Hess Kennedy - taking their time with my debts, it seems

I will call Hess Kennedy and know the status of your debt account. HK should provide a valid explanation as things are getting tougher for you now. Did you sign for a consolidation program or a settlement program with them? If HK is doing no good for you, it's the time to shop for another company. Have you sent any money to them?

They have taken $179 out of my checking account every month for the last three months. Since it is clearly not going to the creditors, I wonder what is going on. I tried calling Hess Kennedy several times today, only to constantly get an answering machine. I remained civil in the message I left for them, but I am afraid that they might not call back.

I signed a contract with them for debt settlement, which means that shopping around for another company might not be an option. Even if I found another company, I'll be out $179 dollars a month for three or four months at this rate. I may just have to cut my losses and go elsewhere to help me get my debts paid off, and I am afraid of that.

The debts are the spawn of my own irresponsibilty, so I figure once I get them paid off, I just will live without a credit card ever again for the rest of my life. If it's not there, I won't be tempted to dip into it, and if my checking account and debit card is all I have, I will be a thousand times more careful with my finances. I might even be able to start up a savings account once I have put this shameful chapter of my life behind me. That's the goal, anyway.

Ok... you opted for a debt settlement program. The results obtained in this program are quite slower than expected. Others who are in the settlement program will also explain you the same thing. The creditors won't stop calling for a while. This is routine call for them. Your settlement company should update you with the latest. Which number are you calling?

I have been calling them at 1-954-752-1950.

I now somehow regret taking the settlement program. True, I don't plan on having any more credit cards ever again in my life, but it just seemed too good to be true when it was offered to me - and too good to be true is exactly what it turned out to be. I think I screwed myself over big time. The other option offered (for consolidation) was just too high of a monthly payment for me at the time that I signed up for it, though. Ack. I was making the monthly payments, but I was also forced to use the cards to buy groceries, my medicine, and other monthly necessities, which meant my debts were not going down at all. Ah, well. There has to be some way out of all of this while keeping some degree of dignity intact, even if the debts are mostly the result of my irresponsibility.

I have the same number. Keep calling until you hear from someone. You need to talk with them about this matter and get it straightened.

Don't lose your hope. I wish things have not shaped that bad as you are thinking now. The consultants who work in the settlement programs know how to approach in this matter. You are afraid because you have not got the results so far and creditors are sending letters to you. I hope HK must be having something better to explain you and keep your faith with them. Keep calling them.

debt settlement program works that way. The payment you are sending them is deposited in a trust account. Once creditors agree for settlement, the settlement company will pay the debts off.

Debt settlement is a means of getting out of debt; however, it has some limitations. It????????s not for all, especially those who have a comparatively good credit.

debt settlement makes sense when you're hearing about it, but the hard part seems to be sitting back and waiting for enough money to build up in the trust account so one of your agreed upon settlements can actually get paid off. It is a slow process.

When you get calls from your creditors, just inform them that your debts are being handled by HK and give them HK's phone number and advise them they'll have to go through them to get any payment. Keep a call log of all the creditors that call you....get their name, telephone number, date and time they called. If it is excessive, HK can send them a Cease & Desist letter so they'll stop bothering you. Your credit score will decline because creditors will show that you're not paying, but once the debt is settled and paid off, that will be reported to the credit bureaus, and your debt-to-income ratio will be lower, which supposedly helps out some.

I think I am going to try to talk to HK whenever they open up (they are closed today) to try to switch to a debt consolidation program. My situation has changed since I first signed papers with them, and now I have a job which makes me able to pay the higher monthly consolidation payments. The creditors will get off my back sooner, I'll leave the picture with a better looking credit rating, everybody's happy, maybe, I hope.

Is this even possible, I wonder?

I am the guest that posted the above message - I thought I was logged in.

This whole situation is annoying to me, though.....

If you are now in a better position to pay the higher monthly payment, then it does sound like consolidation is a better fit for your situation, and something you'd be more comfortable with.

I just emailed them asking to switch to a straight consolidation program instead. I am willing to forfeit the lawyer's fee to get the harassing phone calls and letters off my back ASAP.

After I get all of this paid off, no more credit cards for me. All I want is for this shameful chapter of my life to come to a conclusion, believe me.

I just did a bit of research (which I should have done earlier) and I discovered that I have been scammed. Hess Kennedy turns out to be one of the sleazier debt settlement fronts out there.

