Since April I have been having issues with UFS posting payments to my creditors. In August, some progress was made and the past due payments were all posted at once. UFS also had to resend new proposals to my creditors since I had been dropped from the programs (which I later found that many did not get a new proposal). I thought this would be the end of that trouble. Boy was I wrong.
My creditors have not gotten payments since then, but UFS religiously takes out $407 every 17th of the month. I have not fallen behind on paying them and I have advised them each time my payments are late. This go around, I have worked with Pamela and Clarence. Both of which were taking care of my having my accounts correctly credited. Clarence advised me on Tuesday, November 2 that the payments were being reissued out by the accounting department that Wednesday, November 3rd and that it would take 5-10 business days for the payments to be reflected in my account. November 19, 2010, 13 days from the day my payments were reissued. A whole other collection of $407 later and there are still no payments. I have been trying to get in touch with anyone with the office, but conveniently their phones have not been working the past week. I have also emailed Jaime Lyons as others who have complained have done and were sent notice that my email was deleted. I resent the notice specifically asking for my email to not be deleted this time around. I received the read receipt, but no reply.
Later that day, I got a call from Carol Lee. She stated that she would put my account on priority and that I can tell my creditors that I had a promise to pay date of Nivember 26. It is not December 10 and still no payments. Two days ago, after sending countless emails, fax, certified return receipt mailers AND a fedex, Jaime Lyons decides to decides to email me. As she stated and I quote:
"I have received your email and your fax letter, your FedEx letter along with the letter that was mailed. If I have deleted any emails that is because I have already received the same information. There is no need for me to have duplicates of the same information. With that said, I am looking into your account and will email you back within 24-48 hours with a resolution regarding your account. That means that you will receive another email from me on Friday, December 10th. "
Apparently I got on her nerves because the tone sounds on the sarcastic nature, but I digress. It is sad that I had to go through such extremes to even illicit that little bit of attention.
Maybe I am being picky here but its been more then 48 hours, about 52 sounds more like it. She did not write back as she posted. If this was 2 months ago, I would be more patient but this is ridiculous. I get around 20 calls a day from my creditors, much more then I have bothered UFS.
Before I wanted my creditors paid, but UFS has breached their contract and I want all monies that were not paid to my creditors returned to me as well as my full deposit because of the breach.
I do not want to have to file a lawsuit, but if they keep going back on their word like this, I would not hesistate. By the looks of it I am not the only one, AND it seems it would turn in to a class action suit. I have a coworker going thru the same headache as me and we are tired. We need a real resolution, not just an intent to resolve.
MovingForward
Wellington,#2Consumer Comment
Sat, December 11, 2010
The first thing to do when you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging: Stop funding your account with UFS. They are in obvious financial difficulty according to various sources on the web. Naturally verify the information through research, there is plenty of recent articles about UFS with sources and data included in the article. Based on your post, you should get out of the program and stop their auto collection of $407/month. I would even go as far as closing your current bank account and opening another bank account so they can not continue to draft from your account.
IMO, it is foolish for you to believe anything that UFS has to say at this point. After all, they are doing this to many customers according to the sheer volume of complaints here and elsewhere on the web. They are licensed as a Charitable Organization (CH#22168), but that license expires Dec 21, 2010. Look in sunbiz.org for detailed information on the company's ownership, location, registered agent, etc.
Once you stop them from taking funds from your bank account, then contact your creditors and get on the hardship program with each of your creditors. Most have a regular hardship program that you can qualify for without a third party like UFS being in the middle. The hardship program drops your interest rate to as little as zero and sometimes it is more (4% to 6% range) and can be for as long as 5 yrs. But you have to speak directly with each of your creditors and work out a proper arrangement.
As to getting a refund for the funds that UFS took and did not send to your creditors, you will need to sue UFS. Don't wait for a "class action" as that will not get you much, if anything, back. You are better off taking UFS to small claims court if the amount is within limits. Otherwise, get a good consumer attorney to represent you.
Or, check out an article by Steve Rhode called "How to Get Out of a Debt Relief Program and Get a Big Refund". Maybe that will work for you and the others that are getting taken by UFS.