Is Freedom Debt Relief a Scam? A Must-Read Before Signing Up…

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Do you want to learn how I stayed debt-free all these years by selling other people’s products online? Click here to find out. 🙂

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Coping with debt is never easy.

The good thing, though, is that we don’t have to dig ourselves out of debt alone since many debt settlement companies can help us negotiate a settlement with our creditors.

 

Do you want to know more about this?

Please stay tuned as we answer whether Freedom Debt Relief is a scam or a legit debt settlement company that will help you revive your credit standing.

Let’s face it. The world would be such a better place without debt, but life is not all about sugar, spice, and everything nice at the end of the day.

With everything that’s happening around the world, some of us have no choice but to turn to companies and seek loans for whatever reason.

There’s nothing wrong with this since times are hard, and if the pandemic doesn’t come to a stop soon, financial independence will become a Herculean task.

If you’re overwhelmed with debt and want to start clean all over again, you should never borrow more money with the hopes of repaying other debts. 

Instead, it would help if you consider signing up with legitimate debt relief firms that will negotiate on your behalf with your creditors to pay less than the full amount.

They help you with your situation by asking you to pay them some fee, start up a savings account with them, and create an agreement on your monthly payment. 

This so-called agreement will be based on how much you can pay every month and the amount of debt you owe.

 

Please understand that debt relief companies don’t offer magic solutions to your problems that will instantly banish all of your debts, okay? 

Some companies can pay off everything within months, while it’s still possible that the payment stays uncleared even after a few years. 

When the company sees that you are saving enough, they will reach out to your creditors as your representatives and will urge them to accept the lower repayment than nothing at all.

When it’s all said and done, you should know that signing up with them does not guarantee that your creditors will accept the lower-priced repayment. 

If this does happen, some debt relief companies may urge you to try out alternatives such as filing for bankruptcy, credit card balance transfer schemes, debt consolidation loans, or even train you to handle the negotiations if you want.

Additionally, please note that there are also instances where some fraudulent companies mask themselves as a legitimate ones promising to help you out early. 

 

But guess what?

Just like the guy in this video, you might find yourself in a sticky situation where they won’t call you back to inform you about their plans on how to settle your debts. 

Is this the case with Freedom Debt Relief, or is it a legit company that will help you with your debt problems? I was hoping you could find out more about this as I present my honest Freedom Debt Relief review to you.

 

Just as a disclaimer, allow me just to state that I am not connected with the company, nor am I being paid to write this post. What you will see here are my honest opinions and nothing more.

By the end of this post, I will also share how I managed to stay debt-free by making a living online and letting you decide whether you want to give my business line a chance or stick with debt relief companies that limit you to certain types of debts.

 

Freedom Debt Relief Review

I’ve been getting a ton of questions from readers lately asking me if it’s possible to pay off their debts by signing up with debt relief companies and whether these companies can find some loophole that will help them pay only what they must.

 

Today, I’ll be reviewing Freedom Debt Relief.

You can hint from the name itself that this company is built to lend a helping hand, especially to those who find themselves lost, in debt, and in so much trouble because of their current financial standing. 

Freedom Debt Relief remains one of the largest and most popular debt settlement solutions providers in the United States. As a word of advice, though, please note that using their service can also impact you negatively since: 

1. You need to pay the company a certain amount. 
2. It can destroy your credit.
3. You may have trouble getting a job. 
4. The negotiation on lessening your debts is not guaranteed.

Signing up with a debt relief company may destroy your credit since they will ask you to stop paying your creditors, and this move will undoubtedly reflect on your credit reports for at least seven years. 

Since you will be a delinquent payer, you may have trouble landing jobs and will have a reduced ability to borrow even after seven years.

This company has been around since 2002 and was founded based on this real gap in the financial world: there are no consumer-friendly debt-related solutions for people. 

With this, Andrew Housser and Brad Stroh decided to create the Freedom Financial Network. This company provides tailored solutions for both personal use and professional companies. Some of these are:

1. Financial assessment
2. Financial tools and education
3. Home equity services
4. Personal loans services
5. Credit Counseling
6. Debt Relief
7. Bankruptcy

While it’s been operating for so long, BBB does not accredit this company, and to make things even better, it has well over +400 complaints on the site. 

This, however, is a far cry to its Trustpilot account, which shows that it has a resounding 4.6 rating, and about %79 rated it as “excellent.” The Best Company also gave it a 9.9 score. 

Freedom Debt Relief has a resounding 226k followers on Facebook, 7k on Instagram, and 15.6k on Twitter in terms of social media presence. 

 

These metrics are surprisingly good for a debt relief company, and all of their social media profiles are also very active. They also have a YouTube account where they practically post marketing videos and money management tips.

Unlike other companies where you will need to pay for their service right away, the Freedom Debt Relief offers a free consultation process where you will only pay them once the job is done. 

In this sense, the only time when you’ll need to pay them is when they negotiate with your creditor and settle your debts. 

 

Basically, this is the process. 👈

Once you are on board with them, you can also track your progress in real-time using their unique dashboard. This dashboard contains the money you are saving up and the debts. (both SETTLED and NOT to motivate you). 

