Is Freedom Debt Relief a Scam?

Sarah Edwards | January 10, 2024

Sarah Edwards
Legal Expert
Sarah Edwards, BS

Sarah Harris is a professional researcher and writer specializing in legal content. An Emerson College alumna, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the prestigious Boston institution.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Fact-checked by Patrick Austin, J.D.

Patrick Austin
Attorney from George Mason
Patrick Austin, JD

Patrick Austin is a licensed attorney with a background in data privacy and information security law. Patrick received his law degree at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief for the National Security Law Journal.

Summary: Freedom Debt Relief is not a scam, and the company could help you resolve your outstanding debts with real results. But if you don't qualify for Freedom Debt Relief, SoloSettle might be your best bet at reaching a settlement that works for you.

People who are in debt and stuck making monthly minimum payments often wonder if they can seek debt relief through various debt settlement programs. These programs claim to get rid of debt quickly. Oftentimes, they give all of your outstanding credit debt information to a company that claims they can resolve your debts. It might sound like a wonderful opportunity to anyone who is sick of calls from debt collectors.

While seeking debt relief through a standard program can be helpful for those who need assistance, you want to make sure that the company you decide to use is legitimate. Debt relief companies can promise you the world, but the reality doesn't work out so well. A debt relief company can't guarantee that your creditors will accept a reduced payment. Only your creditor has the right to do so.

Freedom Debt Relief is a legitimate company

Yes, Freedom Debt Relief is legit.

Freedom Debt Relief is one of the largest debt settlement agencies available to individuals who are struggling with debt in the United States. Those who decide to use the program will undergo an initial free consultation. During the consultation, you'll provide them with a list of debts and creditors you owe. They'll describe how your service works.

Freedom Debt Relief reviews are positive

Freedom Debt Relief has great online reviews, with 4.5 out of 5 stars with Consumer Affairs, 4.6 out of 5 stars with Trustpilot, and 4.92 out of 5 stars with the Better Business Bureau.

Most consumers who have worked with Freedom Debt Relief claim that the company helped them settle their debts and regain their financial footing.

Can everyone work with Freedom Debt Relief?

Freedom Debt Relief assists clients who have credit card debts, medical debts, and private student loans. To work with Freedom Debt Relief, you'll need a minimum of $7,500 in debt. You will also need to:

  • Pay a 15% to 25% fee for the total unsecured debt
  • Stay with the company for a minimum of 24 months
  • Commit to paying towards your overall settlement on a monthly basis

You'll also have to recognize that any negotiation will depend on your creditors' agreement.

Understand that when you work with a debt settlement agency, you'll also experience a negative effect on your credit report. Since you won't be making any payments for a minimum of 24 months, your credit score will be severely impacted. You likely won't be able to obtain any credit during this time, should you need it.

Don't qualify for Freedom Debt Relief? Use SoloSettle instead.

Freedom Debt Relief charges fees

Unlike many debt settlement agencies, there are no upfront fees associated with using Freedom Debt Relief's program. You only pay for their services after they have talked to your creditors and settled your debts.

If you agree to work with them, they will provide you with access to an online dashboard that will show you the status of each of your debts. This dashboard contains all of the money you are saving and the debts you have settled for each creditor.

However, you won't know exactly how much you owe them for their services until all of your debts have been settled and repaid. In some cases, you may owe as much as 15% to 25% of the amount you have settled.

Think about that. