National Debt Network, LP

National Debt Network, LP

National Debt Network

501 Pine Avenue

Suite 100

Long Beach, CA 90802

(562) 256-1010 In January of 2004 I employed the services of National Debt Network (which I will refer to as NDN from here on for the purpose of brevity) to use their advertised expertise in acquiring settlements on 5 credit card debts that were beyond my capacity to resolve on my own or by any means available to me. The initial experience appeared as if I had indeed chosen wisely - by the end of July, three of the five debts were already resolved, and I had managed to accumulate enough money to make settlement offers on the last two remaining debts. On 8/6/04, I faxed NDN two separate begin settlement forms, filled out in the exact same manner as before that had resulted in the 3 settlements to date. I received a separate acknowledgement of receipt for each fax. I called a couple days later to clarify that I had enough money on hand to settle both, and I wanted as fast a settlement as possible because I didn't know how I would do at the upcoming art shows I had applied and been accepted to be a part of, and I wanted to get those debts taken care of while I had the money. As an Artist my income is not as predictable or steady as a regular wage earner's job is. At this same point in time I received a letter by regular mail from a Florida attorney. I faxed this letter to NDN with great concern because NDN had told me before that when something goes to an attorney it is no big deal, just part of the process, UNLESS the attorney is in the same state as you reside in - the letter basically stated his intent to go for a judgment, which is why I called after I had faxed the begin settlement forms - I wanted to make sure NDN understood I had the funds, as one of the two remaining debts was with Citibank - someone they had said was very aggressive and unyielding in their approach to settlement, so I definitely wanted that one settled ASAP! I was assured it was just part of the game they play and they would get the settlement. I had to go to Atlanta around this time, but I made sure NDN had my email address, and cell phone number should a settlement offer be made... Nothing was forthcoming It was also around this time I noticed I wasn't getting acknowledgements to all my communications as I once had - I wrote AND called to make NDN aware of this. Acknowledgements began again, although not for the communications that brought this to my attention. On 9/8/04 I called to tell them that I had been effected by the hurricane (the first of the two that impacted me directly) and money could be an issue, so please settle those accounts now - I was assured they were in the process of being settled. On 9/9/04 I had a call on my answering machine from the Florida attorney's secretary - as usual I immediately forwarded a log of this call to NDN - which they acknowledged. I also called and left a message but no one actually returned my call, just got the email acknowledgement of receipt. On 10/6/04 I received a settlement offer through NDN from U S Bank, which I resolved that day. I sent an email to NDN saying I had paid that debt off, now I needed to settle Citibank while I still had sufficient funds! There was no response as before from NDN with regard to anything pertaining to Citibank. Subsequent phone calls went unanswered - email and fax's only generated canned, generic responses or nothing at all. From August on, NDN's level of service had decreased noticeably - acknowledgements of receipt of communications were spotty at best, no updates on progress, no more friendly people telling you they were there for you. From the first week of September to the first week of December I was occupied with cleaning up and repairing the damage from the two hurricanes that directly impacted the area in which I live, while trying to create enough work to participate in the three remaining art shows I had left for 2004. As an Artist, my income potential is directly effected by such events

- one of the first things people cut back on in hard times are the luxury items, and alas art is at the top of that list. The amount of money I had long tried to hold in reserve to resolve the last (an worst) debt with was now being compromised by the necessities of repair and a reduced income earned. On 12/20/04 I sent an email to NDN's customer service asking about the progress of the last settlement and again received a generic acknowledgement response, on 12/22/04 I received a letter in the mail from Consumer Credit Services of America located in Miami saying they would be glad to help me with a lawsuit that was recently filed against me in the county I live in (??) I emailed, faxed and called NDN and asked to speak to a manager - I asked him why I had to find out about this from someone else, when NDN should have been aware of this all along (it is after all supposedly their area of expertise?) and THEY should have been the ones to let me know, and he gives me some evasive answer to the affect well these guys watch the court records - which was not my question at all, but rather why weren't they doing the job they were hired to do and all I got was more evasion.

