ComplaintsforAlleviate Financial Solutions LLC

• Initial Complaint

  09/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for the Alleviate program on 7/14/2023 after signing up through Amerify Financial via a mail solicitation. I have paid my program monthly dues for the past three months, but every day my creditors contact me multiple times via email, text, and phone calls, including nights and weekends. Some of my creditors like Discover call three times a day. I was told on the phone during my last monthly check-in on 8/30/23 that Alleviate would have someone reaching out to me to talk about possible TCPA violations from my creditors, but I have not heard any follow-up from anybody since, and I would like some help as the calls are getting excessive. I have had a lot on my plate recently, including being out of work for two months on sick leave while still fighting for disability pay with the state, so I need this program to help me get into a better financial situation. I have returned to work this week and have still continued to pay into the program, despite having no income the past two months.I have not seen any settlement activity on any of my accounts yet, and I am a bit worried based on some of the other reviews that I am reading here. I acknowledge that I did notarize the ***** of ******** form a bit late due to ongoing chronic health issues, but I have yet to hear any updates about my account besides the once-a-month phone call where I was reassured that there is nothing else on my end that I need to do after notarizing the PoA and handing over my account numbers to **********************. I have sent messages through the Forth debtpay portal as well as several emails to Account Managers without response. Please let me know what the next steps are on my account, as I am growing concerned and do not want to get sued by my creditors. I have contacted two of my creditors via mail and I intend to contact all of them to let them know to communicate with me only in writing as Alleviate has requested. I would appreciate it if my concerns were addressed. Thank you.

  

  Business response

  09/28/2023

  Hi *****,
  
  
  I'm sorry to hear that you had a negative experience. We understand that you have a lot on your plate at the moment, and we want to make things right for you. We appreciate your honesty and openness about your experience.
  
  
  We take your concerns seriously and are dedicated to improving our communication and services based on your insights. We will be reaching out to you soon to discuss your experience and address your concerns. So please keep an eye out for our call.
  
  
  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address your concerns.

  Customer response

  02/08/2024

  This is the second BBB complaint I am making for Alleviate, as they are still not holding up to what was promised. I have been enrolled since mid-July of 2023 when I was temporarily out of work, and have not missed a single payment (in fact, I raised my payment in November 2023, sending my entire work bonus to them as a one-time increase so that I could get out of debt faster). Only one of my accounts has been settled, and with the 25% fees on the settlement as well as the monthly fees, I have barely saved anything. This company is a joke. None of my other creditors seem to have been contacted and I have not had a monthly call with the account advisor in a few months. I want to cancel this program and deal with my finances myself at this rate, as my credit score has dropped more than 150 points with very little results. Prior to the program, I did not miss a single credit card payment, but now that I was instructed to stop all payments to my creditors, my credit has been ruined. Again, the one settlement that was made, between the settlement amount and the fees, I only end up saving $76. This is not what was promised. There was supposed to be a loan accelerator offer as well, but I have not heard anything from Alleviate regarding this, despite meeting all eligibility requirements. Additionally, I have seen random fees being taken out like the following: 01/25/2024 Cleared Fee Disbursement $39.99 01/25/2024 Cleared FORTH Custodial Monthly Fee $10.95 01/22/2024 Cleared Check 2nd Day Disbursement Fee Please close this account and pay off my Discover account entirely, because I am done with this service. I have given you a second and third chance, but not anymore. Please close this account and stop debiting my bank immediately.
  

  
  

  

  Business response

  02/08/2024

  Dear *****,  
  
  Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We apologize for any frustration or inconvenience caused and appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns. We will have a management team contact you soon to discuss this further.  
  
  Our program is designed for those who are experiencing financial hardship, and we ensure that those who enroll are genuinely in such a situation at the time of enrollment.  
  
  Your last monthly call was completed in November, and we tried to contact you in December and January as part of our routine monthly check-ins to see if you need any assistance and review your account, but unfortunately, we were unable to get in touch with you. However, our negotiation team has contacted some of your creditors and is working hard to secure your next settlement. It's important to note that every situation and creditor is unique, so we do not make any promises. Nevertheless, we assure you that we are doing our best to assist you with all the available resources. We understand your eagerness to see results, and we share the same sentiment, as our success is linked to yours.  
  
