Counsel for debt solutions and John Leaberry?

Hi kareb

Welcome to the forums.

Counsel for debt solution CDS) assist and represent the individuals and families who are in debt with a cost effective, dignified and responsible choice of becoming debt free.
This company provides its customers security protection in respect to information provided by the customers. They collect information only with the consent of the customer. John.F.Leabarry is the CEO this company.

Hope this helps you.

Regards
Peter

Hi Kareb Upham

Welcome to the forums. You can also get in touch with Mark H. who is a member of CDS. He comes to this board often and does community help.

Let us wait to hear from him soon.

Regards
Roxette

Hello Peter,

I am with CDS Operations (Consumer debt solutions). I am not familiar with the other CDS that you asked for information on. However, I will do some research and get back with you.

Mark H.

Hi Mark

Welcome to the forums. It is nice to have someone from CDS (Consumer debt solutions) in our message board.

We will appreciate if you can share some of your useful tips to guide the community members when they are confronted with debt problems.

I hope that you will visit the board regularly to comfort the people and provide solutions to debt problems. They will be able to relieve much of the stress with your valuable comments and suggestions.

Regards
Roxette

Leaberry is a once disbarred attorney implicated in political corruption who saved his ass by squealing.

Scoop, how unfair of you to accuse John like that when he is not even here to defend himself. I knew John at a time and he is a respectable and upstanding guy.

I need to know whether the company is legitimate and do they have a decent track record? Will someone please respond to my question. I am new to this forum.

Edward, visit your local AG's office or the BBB website and know the nature of business of CDS. I have heard from many people complaining about CDS, so you will like to review them in the FTC, BBB as well as the local AG's office.

their is nothing good being said, i know they are not quick to respond to phone calls i hope we are not wasting our time /money

in reference to last note I am speaking of counsel for debt solutionsl johnleaberry has anybody have good results? everything i heard on this forum is negative.

The website for "Counsel for debt solutions" is consumer debt solutions .org, so maybe they are one in the same?

have you dealt with them?

Nope, I just googled it to see what came up, and that's what I found.

~Mary

how can i get a number for cds and john leaberry

Donna, use the phone number below to get in contact with CDS.

Local Phone: (954) 485-2752
Fax Number: (954) 485-2727

I was contacted by them-I'm new at this. Is it normal to pay $700 initially for $25000.00 in credit card debt? And then a monthly fee of $49? How do you know "which companies" are reliable?

Wow, that is a low monthly fee for $25,000 in debt, your debt will never be paid off at that rate.

gem52761, what is the total time period offered by CDS for paying off this debt? There are many consolidation companies that do not charge monthly fees. In fact, this site does not charge any. You can take a free counseling and discuss the payment mode with the consultant.

You can search for the companies in the BBB as well as the state attorney general office. A track record of all business companies is maintained in the office and you will be able to figure out the legitimate ones.

fraud

scam, take your money and will run

Helpless, have you enrolled in any program with CDS? Do you mind sharing your personal experience on this company? It might be very helpful for a lot of us.

does anyone have anything other than speculation? helpless, did they take you for YOUR money? I've recently enrolled before finding this forum, now very nervous.anyone know anything conclusive???help!!!

These guys are crooks.

i now have to find a service that can. Please do not give them any money. it will just put you further in the hole. I got scammed. Don't let it happen to you too. CDS is a not a truthful company.

okay, i just enrolled with these guys.And now i've stumbled upon this forum....they seem pretty legit and always return my calls.

Do not even fill out any info. for CDS. They will take money out of your account even though you never gave them permission or any information on your account. Believe me they screwed me around and now I'm in the red because of it

I recently got off the phone and gave CDS all or my information, is this the counselor that is supposed to call from this website? Also should I proceed with filling out the application, I was quoted a payment of $142/month for 40 months for just over $5000 in debt...all help would be greatly appreciated

John

I was already enrolled when i came upon this site. was scared to death,but already paid the one time fee.dediced to take my chance and see what happens. THANK GOD they followed through with all that was promised. my creditors were notified and payments have been made to each over the last 3 months. Have not had a problem yet and hopefully won't in the future. I'm not sure why the reviews are so drastically different, but good luck to all anyway.

So far they've been very respondsive,if anything they have a hard time contacting me instead...i'm 25.000 in debt, so far they settled with one of my creditors within the last month...the calls have stopped from my creditors..so when i read this forum i got nervous too, but i'll stick it out for now.. By the way how did you guys find cds?

