Need to file a complaint?
BBB is here to help. We'll guide you through the process.
Complaint Details
Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. See details.
Initial Complaint
05/08/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I enrolled for debt relief/negotiation with Century Law Firm in December 2020 with about $23,000 in debt split between 3 debtors. They promised to negotiate my debt by at least 40% & estimated it would take me 36 months to achieve debt relief. Fast forward - I received 2 tax forms this year from 2 of the debtors - 1 wrote off $7000 - the total debt & the other $4700/$7500 of the original debt. Now they are telling me that the $21,880 that Ive paid them is not enough & I will not satisfy the last debt owed until 7/2025. Im no mathematician but still that doesnt quite add up. *** contacted them multiple times & never can get a straight answer. They use a 3rd party service to process payments & after reviewing the ledger of my account, its clear there are many fees that were not originally disclosed.Business response
05/16/2024
Century Law Firm is in receipt of the communication from **********************; we appreciate the opportunity to respond. We are sorry to hear that ********************** is dissatisfied. We tried to contact her to discuss her file in more detail after receiving her complaint, but we have been unable to reach her. After reviewing her file, we have confirmed that Century has adhered to the terms outlined in the client agreement and has not charged any undisclosed fees. Century cannot guarantee specific results as there are many factors that can affect a clients program. Some factors include accounts involved in lawsuits, time in default prior to engaging Century, higher balances than initially reported at enrollment, skipping payments, creditor/collector changes in policies, and other reasons based on a clients specific circumstances. Clients are thoroughly educated on these potential variables before enrollment in our debt resolution program. We would like to discuss ************************ concerns with her in more detail, and kindly ask that she contact us at ************ at her earliest convenience.Initial Complaint
04/29/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Order Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I was dooped by Century Law Firm/Centennial into signing up for their program. Over promising and under delivering is an understatement. Their salesperson did an excellent job of giving me all these grand promises and swiftly glossing over the gotcha clauses. Up front they promised to begin negotiating with creditors immediately. All they did was send the **** They refused to reach out until the accounts went into derfault and ruined my credit. As expected the creditors filed suit immediately and FINALLY they started "negotiating". One account was settled for 20%less and the other for 0%. Obviously this is well below the 40% discount that was verbally guaranteed by their sales lady. They collected their fees and since there was no longer any incentive to work for me, they sold me out and settled for 0%. Their big excuse is that they did not know the creditors would file suit which makes it harder to negotiate. If you didn't know your failure to communicate would result in a suit is insane. Now, they want me to pay an additional 50% over the original agreed upon amount. Stay away from these shysters! You can easily negotiate yourself and get their results without their 16% fee.Business response
05/07/2024
Century Law Firm is in receipt of the communication from ****************; we appreciate the opportunity to respond. We are sorry to hear that **************** is dissatisfied. Century cannot guarantee specific results as there are many factors that can affect a clients program. Some factors include accounts involved in lawsuits, time in default prior to engaging Century, higher balances than initially reported at enrollment, skipping payments, creditor/collector changes in policies, etc. It is part of our process to explain this to clients prior to enrolling in our debt resolution program. After receiving his complaint, we reached out to **************** to discuss his file in detail and believe we have been able to address his concerns. Should he have any further questions or concerns, he may reach us at ************.Customer response
05/08/2024
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: 21638802
I am rejecting this response because:
Their sales people strategically gloss over or rush through or do not discuss their "get out of everything" clause in its entirity.
