Is credit solutions affiliated with debtxs?

As far as I know there is no connection between CS Debt and Mezey. All I can say is Thanks to Mr. Mezey I'm glad I'm not dealing with the creditors any more! That was an absolute nightmare! And the customer service has always been helpful to me. I don't need to call them a lot, so I don't know why others are having problems. They have always been courteous and answered my questions. But, then again I'm not much for drama either.

The bottom line is my debts just kept accumulating and I considered BK too, but decided to not go that route and I'm finally getting some of these cards paid down. It's a huge relief to me.

That's funny. There are a lot of drama queens and kings out there! I agree with you that this was the best move I ever made. My friend recommended Mezey & Associates, since I'd get stuck with a chapter 13 repayment plan if I did a bankruptcy. And, so far it's working well for me. I had a lot of stress and am feeling a big relief now. I cut up all my credit cards and had a party to celebrate. Better to be debt free then be up to your eyeballs in debt! It's like dieting though. Not easy and sure you can gripe about it, but the truth is I was the one who ran up the debts.

I'm not sure what CS debt settlement is, but Credit Solutions is a Texas Debt Settlement company, not a Law Firm. They may retain lawyers but are not lawyers themselves. There's a big difference. Most debt settlement companies charge a few fees totalling 30% or better, which is comparable to standard legal fees. However, most creditors today will not deal with debt settlement companies.

Further most debt settlement companies are not licensed, bonded and insured, nor regulated by the Bar Association. They can promise all sorts of things, but may not legally be able to fulfill their agreement. So, I'd suggest seeking legal advice before retaining any company and explore your options.

I have read what others here have writen about Credit Solutions and sadly I too think it is true. Sadly for me I did not get out early like others. I wish I would have found this page a long long time ago

I have been with them for over a year and have payed them thousands of dollars. I have settled only one of my five accounts at a decent amount. It was settled at about 50%. I settled another but it was nearly 90% and it was only because I pushed them to settle the account for me. I am now starting to pay off another account which they say I am settling for around 60% but it is really about 80% of what I owed when I started at credit solutions.

I still have two outstanding accounts and one is large and growing all the time. I had the chance to settle it at 50%, but they wanted it all in one payment and within like a week so I could not do it. Now that account is at 80% in two payments which I cant pay either. The settlement person told me that she knew this would happen and that she said I should have payed it at 50%.

I think they think I have tons of cash hiden in the mattress or something because they call with these "great deals" and think I should be happy to put out 4 months income in one day.

Another issue I have that has been reported here is that you talk to someone different every time and they are all calling you even though you wanted to settle one account and hold off on the one they want to settle. Its not possible to settle them all at once, but they dont understand that. I will probably only settle one account for 50% or less, the rest will be around 80% or higher. They promised at first 40 to 60% but they sure are not coming through. They also said it could be payed off over 4 years, but a little over a year now and Im getting threats to go to court already. I feel lied to and have no ideal how to get out of this.

Someone stated that some states dont allow this kind of operation? Which ones, I hope I live in one so I can sue them. I would love to get my money back that they have not earned.

Also someone here is a former employee of them. Is it true that the major credit cards do not let you settle over longer periods of time, but want it all in a few payments? That is what I get told all the time.

I feel ripped off and would love suggestions from anyone here on how to deal with this (in a legal manor of course). Will the creditors still deal with me after going so long without paying them? Thanks.

Thanks. I'm glad I went with Mezey & Associates too instead of some bogus debt settlement company. They tried to sell me some BS story, but my debts are now in the hands of an attorney, not some boiler room operation. And, I'm not sure how it works, but my understanding from my attorney here was a law firms fees are non-refundable. He recommended Mezey instead of my doing a Chapter 13, as it would have cost me more and taken longer, but if I did do the bankruptcy even his fees were due upfront.

Also, my creditors were pretty slick in offering me deals but only after I hired Mezey. They each wanted to get paid first. So, I stopped talking to them. I thought about quiting the program and doing it myself, now that they were going to give me deals, but I'm still a bit gun shy and would rather have a pro handle it. I wouldn't do my own appendectomy either!

