR & would appreciate if SOMEONE could explain this to me. When I try calling the system no longer has me as a client, but I was still able to log on to my dashboard as of yesterday, the 21st... WHAT THE ****? I just want my money back ... It's been tough as it is & I really can't afford what this program has cost me! No Thanks FDR Manuel Lujan Sedalia, MO

6 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We are very sorry to hear about your experience, Manuel. It is never our intention to put our clients in further hardship when dealing with us. We understand why this would be frustrating for you, and we would like the opportunity to discuss this more in-depth. Please know a member of our team will be reaching out to you shortly. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Aug. 25th, 2020

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HollyAnn Povee Sun City, AZ

Worst experience of my life. They lie to you, they tell you and its in their contract "we do not charge a fee for our services until a settlement is reached and approved by you." They tell you after you make 3 monthly payments they will begin work with your creditors, LIE, LIE, LIE. After 3 monthly payments, they change that to 6 months before they work with your creditors. They tell you "if you cancel all your money will be returned to you except what is paid to the creditors" LIE, LIE, LIE. We paid 4 months of payments and when we cancelled they charged us $100's, yet not one of our creditors had been contacted and no settlement was ever approved. I've contacted our creditors and have actually worked out something much better and shorter than Freedom proposed. DO NOT USE FREEDOM, DO IT YOURSELF.

6 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

HollyAnn, we're sorry to hear about your experience with our company. A member of our team will be reaching out shortly to discuss your concerns. Thank you for being a valued client of Freedom Debt Relief!

Jul. 29th, 2020

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Shannon Banner Independence, MO

I have called 7 times telling you I decline a settlement. It's been going on for months I said I wanted a better percentage and less payments your people just keep ignoring me and have sent it in a txt message for me to accept over 100 times I finally just gave up on calling you on it. And just ignore it like you have done with my wishes. I ask that you stay on that account and renegotiate so interested rates didn't go up. And you don't even listen to anything I ask. I wish I'd of went with a company that listened to it's customers. But I'm kinda stuck but I will never accept that one offer but I'm sure you'll just keep sending it for me to accept and ignore what I say. I just quit calling you it took 30 to 40 minutes out of my day each time for no one to even listen

6 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Shannon, thank you for bringing this to our attention. We would like an opportunity to discuss the mentioned concerns with you. One of our experienced team members will be reaching out to you shortly. We truly appreciate your review.

Jul. 20th, 2020

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Annie Manno Memphis, TN

I would not recommend this relief program for a couple reasons. They will extend “in negotiations” and “settling” for unreasonable amount of time to collect their own profit. I was assured when I first signed up it wasn’t like that. I understand they need to make money from helping me lower my debt after researching more about medical debt especially for my child who is 9, was being drawn out when the hospital already sold the debt to a collection agency for pennies. Breaks my heart that company’s are allowed to do this and collection agency’s as well freedom debt relief program would take advantage of people wanting to pay back their debt

6 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Annie, we empathize with your frustrations and that's why we need to speak with you so we can resolve your concerns. We never intend on making anyone's situation worse. We are truly here to help you! A member of our team will be reaching out to you shortly to address your concerns. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Jun. 19th, 2020

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Sam Ardeno Bulls Gap, TN

Be aware of everything Jeff H says on the phone. Pay attention to whats on paper and the amount of debt you enrolled and the interest charge after Jeff ask you to stop paying the creditors. The interest will go up when you stop paying. When they do negotiate. The offer freedom brings to the table is the only offer. If you don't take it then they will kick you around to three more advisers. that say the same thing. Then most likely ask you to stop doing business with them. My last offer was the only one I asked for better results. Which they didn't even try. They said 55% savings but if you looked at my enrolled debt from the start before interest. It was more like 15%.