Regards,
*************************
Business response
05/14/2024
We are sorry to hear that **************** remains dissatisfied. We apologize for any misunderstanding, but Century Law Firm has procedures in place to ensure that all pertinent information is thoroughly covered with our clients, and routine audits are completed to ensure that all employees adhere to our policies and procedures. We are dedicated to resolving this matter cordially and believe we achieved a satisfactory resolution during our discussion with ****************. Should he have any further questions or concerns, we kindly ask him to contact us directly.Initial Complaint
01/31/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Order Issues
- Status:
- Answered
The **************** accounts show that all my debts were a charge off after I paid them over 4 years. Century Law stated that they would send a document to the creditor and credit bureau after the program was completed. That was never done. Communication is nonexistent.Business response
02/09/2024
Century Law Firm is in receipt of the communication from **************; we appreciate the opportunity to respond. Century Law Firm does not offer credit repair services. As a complimentary service, a final review of our clients credit report is done once each client completes the program to ensure the balances are updated to reflect the payments made on the enrolled debts. This was completed for ************** once graduated from the program in July 2023 and per our records the balances were accurately reported for the accounts enrolled in the program. We have contacted **************, and provided this information and advised if he would like to send us documentation on what he is seeing listed on his credit report, we will happily look into it further. If he has any further questions or concerns, ************** may reach us directly at ************.Initial Complaint
01/24/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Order Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I made an agreement with this company to resolve my debt. I have a payment schedule that shows my payment ending on 12/10/2023. They collected an extra payment on 1/10/2024 and after several calls and sitting on hold and accounting reviews they now say that they would need extend my payment another 17 payments (no prior notice) after looking into the breakdown they have collected more fees than were listed on the payment schedule and they are saying that some of my credit cards haven't even gotten a resolution. I have made 48 full payments to this company that I agreed upon of $1182.42 that was drafted from my checking account every month and then one additional payment they drafted beyond the agreement for a total of $57,938.58 and they say I have approximately $17,000 worth of debt and payments still to be made when my original debt 4 years ago was $76,000. Now i understand the fees I agreed to pay them for the program but they did not provide the services that they promised (negotiating my debt, paying the debt, and the guarantee that they promised only 48 payments was my job). I did not agree to any type of extension but now they have me at a bund just to hand back over my debt that I ruined my credit for them to handle? It's terrible business and I feel helpless after trusting them and fulfilling my obligations.Business response
02/01/2024
Century Law Firm is in receipt of the communication from *** *********; we appreciate the opportunity to respond. We are sorry to hear that *** ********* is dissatisfied. Century cannot guarantee specific results as there are many factors that can cause a client’s program to need revision. Some factors include accounts involved in lawsuits, time in default prior to engaging Century, higher balances than initially reported at enrollment, skipping payments, creditor/collector changes in policies, etc. It is part of our process to explain this to clients prior to enrolling in our debt resolution program. It is our goal to ensure all enrolled debts are resolved in order for our clients to receive all of the benefits of the program. Century has not charged fees beyond what is detailed in *** *********’s agreement, and included in her payment. We have had the opportunity to speak with *** ********* since she submitted this complaint and we believe we have addressed all of her concerns. Should she have any further questions or concerns, she may reach us at ************.Customer response
02/02/2024
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because: They stated the reasons "factors" that would cause me to need revision include all things that did not happen in my case. There were not higher balances, i did not skip any payments, and they did not explain that prior to enrolling in the debt resolution program. They provided me with an amortization schedule that detailed my final payment ending on 12/10/2023 as provided. They also did not communicate the settlements with me.
They did not address my concerns, they just basically told me they didn't follow anything they promised and that I'm stuck with it. I'm explained I am not happy with that option I feel this is terrible business practice and they did not live up to their end of what I paid them for.
Regards,
******* *********
Business response
02/02/2024
We are sorry for any misunderstanding *** ********* may have had at the time she enrolled in our program. Our client agreement thoroughly explains how our program is based on projections, using previous settlement data, and the payment schedule is estimated using these projections. We are unable to guarantee specific results as each client’s circumstances are different, and we cannot anticipate how aggressively a creditor may attempt to collect a particular debt. Some of *** *********’s creditors opted to take legal action to collect their debts, which resulted in having to pay back more than we originally anticipated. We advised *** ********* that we would look into all options in order to get her debts resolved as soon as possible and once we have completed this review we will be in touch with her to provide further details. If *** ********* has any further questions or concerns, she may reach us directly at ************.Customer response
02/09/2024
I've also attached the affidavit of compliance that was Notarized and read to me during the signing of the program. #4 outlines that they guarantee a minimum of 40% debt reduction off the debt's face value at the time of settlement.... in the Event that Century Law Firm does not meet this minimum standard for a particular account, it shall refund the pro rata share of all fees and costs paid to Century Law Firm for such work and Century Law Firm shall settle that individual account for the client at no additional cost.
They are verbally telling me that the reason that my debt is extended is because the creditor required payment in full (no debt reduction), therefore they did not meet the 40% standard of representation.
This was really highlighted to me during the signing process - all of these guarantees, and then 4 years later after not fulfilling it trying to stick me with another $17,000 of payments !
Customer response
02/09/2024
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because: I've just sent and attached additional information regarding their invalid justifications for not fulfilling their agreement. The Affidavit of Compliance (#4) promises 40% debt reduction or waiver of fees and settlement at no cost. Their explanation that they are extending my payments another $17,000.00 says because they were unable to obtain any type of reduction (0%) in one of the settlement which entitles me to a refund and no cost settlement, not extending my payments.
