Consumer Law Council, LLC ratings, reviews and complaints - Debt Relief Services - non-compliant with FTC Rule

Complaints and Resolutions

Complaint Experience

N/A

Complaint Resolution Index (CRI)

Complaint Resolution Index (CRI) Explained The Complaint Resolution Index (CRI) is an indicator on how responsive a company is in addressing and resolving customer complaints brought to their attention by BCA. If they are considering doing business with the company, consumers can use this indicator to forecast the likelihood of having their issues addressed if a problem arises. CRI measures the company's customer satisfaction abilities through BCA’s complaint mediation process.

A variety of factors are considered when calculating CRI. This includes how quickly a company responds to complaints, the number of complaints against a company, whether the company addressed complaint allegations, and the outcome of the complaints. CRI is just a subset of the overall rating for the company. Consumers are encouraged to take into consideration the company's CRI, their overall BCA letter rating and other relevant information about the company so they can make a well-informed purchasing decision.

BCA's Summary and Analysis:

Of the complaints we have received against this company, in at least some cases, the complaint allegations are very serious.

Complaints typically allege misrepresentation of services, failure to fulfill services and provide debt relief. In general complainants allege they are contacted by the company offering to provide debt relief services and claiming to be attorney based. After paying monthly fees complainants become aware that their debts are not being settled, creditors are not contacted and no services are rendered. Complainants also allege difficulty obtaining copies of their contract, information on their debt relief status, and inability to speak with attorneys that are supposed to be handling their cases. In addition, while complainants believe their monthly payments are to be used for debt settlement, the monies are applied to the companyÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s fees.

The company responds to some complaints by denying the allegations claiming they are acting in accordance to their contract, or denying refund requests. In some cases, the company responds claiming the client ailed to provide certain information to proceed with services. Other responses indicate complainants are contacted directly to address their concerns.

Our complaint services are free and our team of expert mediators will assist in resolving complaints with businesses.

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Complaint Closing Statistics

0 complaints against Consumer Law Council, LLC closed in last 3 years.

Complaints	Type of response
0	Making a full refund, as the consumer requested
0	Making a partial refund
0	Agreed to make an adjustment
0	Refusing to make an adjustment
0	Refuse to adjust, relying on terms of agreement
0	Unanswered

Other Information

Company Info

Consumer Law Council, LLC. provides bankruptcy, debt elimination, foreclosure defense and loan modification services.

Primary Contact:	Gary Smith (President)
Business Started:	2/25/2013
Social:

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Licensing

California law requires bill paying services, and pro-raters accepting money from clients to be disbursed to creditors on behalf of the debtor, to be licensed by the California Department of Business Oversight and file a $25,000 bond.

To verify licensing, contact the California Department of Business Oversight (DBO) by writing to 1515 K Street, Suite 200 Sacramento, CA 95814-4052, by calling (916) 445-7205, (866) 275-2677 or (866) ASK CORP. Prorater licenses can be verified on-line, by accessing the DBO website at http://www.dbo.ca.gov.

For businesses outside of California, please check with the agency that regulates this industry.

Although this company's name implies and complaints allege this company is a law firm, BCA found no evidence of any attorney license for this firm name or any attorneys associated with Consumer Law Center, LLC with the FL Bar Association.

Consumers looking to do business with the company should request the name and licensing information of any attorney claimed to be working on your behalf through this company.

Government Actions

BCA has no information regarding government actions at this time.

Comments and Analysis

Our experience with debt negotiating companies is that they attract customers with large credit card debt by claiming to be able to settle those debts for a fraction of their face value. They often claim that their services are more effective than those provided by credit counseling services and that they are a superior alternative to bankruptcy.

Complaints on these type of companies allege that creditors continue to harass clients, fees and interest continue to accumulate, and the creditors are not contacted. Usually, creditors turn the claims over to collection agencies, file suit and pursue collection of the money owed to them. Debts are seldom settled, customer's credit is ruined, and many people are sued forcing them to seek bankruptcy protection. Typically, it is difficult to obtain refunds.

These companies usually instruct their clients to stop paying their creditors. Some companies direct clients to make their payments to the debt negotiation company instead. They promise that when sufficient cash has been accumulated to offer a settlement to a creditor, they will do so. They go on to say that their program may take two or three years to complete. Most companies collect their fees upfront and generally the fees are based on some percentage of the promised savings.

Other companies simply collect their fee and advise debtors to save their money to pay their creditors themselves. California law limits the amount of fees debt negotiators can charge, but by not collecting the money and distributing it to your creditors, companies can remove themselves from the limiting statutes and charge whatever they wish. What they are supposed to do for you while you’re saving up your money is to contact your creditors and inform them that they’re working with you, negotiate the amount to settle your debt, and ask them stop contacting you. Debtors may not realize that if their creditors do accept a negotiated settlement, the amount forgiven constitutes taxable income.

For businesses outside of California, please check with the agency that regulates this industry.

Other Considerations

Debt settlement companies often charge expensive fees, encourage clients to stop paying their credit card bills and cease communication with your creditors. Consumers should be aware that if you stop paying your bills, you may incur late fees, penalty interest and other charges, and creditors will likely step up their collection efforts against you. Using the services of a debt settlement company may lead to more debt, especially if the company is not delivering the services. Using the services of a debt settlement company can also have a negative impact on your credit score and your ability to obtain credit in the future.

Avoid debt settlement services that:

Charges fees before it settles your debts

Guarantees they can eliminate your debt

Tells you to stop communicating with your creditors

Tells you it can stop debt collection calls and lawsuits

Guarantees that your unsecured debts can be paid off

Claims there’s a "new government program" to bail out personal credit card debt

If you find yourself in debt, you may benefit from the services of an approved non-profit credit counselor. These non-profits can attempt to work with you and your creditors to develop a debt management plan that you can afford. They usually will also help you develop a budget and provide other financial counseling.

Also, you may want to consider consulting a bankruptcy attorney, who may be able to provide you with your options under the law.

More information can be found on BCA’s resource guide for “Credit Repair”.