6 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We're sorry to hear about your disappointments with the outcomes of our program, Mr. Ardeno. Our negotiators have worked with over 100+ creditors for the past several years, and have developed excellent relationships with them. This allows us to obtain the best settlements possible for our clients. Please consider the fact these balances are now behind you, providing the opportunity to achieve your financial goals. We appreciate the chance to serve your financial needs, Mr. Ardeno. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

May. 1st, 2020

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Leslie Battle Creek, MI

They lied and withheld important information like including their outrageous fees and how if I settled I would have to pay taxes at the end of the year to the IRS. Also I would be taking a chance to get sued by the creditors I own. All they did was take my money each month and didn’t do anything else but lied every time I called saying that they was working on a settlement from my creditors. Well in fact they didn’t have any contact with them! I was constantly getting calls from my creditors due to them not doing anything with the money I was giving them. After 2 months with being with them I canceled the program due to my credit score taking 120 point hit for not paying my creditors like they advised me to do. I ended up calling my creditors myself and they worked with me. I should of have done that from the beginning. When I called to cancel the transferred me to this rude representative that told me I was making a mistake. I told the representative you guys caused me more trouble than relief! When I asked about my refund he claims they will take out their fees before I get a refund. Fees for what they didn’t do anything for me but gave me terrible advice and held on to my money. Also it will take 21 days to get my refund. Apparently I should be getting a check. Let’s wait and see... Stay far away from these people. They will NOT help you. They will cause your credit score to tank and you could possibly get sued by your creditors and possibly owning more from when you started.

6 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Leslie, we are saddened to hear how you feel about our services. We understand that at times the program can be confusing, so we do our best to keep our clients informed on their accounts. Our settlement fees vary and are calculated based on the laws in the state you live in and the amount of your debt. The average is 20%. No client is charged more than 25%. So if you compare our fees to 100% of the debt amount plus any interest and additional late/penalty fees if someone can't meet the monthly required minimum payment you're saving a great amount in our program. We understand that our program is not for everyone, and we are okay with that. Again we are sorry to hear that you had this experience and if you ever have any questions please call Client Services at (800) 655-6303.

Apr. 10th, 2020

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Kevin Oleksowicz Brooklyn, NY

In choosing to follow your company advice and not pay bank of America has cost me a law suit in following your strategy of not paying to get better leverage to nenegotiate a better settlement my enrolled that of roughly $24,000 has increased to over $28,000 in which that is what I have to pay for the lawsuit because I do not have a lawyer to fight for me even though your company advertise that I would have legal representation and I do not all I have is a company that would put in a settlement that works in the favor of Bank of America unless I pay all there fees So I have to had to settle paying 4 thousands plus on top what I enroll to prevent the following lawsuit from putting a lien on my house because of following advice from different representatives from your company and add insult to injury I received an email stating that you would waive the fees for settling this debt and which I now incurred an extra $4,000 because of your company you really should have not sent that email I can go on but what's point. I would like all email copies of letters or correspondence between you and Bank of America to show that you where actually were contacting them on my behalf to try to negotiate a settlement prior to this lawsuit being incurred

6 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We're sorry to hear about your disappointments, Mr. Oleksowicz, regarding your experiences in our program. Unfortunately, some creditors choose the option of litigation to collect on an outstanding balance. Our negotiators and legal partners take every opportunity to negotiate and settle the enrolled balances as quickly as possible. However, if we are unsuccessful in reducing the enrolled balance, settlement fees will not be collected. This is per the agreement signed when enrolling in our program. We ask that you consider the fact that the balance is now behind you and we can move forward in settling other enrolled balances. Thank you for allowing Freedom Debt Relief the opportunity to serve your financial needs.

Apr. 6th, 2020

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Barb Daniel Buford, GA

There is no communication at all once you are enrolled, unless you call in , you never speak to anyone again. Not knowing the “strategy” for your debt relief is frustrating. Nothing happens for six months but they don’t tell you that upfront. Targeted negotiations change on a whim, you believe one account is being settled and then that is changed and the dashboard indicates a different one is in negotiation, but then nothing happens at all. Settlements are reasonable but fees outrageous and your monthly payment goes to fees instead of creditors. Word to the wise, negotiate with your creditors yourself, and save yourself the prolonged and expensive “solution” Freedom Debt Relief offers.

6 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Barb, we are extremely sorry you are not satisfied with the results of the program. We love to assist our clients with updates, and we have our team of professionals available for them seven days a week. One of our experienced team members will be reaching out to you shortly to address your concerns with the hope to better your experience with us. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief!

Feb. 11th, 2020

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Lula Powell Goldsboro, NC

I was mislead by the statement that no fees until debt was settled did not think this based on each creditor settlement. I have a current summons from American Express National Bank that has not been responded to and the attorneys for the creditor contacted me and state that they had not been contacted by National Litigation. Another debt collector for Chase has contacted me and they indicate that they have not been contacted and that they do not work with debt relief companies. I want someone to explain the status of the case with American Express before I am due to respond in Court on December 27, 2019.