So forget the debt settlement companies and see a lawyer.

Amen! I agree with you that this was the best move I ever made. Thanks to God my friend recommended Mezey & Associates too. I'd get stuck with a chapter 13 repayment plan if I did a bankruptcy, which would have cost me more and be on my records forever. They don't tell you but BK's show up on background checks even after you die!

It's working well for me. I had a lot of stress and am feeling a big relief now. I can sleep now. Like I said before though, it's like dieting. Not easy to be disciplined and sure you can gripe about it, but the truth is we were the ones who ran up our debts, no one else.

I signed up with Mezey & Associates a month ago. After several emails bounced back to me undeliverable I checked their website and noticed it was down. In a panic I did a google search to make sure I had the right address and discovered this site. I have subsequently discontinued my participation in their program and gone with Harold Shepley & Associates since I live in Pennsylvania. They are an actual law firm that can represent me in court if I get sued. I lost one month's payment and time but I feel fortunate to have gotten out before things got any worse.

We need help. We also are having problems with Mezey and Assoc. Can anyone give us info on a class action suit. We live in Texas. We keep getting the run around and nothing has been done.

Thanks for this web site. We,too signed up for help from MEZEY AND ASSOCIATES. They are crooks, never any communications. All they have done is P----off all our creditors and now have turned things over to lawyers. My best advance is call a non-profit credit consulers ie Green Pace.
Everyone is correct, forget about the money you sent them, its theirs now, I just wrote to the BBB of NY and FTC for a complaint. I also am calling Google and Yahoo about them.
Sharon and Jim OK :( :evil:

I have been with them a couple years (nldc)and they settled a few accounts but now this last week their phone number is no longer in use and find myself unable to get hold of them. Does anyone have a phone number or e-mail address that works. i have experienced very poor response through out this time.

NLDC is now Mezey @ Assoc. You are in for a big surpris...good luck!!

1.800.519.0655

Thanks. I called Mr. Mezey too and I'm glad I'm not dealing with the creditors any more. That was a nightmare! And the customer service has always been helpful to me. My debts just kept accumulating and I considered BK, but decided to not go that route and I'm finally getting some of these cards paid down.

Credit Solutions promised to eliminate our debt, by reducing balances to 40%, and letting our balances "age" in the meantime while building up a balance to pay of the protion of debt that would remain.

This is a direct quote from one of their emails: "At the beginning of your program we contact your creditors. After they have been contacted, we allow your account to age. This aging period consist of non-payment to the creditor. This shifts the leverage from the creditor to you, the client. During this aging period, you are to save as much as possible whenever possible, as this will help you get out of debt sooner."

They AGED our accounts into collections and arbitration!!
My wife spent an average 4-5 hours a week on the phone trying to prod them along to resolve our debt. after 3 months and only one settlement for the original balance of the debt, we finally severed ties with them after paying almost $2000 in fees.

Do not use this company, contact a local credit counseling agency and let them help. At least they were honest!

John

I'd recommend Mezey & Associates as well. I was embarrassed to admit that I couldn't manage my own debts and too proud to declare bankruptcy. I didn't know of any other way out of the maze, until a co-worker suggested I call them.

We were overwhelmed with bills, a hospitalization, a car finally gave in. Then we missed a couple mortgage payments and were afraid we'd lose our home. So we really were at our wits end. I called them and thought I'd see if they could help us. I was really surprised that they could work within our budget. Other companies told me they wanted twice as much monthly. I told them that if I could afford those monthly fees I could pay my credit cards.

We settled two cards so far and just finally able to refinance our house. So, I am real grateful. We thank God every day and pray for those still having troubles.

how come you guys did not bother to check those companies on the better bussiness bureua. These companies have bad reps with the BBB. It is your responsibility to research a company first. It does suck the credit solutions of america ripped you off because they do give the industry a bad name however you didnt check them out and that is what happens when you dont shop around and do your home work

I found that debt settlement, as practiced by the law firm of Mezey & Associates, is the only debt relief program that actually saves you money. debt consolidation and debt counseling is nothing more than "Smoke & Mirrors". Citibank, AT&T, Macy's and other creditors will not work with debt consolidators. Don't be fooled by "Nimrods" that post erroneous information on this phoney website that is operated by a debt consolidator.

mezey and associates are scam artist. The customer service department are bumbling idiots. There is a person name Claudia who is excellent at her job. She is wonderful. She is the wonderful and thruthful.i think the only Lawyer they have is Claudia @ extension 2337 if you need honest legal assistance.

