Subject: Enlightened Debt Solutions Inc

My question is, why would you ask after enrolling? why not before? Did you research this company before signing up? I dont know anything about this program but am curious as to why you would wait till after the fact to research?

Hi neilp02,

A Google search shows they have complaints against them, but they have never been discussed here. Probably a new company. Although the first complaint listed on Google, at RipOffReport, the company defended themselves quite admirably.

From what I can see, they are standard complaints against any debt settlement company. Since they are so common I would assume that most of them are due to the misunderstandings of the customer.

I can't understand how people can think they can just walk up and get a 50% discount on their bills without raking their credit report in the mud, without having to wait for some time, and without creditors calling them. ("Snap your fingers, save 50%!"). I guess the idea of debt settlement is so appealing, that the ramifications are never thought of much.

So I would say yeah, you are probably ok.

chrys

Thank you for answering, my inquiry and also your Blog on Provanta Debt Settlement. In response to your asking whether, I did any research on this company before signing up with them, the answer is yes I did. I do feel that overall this company has helped us out, however it helps to talk with others that have gone this route and find out what their experiences have been. For the most part I did not find anything bad about them on the BBB site, however there were a couple complaints posted on a website called ripoff reports.

I have just discovered the Debtcc community forums, as I never knew this resource existed before.
So, although I don't have any qualms with the job that Enlightened Debt solutions is doing for me, it does help to be able to talk with others who are or have been working with this company to see how they're coming along with their programs.

Thanks again for your reply. Sorry this became so lengthy.

Hi Guest,

By the way, I wasn't talking about you, I was just speaking in general.

I'm glad you are here, and I hope you stick around!

chrys

Thanks for your reply, chrys. I know a person needs to check things out really good, and I try to be as careful as I can before I sign contracts with companies etc. I have been a victim before, so I am really cautious about things, however, when a person gets into a "fix", sometimes he or she doesn't always check into everything they should because of time, resources etc. So, I did check into this company beforehand and actually was referred by another person who has had considerable experience in the industry, working with debt settlement companies. This person provides all kinds of advice and referrals as needed and the website is as follows:
"http://www.debtreliefcompanies.net/". So, this is where I initially got started, when I was trying to get help. So it all seemed to be on th up & up. Anyway, I hope to get info from others on these forums. I am new to this forum, as I didn't even know it existed until last week. Although, I do a lot of things on the internet, you never know what resources there are until you do some research. Unfortunately sometimes it isn't always at the time that you want it to be.

Thanks for your reply & your time.

im so glad that you found the forum here now. This is a great place for answers and experience. People are very helpful here.

I wish there was more we could do to help people get here before they take a plunge into something they are unsure of. Im sorry if i have been testy lately. I reread my post, and at the time i did not mean for it to come out so abrupt so i opologize.

I do agree with the post above though people get themselves into desperate times and want to do something quick and dont always know whats involved. But this is very important to prevent yourself from being scammed and to have a turn out that you are unhappy with.

Welome to everyone that is new here! we are glad to always have some new smiling faces!

I use them and they seem to do a good job. Their fees seem high but everyone else seems to be right at the same. I have always been able to get help when I called in, and the salesmen informed me of the downsides of settlement. I also saw the ripoff report and it scared me, but the customer service agent said that alot of that was competitors and/or disgruntled employees. Make sense, when I saw they had a B+ rating with the BBB.

I have been with them for several months and they seem to be doing a good job. Their fees seemed high but most of the industry is right around the same. I too saw the ripoffreport.com complaints and it scared me but a customer service agent said a lot of that was competitors and disgruntled employees. Answer made sense when I saw that their BBB rating was a B+. Everytime I called I have gotten someone to help me. I thought about cancelling at one point in time and spoke to Tom Stewart the President of the company. He was one of the most intelligent skilled guys I have ever talked to over the phone and made me feel good about everything. One bad thing I will say is that the salesmen I talked to could have done a better job going over everything with me. I did not know how much of my money went to fees early on. They seem to be a decent company although I do not know what to compare them against.

I use them too. But I am not sure about smooth talkers. If you try to cancel, and they are giving you a hard time, and you end up talking with the president of the company, something seems wrong. When is the last time you ever talked to the president of a big company. I just hope that the $ I am giving them is working and not just paying their salaries.