DO NOT choose CDS for your settlement needs...they are very unresponsive and very little of what I have done with them was in writing; it was mostly over the phone. There was never a monthly statement of my account and the settlement proposals which were supposed to have been sent and signed by me were non exsistent. In fact, one of the settlements turned out to be for the wrong amount and to the wrong collection agency. When I called the settlement agent about it, he told me he would check into it and get back to me. He never did. I got so frustrated that I made them cash out my trust account and I am now on my way to handling my debts on my own, which is what I should have done in the first place.

I'm worried they're a scam outfit....postings seem to be either very thumbs up or thumbs down

You can visit their website and they have a contact number on there on the Our Firm page. There is also a link there to wvbar.org/barinfo/mdirectory/detail.php?ID=2168 which gives his contact information also. Just search for the company name you are mentioning and you can easily find their website.

Good luck,

Fred

----

Link deleted as per forum rules - Mike

I am currently enrolled in CDS and am worried about if I have made a mistake. Anyone out there that has had positive or negative things to say about them?

We are customers of this company and are very dissapointed with the way our accounts are being handled. We went from having a credit score of 720 or so back in August to having two very derogotory accounts listed on our reports. WE paid CDS their initial fee back in October, which is the monthly payment that comes out of our bank account to pay creditors after that. CDS also takes a substantial chunk of our deposited fees for their maintenance, infact to this date JAN 5th.. they are the only ones taking money from our account. None of the creditors have even closed our accounts as requested. Our credit just continues to deteriorate. WE still get calls from our Creditors and collection agencies here 3 months in and CDS is very hard to get a hold of. I sent mail to them and had it returned as undeliverable and all email comes back. The only way we can contact them is by phone then we have to wait usually a couple days for someone to return the call.
Getting fed up. This money and time we have spentt on this company could have been going to the original creditors and we wouldn't be in the shape we are today. I checked the company with BBB before we went with them and couldn't find negative info but there are different companies with the CDS name and that makes it confusing also.

If you got a quick response you are one of the few I believe. Have you ever tried to email them back? When we get emails we can't email them back. Calling is the only way we can get a hold of someone. It took them 2 months just to notify 2 fricken creditors. They have taken 100.00 of the 700.00 that has gone into our trust account. No offers have been made. We are still getting notices and calls from credtitors and collection agencies. I could have hired my attorney to do this stuff and it would have costs us less and we would have some results. I tried to send CDS paperwork that a collection agency sent us and it was returned as undeliverable. If we don't see some results within a month or so.. We will be cancelling our account and having them refund the trust account monies if they haven't used them all themselves that is. We are stressed more now than when we were more worried about getting sued by the creditors for their full balances. I want offers and REal offers, not my full balance with huge payments. I went to CDS and stopped paying because I couldn't afford the doubled minimums on my cards and the creditors weren't willing to work with me and Bankruptcy laws now are screwing the little guy once again. We are stuck!!

i have been working with cds for 2.5 years, they are legit, i think. we have settled one account. of course my credit is trashed, and will be for a long time. thats what happens, so forget about credit, thats what got you here in the first place. you have to live within your means.

All these comments are really confusing. After reading your comment I do feel a relief. If you've been with them for 2.5 years, then they must be doing something right. Like you, I'm not concerned with my credit score since I am done with all this credit crap. I noticed some of you haven't even been with CDS but for only a few months. My counselor has his own extention to where I can reach him. My emails are promptly answered. Are we all talking about Counsel for debt solutions, John Leaberry PLLC? They're who I'm commenting on.

I signed on with them about four months ago. They took a one time fee of $892. which is the monthly payment to my trust account. They also skim about $90. off of that each month. I guess that is a "service fee." They claim to have sent "cease and desist" notices to my creditors but so far, they continue to call. My guess is that they won't stop calling till a formal settlement is reached. In most cases the creditors won't offer a settlemnt till the account is 3 to 6 months delinquent.

So far, my only concern with this company are the "fees." I recently settled for a $3400. reduction on a account. That was about a 40% off the original balance. My trust account had about $3600. CDS sent me $2000. to pay my creditor and took about $1200. in "fees" leaving $400+ in my trust account. I have about eight creditors. Multiply $1200+. by 8 and that's a hefty profit for CDS. Chapter 13 would cost about $1500. once to a local Attorney and it's all done. So, I am still trying to figure out the advantage(s) to staying with CDS. My credit is still ruined but I will have paid several thousands of dollars to CDS for the privlidge....The Attorney is looking better and better and he'll get me .30 cents on the dollar owed not .60!

