I left the palmer firm - now what?

You'll want to inform Palmer to retract their POAs and send out cease and desist letters of your own. Don't expect the phone however to stop ringing in a settlement program until it jumps to a third party collections; and even then you'll still recieve some calls.

If I'm paying them monthly is there any way I can stop paying them and get atleast some of my money back?

Hello Natalie,

My dad gave up. He signed the contract in Dec 8. and they have done nothing other than take money away from my dad's account. He finally put a stop payment because they had not paid anything to the creditors. My dad went and talked to his creditors and he has been paying out of a different account. The bank said that they are going to try to get some money back from them. Please read this link. It has good info.

Go to google and type this in "Debt-settlement-credit-firms-might-not-be-all-they-seem" click on the very first link.

I AM HEART BROKEN TO SEE SO MANY OTHERS WHO TRUSTED THE PALMER FIRM TO HELP THEM IN THEIR TIME OF NEED. THE PALMER FIRM TOOK 2,156.00 OF MY MONEY. THEY DID NOT CONTACT OR PAY ANY OF MY CREDITORS. THEY HAVE RUINED MINE AND MY HUSBANDS CREDIT. WE WERE SUED, AND TOLD BY THE FIRM THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING FOR US. WE HAVE SINCE HAD TO FILE CHAPTER 13 TO STOP THE GARNISHMENTS OF MY HUSBANDS SALARY. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CONTQCT YOUR BANK AND PUT A STOP PAYMENT ON THEM TAKING ANY MONEY OUT OF YOUR ACCT. IT IS IN YOUR CONTRACT THAT YOU CAN TERMINATE THEIR SERV. AT ANY TIME. I DID AND HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB. AND THE BBB WILL GET IN TOUCH WITH THEM FOR ME,AND REQUEST MY REFUND. PLEASE CHECK THE BBB WEB SITE. THE PALMER FIRM HAS A (F) RATING.

Many debt settlement companies, take their cut first out of your monthly payments before they ever pay anything to your creditors. Once they have their fee's secure, then they will start banking your money until you finally have enough to start offering settlements. Many folks don't fully understand how debt settlement companies work. Anytime you are settling you are pretty much bashing your credit. One because the creditors go so long without any payments and two, because once you settle your accounts report as "paid less than agreed". Debt settlement should not be taken lightly and you should always research, research, research before you sign with any debt settlement company, also research the process of debt settlement. Most creditors will settle with you without using a settlement company.

i agree to most of your comment, but not all settlement companies work this way. As a matter a fact, alot of settlement companies are all different in many different ways. I personally used a settlement company and was happy with the results however i new upfront what was going to happen, how it was going to happen and what could happen. It is very important that people know how settlement works and then it can be a useful tool if you know what to expect. But it is far from easy as most people think it will be.

The Palmer Firm is a rip off. and yes you can get your money back! I told them they were not helping me and that I chose to settle a different way. At least They told me they were sending me a check in the mail. it's been about week they have till Friday and I'm calling them. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY THEY MAKE THINGS WROSE THEN THEY REALLY ARE

Im trying to find there number anyone know what it is?

I am a bill collector, hate it or not, but I am a RESPECTABLE one. I do not believe in harassment or treating others any other way than I would want to be myself as I HAVE been on the other end of collection calls... With that said, I would STRONGLY advise NOT to go with the Palmer Firm.
The reason I say this is because of how a debt settlement company works. I do not care who you are, but I am MUCH more willing to offer good 30% settlements to you as a debtor than to some company you have hired. A debt settlement company TYPICALLY works like this...
1. You sign up, typically signing a contract. You agree to a fee (based on your amount of debts and the amounts).
2. You pay the company a payment per month, lets say $300.00.
3. The Debt Settlement company takes some out of your check (a current debtor I am working with is paying $65.00 a month for 3 accounts).
4. They then put the remainder in an INTEREST BEARING escrow account---and no, you do NOT get the interest.
5. They then wait until I, the collector contact them, and since they have sent POA's, I cannot, and will not contact ANYONE else.
6. If you have enough in the account for a settlement that THEY feel is good, they will pay, if not, they let it sit longer.