Thanks guest. I did a lot of research too before choosing Mezey and found they had less then 1 in 1,000 client complaints and were still given a low rating by the BBB nonetheless. I called the BBB and they said they had seen some debt settlement companies shut down, and therefore rated the industry not the company.

Further they grouped law firms with bankruptcy alternatives in the same category as unregulated, unlicensed, unbonded and uninsured companies, even though as lawyers they have to have such and are held to a higher standard.

When asked about the low level of complaints the BBB did say that it was remarkable considering they handle debt distressed clients. And, the companies that were closed down had 1,000's of complaints. Nonetheless, they decided to label all debt relief firms as risky.

Furthermore, I discovered numerous complaints and a ripoff report about the same BBB office, wherein the complaints said the BBB used strong arm tactics to enroll businesses as members, stating as a member they could avail themselves of the BBB's arbitration services and in so doing avoid all complaints. I also found their largest member sponsors were banks, that had no complaints whatsoever! That seemed real suspicious to me.

I took the plunge and have had months of relief. Now I don't bother looking at a phony BBB report on any business, or listen to the few complainers to irresponsible to admit they were the guilty ones in running up their own credit cards.

Stay away from this "company". They are a debt negotiator, not consolidation company. They will take your money and do nothing while your debt builds, you get judgements against you, and your credit goes into the toilet. You can negotiate your debt yourself and some card and loan companies do not deal with places like Mezey.

I was a client of Mezey & Assoc. for 3 months. They took my money and let me get further into debt. I am now working to repair the damage and have reported them to the FTC. They took my money and did nothing for me and I'm sure I am not the only one. It may be time for a class action suit against Mezey.

For those in debt, contact the FTC and check out this website for some tips on what you might be able to do to help yourself: Credit Infocenter

Getting into debt isn't as easy as being careless about your credit. It's not usually you're own darn fault if you fall into debt. The last guest shows just how misinformed, insensative and, frankly, idiotic some people are when it comes to debt.

I didn't get into financial debt because I went on some crazy spending spree and maxed out my credit cards. No, I was one of the many US citizens unlucky enough to be without health insurance. The worse thing that could happen to me did happen to me. I was able to get some reduced fees but this still didn't cover the high cost of doctors fees, hospital stays and medication costs (which never have a discount). I went into debt because I couldn't keep up with the medical costs that just kept building and building. So when I hear some pinhead tell me it's my fault for getting into debt I have to wonder whether or not that person lives in the real world with the rest of us.

I will take full responsiblity however for being gullible enough to believe the lies coming from Mezey and Associates. I wanted help so badly I never thought to question the validity of their promises.

Thanks, Informed citizen for all that info. As a CA resident I am going to be contacting the AG today and seeing what can be done about this company.

I'm down $11,500 so far with NLDC and can't get in touch with anyone now... what do I do??

DebtXS is a debt settlement company and not a law firm. They misrepresented themselves and routinely charged a total of over 25 percent of the total amount owed. The fee was paid over several months via automatic withdrawals from their bank accounts, though some were unaware they had agreed to this arrangement with the company.

DebtXS also required consumers to place the money they would have normally paid to creditors into a personal savings account over several months or longer. Like asking a fox to guard the the house! If clients could save money they already would have.

The cessation of payments technically put consumers in default of their contractual obligations with creditors, which triggered aggressive debt collection efforts and even lawsuits brought by some creditors. DebtXS misled some consumers into thinking it would hold creditors and debt collectors at bay during this period and prevent any litigation.

After several months, DebtXS would contact creditors and offer to pay off the debt at a fraction of the total balance owed. If creditors agreed, DebtXS would contact indebted consumers, who would make the agreed-upon, lump-sum payments to creditors from the savings they had accumulated over time. If creditors did not agree to the offer, insisting late fees and interest were due, consumers would be immediately liable for the entire new balance.