  We want to clarify that no random fees are associated with our program. All fees are outlined in the signed contract. Per our contract, you opted for legal services with Sentry, and their monthly fee is $39.99. The $10.95 monthly custodial fee is charged by Forth, your FDIC-insured custodial administrator, who handles your funds. Lastly, the Check Disbursement fee is charged by Forth whenever we send a settlement payment to the creditor/debtor.  
  
  We understand that you want to pay off your active settlement and cancel your program, and we will have a management team contact you to discuss this further. We apologize for any dissatisfaction you have experienced with our program and appreciate your feedback, time spent, and collaboration. Please be on the lookout for our call.

• Initial Complaint

  09/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In October of 2022, I agreed to a 23 month payment plan of ****** in order to help settle debts from two different Creditors. One debt owed was *******, the other debt owed was *******. This totaled a debt of $8040.17. I was promised in writing that the 23 payments would be all that I would owe, and that they would aggressively settle these debts even with the use of Attorneys to do so.My total payment plan would equal $6429.65.Things went well with the smaller debtor, and we satisfied the debt with a payment plan from my balance for a total of approximately $1350.00. So far so good. This payment was settled in June.However the 2nd creditor would only agree to an 81% debt reduction for a total of $4632.00. Ok, still no problem right? WRONG. Alleviate then told me that in order for them to agree to this amount I would need to make an additional 14 payments of $****** (for a total of 37 payments.)Keep in mind that this company is called ALLEVIATE (to alleviate debt), and they suddenly were asking me to pay them a total of $10,343.35 to satisfy $8040.17. This is clearly a ripoff company and should change their name to INTENSIFY instead. When I explained this to one Client Specialist - ********, she was blown away, and said there must be some mistake, and it would NOT be 14 additional payments! It clearly seemed like a mistake, because what they were asking was ludicrous.I was promised that in writing -- it never came, so I called back, and finally got another specialist on the phone. When I explained the lunacy again to ****, he totally recommended I get out of the program, because like ********, he thought that would be crazy to ask for $2,203.18 MORE than what I even owed to begin with. But unlike ********, he admitted that is exactly what Alleviate was asking.I am simply asking for my $****** to be refunded for July, August, and September, since they were unable to help me. They refuse to call me back or answer my emails. $838.65 refund.

  

  Business response

  09/27/2023

  *******,
  

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention, I would like to address your concerns and provide some clarity on the situation.
  
  Firstly, I want to apologize for any inconvenience that we may have caused you. Per our signed contractual agreement, the term is mentioned as an approximation, we do not promise an exact term. If you received a written promise from Alleviate that you would only owe 23 payments, please send that to us so we can have our legal team review it. It is very important that our clients aren't misled.
  
  
  We always strive to provide our clients with full transparency regarding any offers we obtain, and we may present settlement offers with a request to satisfy the offer if we do not have enough funds to satisfy the offer at that time. In your case, we received an offer from a difficult creditor in litigation, and asked to extend your term so we can satisfy the offer. Our contractual agreement mentions that dealing with difficult creditors may require a greater degree of personal involvement from the client in order to obtain the best possible settlement. However, we apologize if we did not communicate this clearly to you.
  
  
  Regarding the progress made on your account, we understand your frustration. We were able to successfully resolve one of your enrolled creditors on your behalf at a great settlement percentage of 48% during the period from Late October to the cancellation. When you opt to cancel your account, our policy is to refund any unallocated portion of the savings account balance. However, since we had already earmarked a significant portion of the saved funds for your settlement agreements and fees, the refund amount reflects the remaining balance that was owed to you.
  
  
  Once again, I apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused you. We will be reaching out to you soon to discuss your concerns further. Please be on the lookout for our call.

  Customer response

  10/02/2023

  I have the Draft Schedule sent to me by Alleviate, 23 payments of ****** is what I owed.  

  No one has been able to clearly explain why Alleviate would ask for more money than what I owed.  The fact that you mentioned that you made a great deal with FNBO (one of my creditors) just shows that the money requested was enough.  It is not my fault and certainly your realization the Discover might not be as persuaded as FNBO was.  Another fact to point out is that your very own Specialist RECOMMENDED that I get out of the program because you were asking more money than what the Discover amount was.  Go back and listen to the call that you say you "record for training purposes."

   

  ANd by the way, your last statement -- "We will be reaching out to you soon to discuss your concerns further. Please be on the lookout for our call."  -- Im Still waiting on that call.  I've requested it multiple times now.  

   

  I am simply requesting July, August and September payments to be returned to me in good faith since you Failed to live up to your end of the agreement.  I can certainly send the draft schedule to you if needed.