But before you go and sign up, please let me just warn you that they don’t show you how much exactly the fees are for the settled debt. According to Investopedia’s report, the performance-based fees can go as high as 15%- 25%! 

Again, the fees depend on the debt and the amount saved. So, when you think about it, are you really settling your debts in the best possible way?

I mean, if you’re well trained and have the proper attitude, you can even negotiate by yourself just by simply applying the techniques from the Ramsey Show.  

 

I’m not praising the Ramsey Show, okay? 

Instead, I’m trying to point out that the show is practically telling you that you can do this on your own without having to pay some “middle man” who promises they will help you out but may not be able to do so. 

For me, it just depends on your goal. 

 

Would you rather sign up with a pro-profit or non-profit company?

Based on my research, Freedom Debt Relief is a profit debt relief company which means a massive chunk of the payment goes to the company than to your creditors! 

More importantly, WellsFargo states that such companies do more harm because they advise you to stop paying everything and just provide you with *promises.*

In addition, debt relief companies are more focused on taking their piece of the cake than actually giving counsel on debt management. So for these reasons alone, I find it hard to believe that people are willing to sign up with them.

In terms of their performance-based fees, I have to say that it is the same with other companies, so whether you sign up with them or look for other companies under the same category, you will still have to pay around 15-25%.

 

Is Freedom Debt Relief Legitimate?

Freedom Debt Relief helps clients, but they only focus on debts secured by collateral. Basically, the company is willing to take on credit card debts, medical-hospital-related debts, and private student loans. 

Also, they filter their clients too, so if you plan to work with them, you must have proof of genuine financial hardship on paying the debts. To start with Freedom Debt Relief, you must take note of the following:

1. A minimum of $7,500 in debt to begin debt settlement
2. You must pay a %15-25 fee of the total unsecured debt. 
3. Stay with the company for at least 24 months.
4. Commit to paying for your monthly savings regularly

Besides that, you must also agree that the negotiation still depends on the creditors, so it’s possible that they won’t even talk to these companies at all. 

Once you’re ready, your can quickly go to their website and choose your debt amount using the slider. Once that’s done, just click continue and answer the payment status, asking how behind you are on your payments. 

They will also ask you where you’re from and your contact addresses so that you can get a mock result showing your Freedom Debt Relief plan.

 

You can also talk directly to a certified debt consultant by dialling +1 888-332-8180. Once you’re good to go, you instantly be given access to your client dashboard, where you’ll be able to track everything from there: 

1. The savings. 
2. The status of the negotiations. 
3. Customer service. 

 

However, the real question is, should you be signing up with them? 🤔

You see, although Freedom Debt Relief is legit and has real accreditations, there’s still something that caught my eye. 

I found out that they have had a lawsuit not too long ago and that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had sued this company since they were promising to settle all of the clients’ debts when in reality, nothing happened. 

Even worse, they charged these clients for their clearly non-existent service. Finally, in 2019, they settled the lawsuit by paying off $20 million in restitution and a $5 million civil penalty.

While I know that history is not a clear indicator of the future, I also believe that if there’s smoke, there’s fire! 

 

With this in mind, I don’t recommend signing up with Freedom Debt Relief. ❌

I know there are a lot of people saying you should join this company, but most of them are either affiliates of actual representatives of the company. 

 

Is Freedom Debt Relief a Scam?

Freedom Debt Relief is not a scam, and it boasts accreditation with the American Fair Credit Council and the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators.

It also provides good onboarding services like free consultations, an online dashboard, and customer service available 24/7.

More importantly, the average program time for settlement is at least 24 to 48 months which is not bad and similar to its rival company, the National Debt Relief.

However, if you ask me, I still do not advise you to sign up with them or any debt relief company for that matter.

At the end of the day, whether you like it or not, you must pay off your debt, and that’s still very possible if you commit to saving a certain amount every month. More importantly, joining a company that is only promising you things is just not a wise move at all.

This type of platform should only be considered as a last resort because it can ultimately hurt your credit score (for at least seven years), get higher interest due to delinquency, and forgiven debt is also taxable.

 

How I Managed to Stay Debt-Free.

Just like you, I presume, I’ve always believed that there’s so much more to life than being stuck and afraid of spending. 

Before you go, I would like to take this chance to introduce you to the business model to whom I owe my success and let you know that with the right amount of dedication and effort, you, too, can live a debt-free life and enjoy life to its fullest. 

I want to share the exact step-by-step process of creating a full-blown source of passive income online and even show you a quick and easy way on how you can do the same, all without a large investment. 

By doing what I do, I managed to escape the tedious, underpaying 9-5 rat race, and I no longer worry about never getting out of debt. 

So, I suggest you look at my money guide to understand better what I’m dealing with on a day-to-day basis and how I bring home the bacon. 🥓

 

I’ve made thousands of dollars doing this throughout the years, but it took some time, so please don’t expect to become an overnight millionaire success story. 

I’ll be teaching you how to build a real, profitable, long-lasting, scalable online business, and I just want to make sure you’re aware and okay with that. 

It’s about time I end this Freedom Debt Relief review, so hopefully, I was able to provide you with a clear answer to whether this debt relief company is a scam or not. 

If you have any questions, comment down below. 👋