Optimal Debt Solutions reviews and complaints
Optimal not working in the clients best interest
I became a client of Optimal Debt Solutions in January of 2010, approx 10 thousand dollars in unsecured debt was giving to this company. They assured me that all accounts would be handled. I no longer received paper statements from any of my former creditors, unfortunatly I failed to cancel an automatic monthly withdraw from my bank account, this monthly withdraw went directly to my former bill consolidation company HSBC Beneficial. HSBC Beneficial continued to send paper bills monthly to Optimal. I never discovered this withdrawl due to the fact that the online name that showed up in my bank statement from HSBC so closely resembled that of my monthly car insurance name, both in wording and the amount that was withdrawn that it completley was over looked by me when I reviewed my monthly statements. That was until September of 2010 when both my car insurance and HSBC Beneficial ran back to back in withdrawl from my checking account.
I called HSBC Beneficial and made inquiries as to whether they had received my POA and cease and desisit order from both myself and Optimal, HSBC Beneficial assured me they had received these notices, but it was "MY" responsibility to cancel the automatic withdrawl from my account. True enough. The point to all of this story is I have since cancelled the auto withdrawls from HSBC, informed "Optimal Debt Solutions" of the problem, to which the young women who handles my account with Optimal also informed me that is was my responsobility to cancel any auto withdrawls with former creditors. I was never informed prior to this that I needed to cancel this option, I made the bad mistake of trusting that Optimal, who was recieving the monthly statements from HSBC, that they would have informed me of the still ongoing withdrawls. My counselor with Optimal claims that the statements she received showed no withdrawls being made.
I believe that future customers should be informed by Optimal about these little things that may or maynot be taken for granted, or over looked. I am wondering if anyone at Optimal even looks at the statements that their clients have intrusted with them, if just ONE person at Optimal had looked at any of my statement from HSBC that were being mailed to Optimal they would have seen the ongoing withdrawls. As it stands I have paid two separate companies for the same debt, both HSBC Beneficial..some $1200.00 dollars since last January when I signed up with Optimal, plus the $175.00 dollars I have paid Optimal for the same out standing debt.
I did keep one line of credit open after filing with Optimal, my BestBuy card with $700.00 dollars in credit. I have kept that card up to date and paid on it above and beyound the minimal payment. I opened the BestBuy card in February shortly after joining Optimal Debt Solutions in January of 2010. But I noticed that while I only owed a little over $200.00 dollars on the Best Buy account that my credit was still $0.00 after having $700.00 in credit. I called the BestBuy Company, which is handled by HSBC and found out that Optimal Debt Solutions have sent a POA to cease and desists on this account as well. The Power of Attorney notice was not sent to BestBuy until June of 2010, this was 6 months after I had started with Optimal. Again, my reresentitive from Optimal assured me that "they" did not and could not send BestBuy a cease and desist notice without my authorization, but yet I have the notice here in my hand. I am trying to get a hold of my representitive at Optimal to try and straighten this out. But BestBuy will not reopen my account with them.
Needless to say I am very unhappy with Optimal Debt Solutions and I am not sure at this point what to do.
Thank you, Michele
Company Business Name: Optimal Debt Solutions
Country of complaint: United States
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
took money from bank account
I requested a stop on doing business with themand they proceeded to debit my account any how. I would like a return of themoney to my account at once. I did not agree to this and I called them and told them tostop this and I was not interested after they had given me the facts.
Company Business Name: optimal debt solutions
Country of complaint: United States
Address: Iowa
I have had many problems with Optimal Dept Solutions, Where i have had to call a Lawyer to handle the problems. First they did not pay any of my bills that they promised to pay in fact one of them ended up on a 1099 tax form and when i called to talk to my represstive he was as surprised as i was about it. But told me that was better off for me. The other bill has never been paid and i couldn't get them to even send me a report on it. The 3rd one was Benificional and i ended up getting sued by them causes the reps there told me not to go to court cause the judge would expect full payment right then and ODS job was to lower my payments. Infact they never did this. When i told ODS that i was done with them i had put a stop payment on my bank acct so they could not take any money out. They were to return my savings i had with them back into my saving acct. But then i noticed on my bank acct 2 rovoke charges and then 1 stop payment.I called the bank to find out what these charges were for. I was told by the bank that ODS did not try to put my money back into my acct but had tried to take the money out of my acct. the amount they they said they had tried to put in. When i called ODS and said somthing about this i was talked down too and told no way they could have done that I then told them i have a copy of the banks papiers showing where they tried to do just that. plus on my monthy bank statment there is nothing showing where they tried to put any money into my acount cause they then changed their story and told me that they could not put money into my accout cause i had a stop payment on them. when i had asked the bank on this they told me they could put money into my acct but not take any out. ODS then told me that they accidently put it in 2 timed and that is why there was the 2 revokes. But there is nothing on my acct showing that they even tried putting or taking money into my acct. The Bank had stopped the transactions before it got to far.
If this is a debt collector write them a cease and desist letter. Also you need to make one for your attorney and your State's Attorney General's office. They have to stop taking money out of your account if you did not authorize them to do so. Alot of times they will get you by telling that they only accept money directly out of your account. This is against the law. You send them a money order only. You might have to change your account. Once you close your accoount and open another, tell the bank that you do not wish anyone to take money from your account if you personally did not authorize it. Also tell them that this particular company does not have your permission to have your new account information. Once you get them off your back, if you are in debt file Chapter 7 Bankruptcy for the bills (credit cards that you cannot pay). Keep your house, car, and they items that you want to keep.
You need to write them a letter to tell them that oo did not make authorize payments from your checking automatically. However if you paid once online, there is a place on that site where you paid to turn off the autopayment. I had a similar thing happen to me. GE was taking money from my account until I had to call. Then a nice man told me that I needed to turn off the online payment.