Regards,
******* *********
Initial Complaint
08/29/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Answered
Paid for services That were not used when I canceled the plan on 7/20/2023,They told me it will be 30 days before I received a refund. I call them again on 7/28/2023 Asking them about my refund, And they told me that the account was closed. And I will be receiving my refund in 30 days from today. There has been no money refunded back to my checking account .I called today which is 8/28/2023 asking where my refund was and now they are telling me it will be another 7- 10 days I told them this Was totally unacceptable you keep changing your times when I'm gonna be receiving my money for a services that I never used , I was only in the plan for 2 months and nothing was Accomplished in those monthes so I canceled.Business response
09/07/2023
Century Law Firm is in receipt of the communication from *** ********; we appreciate the opportunity to respond. We received *** ********’s request to cancel, and her file was closed on 7/28/23. Once closed, we advise clients that it takes about 30 days to process their refund. On 8/28/23 the refund was processed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and will continue to stay in touch with *** ******** to ensure the refund was received. Should she have any further questions or concerns, she may reach us directly at ************.Initial Complaint
08/25/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Delivery Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
I am a client of Century Law Firm and specifically am a part of their debt consolidation program. I have made many attempts to reach them to discuss my status within the program as originally I was told the program I am in would end February 2022. I am now 6 months past this time frame and no one will return my calls or emails to seek out why payments to them for the debt program are still being taken out of my account each month. I am seeking to understand my status and to resolve my concerns and all I ask is contact from Century Law.Business response
08/30/2022
Century Law Firm is in receipt of the complaint by *** *******; we appreciate the opportunity to respond. On or about August 13, 2018, *** ******* retained Century Law Firm to assist with resolving his unmanageable debt. Since enrolling, all of *** *******’s debts have been resolved and the program has been implemented and executed in accordance with the terms of this consumers agreement. On or about June 22, 2021, a representative from Century Law Firm contacted *** ******* with program updates. *** ******* at no time requested that we stop taking payments, and in fact confirmed that he understood the details of his ongoing program. After reviewing our call records, we were only able to locate one attempt in the last 60 days where *** ******* tried to contact us, which occurred on August 22, 2022. This call was received after hours, therefore there were no representatives available to receive this call. There have been no further attempts to contact us since that time. Since we were notified of *** *******’s complaint a representative will be reaching out to him to further discuss his program and answer any questions. Should *** ******* need to contact Century Law Firm in the future, he may reach us at 800-381-1806 between the hours of 9am-7pm ET.Customer response
09/01/2022
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I spoke to a representative who answered my questions. Please note their accusations that I did not try and contact them is false but I will accept their response at this time. Yes I spoke to a rep in June 2021 where they told me my program and payments were on schedule with the three year agreement. This action would have been avoided had they been transparent with me and return client calls.
Regards,********* *******
Initial Complaint
05/25/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Answered
Although we have numerous concerns about this firm. The most recent is the fact that they have not returned any phone calls or emails in over 2 weeks. 1. We have requested an updated statement of our escrow account for at least a month. We have been told we would get one and have not. The client portal for Reliant does not provide the specifics of the escrow accounts that can be run by the firm. We still want the most recent version sent to us, please. 2. We have requested the removal of 2 accounts in the program with no response. We have essentially been ghosted by this law firm despite paying for over 3 years.Business response
06/09/2022
On May 26, 2022, we reached the client by telephone. We discussed the issues addressed in her complaint. The requested documentation was emailed to her at that time. We are still the process of communicating with the client to ensure all her requests are handled.Initial Complaint
05/03/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Order Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I have completed a 36 month contract of payment without resolution of one remaining account. The company will not call me back after multiple messages and emails over the past month.Business response
05/04/2022
We, at Century Law Firm, value our clients' feedback and take any client's dissatisfaction very seriously. We also seek out and always try to implement all constructive criticism to make our process better. In this client's case, we must simply respectfully disagree with the client's assessment. We have not only settled and paid off more than 80% of the client's debts enrolled, but we show in our notes a very consistent line of communication with this particular client and we regret that it is not to her satisfaction. However, this year alone we reached out and gave a lengthy update to the client on March 18th, 2022 at 2:20 PM. We left voicemails for the clients on 5 attempts between the dates of April 15th, 2022 to April 21st, 2022. We also emailed the client trying to reach them on April 21st, 2022. We then attempted to leave voicemails for her an additional 4 times between the dates of April 25th, 2022 and April 29th, 2022. We sent an additional e-mail to the client on April 29th 2022 at 12:09 PM. And we also spoke to and gave a full program update to the client on May 3rd, 2022 at 2:41 PM. While we value and respect this client, we simply disagree with the assertion that we have not had an open line of communication with her. We disagree with the assertion that we have not given her constant program updates. And we have records of every time we have spoken with her and given her updates or returned her calls and e-mails. We will continue to return communications and work diligently on behalf of the client and we will continue to be accessible to the client as is our process. And we will make all efforts to finish the clients program in the most affordable way possible for her.Initial Complaint