I told him I wanted it settled now - today and he said he would get back to me after he talked to the person handling my case - within 10 minutes I receive a call from that individual who says they (Citibank) won't usually settle for less than 80% which up until that point was information I had not been privy to - I asked him why he hadn't given me all the info up front months ago and he had no answer, so I told him to get the settlement for 80%, but now it would have to be a partial lump sum and a few payments because NDN had jerked around too long even though I had kept them updated on my monetary situation. He told me he didn't think he could get through but he would try.? (this is after all his job - what he's supposed to be good at) He never called back. On December 23rd I was roused from my bed by the Sheriff's Department serving a summons on me saying I had 20 days to file a response in court or else... I called NDN who of course responded in their now usual evasive way of allowing a secretary act as a buffer. They say they will have someone call you back but no one ever does. I have a phone with an answering service through the phone company so it's always on, I have a fax number, I have email and I have a cell phone with answering service, so this is no excuse that I cannot be reached. It is almost as if they do not wish anything left in any documented or recorded fashion that might be referenced at a later date to show the contrast between what was initially said and what they actually do - I sent them a fax about the situation and a copy of the summons and I received a generic acknowledgement carefully worded to say - we don't handle legal matters and sometimes creditors or lawyers don't respond so you'll have to get a lawyer (??) As if the potential for legal ramifications wasn't always a possibility - you can't have it both ways - we'll take your money under the pretense we can actually do this, but only for so long as it's not too hard in which case we bail on you... I sent an email on December 24th expressing my dissatisfaction with their level of service and told them that THEY were clearly responsible for allowing this to get as far as it had under the circumstance, and THEY needed to step up now and do the right thing and make this right - of course there was no response. On December 28th the individual handling my account responded by email in a sort of passive aggressive mode saying it wasn't his fault, the lawyer wasn't playing fair, etc. but he let slip that NDN has as he put it - projections of such scenarios - which means they knew such things could happen and yet did nothing with that knowledge to prevent it, and he also acknowledged that he knew my account was at the Florida lawyers office back in the beginning of August - What I find reprehensible is that in 4 months he had done nothing, yet when pushed on the 22nd he can rattle off 80% settlement possibility?? Subsequent emails, faxes and phone calls have elicited no response except one acknowledgement of receipt of a fax and one generically dispensed begin settlement form for the Citibank account - something they already have on file with a date of 8/6/04 - they want me to fill out another form to vacate the original so they can claim not to have received that form. This new tactic only began after I faxed them a copy of the acknowledgement of receipt of the original begin settlement form for Citibank dated 8/6/04. Something I only recently discovered which may have some bearing on this is that when you try to go to their web site (as I did when I first found them

online) you are redirected to a different URL now titled Debt Specialists and there is a statement saying they are no longer accepting new clients. Something about this doesn't feel right, and coupled with the decline in service and the unexplained failure to complete the job as advertised adds up to a negative perception. I also find it interesting that now that they are paid in full, they do not even make the pretense to care. Due to the irresponsible behavior of NDN, they have left me in a very bad spot - they council that you have no contact with your creditors, and now that they have apparently deserted their duties, I have not been able to open lines of communication with the lawyer or Citibank as a result of this. No amount of communication seems to have any effect - NDN cannot be reasoned with or even shamed into doing the right thing and finishing what they advertised they could do and had no problem taking my money under the pretense that they could deliver. I would council anyone who has made their mind up that debt consolidation is the path you wish to take, be sure to chose someone other than National Debt Network (or is it Debt Specialists now - I wonder why the name change?) J W B Click this link to e-mail the above consumer: Email User Consumer

Comment On This

I won't bother you with my story, but I read yours and I too have had a bad experience with National Debt Network LP. I also can not get through to any phone number I find for them, nor has my complaint letter even made it there as the post office sends me it back with a sticker or stamp saying "no such address" when I send it to the two addresses I have for NDN. Do you know where they went or any way of getting in contact with them? Thanks.