6 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We empathize with your frustrations, Lula, and we are sorry you are not satisfied with the results of the program so far. We would like an opportunity to go over your concerns and answer any questions you may have. One of our trained team members will be reaching out to you soon.

Dec. 30th, 2019

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R Jacksonville, FL

I was never informed that a “strategic hold” was going to take place on my accounts. In other words, I was not told that Freedom Debt Relief was going to let my debt sit, unpaid, until it made sense to negotiate down the owed amounts. I was told that they would be contacting each of my creditors individually to settle on a cash amount to be paid in full to close out the accounts. I was also told that the creditors would be contacted and notified that no payments would be made until a lump sum amount was agreed upon. I gave FDR $10,000.00 cash to settle just under $15,000.00 in debt because I was told their employees would make phone calls and be able to get it all settled using "special terminology". After working with FDR for one month my credit went from over 700 to barely 500. At this point in time I am unable to apply for anything because of the negligence of a Freedom Debt Relief employee and the false information I was provided. I have never missed payments on my accounts until FDR swindled me into working with them under false pretenses.

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We are sorry to hear that you are not satisfied with the results the program has provided. A member of our team will be reaching out to you shortly to address your concerns. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Oct. 29th, 2019

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Alexandra Grand Prairie, TX

We have been with Freedom Debt Relief since 2016. Freedom started really good & keeping us updated everytime we had a Settlement or not having enough money in our account They would call us or text us anytime. We have 5 accounts or more that has been open off & a little bit more to go. However lately they have been to lazy or not helpful with account that has to be taking care of & on top of. My recommendation is if you can avoid this company please do so. I had a credit card with Chase Bank & I had settle directly with them for less. $3,000.00 to $300.00 They are getting Really sloppy and collecting too much money in settlement your credit card & not call you when you don't have enough money in your account to take care of the Important one with attorney's office. When you have to start all over again with the same one they Settle and still collect more money for settlement. I have depression already, this doesn't help my situation & this is the kind of problem that can drive people to commit suicide. They said "Oh don't worry we are here for you but when you get paper from court saying "you fail to appear in court" or you getting service with court papers of lawsuit. You are standing only. They have no communication with the attorneys that they have which is very frustrating. We had great jobs & always paid on time with our credit card without any problems. After my husband lost his job we was told this company cause help us & give us peace of mind but all we been having is headache & problems when they can't get Their and of promise. We have more Stress than we had before. My advice to people that having credit card problems find out a better way to take care of them Directly with the credit card companies or with a better one than this company. I'm sorry but I had enough with this company that I'm so ready to talk to an attorney about bankruptcy.

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We value your feedback, Alexandra. We take your concern seriously and would like to have a member of our team reach out to you. Could you please provide your contact information in a privet message to us. We thank you for being a valued Client.

Oct. 8th, 2019

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Cathy Burton, OH

They start out great, then communication stops and when you get close to closing out your accounts, they are not truthful. Was making payments on 2 separate accounts. When 1 was closed, all of the sudden I don’t have enough money to start paying off another. Took them so long that I ended up negotiating 2 on my own. Owed 279 on my last card and had 282 in account. Talked to them and was told they would close out my last account and graduate. Next thing I know, they take another 276 after they told me I was done. Had to call again to stop future deposits being taken. Asked if I could get my money back and they said in 2 weeks. 3 months later all my debt is paid and they still have my money. Seems like they purposely take longer to make more money for themselves. You can negotiate your own cards just as easily if you have the patience.

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We are sorry to hear of your experience, Cathy. We assure you it is not our intention to make things difficult for you. Our team is dedicated to resolving your concerns and will be reaching out to you shortly.

Oct. 1st, 2019

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Kaiji Takahashi Glen Cove, NY

We are being sued by the Discover bank as a result of paying the monthly deposit properly as instructed by this company. Their next instruction was to increase the deposit amount AND THEN they will start the negotiation. Zero apology, wants to take no responsibility. Sure, go right ahead and say you guys didn't know why we were sued and it was unexpected repeatedly. You guys were the ones that was negotiating with them and we followed all instructions given by you guys. Something wrong happens on their behalf, they will try their best to not take responsibility and have us take all the consequences. Lets hope you guys stay lucky like the majority of the customers here. We seem to be the minority but these guys are irresponsible for one thing that I'm sure of.