12/21/2021
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Answered
Century Law Firm was to consolidate credit card debts from five companies beginning in February, 2021. Beginning in March they have been paid $377 per month. As of December, 2021. (10 months) later they have made payment arrangements with only two of the five companies. Which has caused one of those companies without an agreement to file a lawsuit against me. They don't keep me posted on the status of my arrangements and are very poor about returning phone calls.Business response
12/24/2021
We would first like to state that we appreciate this client's business and feedback, and we take client feedback very seriously in order to consistently improve our procedures. However, we must take issue with this client's version of the facts. The client signed up for a 48 month term, and she is only 9 months in. In 9 months we have locked into active settlement agreements on 4 out of the client’s 5 debts. We can prove all four settlements with settlement documentation. All settlements show a substantial savings and discount to the client. In addition, we provide full legal representation in her state on all debts enrolled in our program. Something we make all clients aware of at the outset of any program. This is something this client was made aware of repeatedly. So in the event of any legal action, a robust legal defense is provided, and such legal accounts are eventually settled and resolved. All accounts this client enrolled that have Law Firms collecting, have been settled and are now in active settlement agreements. So as of now, any legal actions toward the client have been settled and resolved. The client also made a claim that we do not keep her posted on the status of her arrangements and are poor at communicating with her. We must strongly but respectfully disagree on this point. The client began on march of 2021. At the outset of the program, following the client signing a contract with us to enlist our services, we had two welcome phone calls with the client. We conducted a welcome call to again brief her on every step of the program and then a welcome packet review, wherein we sent her a welcome packet describing every process of the program and we went over this welcome packet with her. We also conducted our 4 month review, when the client was 4 months into the program, which was in June of 2021, and our client file notes, indicate that we gave the client updates, answered questions and made adjustments to her program in September of 2021 and October of 2021, and gave her another update this very month, December of 2021. Therefore, we must disagree with the client's claim that we do not keep the client posted about the program and arrangements and are poor at returning calls. Because we have reached out to the client consistently and repeatedly throughout the program. We are saddened that the client is dissatisfied with the service. But we have settled 4 out of 5 of the clients debts when she is less than 25% through our program and we are in constant communication with her pertaining to updates. So we respectfully disagree. We intend to continue providing her with superior legal services and we hope she will see the program through to its conclusion. We believe if she does, she will realize savings on all of the debts enrolled and find herself debt free at the end of her program.Initial Complaint
11/15/2021
- Complaint Type:
- Order Issues
- Status:
- Answered
They are supposed to be doing debt consolidation on only certain accounts. They were in the contract. They messed with and had accounts closed that were not on the list and that had no balance on them. But now my credit is messed up from the other accounts being in the consolidation program and I can not reapply to get my account back. They had no legal rights to mess with the account. It was not in the contract. They also claim to be A rated with you, but you have no listing with them.Business response
11/18/2021
We believe this client has misunderstood the situation. Century Law Firm does not have the ability, permission or authority to close your credit card accounts for you. And our firm did not close the credit card accounts you are referencing. Your creditor is the party that closed those accounts. Your creditor can do this for a number of reasons, ranging from the debts being past due, over the limit and including but not limited to your credit score dropping. *** ****** started with us in October 2021. He has 15 credit card accounts that he put into our program including several retail accounts issued by ********* ****. When a client engages our firm we send out a letter of representation to each of the credit card issuers the client enrolls with us. Our letters go out with a consumers name and the last 4 digits of the account number specifically telling the creditor which accounts we are working on. We do not send send out letters or make any representations to the creditors about cards not enrolled with our firm. It appears that ********* **** closed *** ******'s accounts. It is entirely up to ********* **** to reopen these accounts. Again, we do not and cannot close credit card accounts. If a creditor feels like a consumer is a risk for non-payment, then the creditor can close accounts of their own volition. Most if not all credit card agreements allow the creditor that power. We are happy to again reiterate to ********* that we are not representing Mr. Jerome for accounts he did not want closed. Unfortunately *** ****** simply did not call us to tell us this occurred before filing this complaint.
*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. ↩
BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.
BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.
As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business.
Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating
Contact Information
301 W Bay St Ste 1465
Jacksonville, FL 32202-5184
Want a quote from this business?
Get a QuoteCustomer Complaints Summary
23 total complaints in the last 3 years.
12 complaints closed in the last 12 months.