Most clients believed they were misled and were unaware of the costs they would incur and ad up to 25 percent or more.

Many believed the fees withdrawn from their checking accounts were being applied to their debts, when this was not the case. Other consumers reported the company misled them by offering "legal advice" as to whether they should file personal bankruptcy.

Please do not use Mezey & Associates They services is worst than CS the took two thousand dollars from me, &no services was done.......try working with you creditors yourself if you can.

My debt management account was sold to Mezey and Associates in the beginning of this year. They were able to settle 1 out of 8 credit accounts. There customer service is always nice but they seem a bit disorganized. Also, there website that allows for account statements has never worked in the time I have been with them. As for stopping creditors, My creditors did stop contacting me, but it seems like they debts were sold over and over again and now the debt collectors are talking legal actions toward me etc. I am not sure what they actually did for me in the legal side. However, I came to point that I just was going to deal with it on my own, so I called in to cancel the account. I had already paid the preliminary fees and had an escrow account of about 5000K and they said they would send it back. The lady quoted that i would receive a check in 6-8 weeks. So i was a little scared. But low and behold, I received a check for what they stated they would give me back in about 2 weeks. All in all, I can't say they did me wrong in anyway, I did that myself by getting into debt. But just remember that they are a business in it for money, so there are fees for everything. As for past clients that haven't been able to get there money back, I can claim that I have gotten my money back from them (not my fees of course, but any extra money in escrow.)

I have made approx 5 payments to Mezey & Associates and have no complaints. They do take their fees every month, but they do start escrowing money from the very first payment. I am willing to give the process a chance. If you get calls from credit cards companies, you have to remember that they are there to recoop the interest and full amount you owe. They don't like dealing with a settlement company because they will lose all that interest. My three credit cards were at 20% interest. It's got to be better than carrying that debt for the next 10 years. Give them a chance to make the process work. If you made the debt, you should pay it back.

I started with NLDC and now Mezey and Assoc. have taken over my account, I have had no luck with NLDC but since Mezey has taken over, 2 of my accounts have been settled, and they are much more attentive than NLDC was, I get someone on the phone whenever I need them. There Fee is very minimal I think. They took 140 dollars for a 2500 dollar settlement. Other debt settlement companys take much much more. They get a percentage of what they settle not what your debt is. Another thing is, if I can't pay them one month, they are very good about letting me skip a payment if need be. So all in all it hasn't been to to bad. I am sticking with them for the mean time.
Hope this was helpful. If you would like to contact me my please do. email address removed as per forum rules - Mike

I am looking for anyone who received a group email from Mezey and Assoc. who were clients of NLDC, I have lost this email and would love to get a copy of it, I need there contact info again, because when I call Mezey they say they don't have me on record. could you please post the info for me, thanks ALF

The earlier post about Michael Sandercock from Marina del Rey posing as an attorney and being investigated is ABSOLUTELY FALSE. I know for a FACT that this slanderous lie was posted by the bitter, corrupt owner of the failed Mezey and Associates-- Harry Reis. Reis, the owner who ran the show, is actually the one being investigated by the FTC and retaliated against Mr. Sandercock since he quit in protest of Mr. Reis's poor business practices. Reis's firm is now out of business and he will likely face severe penalties and possibly jail time due to his fraudulent and corrupt business practices. Michael Sandercock has done nothing wrong and Harry Reis is a lying crook of a loser to post such nonsense.

Credit Solutions is sadly still in business. I'm sorry I did not get out early like others. I wish I would have found this page a long long time ago

I have been with them for over a year and have payed them thousands of dollars. I have settled only one of my five accounts at a decent amount. It was settled at about 50%. I settled another but it was nearly 90% and it was only because I pushed them to settle the account for me. I am now starting to pay off another account which they say I am settling for around 60% but it is really about 80% of what I owed when I started at credit solutions.

