Complaint Review: JG WENTWORTH - Martinsburg West Virginia

They sell hamburgers at a known, low price to make money.  You charge outrageous interest rates and advertise on low budget trashy TV shows to lure in people who watch that crap and then screw them.   How you sleep at night, I will never know.  The mafia is in business to make money too but does that make it right?

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This kind of story is really a tragedy. I sincerely hope that the girl gets the help she needs. Our company is in business to make money. We don't force or coerce people into business transactions that they are unwilling to engage in. If any of our employees were guilty of any misconduct, you should have reported this directly to our company, and you are still welcome to do so. If a wrong was done, we will make it right. We are not in business to cheat people. But you must realize that I have kids that I have to feed just like you do. I tried other lines of work, but all my other business ventures failed. Of course some people would prefer not to seek trading their annuity for immediate cash, but have no choice. There are federal and state laws that govern how we conduct our business. Everything is strictly legal. We provide a very specific kind of service. For those who need it, we can be a life-saver, and have been. I cannot speak specifically to Brittany's situation, because I can find no record of this case in our files. If you are reticent to speak to our firm directly, I encourage you to contact your local Better Business Bureau. They exist to aid consumers who believe they have been taken advantage of and can outline your options for you. Also, I am a little confused about the information you provided: she was awarded $35K, received $6K at age 18, another payment (presumably $6K, certainly well over $2K from your description) and was scheduled to get a third and final installment at age 21 (presumably $6K) and you say she was losing $20K. If that is true then she would be due $38K on a $35K note. Nobody in structured settlements could stay solvent for long doing business in that manner. It sounds like the courts and in particular the judge have failed to protect Brittany's interest in this case. That is a real tragedy. On the other hand, being an adult, if she is judged competent by a court of law, then she has the right to enter into any contract that any other adult who lives in a free nation has the right to enter into. If it is legal and she wants to go forward then there is nothing that anyone can legally do to prohibit her action. She is your relative, if you and her other relatives cannot persuade her to act in what you perceive to be in her best interest, then there is nothing to say. You certainly have more access to her and clout than we do. We do not have the responsibility, nor does any business, of trying to talk her out of what she wants to do. The important thing is her path forward. And it is you and her other family members who she must rely on now. The world we live in is filled with all kinds of people and all kinds of businesses. We provide a service to those who have special needs and are unable to fulfill them locally, say for example at a bank or other financial institution. All of our employees work for a living and expect to get paid for their labor. We are not a welfare institution. We seek to make a profit. This is true of your local car dealer, McDonalds and banks. The world is a business, not a charity. The claims you have made in your header: "preying, harrassment, lying, careless, greedy" simply are not true. Other companies might seek to sue you for slander, so I would recommend being more careful about what you say in public forums. We value our good name and take pride in our reputation which is unequalled in our industry. How do you think we are able to continue cluttering up the airwaves with our ads? It is because we run a successful and profitable business. The only way to do that is to treat customers with respect and provide the service they need. Americans are smart, the smartest people in the world. If we operated the kind of shady business that your comments imply, we would not be able to stay in business two weeks. Take care of Brittany. I wish her and all your family a bright, drug-free future. Your family has gone through a lot of suffering and it is time for healing to begin. Sincerely, JGW