I decided to cut my losses with them, and to end my relationship with them completely. I just sent them an email asking to terminate all business ties with them, and I also set up a new checking account so that they can't draw any more money away from me - since what they currently have clearly is not going to the creditors.

I think I'll settle for paying off my bills the old-fashioned way - pay large amounts monthly and never charge, until it's all gone in two or three years.

Ah, well. I am wondering what the worst thing Hess Kennedy can do to screw me over now is, though?

I am the compliance officer at Hess Kennedy Company.

Hess Kennedy Company does not perform "debt consolidation" services. debt consolidation services involves receiving onies from a debtor and remitting it to creditors in accordance with a previuosly agreed to proposal.

Hess Kennedy company is a full service law firm that provides various services. One of the services we provide is "pre-bankrutpcy". Pre-bankrutpcy is the process of settling debts on behalf of consumers that are insolvent, but do not desire to file bankruptcy.

This process takes time, and until a creditor agrees to a settlment that the client can afford, we do not make any dispersments.

In addition, our South Florida offices were effected by Tropical Storm Ernesto. We are currently working on half staff. We will have all staff available tomorrow.

OK, Compliance Officer. I just sent an email off to info(at)hesskennedycompany.com asking for official documentation certifying that our ties are severed. I changed my bank account info so that no further monthly payments can be drawn from my account. I regret ever signing that paperwork, and now that I am in a better financial situation, I will be much better off paying off my debts the old-fashioned way instead anyway.

If there is any documentation I need to sign, send it to me ASAP. You know who I am if you have access to that email box.

I want out. Now.

I too am worried about Hess Kennedy. I am being take to small claims court by one of my creditors.

I have just cancelled my agreement with Hess. I started working with them in March and they have not contacted me once since then. My creditors are calling and when I have spoken with them they have no record of Hess contacting them. Beware of the extra monthly 'fees' added. I will be refunded only part of the post retainer money they have received and held in trust. Although I haven't seen any sign that they have 'worked' on my settlement, they haven't contacted me this entire time, etc. they still receive the monthly fees in addition to the initial retainer.

Regarding Hess Kennedy, I am having similar problems. I'm getting the telephone run around, as well. Also, having thought more about it, I'm not sure the legality of what they are doing. But, I guess they are the attorneys.

I contacted a legal referral co. and they told me Hess was not lawyers at all and that there have been complaints against them by the bbb not only in florida by in ohio too. PLEASE STAY AWAY!!

What is the toll free number for Hess-Kennedy?

The posts are intellectually accurate. We have a satisfactory record with the BBB of West Palm Beach.

The BBB of Ohio regulates Ohio businesses.

Please visit our website and review the drawbacks of settlement strategies: .

You counselors should have explained that until such time as a creditor accepts a settlement offer AND the debtor has the money to pay the settlement, none of the rights of the creditor are effected.

wow

Hess are full of lies dont trust them at all

Are you guys kidding me? I had no idea I was being screwed!!! i just got my first harrassing phone call this morning and freaked, I've never been late on a payment and now I feel like I'm in a whole so deep that I cant dig myself out. Wish I would've read this before I stopped paying my bills!

Dear Annoyed, I read your comments and frustration about Hess and Kennedy. I understand how you feel. I have had a hard time reaching H&K in the mornings it is best to try on your lunch hour. It does take a while for some of your debts to be paid off, but I have been in the program since 07/06 and I just got a letter from a pay day loan company who informed me that the debt is paid off. The process does take a while, but in the end I think it's worth it. I chose to do this because I had a lot of old credit card debt and some newer credit card debt taht I could pay off on my own. My credit score was already low so it didn't matter to me if it dropped even lower as long as in three years these debts would show that they are paid off

Since I registered with HK a few months ago with a debt settlement program, my accounts have become more in arrears. The situation is worse than when I started. Had I been sending the $163 they are drafting to my account every month to the original creditors, I think I wouldn't be in this situation. I now have a court summons on two accounts and a court order on one account to pay within 30 days. When I speak to someone at HK they are not helpful. They just tell me my attorney has mailed a "response". Does anyone know what this means? I am scared to death that I'll get arrested or wages garnished or something.

Please keep in mind that the hiring of a law firm to negotiate with your creditors does not prevent a creditor from exercising his rights under the terms of the underlying card holder agreement.

Then what is the advantage to contracting with an attorney if he can't stop anything? What is he good for?

My understanding is that it is about "playing the odds". Chances are that if a settlement has been reached, or is being negotation, a creditor will have no reason to sue, as the purpose of suing is to reach a settlement. Which they would already be doing if you were working with a decent settlement company.