I still have two outstanding accounts and one is large and growing all the time. I had the chance to settle it at 50%, but they wanted it all in one payment and within like a week so I could not do it. Now that account is at 80% in two payments which I cant pay either. The settlement person told me that she knew this would happen and that she said I should have payed it at 50%.

I think they think I have tons of cash hiden in the mattress or something because they call with these "great deals" and think I should be happy to put out 4 months income in one day.

Another issue I have that has been reported here is that you talk to someone different every time and they are all calling you even though you wanted to settle one account and hold off on the one they want to settle. Its not possible to settle them all at once, but they dont understand that. I will probably only settle one account for 50% or less, the rest will be around 80% or higher. They promised at first 40 to 60% but they sure are not coming through. They also said it could be payed off over 4 years, but a little over a year now and Im getting threats to go to court already. I feel lied to and have no ideal how to get out of this.

Someone stated that some states dont allow this kind of operation? Which ones, I hope I live in one so I can sue them. I would love to get my money back that they have not earned.

Also someone here is a former employee of them. Is it true that the major credit cards do not let you settle over longer periods of time, but want it all in a few payments? That is what I get told all the time.

I feel ripped off and would love suggestions from anyone here on how to deal with this (in a legal manor of course). Will the creditors still deal with me after going so long without paying them? Thanks.

CSA is claiming to help people get out of debt by settling amounts owed to creditors at a percentage of the amount at the time one enters into an agreement with them. In return, they collect a service fee 15% of the total debt. However, I now realized that they have taken my money and failed to fulfill the obligations of the contract. The BBB has 400 complaints against this company over the last 3 years, most in the last year and it would appear that due to high volume, these complaints are not being addressed before more and more people are getting scammed by this company.

CSA tells customers to stop paying the current bills, while they make an offer to settle the entire sum owed at a smaller amount. In my experience - Only one debt of the 7 initial accounts was settled, and for 60% of the initial amount, not 40% as advertised. This account was never requested by me to be settled, it appears that CSA has some benefit in settling this account with Providian.

The other debts I have requested to settle have not been settled, despite multiple requests. As a result, Discover took me to court and I have become delinquent on numerous accounts. As before my credit was just overextended, and I had been paying accounts on time, I now have multiple delinquencies and my credit is ruined.

When trying to reach CSA, 75% of calls are dropped or do not go thru. The ones that do, I am told that someone will get back to me, however no return calls are made. They have essentially taken 5000 dollars and stopped doing any of the services that they should under the contract.

When I finally established contact with a person, I asked that they put down in writing their promises and they ignored the request and have not refunded the fee. It is simply an issue of the company charging money and not fulfilling any obligations, instead ruining the person's credit for good. This is the biggest scam and BBB is too backlogged to stop this company from ruining more lives.
_________________

please contact me about this company pls st

Personal info removed Cajunbulldog

Hello,
I almost signed up with Mezey but my intuition told me not to.
Instead I amd now with Consumer debt solutions. Signed up in June. So far evrything is ok

I trusted my instincts too. That's how I got in so much trouble with debt! A lot of these posts are hilarious. Blaming everyone else but themselves for all their problems. But the banks are the real ones laughing. They borrow money from the Federal reserve for 4%, then charge you 20-25%. It's like legal loansharking. Watch the Movie "Maxed Out" there you will find who is really scamming you!!!!

I am in Florida and have been taken by them. Does anyone know of a class action suit in Florida, or can I join in one of the others?

Here's the real deal about this whole thing. You are better off to just stop paying your credit cards and put 1/2 the amount you are paying on your current cards in a savings account When you get about 50-60% of your balance saved up, call the credit card company and offer to settle for 40% and negotiate. I used NLDC/Mezey Assoc and here is how the scam works. You are paying them a LARGE set up fee and then you are paying them whenever they get around to settling the accounts. Then they take a percentage of the amount that the credit card company has written off. You can do this all on your own, you dont need a debt attorney. After paying NLDC/Mezey thousands and thousands (yes thousands) when they settled my accounts, I realized I could do this on my own without paying them a cut. I have been trying for 3 months to even get someone to call me back about the last account I needed to settle. Once I paid all the "large" accounts off and no longer sent payments in, they won't even return phone calls or emails. It is a scam people and they are charging you thousands of dollars to do something you can do for yourself. If you are in a bind and can't afford your credit card payments, stop making the payments, put 1/2 the normal payment in a savings account and offer to settle the accounts yourself for 40%, it is a negotiation and the credit card companies would rather get 50% than nothing. Once you stop paying for a while, the ball goes in your court to settle the debt. The bad part is your credit goes to crap, but once the charge off is reported as paid to the credit bureaus, eventually your credit score comes back up. Don't pay high paid crooks to steal more of your hard earned money, the credit card companies have done enough of that. Settle your own debt. There is nothing that these attorneys can do for you that you cant do on your own.

