I heard their ad on the radio after being harassed by NCO Financial and decided to give them a try before doing my research (8/22). I spoke to a very nice representative that told me they not only helped to erase bad credit for a nominal fee but they also offered credit counseling in which the could contact NCO on my behalf and attempt to set up an arrangement for me to pay. I thought "sounds enough good to me" and ponied up the $169.99 as a partial payment for them to get started with the understanding that I would pay the rest of the $250 within 2 weeks.
For some reason after forking over the cash I looked them up on the BBB and found that not only did they have an unsatisfactory record but they have a history of not resolving conflicts. That scared me and I immediately regretted my decision and called back to cancel with them and request a refund.
I spoke to the same person that took all of my information and cited "family/financial" issues since telling them that I thought they might be guilty of poor business practices would almost ensure that I would never see my money again. She was very understanding and sympathetic - she also said they cannot take cancellations over the phone and that I would have to wait for the paperwork to be sent to me (within 10 business days) and at that time opt out. I did not see the logic in this but feeling that it was better to play their game and get my money rather than rumple some feathers and flush my $169.99 down the toilet.
Needless to say the paperwork arrived (8/27) and in it an e-mail address specifically for cancellations. It said that I had 5 days to cancel from the execution of the contract (8/22) and once received it would take 30 days for a refund. I sent a short e-mail letting them know that I would like to cancel and receive a refund (8/27). I felt relieved - like I dodged a major bullet and would avoid becoming one of those embarrassing statistics comprised of people who don't do their homework and subsequently get ripped off. Well, it happened to me.
9/4 - I called to check on the status of my refund and I am glad I did. This is where they stopped being so polite and I got the major runaround. I was told several times that "it was being checked into" and "someone would call me back." Through my persistence I found out they never got my e-mail and feigned confusion as to where I got that address from in the first place even though it was clearly a part their "contract." At this point I refused to allow someone to call me back until we got to the bottom of this. I was instructed to forward my initial e-mail to another person at the company and promised that I would get a call back confirming its receipt.
I reluctantly agreed and someone did indeed call me back to let me know that they got my e-mail and it was going to "the board" for approval and I would be contacted (9/6). I did not hear anything back that day so I called (9/7) to check on the findings of the board.
At this point, I was given the official brush off... Basically the "don't call us we'll call you" routine as it "takes time." I was unsure how to take this since at this point they were basically holding my money hostage and refusing to give me a straight answer. 9/10 - I call again this time in search of another person I could speak to that would have a little bit more information that they could give me which would at least make me feel better through this waiting game.
During this conversation my fear was confirmed - they are crooks. The story changed from it has been reviewed by the board to "it is in accounting waiting to be submitted to the board" a clear step back from the previous week and a step in the process that was not initially divulged to me. I then ask for someone in accounting - I get stone walled, I asked to speak to a Supervisor and was told that I was already speaking to one. She refused to give me her first name and again took my numbers for someone to call me back.
When I got off the phone with Hargrave I called my bank to find out about disputing the charges due to fraud. She asked if she could try to give them a call to mediate. I thought it might help since a different voice might melt her now icy resolve.
My bank representative was hung up on not once but twice and basically told to "do whatever you have to do because she had 3 days to cancel and she will not be getting her money back!" totally unprofessional and untrue. Let's completely ignore the fact that when I called back the same day to cancel I was told to wait on paperwork that would arrive in 10 business days - I was never informed of a cancellation timeframe and if that were the case she should have taken it over the phone that day.
Not only that, their own contract stated that I had 5 days after the execution of the contract to cancel - which I did by an e-mail address they provided. Let's also ignore the fact that no one ever followed up with me to go over my credit or find out if I had given NCO Financial my permission to negotiate on my behalf since they allegedly did not know of my intent to cancel the process should have began.
Only after I started calling asking about my money did someone contact me via e-mail (9/6) saying they could help me, I even told them I was seeking a refund. For a reason that is still confusing to me he called me at my home number the next day with the same song and dance. Which leads me to believe they never intended to help me with anything except to take money that I could have put aside to help pay off my debt that is in collections. I know this has been a long post but I feel duty bound to let people know about my experience with them and although it wasn't a million dollars they took my hard earned money under false pretenses and did not honor their own contract!
They are shady, dishonest predators that take advantage of people in desperate situations only succeeding in making it worse. Don't be fooled by the friendly facade - they will take your money with a smile and give you nothing but excuses in return.
BTW - I called the Florida Department of Consumer Protection and spoke to someone in Citizen Services and was told they had received several calls on this company and if people continue to complain/report Hargrave they will be investigated since Debt Services is unregulated in the state of Florida and the Attorney General will not get involved in individual disputes.
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