I'm pondering settlement myself, but from the sound of things I would never touch this Hess Kennedy. From the research that I have done so far, it sounds like settlement *can* be a worthwhile approach BUT you must be fully committed to finding a reputable company. This business is much too appealing for scam operations.

Thanks very much for the reply, Considering. I find it really ironic that I can't get anyone at HK to answer any of my questions via phone or email, but as soon as I log into a complaint site, someone is quick to respond. Thanks for finally giving me some sort of answer HK, even though this was never made clear to me at the beginning. I also find it ironic that as soon as I asked the last question (2 above) that HK doesn't want to answer, they conveniently don't respond. What advantage is there to having you represent me if you can't stop anything?

At Hess Kennedy Company, we monitor predatory lending practices and debt collector abuse.

In addition, for the next 10 years you have access to unlimited financial and legal information from our firm.

We will challenge innacuracies on your credit report as well as negative history.

Finally, we can open a Visa Checking account in your name, regardless of whether you are in Check Systems, owe any judgments, and the like. Each deposit that you make into the checking account we report to the credit bureaus as a payment made on time. This product is available right now to all of our clients and we will be rolling it out globally in a couple of weeks.

We were in the same boat you were in when we applied to HK. We had so much debt that we couldn't even afford the minimum payments without borrowing from our retirement savings and emergency fund. We have been working with HK since April and are still waiting to see some action. However, we have usually been able to speak with someone at HK when we called. We were getting calls and letters from creditors. We told them that HK would send them a letter. They said they hadn't received anything from HK. So, we emailed HK about it. They have said that our creditors haven't replied to the letters they sent. They have also said they will send a Cease and Desist order to the creditors. I have requested a copy of my file to verify HK's information.

How did you get results so quickly? We were told that the first 2 payments were the lawyer's fee and the rest of the payments would go towards paying off our debts. How much was the amount paid to the payday loan company?

"Finally, we can open a Visa Checking account in your name, regardless of whether you are in Check Systems, owe any judgments, and the like. Each deposit that you make into the checking account we report to the credit bureaus as a payment made on time. This product is available right now to all of our clients and we will be rolling it out globally in a couple of weeks." How can I open an account like this?

Yes you have been scammed please stop payments now. I waited a whole year, because they kept telling me the creditors are lying to me. Well when I signed up with them my credit score was 750, has been over 700 my entire life, as well as my husband. Now my credit score is 450 and my husbands is 515, My husband makes $200,000/yr and our house is paid off in 6yrs and after Hess Kennedy took us for all we had left we went to the bank for a loan for $80,000 to pay off all misc. debt 5yrs ago we got a 10yr, fixed on our house $250,000 at 4.5% and now for this loan we had to go at least 15yrs. at 15% and my parents (who have a total combined income of $50,000/yr had to co-sign. Anyway I called them in May because I was still getting called, I tried to cancel they convinced me not to. In July I got a summons to appear in court over a credit card, my name was in the local newspaper for the credit card sueing me. Finally in September, I stopped payment on the auto withdraw, and canceled my account after I had put almost $4,000 into this. I just got off the phone with Nancy (she supposedly handles the cancellations) she told me in my contract it said I had to pay all legal fees 1st so I will get absolutely nothing back. Keep in mind they never did pay 1 nickle to any one of my creditors. She said that they are keeping every penny I have paid them, and that there is not anything that I can do about it. So please stop giving them your money immediately. I was told this $2,000 ago , but didn't listen.
Well, I am going to fight this one until the end, we just paid off all our credit cards ourselves and every one of our credit cards settled for 50% or less so you can count on the fact that I will fight this one until the end, I started to record every phone call so I could go back and reference if I didn't understand something, and they straight out lyed. One of my creditors called them 3 way while I muted my side, wow they lied through their teeth!! My father in law is an attorney, although we were trying to keep our debt hush hush from his $$$ family, I but I am meeting with him in 45 min. and trust me something will get done about this. They prey on people who are down, and Hess Kennedy is usually peoples last resort before bankruptcy, so they think if they take the last of a families money what are they going to do, no money to fight them with, and I bet most people just cave and file bankruptcy. Well they f*cked with the wrong ****, My father in law with tear them up, even if we didn't know a lawyer, I can promise you if it took evry last dime I will not let this go. We have been brainstorming on what to do and come up with we need to get them known in the public get on they local cities evening news!! BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW HESS KENNEDY IS NOTHING BUT A SCAM. IF U DON'T BELEIVE ME CALL THEM AND JUST ASK THEM TO TALK TO A LAWYER. THERE ARE NONE.