I hired them last around May 06, got a summons in Apirl of 07 for one of my higher credit cards, contacted them and they more less said I was on my own and I had to reply to the summons, none of my accounts have been settled, said had to pay their fee frist then I would build escrow, not happy at all, Hired local lady and she has faxed, phoned them that I do not want to do business with them any more yet they still try to debit my account. Had to put stop payment on account, now I am closing that account due to them still trying to hit it every month. Big hassel, no results out about $5000-$6000. NOT HAPPY.
be wise I believe they are being shut down from what my new lady has told me in her findings about the CO. Webdsite link I always had is no longer there.

does anyone know if there is a suit happening in Colorado?

Contact your state Attorney General and ask them if there is one. You can complain to them and also your senators and congressmen..Good Luck..KAren

Credit Solutions promised to eliminate our debt, by reducing balances to 40%, and letting our balances "age" in the meantime while building up a balance to pay of the protion of debt that would remain.

This is a direct quote from one of their emails: "At the beginning of your program we contact your creditors. After they have been contacted, we allow your account to age. This aging period consist of non-payment to the creditor. This shifts the leverage from the creditor to you, the client. During this aging period, you are to save as much as possible whenever possible, as this will help you get out of debt sooner."

They AGED our accounts into collections and arbitration!!
My wife spent an average 4-5 hours a week on the phone trying to prod them along to resolve our debt. after 3 months and only one settlement for the original balance of the debt, we finally severed ties with them after paying almost $2000 in fees.

Do not use this company, contact a local credit counseling agency and let them help. At least they were honest!

John
East Peoria, Illinois
U.S.A.

WARNING!!! THE ONLY WAY A SETTLEMENT CAN WORK IS IF YOU HAVE 50% OF YOUR TOTAL DEBT AVAILABLE TO SETTLE IN 15-18 MONTHS, THAT IS ABOUT ALL THE TIME YOU HAVE BEFORE LEGAL PROBLEMS START !!!!! CinCin on the 29th and John M on the 30th are stating the truth. Legally a person has about 15- 18 months to complete a settlement on a credit card. All debt settlement companies work the same, they all ask for 15% or a % up front, which allows for their fee to be paid before your legal problems start in about 15 months. I joined Mezey 15 months ago, with four cards and high balances. You will receive all the warnings and the after not paying for about a year, the companies will talk settlement with you directly (my settlement letters were never sent Mezey, I had to forward them each time.). Some settlements started at 75 or 80% and all eventually went to 50%, except one went to 40%; remember your creditor will send you the letter not Mezey or your debt company, because they have a contract with you (the power of attorney means nothing). The first company to take me to court in 14 months wanted 5,975 on a 14,000 debt, I didn????????t have it after Mezey got their 6400, and I only had 1217 in my escrow. Mezey assured me my creditors would wait 36-48 month the length of my program and that they had relations with them and most creditors. The documents Mezey gave me for court were not legal documents and only stated that I was considering bankruptcy and the law says I get 60-90 days for counseling before deciding. When the judge gave me 60 days, Claudia from Mezey said they are not lawyers and can not advise me, however the fact is if I don????????t have the money they are going to come after my home and/or wages and the other creditors will follow, so I may want to consider bankruptcy. Notice my options after their fees were paid, I no longer had 36-48 months to repay, and what about their relationships with creditors? Mezey then stated they got the settlement, I didn????????t have the money, and there are no guaranteed outcomes, or different outcomes happen in different states, ect???????
All companies reported no pay for months, eventually they were charged off, and my debt grew $6100. in interest and fees, while my credit score fell from 716 to 588. Mezey left me 12,500 (6100 interest+6400mezey fee) worst off, not one has been settled.
SEEK LOCAL LEGAL ADVICE as I am now in the process of.
DO NOT USE MEZEY, they were always kind, professional and full of advice, until the trouble started. I will say that after canceling my contract, I got an escrow refund of $1900. in 3 days from a California address to Michigan.
I AM ALSO INTERESESD IN JOINING A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT!!