   

  Thank you, 

   

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

  

  Business response

  10/05/2023

  Hello *******,

  Thank you for your continued feedback. I apologize for your frustration and would love to have a discussion with you pertaining to your experience. I'll be calling you to follow up and see if we can come to a conclusion that works for all parties. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I entered into an agreement in 06/23. I cancelled after making two payments, paying $603.45 each month. According to my calculations I should be receiving a refund of at least $342.10. They settled a debt for $908.51, and 25% of that is $227.13/ The portal shows they took a total of $569.23 in settlement fees. So, $569.23 minus $227.13 (25% of the settled amount) is $342.10. Also, I did not agree to $250 for legal assistance. I was not informed that I would be charged for that. I need the $250 refunded and a charge of $39.99 ACH credit/fee for Sentry Legal. What is that charge even for? When all totaled up, I should be receiving a total refund of $632.09.Calling them is a nightmare as you rarely get a response and they do not respond to emails as I have requested so that I have it in writing. Their customer portal does not work for me, the contact option does not work. Their portal was the first sign of concern for me, it felt as if this was not a legitimate company.

  

  Business response

  09/25/2023

  Hello *****, we apologize for any inconvenience or dissatisfaction you may have experienced. We reviewed your account and understood the concern about the withheld funds from your savings account after cancellation. We want to provide you with a detailed explanation to ensure that there is clarity around the situation.
  
  Between June and now, we successfully resolved one of your enrolled creditors at an excellent settlement percentage of 33%. Our fee for each settled account is 25% of the enrolled debt amount, as per the signed agreement. There seems to be some confusion about how we calculate our fees. We take our percentage from the enrolled amount whereas it seems to be you're taking it from the settled amount. 
  
  It appears that you did opt in for legal services as per your contractual agreement. However, we apologize if we didn't communicate this clearly. The legal services were provided to assist you in case any of the enrolled debts attempted to pursue litigation to collect the outstanding amount. Your legal service charged a $250.00 enrollment fee and a $39.99 monthly fee to keep your legal services active.
  
  When you opted to cancel your account, we refund any unallocated portion of the savings account balance, as per our policy. However, since we had already earmarked a significant portion of the saved funds for your settlement agreements and fees, the refund amount reflects the remaining balance that was not allocated.
  
  We understand that this difference may be disappointing for you. We apologize if this aspect of our process was not adequately communicated or if it has caused confusion. Your feedback is valuable to us, and we are committed to addressing your concerns verbally.
  
  We will contact you to discuss this further and provide you with a full breakdown of the fees.  Please be on the lookout for our call. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are dedicated to improving our communication and services based on your insights.
  
  

  Customer response

  09/26/2023

  I dont think its good business practice to state that youre sorry if things were not communicated properly. You are in the business to help people that are in financial distress but it seems that you are just taking advantage of those people. The fees and charges are not accurately communicated to the clients. I am now worse off than before I began this process because of how I was told to handle the process. At the very least, the legal representation fees should be refunded. 

  

  Business response

  10/04/2023

  Hello *******,

  I apologize for your frustration and would love to have a discussion with you pertaining to your experience. I'll be calling you to follow up and see if we can come to a conclusion that works for all parties. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Almost more than 2 weeks as they promised on 7 to 9 days I did not receive my money refund

  

  Business response

  09/12/2023

  Hello ****, we understand how frustrating it can be when something doesn't meet your expectations. We apologize for the delay. According to our records, Forth shipped your check on August 28th, and the check cleared yesterday on 9/11. However, we will reach out to confirm your receipt. Kindly be on the lookout for out call.

• Initial Complaint

  09/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I hired Alleviated 03/2020. Paid 394$ a month until 08/2022. Contacted the company for a final payment for ALL debts because we had extra $. We were sent a final amount and paid it before the due date. I was told it would take 30 days for all accounts to be paid. 2 months later my husband was sued for an account they settled. They ignored the Complaint and a Judgment was entered against him. Called multiple times and even once was told that "I am not going to lie to you but they probably won't call you back". Fast forward 6 months and I again called and at that time was advised that 3 of our accounts hadn't had any action since 2021. I wanted an explanation since all accounts should have been paid. Multiple calls went with no answer because the calls are outsourced and nobody had an actual accounting of what is going on. They called and asked for an extra draft (after paying entire amount), I ok'd it the first time because I wanted to be done. Then on 9/5/23 a full year after we paid the full amount requested for all accounts *****, a supervisor called and asked for more $. I was livid and said absolutely not. She said ok then we will remove the 2 accounts left and send you a check for 530$ which was what was left. She reiterated 5x to do it now so no fees other than the **** were added. This chick had the nerve after recording the conversation to tell me oh I made a mistake there are 400$ in feed added, even though the debt portal shows next fees werent for 6 weeks. At that time I was livid. I had already hired an attorney to deal with them and now they are drafting a complaint. I serious cannot believe how unprofessional they were and hope that with my Lawsuit nobody else gets screwed by them.