[color=Red]****Adult term removed - Jason[/color]

Well they have been taking $650/mo out for a year, and have still not paid 1 card that offered a 40% settlement making is $2,000 they told them I just started and didn't have enough money. Please don't say that the creditor was lying because he called you guys 3 way and I recorded it, so when I cancel it you tell me that you will not give me 1 cent back because Nancy told me that they don't have to and there is nothing I can do about it. wanna bet? Breach of contract on your part before I canceled. Oh, yeah and complete flat out lie's being told over the phone. Please don't think I am going to give up and let you guys steal from me. Trust me you didn't take all I had like most other people, don't think I won't fight this one, I will no matter the $ or time it takes. Whatch for me on the news, I am sure it will be on the internet within a few days, and I will just keep going until I feel I have made sure I have told anyone and everyone I can, and you won't have anyone left to steal from. Please don't insult me by thinking everytime you change your name you actually think we won't find out and every time you do I will go back on the news and I live in the states's captol. you guys are done!!! I promise.

Here is another phone# for Hess Kennedy although you may have to wait they usually answer. can't guarantee they won't hang up on you!! happens to me all time. 1-877-556-3328. Good Luck and I hope you are calling them to cancel there pathetic services

File a complaint with the BBB in Florida, and also with the Florida Attorney General's office. Hess Kennedy wouldn't give me my money back either, and ignored all written correspondence I sent. When I would call them, I'd be put on hold forever and then get hung up on, so I never did get to talk to anyone.

Funny, right after I filed the complaints, they responded to both the BBB and the Attorney General and gave me back the money I was requesting.

I can't guarantee that it will work, but it is definitely worth a shot. They do totally lie, you are right about that. They presented themselves as a debt settlement company when I signed up with them, and it is also stated in the contract they gave me that they were providing debt settlement services.

But, when I complained about them, they said they didn't do debt settlement. Rather, they provided legal services to challenge creditors for unfair lending practices, such as illegal interest charges and such. In doing this, they could get the debt settled. Hmmm.... didn't say anything about that in my contract, and they certainly never contacted any of my creditors.

Good luck and keep us updated as to what happens.

I too have had an AWFUL experience with Hess Kennedy. They returned probably one out of every ten phone calls, settle one of my debts for $350, did not help me AT ALL when I was sued by another creditor, and have been extremely rude. You are not alone and I hope there is a way to get the word out there that this company is no good and fraudulent. They pressure you into the program take money for their "fees" and then pretty much could care less about you and how all of this will affect your credit!!!

debt settlement Complaints Lead to Search for 'Attorney'


A man named Edward T. Kennedy is listed as a name partner at the embattled Hess Kennedy law firm in Coral Springs, Fla., but no one with that name is licensed to practice law in Florida.
A Florida Bar complaint filed March 13 against Laura Hess, the Hess in Hess Kennedy, notes Florida lawyers are barred from forming partnerships with nonlawyers in a legal practice. The thrust of the complaint is that the law firm is running a "deceptive debt settlement scheme" that is long on fees and short on assistance.

The law firm and related companies are targets of hundreds of consumer complaints nationally, and the Better Business Bureau of Southeast Florida gave it a failing grade. No one has estimated the full scope of an alleged debt scheme, but in North Carolina alone, more than 220 residents claimed they paid Hess Kennedy more than $500,000.

State corporate records at various times list addresses for Kennedy in Coral Springs, New York and the Cayman Islands.

New York lawyer Edward T. Kennedy is a taxation attorney and accountant with a law firm in Manhattan. Asked Monday if he had any connection to the Coral Springs firm, Kennedy said, "No, not at all." But he said he was asked the same question by the West Virginia attorney general's office about two months ago.

A Chase Bank lawsuit filed in February against the law firm claims Kennedy may be Edward Cherry, who is listed in state corporate records as a business partner in Hess Kennedy and several affiliated companies.

The Bar joined the attorneys general of Florida, North Carolina and West Virginia, Chase Bank and Cherry's former employer in court against Hess Kennedy, its affiliates or its principals. Hess denied Kennedy and Cherry are the same person in a countersuit filed against the bank March 7, saying: "Edward T. Kennedy is a human being who is not Edward Cherry. Edward Kennedy resides in Brussels." No other information about Kennedy was provided.