I just had my 3rd card paid off for 43%, so I have nothing but praise for Mezey. There are always going to be complainers, not matter what. So, I ignore them and do what's right for me. Even if it cost me 100% of what I owed, that's half of what it would be in 3 years, if I was stil paying interest! It takes time, but they do what they say they will. In looking at my choices, I could have continued paying my minimums forever, but now they are finally get paid off. To me it's been like dieting though, I had to pull in my belt and grin and bear it a while.

As to customer service, a year ago it was hard to speak with anyone, but that seems to be a lot better lately. Their explanation that they went through a tremendous growth and had a hard time adapting for a while made sense, even if I didn't like it. Now things seem to be running more smoothly.

At this point I'm working on credit restoration, so I can buy a house. A couple years ago that was just a dream, but not it's something I can start planning toward. So, I'd say to anyone in the program, hang in there, as it works. And, if creditors are still bothering you, find out your rights. You can do something about it.

I'm glad I went with Mezey instead of some bogus debt settlement company too. They tried to sell me some BS story, but my debts are now in the hands of an attorney, not some boiler room operation. And, I'm not sure how it works, but my understanding from my attorney here was a law firms fees are non-refundable. He recommended Mezey instead of my doing a Chapter 13, as it would have cost me more and taken longer, but if I did do the bankruptcy even his fees were due upfront.

Also, my creditors were pretty slick in offering me deals but only after I hired Mezey. They each wanted to get paid first. So, I stopped talking to them. I thought about quiting the program and doing it myself, now that they were going to give me deals, but I'm still a bit gun shy and would rather have a pro handle it.

So forget the debt settlement companies and see a lawyer and if I had to do it over I'd call Mezey again.

Credit Solutions talks a good line then they will not return clients calls, do not respond to emails, do not contact creditors. Their 1st rule: "Let Credit Solutions do the talking for you", is a laugh. Clients are told to fax creditor letters to them so that they can respond or help the client respond, that too is a joke.They claim to be members of the Dallas Better Business Bureau but as of June 1, 2006, they were not. There have been 126 complaints filed with the Bureau in less that the three years that Credit Solutions has been in business. Settling these complaints is like pulling teeth. And most often does not happen.

They claim to settle their clients accounts at 60% savings in 12-36 months. that the client is then debt free. It does not happen. Nor do they have monthly follow-ups or credit counseling as they state.

They give tricks and loopholes for clients so that the creditors cannot reach them. There are two printed in the handbook. I called and finally got one of their reps when a very pushy creditor continued to call me. I received a very blunt answer when I told the employee my problem: "We do not contact the creditors, they have to call us."

They claim to have "working relationships with the credit card companies. I received a letter from Advanta stating that is not true. Credit Solutions is not regulated by the FTC. This was after I called Credit Solutions and was told yes they do work with Advanta. They have to have a checking account number from the clients so that they can take their fee out monthly.

I cancelled the one at my bank and faxed a ternination letter to Credit Solutions on June 2, 2006. It did not take them long to call me because they could not get their money. I told the employee my problems with them and that I wanted the money returned because they had done absolutely nothing to earn it. I was told that he needed to talk with his boss and that he would get back to me. That was one month ago.

I urge anyone who has had dealings with this company to put it on this web site. They need to be stopped. Their false advertising needs to be stopped.

Does anyone know if Credit Solutions affiliated with Debtxs? If so, Debtxs is a ripoff! I don't care if you work for them or not! I don't know how a person can work for a company that will rip people off like Debtxs has. You can read all of these other reports because mine is the same. They tell you not to answer the creditors calls, but don't give them Debtxs' name because they don't want to talk to them either, although I gave Debtxs my money to pay these creditors! This company should be closed!