This kind of story is really a tragedy. I sincerely hope that the girl gets the help she needs. Our company is in business to make money. We don't force or coerce people into business transactions that they are unwilling to engage in. If any of our employees were guilty of any misconduct, you should have reported this directly to our company, and you are still welcome to do so. If a wrong was done, we will make it right. We are not in business to cheat people. But you must realize that I have kids that I have to feed just like you do. I tried other lines of work, but all my other business ventures failed. Of course some people would prefer not to seek trading their annuity for immediate cash, but have no choice. There are federal and state laws that govern how we conduct our business. Everything is strictly legal. We provide a very specific kind of service. For those who need it, we can be a life-saver, and have been. I cannot speak specifically to Brittany's situation, because I can find no record of this case in our files. If you are reticent to speak to our firm directly, I encourage you to contact your local Better Business Bureau. They exist to aid consumers who believe they have been taken advantage of and can outline your options for you. Also, I am a little confused about the information you provided: she was awarded $35K, received $6K at age 18, another payment (presumably $6K, certainly well over $2K from your description) and was scheduled to get a third and final installment at age 21 (presumably $6K) and you say she was losing $20K. If that is true then she would be due $38K on a $35K note. Nobody in structured settlements could stay solvent for long doing business in that manner. It sounds like the courts and in particular the judge have failed to protect Brittany's interest in this case. That is a real tragedy. On the other hand, being an adult, if she is judged competent by a court of law, then she has the right to enter into any contract that any other adult who lives in a free nation has the right to enter into. If it is legal and she wants to go forward then there is nothing that anyone can legally do to prohibit her action. She is your relative, if you and her other relatives cannot persuade her to act in what you perceive to be in her best interest, then there is nothing to say. You certainly have more access to her and clout than we do. We do not have the responsibility, nor does any business, of trying to talk her out of what she wants to do. The important thing is her path forward. And it is you and her other family members who she must rely on now. The world we live in is filled with all kinds of people and all kinds of businesses. We provide a service to those who have special needs and are unable to fulfill them locally, say for example at a bank or other financial institution. All of our employees work for a living and expect to get paid for their labor. We are not a welfare institution. We seek to make a profit. This is true of your local car dealer, McDonalds and banks. The world is a business, not a charity. The claims you have made in your header: "preying, harrassment, lying, careless, greedy" simply are not true. Other companies might seek to sue you for slander, so I would recommend being more careful about what you say in public forums. We value our good name and take pride in our reputation which is unequalled in our industry. How do you think we are able to continue cluttering up the airwaves with our ads? It is because we run a successful and profitable business. The only way to do that is to treat customers with respect and provide the service they need. Americans are smart, the smartest people in the world. If we operated the kind of shady business that your comments imply, we would not be able to stay in business two weeks. Take care of Brittany. I wish her and all your family a bright, drug-free future. Your family has gone through a lot of suffering and it is time for healing to begin. Sincerely, JGW

As sad as your story may be, the person you need to be blaming is the one who decided to take all those drugs, not JGW. All these transactions are ultimately seen by a judge, and they rule as to whether they feel it is in the clients best interest. Obviously the judge did not question the transaction either, so how can the blame fall solely on JGW? Also, it states clearly in the contract that all clients are required to seek outside counsel. So yet again, if a lawyer thought she was competant enough to make this decision, how can you blame JGW? To the person who said that this was a case of predatory lending, you clearly have no idea how the process works. JGW is not a lender, and do not provide loans. They purchase the rights to receive these future payments in exchange for a lump sum of cash up front. No lending, and no pay back. So she could "sew" all she want and it wouldn't accomplish a thing. It's easy to pass the blame onto this company, but they are not the ones forced her to take those drugs. While you may have a negative opinion on the company, there are thousands of others who have been able to save theirs homes, pay off debts, and afford medical treatments due to the work of JGW that they otherwise would never be able to afford. While I understand your grief, publicly bashing a company is not the way to get over it.

First your story is very heart felt. JGW should not have done what they did. I was wondering if there is documentation of her being "disabled"? If so you can somehow call a lawyer and get the money back, also the drug use that JGW knew about. I cant beleave they knew and went for it any way. There is a law about preditor lending, PLEASE talk to a lawyer about it. I would sew them for millions. If a jury herd this story they would grant her the money. As far as the person that responded with WOW. She was telling her story about JGW and thats what this is for. You must work for JGW, if you had a child that did drugs and was slow would you want her to get money? NO? This goes to show you how JGW is. Im sure you will write in now and say you dont work for them, mostly because it makes JG look bad. How is she doing now? I know it was about a year now, how is she? Good luck to you and her. Also upset with jg wentworth

So a legit business that did what it was hired to do is somehow the blame for your second hand story about a relatives disfunctional family and their alcoholism and drug use? They had nothing to do with her doing drugs or your sister drinking herself to alleged near death. Are they also somehow responsible for the nephews death? I'm surprised you haven't found a way to spin that into this. This whole complaint should be against the family members. Wow.