Keep in mind all the while this is happening multiple things are happening... A) Fees and interest DO NOT stop. B) Legal action will continue. C)While yes, you will not receive calls, this also means you will not know you are being sued until you have someone at your door serving you. D) Your balance WILL continue to rise.

I realize that there are a VAST amount of collection agencies that are POSITIVELY HORRIBLE, but my suggestion would be to either contact them, be honest, try to work out something, REFUSE to be treated poorly (hang up), BE OPEN to the fact you most likely do LEGALLY owe the debt--even all the fees and interest, and TRY to work out some arrangement. In an absolute worst case scenario send a cease and decist, and if the agency violates that, file an attorney general complaint and seek out an attorney if the violations continue. Typically an attorney general complaint will solve your issue rather quickly.

There ARE kind, respectable, and understanding collectors out there---I am one of them...

HI PATRICK,IF POSSIBLE COULD YOU PLEASE CALL ME AT phone # deleted per forum rules---mobile I'M CURRENTLY WORKING WITH PALMER FIRM AND I'M HAVING SOME ISSUES WITH THEM.JUST NEED SOME ADVICE.THX

I can personally vouch for this Company to help you settle your debts. They do charge a small monthly fee and they send you monthly how your money has been distributed to your debtors. I have recently completed my obligations & appreciate the help that CCC of Des Moines gave me. Call Ken, who was my consultant, and request his assistance if needed. You can check them out with the BBB.....

DO NOT USE THE PALMER FIRM!!!!
This company is falsely representing their abilities. You will have a monthly payment deducted out of your bank account every month and $65 is taken right off the top of every payment for their "maintenance fee". Plus, they are not able to freeze your accounts, so your over the limit fees and interest keeps increasing- making your actual credit card balance much higher every month. The Palmer Firm states that once 10% of your balance has accumulated in your account per credit card that they will start the negotiation process...that is obviously hard to do if your accounts are not frozen and the credit card balance increases every month. But they lack telling you that part! Plus, on top of the $65 that they take every month, you also have to pay a retainer fee for their services, so the first payments you are making to them do not accumulate in your account at all, and they have close to no contact with your creditors- and they advise you also to not have any communication with them. So, if THEY are not communicating with the creditors and YOU are not supposed to answer their calls, then the companies feel like they have to take the next step in order to get their money- LAWSUIT. This company has been nothing but a huge headache. I filed a report with the Better Business Bureau yesterday, hoping to get my retainer fee back...this is after I contacted my creditors MYSELF and was able to negotiate my own debt on one of my credit cards to 40% of what I owed. I am not contacting my remaining creditors to take care of my problems on my own. Believe me, you should not enlist this company for any kind of help, they will charge you $65/month + a retainer fee (mine was $1200) and then do the absolute minimal amount of work that they can.

...that is supposed to read " I am NOW contacting my remaining creditors....

My husband and I used the Palmer Firm two years ago. After
a short time with them, we discovered that they were using our automatic deduction clause in the contract to drain our bank account--- withdrawing one month's payment on one day, and within 24 hours, withdrawing a second monthly payment! Our Credit Union stated that the withdrawal agreement was with the Palmer Firm, and that they could not
prevent them from withdrawing the money at will. When we
notified the Palmer Firm, they agreed to replace the funds---one month later! At that point we only placed in the account the monthly amount to control the issue. We continued to pay the monthly amount agreed upon, until I received the notice of Garnishment from my Employer-----all the court dates had been sent to the Palmer Firm, and they did not represent us, nor notify us of the Hearings--some good Lawyers working there, huh! At that point we CANCELLED our agreement with the Palmer Firm. We recieved no notices of payment on any of our bills during that time, and they paid no one. Once we cancelled with their Office, they refused to speak with us except to let us know they would be sending out letters to our Creditors notifying them of our Cancellation with their company---no time frame given.... At that point our Creditors
started calling us---we thought we had handled all the bills outstanding---But suprise! 6 months after the first garnishment, a Creditor has sued us in Court for another balance due-----another garnishment is in the works, and we
still have not been notified by anyone of our Court dates----
At present we are in touch with the Court to discover the "many ways" they attempted to notify us of this remaining debt---whether the Palmer Group ever recieved these other
notices and failed once again to notify anyone that they had recieved mail meant for us is still the question.
I know that the Palmer Firm is full of Lawyers, but is there any
action all of us could take to stop their abuses of the system, other than the BBB? There needs to be an Board of their Peers to screen these companies and keep this from happening to the general public---the POOR general public--maybe getting the Media involved to stop the blatant abuse of good Americans trying to find their way in a sea of BULLSHIT!