I can't see how our government is allowing this company to rip people off like they have. They're not a law firm and as I now understand the creditors lawyers will only deal with other lawyers.

Plus I haven't received any of my money back. They have offered 200 dollars, which is not even close to 1/3 of what I paid to them. Debtxs- you are a rip off company. RIPOFFS. You should be ashamed of working for a company like that! It will all come back to get you in the end.

I have been with Mezey for about 5 months. As far as I can tell they have done very little to help my situation. I still get call after call from my creditors, and I have recieved two summons. After contacting Mezey and faxing them the summons, I still await a response. What does one do? I'm on the fence on what to do, since they have about $6,000 on my money. Thanks and good luck.

We've been with Mezey & Associates over a year now and are just starting to see results. We just got our second credit card settled and feel a huge relief. It works, you just need to be patient and hang in there. All the collectors want is your money period, and some will do anything to get it.

It was hard in the beginning as some creditors still harassed us, despite the laws, so we changed our telephone number to an unlisted number and that got them off our backs.

At first I was embarrassed to admit that I couldn't manage my own debts and too proud to declare bankruptcy. I didn't know of any other way out of the maze, until a co-worker suggested I call them.

We were overwhelmed with bills, a hospitalization, a car finally gave in. Then we missed a couple mortgage payments and were afraid we'd lose our home. So we really were at our wits end. I called them and thought I'd see if they could help us. I was really surprised that they could work within our budget. Other companies told me they wanted almost twice as much monthly and some weren't even lawyers. I told them that if I could afford those monthly fees I could pay off my own credit cards and frankly didn't trust them.

We were also just finally able to refinance our house with a fixed rate loan. So, we're real grateful we've hung in there and would resommend others do the same.

I too have paid Mezey for a year. My credit is 10k higher and have paid almost all my fees of 5K+. They better start working for me like they say and get "better settlements than I could on my own"....otherwise, there will be a big class action (nationally) against them for knowingly ruining :twisted: peoples' financial lives and making them stressed out :roll: more than just dealing with the collectors for free ourselves...WTF!!...Charging us for something we could do ourselves?!...what a crock of crap in our beloved USA?! Good nationalism there Aholes!!! Send them to Guantanamo too for deceiving the american people the way they have with their website,false advertising, and bogus legal contract :!: .....deep breathing, ooooommmmm.......PEACE. :lol:

Bottom line.. your credit card interest doesn't stop accruing! Mezey and Associates will NOT talk to your creditors to lower or stop the interest and your creditors won't wait 36 months to get paid. I paid Mezey for 6 months and have completely tanked by credit - plus I will never see a cent of my $6000 again. All my credit card accounts were with lawyers and they will not negotiate with Mezey or anyone but you.

Finally.. they told me if I could pay cash for over half of my debt they would drop about 13K off my bills. Ok, I got help. Because of my tanked credit rating I couldn't take out a second mortgage on my house so my family had to step in.

So please, if possible before you ruin your credit score by going with Mezey or another settlement group - call the creditors, stop your interest from accruing and come up with a solution on your own. You can do it... I could of have IF I hadn't relied on bogus claims from a totally bogus company. Good luck everyone and remember once you get out of debt - don't ever get into this trouble again. I know I won't and I want to throw rotten tomatoes at the TV whenever I see those 'Chase - Freedom' ads. They do not offer freedom - they are evil!

I too have been a client of Mezey & Associates and have found they are NOT a reputable company. I have filed a complaint against them with the Federal Trade Commission and I URGE ANYONE who has had any dealings with this company to do the same. Don't be a victim!!!!!

We have been in the program for 5 months. Customre service is always quick to respond to any problems. Our account has been set up whereby the monthly fee that we are sending is split between their fee and our escrow account. Our final amount due to Mezey is $4300. After 15 months we will be paid up with them and most of our credit debt will be eliminated. None of our creditors has contacted us since we signed up. I'm not sure why so many are having problems but we are very satisfied with the service we are receiving.