  

  Business response

  09/12/2023

  Hello ********, We sincerely apologize for the negative experience that you had, and we thank you for the honest review. We are currently investigating your case and we will be in contact with you soon. Kindly be on the lookout for our call.

• Initial Complaint

  09/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been using Alleviate Financial Solutions since 2020. They were supposed to settle 4 accounts for me. They only settled 2 and requested more money for the monthly payment and longer contract term for the other two accounts. I didn't understand how this could happen because I took one account off and they wanted lump sum for the last one and wanted me to take a loan out which would have extended my contract for about another 2 years with smaller payments. I decided to quit the program since I was under the impression all this time that the program would be done this year in August. I was told by ******** on the phone after closing the account for AFS that I would be getting a refund of $1,7xx. The full amount that was left in my custodial account. I repeated that back to him and he agreed. This was recorded on the line. I got a check for $372 instead. I called to complain and the supervisor told me that per the contract I had to pay the fees and then get the rest after that in the account. She told me that ******** would be coached on how he approached the situation and he should have told me the fees would be taken out first. I feel like what he said would supercede what the contract says and that I should be refunded the rest of my money. This company has told me very many different things from different people and I was misled quite a bit since day one. I just want my money back, the amount that ******** told me. Business seems very shady. I have written down all the notes between the conversations and names of everyone when it came to closing my account.

  

  Business response

  09/07/2023

  Hi ******, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. Your input is highly appreciated, as it helps us to enhance our customer experience and communication. We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience caused and for making you feel misled. We understand that you recently had a conversation with one of our escalation representatives regarding your account, Complaint, and concerns. We appreciate your valuable time and insight and sincerely wish you the very best in your future endeavors.
  
  

  Customer response

  09/07/2023

  I still feel that the company did me wrong and even this representative did not take any responsibility from what happened in the phone calls when the previous supervisor did. This representative kept stating that "perhaps" I misunderstood the previous reps. I don't see this getting resolved at all. 

  

  Business response

  09/13/2023

  Hello ******,
  
  My name is **** with Alleviate Financial Solutions, I'd love to talk to you in regards to your questions and concerns pertaining to your account, if you could please call me at ************, hoping to come to a resolution that works for all parties involved.  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I canceled my account with this company that was supposed to help me debt consolidation solutions. I have made payments since February. They only settled 2 accounts and one was actually paid off which was my Prosper account. The other account has yet to be paid off. I paid nearly $700 per month for this services. During this time a accumulated $1,329.75 in a savings account throught this company. Upon cancelation, I was supposed to receive a refund of the funds that were in my savings account. The check the sent me was only for $353.29. They withheld $976.46 of the money that I had saved. This company is a scam and I feel they stole the difference from me. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. This company needs to reported for their shady practices.

  

  Business response

  08/31/2023

  ******, 

  
  We appreciate you taking the time to express your concerns regarding your experience with our company. We deeply regret any inconvenience or dissatisfaction you have encountered during your engagement with our company. Your feedback is invaluable to us, as it provides an opportunity to address the issues you've raised and work towards an amicable resolution.
  
  Upon reviewing your account, we understand your frustration with the progress made and the funds withheld from your savings account after cancellation. We would like to provide a comprehensive explanation of the situation to ensure clarity.
  
  During the period from February to the present, our team was able to successfully resolve two of the enrolled creditors on your behalf. As stipulated in the signed agreement, a earned performance fee of 25% is applicable for each settled account.
  
  
  When you opted to cancel your account, our policy is to refund any unallocated portion of the savings account balance. However, since we had already earmarked a significant portion of the saved funds for your ongoing settlement agreements, the refund amount reflects the remaining balance that was not allocated.
  
  We understand that the difference between the refund amount and the total saved funds might be disappointing. We apologize if this aspect of our process was not adequately communicated or if it has caused confusion.
  
