Briggs & Baker - trouble with debt relief service

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on July 16, 2002:

From:

RE: Briggs & Baker - trouble with debt relief service

In listening to a California based radio station KFI a commercial offered Debt Relief.

I called and agreed to pay my creditors BEST DEAL $2,516.00 down with 1,887.00 in 30 days paying my debts in full. I chose this but asked if I could start with option 2 which was 0 down & $366.92 per month. I sent my check and was informed by the rep this would be my payment.

Then my creditors continued to call. I would call the company Briggs & Baker,leave msgs. they would be slow in returning calls and not setting up with my creditors as promised. I continued to call and slow or no return so I called the original rep as she had turned it over to customer service. Her name Lucy Cienga and she said bad and the information I had received by mail that I owed more money.

When i spoke with Lucy she guaranted that my original check was not for fees but indeed my first payment to creditors. Still creditors called saying no info from Briggs & Baker. Lucy quit or got fired. So Ailene became my personal rep and she promised to personally contact my creditors and set up as promised. We talked for about 3 weeks and seemed to be ok. until I received 2 time sensitive letters from B&B and I had 5 days to agree to a larger monthy payment or be dropped.

I called every day to speak to Ailene or someone to talk about this change. I left messages the receptionist would jut hang up or put me to voice mails. No one ever returned my calls. The 2 creditors that they did pay and set up started calling again and said B& B said I had been dropped. I wrote a letter as instructed by receptionist for a refund no response.(none) once by accident I called and got Briggs on the line and he looked at my case and said OH I'll call you back. Never did.

6 months later I called inq on why no one responded to my letter for a refund,and one of the B&B I think Briggs is no longer with company and that my contract said I was paying for thier services only and the money I sent was not for my creditors but thier fees and I get nothing back. I said you did nothing and never returned my calls.

Well we apologise and we are under restructuring and the money was for fees. I told them in having financial problems I know I didn't sign up to pay you$366.00 up front for fees. and if it was for fees why did you pay 2 of my creditors. He said I don't know.

The company is Briggs & Baker P.O. Box 800308 Santa C;arota.CA 91380-0308 (661)775-8888 or 661-295-5244 web site was briggs and baker.com.

My email is Email User