The Better Businsess Bureau has been very instumental for me, personally. I guess I should have checked their website before entering into an agreement with the Palmer Firm. After viewing the BBB's website, I see that they have an "F" rating and there are mutiple complaints from people just like us who have also been taken advantage of by The Palmer Firm.
After filing a report with the BBB, I have been issued a full refund by The Palmer Firm and I am expecting that check in the mail today. With this money back, I have called 2 of my remaining 3 creditors and have been able to negotiate MY OWN credit cards down to 50% of what I owe, so they will be paid off! My 4th and final creditor I paid of on my own as well- with no help from The Palmer Firm, even though I had HIRED them to do this work for me. I negotiated that debt down to 40% of what I owed. After doing this myself, I realized that The Palmer Firm was useless and they were just taking my money. I contacted them to let them know what I was able to do on my own and why they, as a law firm, could not do the same thing....things were pretty quiet on their end of the line. Their company is a scam and in my opinion, anyone who uses them will be in more financial hardship than when they started.
My recommendation to anyone involved with The Palmer Firm is to GET OUT NOW and file a complaint with the BBB in hopes of putting a stop to their company as well as to get your hard earned money back!

this palmer firm is a fraud company they don't tell you the truth they make you pay money into an account and telling you that the will use it to settle your debt. and dont forget they charge you $65 every money the take plus a retainer fee and as you are doing this your credit is going from bad to worse this a very bad company you are better of negotiating your debt with your credit card company than this palmer firm no matter what you do please stay away from this company they will mess you up big time they are fraud.

Epic Finanical is who you should look into. there a referral company that referrs Clients to Palmer. Whats sad! Is the owners of Epic have run the name into the ground. Because they don't do what there suppose to do. It's funny how people like that can run a company into the ground, then open up another company offering the same service under a different name so they can be in good w/ the BBB.

That Palmer, Mossler, Inugiez law Firm all have the same location on there mailing address just different departments..... Also Epic Finnanical goes under the Debt Group, Or the Hermosa Group.. The Owners have opened up another Office under the marketing of of Jordan Mckinna? It's the Law firm of Craig Zimmerman... So beware........ Same Charges for fees but using a different Law firm.. Now that's FrAUD

Yes they are a rip off!!!! Not only do you pay a hefty retainer, you also pay $65/mo fee AND they charge you 1/3 of whatever they saved you on the settlement. DO NOT use this firm !!!
They are going after the people who are going under and they have no regard for your well being. I've lost thousands that I could have taken care of myself. I fell victim to a caring voice at a time when I was in dire crisis. I got SCREWED !!!!

After "clearing" 3 accounts with the "help" of Palmer Firm in about 20 months, I owe "MORE" to my remaining debtors than when I started! I also have a judgement against me when they failed to represent me! I paid them over $1000.00 per month and the first 7 months went to their "retainer"! Then, when they negotiated my "payoffs", they added 33 1/3 percent for their "handling" of the negotiations. I finally wised up and "fired" them and now must file bankruptcy since they DID NOT cause any interest charges to be reduced or stopped. If ANYONE is filing a suit against them, count me in!

I have some more bad news for you! When you file your taxes, you have to add the amounts that the creditors charged off as income. My fiance signed up and the bills all increased due interest and late charges. The account they did pay off, he had to pay the 33 1/3 along with their monthly service fee's. Then after he filed his taxes and received a refund, he received paperwork from Palmer. Now he owes $450.00 in taxes. He had a horrible time cancelling the service. They took forever to refund the money and did not refund the total amount in the account. We are with you as far as a law suit. Maybe a class action suit would be nice! When I found out what my fiance was doing, I looked them up and their are so many complaints. He feels stupid. I told him, when people get in financial situations they become desparate. For him, he was out of work for 6 months due to back surgery and is in a State that does not have temporary disability.

wow that makes me sick to my stomach, I actually went through the law offices of craig zimmerman myself, and the marketing name was Jordan McKenna. I had the exact same problems and settled the debt myself. I did issue a complaint to the BBB in hopes of getting some of the money I paid them back. It's been over 2 weeks and they haven't responded at all. You would think that they would at least try and stick up for themselves, but apparently even they know that what they are doing is wrong. I could've save a lot of time and money by handling this whole thing myself from the start.