He claimed to handle a lot of cancels to see why people are cancelling and to see ways they can improve as a company. He also said they only had around 20 to 30 employees so I don't think they are a big corporation. I would not really describe him as a smooth talker. He seemed genuine and spoke with passion. He admitted the fact that they are in business to make a good living but that also they want to offer a good service to their client. I don't know?? Maybe I am a sucker?

Hi! I was wondering if anyone can tell me exactly how much they are charging for their fee? I'm considering using this company and before I actually set up a consultation with them I am interested in knowing exactly what it costs. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

I don't know. if you are a sucker, then so am I. but everywhere else I read says that I can settle the debt myself. I just can't be afriad to talk to my creditors. I read that I can work out a deal just as good as any company could. they just want their $ back.

As for the cost per month, I am not sure, but I think it is close to $80 a month.

Does anyone know if you get charged a fee to cancel?

Most of them run to around 12 to 15% of your debt.

I doubt anyone here has used them, this is the only thread that comes up in the Search.

Yes, most definitely you can do it yourself. Just remember, if a collection agency is being rude and intimidating to you on the phone, send then a Cease-and-Desist letter and deal with them only in writing (Return Receipt Requested). I myself don't deal well with people screaming at me....

I have been with Enlightened for almost a year. They are not settling any of my accounts. Most of the money I have paid for the past 11 months went to pay fees. I had to settle 2 of my accounts myself and just got served for another account. One of the accounts I settled was going into garnishment so I had to pay the full amount. The other I settled for half of what was owed. I have sent all legal paperwork to Enlightened with no correspondence from them. I had to call about the first account I got served on and they dropped that account. I defintely do not recommened anyone going to Enlightened. I am thinking of getting a lawyer and suing Enlightened for breach of contact.

This is a pretty common problem with this industry.

File a complaint against them with the FTC and your State Attorney General's Office. They would both love to hear from you.

I would suggest asking to speak with a supervisor or operations manager. I have seen some other postings on this company, but each time the customers seems pleased after airing their issues with the management. I don't know? It would appear that they are concerned about their reputation/image?, especially with the bbb. It shows as a b+ and every other settlement company I have ever looked at is a D or worse. My aunt has been using enlightend for about a year, and I was really skeptical for her. In fact I called to cancel her account when she was enrolling, but when everything was explained to me it made more sense. They didn't make it seem like the problems would go away overnight, or that it would be problem free... Which it hasn't been. The counselor/sales lady could have done a better job explaining the fees...My aunt still gets calls every once in a while, but she also got an account resolved at 20%, and the girl handling it had them postpone collecting their fees for 2 months to set up the settlement. ... maybe I drank the koolade too, but that seems pretty darn good. I know there are a lot of theives out there, especially now but in my experience Enlightend seems legit... At least my aunt seems pretty happy, I hope I'm not wrong.

Postponing collecting their fees?! :shock: Wow! A company that is *actually* for their customers first! This is good to hear. I like it when I hear about good customer service, it is so rare these days.... Thanks for the reports.

Enlightened Debt CAN help you get out of debt. This is a great company and I have been with them for over a year. They will do what they can for the client. I got as low as 15% on one of my accounts! This is one settlement company that can be trusted. Yes they charge a fee, nothing in life is FREE, but if you look at the BIG picture, you are still saving money! I recommend this company to anyone trying to get out of debt. BUT Remember it's easy to get into Debt, but IT WON'T BE EASY GETTING OUT OF DEBT! Good Luck!


Nice Fake Testimonial

I have researched more than a few firms and I once I found
Debt Solutions, I was impressed with their empathy and support. I signed up and I have been anxious about my situation but happy about my decision.

I am signed up with an attorney for settlement who charges a small retainer up front and then the rest of her fees as part of my monthly payment to the escrow account. Anything she can't settle on for a reasonable settlement is refunded. It's a 2 year program.

Very nice! Good to hear!

Does anyone have a phone number for them. There is no listing in the Lake Mary or Orlando area.

Google says 866-285-9917.

Quote:

Yes i enrolled with enlightend dept about a year ago. I recieced a letter saying they are no longer in dept management.