Credit Alliance Group

09/21/09

Freedom of Speech and the Debt Settlement Industry

by CAG Author at Citysearch

Debt settlement has been scrutinized for years. The community tends to look at the negative aspects of the industry without seeing any of the positive. With the Constitution infringing the right to freedom of speech, it has born websites, blogs, articles, etc. that allow citizens to express their concerns or praises on certain subjects. God Bless America! With that said, complaints have been posted about our corporation that we would like to clarify; it is our right as an American. Please note that a greater portion of the complaints listed are mere criticisms on the industry as a whole. Hopefully this article will squash any unjust truths that have affected the integrity of Credit Alliance Group (CAG).

COMPLAINT 1 – CREDIT SCORE

Sadly, anything that you do other than pay your creditors EVERY month in FULL and ON TIME will have an impact on your credit score. We at CAG offer a HARDSHIP Debt Settlement program. We help consumers that can no longer pay the full amount of their unsecured debts due to adversity avoid bankruptcy. With that said, clients enrolled in our program are not, or will shortly not be, paying their creditors; thus causing their score to be affected, or soon be affected. We are doing nothing more than what is inevitable. No creditor will negotiate an account that is current.

COMPLAINT 2 – VOLUME OF CALLS

In a settlement program, the client makes the choice to not make monthly payments to their creditors. Thus provoking the creditors to call and try to receive payment. But, as a client enrolled into our program, we send a Cease and Desist letter along with a Power of Attorney to the original creditor or collection agency in charge of the account(s). We then send the client a DAAN module to connect to their home phone that will notify the creditor that you have retained a third party representative to handle their unsecured account(s).

This will regulate the amount of contact that the client will receive from creditors or collection agencies. It will not stop it completely. Original creditors, once they become aware that they will not be receiving payment, more than likely will sell the clients’ account(s) off to a collection agency. We will then have to contact the new company in charge of the account. Unfortunately, companies do not notify us of this when it happens. As a client, you are responsible for notifying us of this. That way we can contact the new company ASAP and help with any collection calls.

COMPLAINT 3 – FEES

ALL fees are disclosed in our contract that EVERY one of our clients sign upon enrolling – PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

COMPLAINT 4 – NAME CHANGE

We are still proud to be named Credit Alliance Group. We do though have different departments within our company with specific names. They are as follows:

1. Credit Alliance Group – Our Credit Officers responsible for initial enrollment

2. Client Services Group – Our Client Relations Department

3. Credit Alliance Services – Our Administration Department

4. Alliance Invoice Group – Our Accounting Department

COMPLAINT 5 – DEBT AMOUNT GOING UP

When a client enters the settlement program, they make the decision to stop payments to their creditors, if they are not already delinquent. The creditor(s) then will continue to tack on additional interest and fees. One of the reasons why we quote our clients between 40 and 50% is because of this. We will go in and try to settle at the lowest percentage that we can with the verified debt amount that we validate at the beginning of the program. By settlement time, we should be able to settle the account at no higher than 50%. We are able to do this with the good relationships that we have each lender.

• Pros: PART 1

04/22/09

Stay away! Save yourself a headache.

by uscisnumberone at Citysearch

"We provide you with exceptional customer service designed to effectively achieve your goal of becoming debt free. Creditors will stop calling. Save 40-60% off your credit card debt. Attempting to resolve a debt through settlement is looked upon more favorably than filing bankruptcy."

Sound familiar? Don't believe the hype. After enrolling in their program the volume of calls I receive from debt collectors INCREASED exponentially. My guess is creditors are beginning to become aware that these guys are full of BS. CAG will tell you to forward these calls to them, or send them the information to file a complaint with the FTC. Once you do, they send you links to the FTC and/or prompts on what to tell your creditors when they call. Essentially, you end up doing their job for them.

Their customer service is absolutely horrendous. E-mails to them frequently bounce back or go unanswered. In the rare chance that you do hear back from them, it is not for at least a week. This may be acceptable from a creditor, but not from someone who is supposed to be working for YOU. Talking to them on the phone is even worse; they treat you just like those awful credit collectors. Their disdain for your situation and concerns is clearly apparent.

Once they have a few payments, they quickly change. If you try and cancel and get your money back, they inform you of "service fees" that just happen to total the sum of your payments to them. I've worked with the following reps at CAG and all have been awful:

Bryan Garner

Eric Pinola

Karen Snyder

Charrissa Whitley

In the time since I've signed up for debt settlement with CAG I've received several debt settlement offers from my creditors. They mostly range from 40-60% off of my total debt. I personally negotiated one down to just under 40% and am working on the others. Debt settlement is a hot topic at the moment. Do your research online and buy a book or two at Borders. Don't pay CAG for something you can do yourself. Save yourself the headaches!

• Pros: None
• Cons: yes, they are indeed cons

02/03/09

HORRIBLE LIFE WITH CREDIT ALLIANCE GROUP!

by CAGSUCKS at Citysearch

Credit Alliance Group will RIP YOU OFF! They do not tell you what goes on with your account. Every time you want to talk to a representive they do not know what is going on. The owner and the managers act as if they are better then you and talk to you stupid like you are a kid! That company CHARGES WAY TO MUCH!! all they care about is getting there money and not helping you. Please visit OTHER SITES FOR THEIR RATINGS as you can see their rating is a F-. I am not surprised they have a F-. They have horrible customer service and all they do is LIE, LIE, LIE. Credit Alliance Group will write about themselves and how they have great service with their clients on other sites for a rebuttal they write being a client with them. PLEASE DO NOT GO HERE! THEY ARE SCAM! I DO NOT WANT TO SEE PEOPLE GETTING SCREWED WITH THEIR MONEY.

• Cons: EVERYTHING IS BAD WITH THIS COMPANY