CDS is a very polite and professional company. They do return calls and respond to E-mail promptly. The only problem is that they may be too expensive an option for the average family.

Did they tell you everything upfront? I was only told that I would have to pay $211 each for the next 48 months and I would be completely debt-free. The counselor also told me that any fees are already added to the total of my debt.

I'm becoming quite concerned about them because the lack of trust everyone has with them. If those fees were applied to me than I would rather go with Chpt 13, have a one time fee added to my debt and get out in less than 5 years. They haven't debted my account, so maybe I should cancel. Any other advice? My initial $211 will be debted next Friday. With each comment I read, I'm becoming more and more skeptical of them.

They were not forthcoming with all their costs. They skimmed around the issue using words like "interest." I only recall being told about the first month payment going to them and the rest would be mine for the "trust account." They did not tell me they would take $90.00 from each payment as a service fee. That was a surprise. They also did not explain what "interest" meant or how their Attorneys "negotiators" earn more money by getting the lowest "settlement" possible. All I know is that upon reaching a "settlement" with one of my creditors, they sucked 1000+ dollars from the "Trust" account. That was a complete surprise. I E-mailed them about it and asked for a fee breakdown but they have not responded. When I reported a few days ago, that they do respond to E-mail and return calls, it appears now they only do so when it's legally necessary to get their hands on your money in your trust account, which they can't get unless you agree to the proposed shitty settlement. Considering that most of my accounts will "charge off" to credit collections companies at 2 to 7 cents on the dollar owed. I was told I could have negotiated personally with my creditors for much better than the 60% CDS just got me on only ONE account in five months. I am re-evaluating my business relationship with this company. Unless I hear from them by tomorrow and they can answer all my questions, I am getting out of their program and pursuing other options like Chapter 13. So, I understand what you are feeling. I will post CDS's response (if any) after tomorrow. Hope this info helps.

Contrary to my previous post, I have to report that CDS is doing the job I am paying them to do. If you have a large amount of debt, the process of settlement will take a long time. So far, I am experiencing that most of my creditors will "charge off" due to government regulated time constraints. ("7 mos") The settlement firm can't do anything about that. They can only wait and deal with the subsequent collection companies that assume the debt. Since settlement is in the best interest of all concerned, the collection companies will work with companies like CDS. It's important to give CDS and the setlement process time to work. Again, contrary to my previous opinion that Chapter 13 is better, I was wrong. It should only be done as a last resort. Our entire financial survival is attached to the "credit report."

I was recently told by one of my creditors that even my car insurance could be effected by a negative credit report. Congress has/is allowing credit reports to be the life and the death of us all. Even employment is tied to credit reports. Although you may have always been a law abiding person of strong moral character, you can now be treated like a criminal when looking for work; even if you have never broken the law...thanks Uncle Sam!

Anyway, try not to be paranoid about the process. When we are under financial stress (the worst kind) it's easy to only expect the worst and mistrust people working on your behalf. CDS is an expensive program and at times, they do not communicate well with their clients but be patient and stay with your program. It's the only hope you have till life deals you better cards.

I came to this forum in November 2006 after having been with CDS for 11 months. I was starting to doubt my decision, and based on conversations I had with my agent there plus comments made on the forum, I decided to cut my losses and leave the program. They DID return my money to me as I directed them to.

My issue with them was/is the fees they take out, and I did not understand how their settling method worked. I have a range of creditors with accounts from $200 through to $$3000 each; I thought that at least the smaller accounts would have been settled already. Basically, if I am giving them the money and they are banking it, why should I not bank that money myself where it can at least grow interest, rather than where they take out a portion and the rest just sits there? It was getting too expensive for me to use them, so I am back banking it solamente for now.

Got a phone call today from a collection agency already listed with CDS and already gotten the Cease and Desist and power of attorney. They don't care. They told us that our house will be liened by the original creditor and it will happen quickly. They told me also that CDS or even bankruptcy couldn't help me.

I use to work for John Leaberry, prior to him destroying another credit counseling company....Question you need to ask youself, is why is a West Virgina Attorney practicing Law in Florida. Why would anybody pay a Set up to a West VA attorney to handle their debtsby a Firm in Florida. Especially when it is Illegal to charge a setup fee above $75 in Florida. My suggestion, is to wonder why you have Daniel Mahanger in Florida, as the registered agent of a Law Office located in West Virginia. Mr. Leaberry owes IRS 3 Million in Back taxes from a failed coal mine, he also was suspended from the practice of Law when he was accepting bribes on behalf of the then Govenor of WV. These guys are bad news!!