Do it yourself. It's not that hard.

I am a debt collector at a law firm and let me tell you that ALL DEBT settlement companies are a scam. Your creditors will negotiate with you eventually.Don't let the settlement places take you out of the loop. The only real debt companies that can help you and give you a realistic idea of your situtation are non-profit credit counsellors.I talk to people all day long that regret signing up for these jokes. Be informed and don't be afraid to find out what your options are at all stages of the game. Good Lick and spread the word about these places.

fuck palmer firm ......they took my $7000.00 and still haven't paid off my creditors fuckig bullshit ppl say its going to take another $7000.00 so its going to the same amount that i owe.........sears andother creditors are calling us and telling that they can settlement in half money and palmer firm say they lie talmer firmask for double to settle the account and all this hidden fees .......every time i talked with them i feel like to blow their whole firm with fire and closed this bullshit ppl how they can runbogus business in this country so legaly after all this people complaining no one doing nothing to stop this bogus ppl taking everybody money...........no wonder america's economy is down because thousands of bogus company is in market legally fucking american ppl money.......

It's better to deal with your creditors directly than through a third party. With a little help and guidance from someone with experience you can negotiate with your creditors successfully.

Has anyone taken action with any consumer protection agency or state attorney general? I have an elderly parent sending them money. I have no way of finding out how much.

hi i was concerened the palmer was not doing any thing 4 me either but i stuck inthere they told me 2 years to clear up debt. i got sumings and everything else like you guys talked but last month they setteled my one account and it was ligit and that was one year so they did do something it takes a while though

For all those who say do it yourself it is very true but keep in mind that creditors will settle with you directly but they will also require a lump sum of cash within 30 days of the agreed upon settlement. This is one of the reasons people come to debt settlement companies because we can over time gradually save up money. Unfortunately law firms charge these outrageous fees and even collect more depending on the settlement they get for you. People just assume because they have attorneys workign for them that everything will be okay when in reality they are not looking out for there clients. There is a reason there are so many lawyer jokes. I work for a settlement company and have for the last 2 years, I wont say its name so you dont think I am just doing this for more business but good settlement companies do provide a valuable resource for people especially in todays economy. My best advice would be to make sure that any company you speak with is an accredited member of The Association of Settlement Companies (TASC) and the United States Organization of Bankruptcy Alternatives (USOBA). As long as they are you should be in good hands, just make sure you take the time to do the research on any company you speak with. Also keep in mind CCCS companies work directly for the creditors but they dont tell you that, almost like a dirty little secret. Settlement companies work for the clients. Best of luck.

i've been dealing with the palmers firm for a year and have paid off one credit card for half of what i owed. just hang in there.

Quote:

the same thing AS HAPPENED TO ME EXCEPT I HAVE TRIED TO CANCEL AND CANNOT GET ANYONE TO CALL ME BACK. I FIND OUT TODAY I AM BEING SUED WHEN I CONTACTED A CREDITOR TO MAKE PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS. wOW!! I AM SUPPOSED TO BE IN COURT IN A WEEK AND HAVENT EVEN RECEIVED A NOTE SAYING WHERE WHEN WHAT TIME OR WHO BY?
WHEN I MENTIONED TO THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PERSON AT PALMER FIRM THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING I WAS TOLD THEY COULD REFER ME TO AN ATTORNEY TO HELP ME . OF COURSE I HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS AND HE IS NOT WITH THE PALMER FIRM. I HAVE SINCE FILED A REPORT WITH THE BBB. NOT A RESPONSE BACK YET. I CANNOT BELEIVE THIS PLACE IS EVEN ALLOWED TO BE IN BUISNESS.