But the existence or whereabouts of Kennedy may be the least of the problems facing Hess and Cherry. Hess, a Florida Bar member since 2000, is fighting the 10-count, 119-page complaint in her second run-in with the Bar. She was disciplined with a public reprimand in 2005 for drunken driving convictions. Cherry is a defendant in a pending Broward County civil suit claiming he embezzled at least $600,000 from the company he worked for just prior to joining the Hess Kennedy businesses. His attorney said Cherry committed no wrongdoing. Hess could not be reached for comment despite repeated requests via phone, e-mail, a message left in person at her Coral Springs office and through her attorneys. Cherry could not be reached for comment at the law firm or by phone.

The Florida Bar alleges Hess Kennedy's operation is "designed to extract upfront fees from financially strapped clients whether or not any useful services are performed" for them. Clients "rarely obtain debt settlements ... and end up in a far worse financial position" than before.

The Bar also claims:

Hess and her agents are running an illegal advance-fee scam.
She failed to provide clients with competent representation.
She charged excessive fees for her services and shared fees with nonlawyers.
The firm failed to place customer payments into trust or escrow accounts as promised in advertising and agreements or by sales agents as required by Bar regulations.
In her reply Monday to the Bar complaint, Hess denied operating any scheme and rejected allegations that her firm intentionally preyed upon unsophisticated clients to collect large legal fees. She conceded some of her client agreements specified funds would be placed in client escrow accounts for subsequent payment to creditors but acknowledged no such funds were maintained. In an earlier response to the Bar last October, she said funds collected were for legal fees and not to pay clients' creditors.

Hess attorneys Culver Smith of Fox Rothschild in West Palm Beach and Kevin Tynan of Richardson & Tynan in Tamarac filed for dismissal of the complaint. Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jack Cook has been appointed as the referee to hear the trial. No date has been set.

Tynan told the Bar last October that "Hess and her law firm are engaged in some very cutting-edge litigation in a very technical area of the law that is heavily regulated." While there have been some "growing pains" at the firm, he said there should be no charges against Hess because clients who complained had gotten refunds. The Bar complaint noted Hess Kennedy gave almost no refunds until the professional investigation began.

As for Cherry, he was sued in 2003 by his former employer, Internet Billing of Deerfield Beach, which claims he embezzled at least $600,000 days before he abruptly resigned from the firm.

The suit said Cherry was listed as Internet Billing's "in-house counsel" even though he is not licensed to practice law in Florida. The company claims Cherry revived and had total control over an administratively dissolved Florida company called Esquire Escrow and used his position at Internet Billing, known as iBill, to get fellow employees to funnel company funds to Esquire Escrow.

Three days before quitting iBill in February 2003, Cherry made a $500,000 withdrawal from Esquire Escrow. The withdrawal slip filed as an exhibit in the case said the money was transferred "to personal and children's accounts." Cherry also made tens of thousands of dollars in additional cash withdrawals of Esquire Escrow funds from money machines and from banks during 2001 and 2002, court documents showed.

Bank records included in the court file show Cherry withdrew at least $12,200 from Esquire Escrow accounts at ATM machines in May 2002. A company bank card was used for a $763 purchase at a Sunglass Hut the same month and $3,130 in charges at Fort Lauderdale's upscale Voodoo Lounge the next month.

In an Oct. 30, 2003, deposition, Cherry invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to answer any questions about what happened to the money moved from iBill to Esquire Escrow.

Boca Raton solo practitioner Charles Wender, who represents Cherry and who was present at the 2003 deposition, said Cherry's "position is that he is totally innocent and these are just wild allegations that they obviously can't prove."

Internet Billing attorney Anthony Carriuolo of Berger Singerman of Fort Lauderdale, who conducted the deposition, said documents show Cherry "was just siphoning off tons of money."

thanks so much to all who have posted about these predators. My husband and I made so many mistakes when we got married. we have a 2year old and I am in grad school working off of one income. I hope there is a special place in hell for these people...
wish us luck as we go through the process of mucking our way out of another mistake The Consumer Lawfirm and Hess. Good luck to all of you and our prayers are with you as well!

Annoyed: Since you're behind on your payments, and cancelling with HK, settle your debts yourself. Just be sure when you start settling, to have the money ON HAND once you agree upon a settlement. You're paying them a lump sum settlement and not a monthly payback plan. If you don't have the money on hand, then you need time to build up your savings to start settling; hence the time issue you had with HK. This program isn't an overnight success - it's a process.