Around October 20th, I was contacted by Bob Evans (1-888-643-4749 ext 720) who let me know that I was approved for a $5000 loan. Of course, I was excited. I am a hard-working mom, but I have bad credit, so traditional lending has not been available to me. He told me the terms, and initially said that I would have to pay a little over $900 to secure the loan, because of my credit. I told him that I couldn't afford the amount, so he said that he would request a waiver of sorts through their "hardship program", for which I would only have to pay $500, and the remaining amount would be added on to the principal, to start being paid in May. I must say, he was very friendly and not pushy at all. He even encouraged me to search the company on the internet to see that there weren't any complaints... Which I found to be accurate. He even encouraged me to go over the contract with someone else, like an attorney, so that I would see that the contract was legitimate. I didn't do that, however, the contract and all the detail in it seemed very professional and made sense to me. So, I went ahead and wired him the $500 $43 (western union fee to a Alexander Sanchez in Spain - yes, that raised red flags, but i didn it anyways). Afterwards, he told me that I would receive my loan the next business day. So, I went to bed excited. Happy to finally be able to get caught up on my bills and have a little extra in my bank account for security. Well, the next day, I rec'd a call from the customer service manager, Mr. Harris (same number, but at extension 100). He told me that there was a problem with the loan, and that my paperwork was "reassessed" and would require an additonal $900 to secure the loan. I argued about the hardship program that Mr. Evans had allegedly set up for me, but this didn't make any difference.in fact, I called Mr. Evans about this after speaking with Mr. Harris, and Mr Evans said that my account was blocked now that it was sent to a different department. I was literally crying hysterically to Mr. Evans, telling him that the money I had already sent was the very last money that I had. And he said he felt horrible, but that he was told by Mr. Harris not to speak with me; that future conversations needed to be handled by Mr. Harris. Despite numerous questions about the process and how this left me in a very bad financial bind, he stated that he sympathized with me, but that he really was not able to help me.
So I speak with Mr. Harris, and demand my money back and he said that a refund could not be made until the next billing cycle, which was 11/22. At this point, I am hysterical... And so I borrow the money from my parents, because at this point, I am without any money, and I certainly cannot wait until 11/22 for the refund. My rent was due soon, i had bills to pay, etc. So, I wire the money again. And Mr Harris guarantees that there won't be any more problems and I'll have the money the following day, 10/28. The next day comes, and no money. It has been almost one month since I made those transactions. I didn't get the loan paperwork in the mail, as stated by Mr. Harris. I literally have left dozens of messages for Mr. Harris; he has returned my call once. The very one time I was away from my phone, and he leaves a message. This was almost two weeks ago. Still no response despite me calling and calling. I spoke with Mr Evans, who told me that they can't just keep my money. I told him that's what it feels like. I let him know that I am losing my apartment and my car because I cannot pay for them. I am so screwed it's not even funny.interestingly, Mr. Harris and Mr. Evans were readily available throughout the process, but suddenly, when they have my money, no one is available... Mr. Harris NEVER picks up his phone or returns his calls. Also interesting, the past few days that I have tried to reach Mr. Harris, the extension he provided doesn't work. It just re-routes my call the the automated message when someone first calls the company.By random luck, I actually reached Mr. Evans today 11/22 by phone. I think I caught him off guard, and I demanded a refund. He said he would forward my info to accounting, and would also email Mr. Harris. I told him Mr Harris doesn't respond to me, and I asked for the contact information for someone I could speak with in accounting about getting my refund, but Mr Evans said that they don't give out contact information. I told Mr. Evans that I have been played, and he said that they are a legitimate company, if they were a scam, he wouldn't answer my calls, and their website would be taken down, etc. I told him this is no joke, that I need that money... The welfare of my child is at stake as well. I told him I could care less about the loan, I just want the $1500 back that I fronted. I told him that I need to speak with him later today, and he said I could call him, but who knows. Whenever they tell me I can call back I do so, then no one answers and no one returns my calls. I have to "catch" them in order to get anyone. I am so upset at my stupidity and the knowledge that I will not get my money back. I barely make it paycheck to paycheck and this just makes things 10x worse. Especially with the holidays coming. If anyone wants to contact me to discuss this futher, please let me know.
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