  Your feedback is incredibly important to us, and we are committed to addressing your concerns. We would be more than happy to review the specifics of your case with you to ensure that you fully understand the breakdown of fees and saved funds. Please feel free to reach out to our customer support team at ************ to schedule a time for this discussion.
  
  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to clarify this matter. We genuinely value your feedback and are dedicated to improving our communication and services based on your insights.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been sending 649 a month to alleviate since December 2020 for a debt program and all they have done is collect their fees and settle for more than I owed on most occasions. My favorite thing is when discover wouldnt negotiate so they took me to court. The company claimed it would represent me but what they didnt tell me was that the lawyers they use are the least qualified and locally known for negotiating losses for the client. Also their choice of representative was arrogant and useless to talk to about my financial situation at the time (not working due to the sudden loss of my wife of over 20 years at the beginning of 2022) they still continue to take money even though more than half of the 40k of debt they cant resolve. DO NOT USE THEM!!! Their customer service just passes me around when I ask questions till I get disconnected or finally hang up. They have had more than enough money to resolve the debts they overpaid in negotiations for me but continue to take my money on a 40k, 48 month program. I will give access to the BBB and any credit bureaus willing to help me!!!

  

  Business response

  08/09/2023

  Hello *****,

  I apologize for your frustrations, I've escalated your file to our Client Success Team, an advisor will be calling you to get this resolved for you. In the meantime if you have any questions you can reach us at ************.

• Initial Complaint

  07/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for debt settlement over 3 months ago. Since then, i have not received any follow up or correspondence from this company. None of my creditors were contacted or paid. My creditors are also attempting collection activity daily. When I reached out to them on July 1st weeks ago to cancel for those reasons, they stated I would receive a full refund in **** business days. After waiting weeks, I called back on July 18th and informed that they are keeping my full ******** for fees. This is completely unethical business practice and is also a violation of the ******** Consumer Protection Act as well as the ********** Unfair Practices Act I would like a refund immediately.

  

  Business response

  07/19/2023

  *******,

  I am writing in response to your concerns about the debt settlement services provided by our company. I understand your frustration, and I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced during the process. Our Performance Fees are only earned after a successful settlement that is reviewed and approved by you.  Once you have authorized the settlement, and a payment is made to the creditor, then our fees are earned. You enrolled into the program with $36.776 in debt and we successfully settled your $11,261 Discover account 3 months into a 48 month program. The funds that were deposited into your monthly savings account was applied towards the fees earned for the Negotiations of the Discover account, along with the settlement payments towards your Discover settlement. 
  
  We'd love to continue to service the remaining debts into the program if given the opportunity to, please don't hesitate to reach us at ************ should you have any questions or concerns, or would like to re-enroll into the program. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I began working with Alleviate Financial in the spring of 2023. I had gotten into significant credit card debt following a divorce and *****. I connected with them after reading several positive reviews and success stories. I spoke with a representative at length, working to get my account set up. I began paying $670 per month with the idea that they would begin working with my creditors to settle the debts immediately. I was advised to quit making any and all credit card payments. After a few months, there was no progress to my situation and my credit was plummeting. Fast forward 6 months and I was offered to apply for a consolidation loan. Alleviate had failed to add an account and repeatedly told me they could add it. I provided the needed information several times, however, was denied the loan bc of this account being missing. This same scenario happened again a couple months later. I was not seeing progress to my accounts, my credit is ruined, and I struggle to connect with anyone at alleviate to communicate. The final straw came when I agreed to a specific monthly settlement amount for a card. When I receive the information from the creditor, the actual amount in the settle me is double what I agreed to. I requested to cancel my account last Thursday, however it has not been cancelled. I have been given false information over and over. Alleviate took more than $10,000 from me, only to settle about $3,000 of debt. It has been a terrible experience. I believe Alleviate is a scam that preys on people in bad financial situations.

  

  Business response

  07/18/2023

  Hello *****,

  I am so sorry to hear your frustrations and concerns with our services, I'd love to discuss any questions or concerns you may have to help mitigate your experience. While I understand your frustrations, you initially enrolled into a 4 year program, which we are only about 15 months into and had resolved and settled $17,884 of your debt at an average settlement percentage of 54.15%.
  
  I'd love to clear up any miscommunication, please call us at ************ to speak to your dedicated Account Manager. 

   

*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. ↩