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We appreciate your honest feedback, Kaiji. We sincerely apologize for any negative experience you have had with our program. A member of our team will reach out to you shortly to further address your concerns. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Aug. 29th, 2019

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barb Belle Glade, FL

I became a member because I lost my good paying job and couldn't make the monthly payments. They have refused to settled my accounts enrolled because they said there was not enough money in the account to begin settlements. I had plenty of money in my dedicated account. I have two accounts in law suits now because they would not attempt to settle. The national litigation had to settle and did not save my any money. You have to pay 23% percent of your enrolled debt. This has caused my monthly payments to triple. Try to settle your accounts do not enroll in freedom debt relief because you will lose in the long run. Maybe this helps people who are more financially stable but not the little person who is struggling with bills. Do your research and ask questions and document your responses and time and date you spoke with them. I asked questions and got answers that I was comfortable with but did not write down. When all was done it was all B.S.

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We appreciate your honest feedback, Barb. We sincerely apologize for any negative experience you have had with our program. A member of our team will reach out to you shortly to further assist. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Aug. 23rd, 2019

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Nikki Jones Houston, TX

After sending money to Freedom Debt Relief for almost a year, I could no longer handle the harassment of debt collectors calling me. FDR does nothing to help with this aspect of debt. I finally decided to just settle with collections after I realized I’d get off much cheaper that way. Called FDR to get out of their program. They inform me that they will only reimburse me about 1/3 of the amount I’ve banked with them. They’ve put nothing towards my debt. They haven’t even dealt with the legal aspect at all. But they’re keeping 2/3 of my money. Effectively digging my debt hole deeper. I realize they are a for-profit company. I realize they are in the business of cashing in on people’s desperation. But keeping my that much of my money when they’ve done absolutely nothing to help me? That’s a scam. And I wish it was illegal so they’d face consequences. But despite being ethically and morally wrong on every level, it’s perfectly legal. Please don’t fall for their scam.

7 years ago

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Wally San Antonio, TX

WORST EXPERIENCES EVER !!!! BEWARE DON'T HIRE THIS COMPANY they make it seem there going to help you and there not, they help you lower your bills for major cost but actually there not helping you at all, you end up paying a lot more than you owe . they get your money and you have to pay a major fee with freedom Debt Relief for each credit card you owe and if you pay your due date on time, they have this company name FREEDOM PLUS and pay all your balances from FREEDOM DEBT RELIEF once they finish with the negotiation of the debt collector or credit card collector. So once FREEDOM PLUS pays all your balances with FREEDOM DEBT RELIEF MAJORS FEE with out telling you there is a MAJOR 29.99% INTEREST in top of the fee that you already pay with FREEDOM DEBT RELIEF for the remaining balance you end up with FREEDOM PLUS. So if you make your math you end up paying more than you owe. I will understand if there was a reasonable interest for the remaining balance, but they take advantage of the situation of family that where trying are best to get out of debt not to get any deeper debt, so that is my experience that i have to pay more than what i owe DON'T HIRE THEM THERE IS ANOTHER COMPANY THAT DOES IT FOR FREE INTEREST OF BALANCES YOU OWE BEWARE !!! I don't know why and how they have great reviews !!

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Wally, Thank you for your feedback! We take these reviews seriously and would love to take a look at your account with you since with Freedom Debt relief you will never pay more than you enrolled in the program. Our team wants to address your concern a member of our team will reach out to you shortly. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Jul. 31st, 2019

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Ken Gilroy, CA

I went for months not being able to get on the dashboard. Every time I called and asked why, I got a totally different answer. I called for months trying to get on the dashboard so I could see where I was and how my bills were doing. The right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. I got a different answer from about 20-25 customer service staff. They are NOT trained very well and didn't know what they were talking about. Very poor service and information that they were giving out I felt that I was "thrown under the bus". Once FDR had me and were trying to pay off my bills, they didn't care about me any more. I tried to talk to supervisors and other staff for MONTHS but no one cared. VERY POOR!

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

Thank you for your feedback, Ken. We would love to address your concern. Could you please provide us with your contact information associated with your program and we will have a member of our team reach out to you shortly.