I have had all the same dealings and results with the palmer firm as the rest of you. Why don"t you all file complaints with the bbb and if we cant get them shut down or thrown out of buisness then maybe we can get a class action lawsuit going against them.? They need to be stopped from ripping people off.

Ok, Why is it everyone wants someting for nothing. Ok so you have to pay a little fee each month. I have been with them for a year now and have paid off 5 credit card companies. Now if you pay attention they give you the information to submit to the 3 main credit agencies to have it taken off to start clearing up your credit. Now if you file for Bankruptcy you will have that haning over your head for "SEVEN" years. Also if you go through the credit card compaines they will want a lump sum of money with in a certain amout of time. Also if you elect to make a number of payments you have to renew that usally once a year depending how long it will take to pay it off. Again this boils down to people wanting the freaking world handed to them on a silver platter. Of course I know there are people out there they will probably chastise what I have said, but to all the nay sayers out there. "Grow the Fuck Up" And realize that the world is cruel an until the government places laws regarding limitations for what debt collectors can due. Be thankful there are companies out there like the Mossler Law Firm. Because getting out of debt is not any easy road, but it can be done.

I dealt with the Palmer Firm also after 9 months I received notice that one of my Credit Card companies was suing me. I called the Palmer firm over and over again and I could not get a call back. Then I cancelled my service with them and they sent me back a check for 1/9 of what I actually paid to them. They said the rest was my fees! I had to file a chapter 13 bancruptcy which my debt was thousands of dollars more than when I started. Of course I had to pay all that extra debt in my Chapter 13. The sad thing is that I had never been late on a credit card bill before I started with them. I was feeling overwhelmed so I got involved with them and got screwed!!!!

Does anybody know about Criag Zimmerman Law firm as a debt settlement firm. This is all so overwhelming. The reason I'm in this situation is because I have been screwed over by renters of my rental properties. And I sure don't want to get screwed by a Law Firm that acts as if they want to help me in this very difficult situation I'm in.. Could someone who has used Zimmerman tell me NO, don't do this and the experience they have had

I have used the Palmer firm and after being laid off and no money coming in but my unemployment.
Yes, the take their fee first before they start paying and a maintenance fee of $65.00 per month.
They have negotiated 6 of my accounts leaving me with just two left. It's been a long process but well worth it.
What they negotiated for I could have never done on my own. I started with $450.00 and gradually lowered my fee after not having any money come in. If I my other bills were more that month I would call them and they would not take that money out of my account for that month as long as you give them a month's notice in advance. When I had my surgery I let them know that I needed that money for that month and the did not
take it during that month.

I think people just assume that that debts and calls are going away sooner than expected. If I got a call I would call them. If I got a bill or letter I faxed it to them. You just have to ask questions take person's name that you spoke with date & time and be patient. All law firms and attorney cases take months to resolve.

I can honestly say I have been pleased with the way they have handled in settling my debts. I just never anwer any calls with numbers I do not recognize. After they settle they alway's send you a letter and you then write a letter to the credit bureau to make sure they update your file.

i just recieved some arbitration material in the mail in regards to the palmer firm.....we used them 2 yrs ago and cancelled with them because of suspicious activity...has anyone else recieved this letter, it looks like maybe they are being sued. if so please email me at [EMAIL="jaxmom123@gmail.com....thanx"]jaxmom123@gmail.com....thanx[/EMAIL]!

My poor grandfather was talked into using the Palmer Firm to negotiate for him and so far they settled one of his accounts. The account received a certain amount and the Palmer Firm received a little more then double that same amount in fees for their services. My mom broke down the math for my grandfather and he was close to tears. RIDICULOUS!!

Just saying.......

The main company responsible for the bad things clients are complaining about The Palmer Law Firm is:

Lexxiom
11690 Pacific Avenue
Fontana, Ca. 92337
909-982-5553

The Palmer Law Firm was working in the same building as Lexxiom. Be aware there is also another law firm called the Sideman Law Firm who is still working with Lexxiom and still ripping off people and still getting away with it. Lexxiom has change there name in the pass four years. They use to be called Mediation Debt, DMSI and now Lexxiom. Please which out they don't change there name again.

Lexxiom is a big fraud of a company and is still getting away with it.

the Palmer Firm phone number-800 560-8520