I am currently in the program and nothing is being doen to settle my debt. Creditors have been calling me for the past 3 months. I receive more than 10 phone calls a day from creditors. I signed up with CDS in Nov. and have been paying them Over $300 dollars a month since then and $49 of those dollars is to pay them to settle my debt. I don't even think they have contacted my creditors at all. It doesn't seem like they are doing anything but taking my money. This is absolutely ridiculous. I thought they would help. I say go somewhere else.

How do i go on line and get into my account to see what my satus is

I signed my grandmother up with CDS last October and as of yet have seen no results and I have a hard time getting them to call me and then the other day she got a summons for court from one of her creditors and I called they had me send it to their legal department and when I called to find out what to do they told me that there was nothing we could do except let it go to court and hope that the creditor would not take all the money she gets each month to pay it. Or maybe we should file bankrupcty. I am very upset and don't know what to do. My grandmother is now in the hospital on dialysis and a breathing machine and I really don't know what to do. Please help suggestions welcome.

Hello, Audrey would you please send over my paperwork again. I have lost contact of it through my email. We had an outage, and I think I lost it. Thank you.

Dear Debtors:

I am an insider in the credit counseling/debt consolidation industry. I have worked for companies in the industry for approximately 10 years and have 4 years in the sales end of the business and 7 years in the customer service end. I am also experienced at dealing with the banks since I was in the customer service end.

Truth be told.

They do work. Just make sure that the company you choose is legit by checking them out first. There are some bad apples out there, however, most that have been in business longer than 3-4 years are likely legit and will help you.

Just so you know:
Most of these companies do operate in several entities. Usually the credit counseling/debt consolidation companies work with affiliated non-profit parts of their own companies to handle the payment processing portion of their business, i.e.: they have half the company as a private(for profit) entity to process enrollment, like an attorney's office(law office) and then the other half(customer service/payment processing) as a non-profit entity. Other companies just do enrollment through the for-profit (law office) and then either contract out or own a separate non-profit (payment processing/customer service) as part of the business. Some companies just do the enrollment and sell the accounts to back end non-profit companies that only do customer service/payment processing. Either way, they make money like any other business. The real question, however, is, 1.do they help the consumer? And 2. Do they charge fees? Answer to both questions is yes! Usually all credit counseling/debt consolidation companies charge fees, except for companies like CCCS or NFCC. The reason that these 2 companies don????????t charge fees is because they are volunteer group non-profits, i.e. like the United Way. You might think you are better off going with a company that doesn????????t charge fees. Think again. Usually these companies that don????????t charge fees rely solely on volunteers and very low paid, inexperienced representatives, who likely don????????t have much financial experience, much less have the capacity to counsel someone in financial matters. They might not have the money or the capacity to have these volunteers and low paid workers educated in these matters. Also, they lack the resources to be compliant or meet the qualifications for the standards of quality control.

On the other side of the coin, those firms that do charge fees do have more experienced representatives due to the fact that they get a better standard of pay and are more apt to stay with these companies longer and thus have more experience than those of volunteers or dollar an hour workers. These firms that charge fees, also have more resources to educate their employees, have a better chance of being compliant with standards of quality control, have a better chance at having certified representatives and in the end are likely to have a better quality product/service towards their customers. Paying an up front fee, such as the 1st payment and a monthly service fee are common in those companies and really shouldn????????t be looked upon as bad thing. The reality of it is, you will likely save thousands in interest rates through the duration of a credit counseling/debt consolidation program which will make up for any fee you could ever pay. Most fees are based on the amount of debt that you consolidate and, usually these fees won????????t exceed $49.00/mo (by law). Here is a tip for all that are thinking of going through credit counseling/debt consolidation???????If the company is run by an attorney, your chances of getting screwed are much less than if it is run by someone else other than an attorney. Remember, attorneys are regulated by the corresponding states Dept of Business or Business Regualtion and/or licensed by the BAR Association of the state where the attorney has his practice, and that is a good way to check on an attorney or an attorneys company. Credit counseling/debt consolidation companies do work and will save you big $$$$$$$$. Make sure you do your homework before deciding which company to go with.


Sincerely,

Joe Credit Counselor
Debt before Dishonor

I knew it had to be too good to be true! thanks for the warnings