Jul. 16th, 2019

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Cathe Czarnecki Grand Rapids, MI

Freedom was doing an excellent job for us until recently. There was a HUGE clerical error or information sharing that went from having a settlement and having payments and the settlement fee deducted from our account for 3 months to having a non compliance lawsuit against us. I personally called numerous times and was told by NLLG that they couldn't help us, told by Freedom that we needed to call the bank where the dedicated account is and we needed to get that information to the bank suing us and also were told to add an additional $8,000 to our dedicated account to begin the process again. After dealing with all the parties involved and authorizing the release of the funds to the appropriate institution. I was able to get resolution. It was extremely maddening and stressful. And to make matters more complex, the thousands of dollars in settlement fees were deducted in one payment, jeopardizing my payments on other accounts. We have done everything we were supposed to do and Freedom dropped the ball on this one. We were very frustrated and angry with the manner in which this situation was handled.

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We're so sorry to hear about your negative experience with your legal account, Cathe. We understand how this can be frustrating and would love to go over this in more detail. A member of our team will be reaching out to you shortly. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief.

Jun. 25th, 2019

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Jed S Roper Saint George, UT

$13,122.00 Paid to them. $8,315 Paid to creditors. Lowest settlement they got was 40%, now that I'm doing it myself I get 35% without even trying. What's frustrating is they charge their fee on original debt. Where's the incentive to get a good settlement? If you're paying them to settle debts than they should at least negotiate to have creditor remove negative reports when offered 48%. They negotiated 5 of my accounts. 2 at 48%, 1 at 45% and 2 at 40%. The only reason I used them was to work and not worry about this stuff but I'd still get collection calls and letters. Collectors would tell me they refuse to work with Freedom... I wish I saw this review, it just didn't provide the peace of mind I thought it would and I'd have 2 big accounts paid off by now instead of just one of my big accounts due to paying freedom to settle debts at a mediocre rate, not communicate and not contact all my creditors with a game plan for the future. Bottom line is if you have half a brain you can handle your stuff better than they can with minimal effort. Also, after paying them thousands of dollars to settle 5 accounts and removing the rest my Freedom account was closed. No summary or information for me to use to clean up my credit report. Felt kicked to the curb. P.S. I had technical issues with their website account often.

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We're sorry to hear of the many disappointments you have regarding our services, Mr. Roper. We work constantly to improve how we communicate to our clients at every stage of their program. We also believe in always acting in our clients’ best interests. Our negotiators have years of experience getting settlements with a large variety of creditors and know which creditors to settle with first, how much debt reduction creditors are likely to agree to, and more. However, we would like an opportunity to further discuss the concerns mentioned. A team specialists will be reaching out to you shortly. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief to service your financial needs.

Jun. 22nd, 2019

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TomD Santa Cruz, CA

As many have stated, they started out great and seemed to be well worth the money. However, over the past 8 months they seem to have fallen apart. After supposedly negotiating a settlement with my Discover Card, I was informed that they had "mde an error on their end and that they would take care of negotiating a new settlement and pay any differences. The next thing I know, after dozens of calls and emails (I have the complete email chain) I get a notice from Discover at the beginning of this year (2019), right around Tax Time that they have charged off my account. This is way harder on my credit score than a successfully paid off settlement. Not only that, but when I ask if the funds collected for the Discover payoff could be applied to my one remaining credit card (a BofA) I was told "No, that will have to wait until the BofA is paid off and then you will receive a refund if one is due to you." That doesn't even make sense. When I checked the details of my payoffs and where my money was going I saw $3 per month going to "Phone" Charges. No one ever mentioned "Phone" charges. There were other unusual payouts as well. The offices of FDR are supposed to be in San Mateo, CA but now their website says they have moved to Phoenix, Arizona. I have written numerous emails to one counselor, who has stopped responding way back in late April. If she has left the company, you would think that someone would at least be checking her company emails and responding to the client she had. Nothing. In short, whatever they were, and however well things may be going for some, there are many of us who have been really hung out to dry. Supposedly I have until November before my entire account is paid off. If I don't hear from them before that, I will go to the BBB and the Consumer Protection Agency with a valid complaint. Let the Buyer beware!

7 years ago

Reply from Freedom Debt Relief

We sincerely apologize for any lack of follow up on our part. Understandably, it is frustrating when specific expectations are not met. We are also disappointed to hear of the mishap regarding the mentioned account. Providing our clients with an ultimate customer service experience is one of our top priorities. If you do not feel you have received such service, again, we sincerely apologize. We would like an opportunity to discuss the concerns mentioned with you directly. To do so, a team specialist will be reaching out to you soon. Thank you for choosing Freedom Debt Relief to service your financial needs.

Jun. 22nd, 2019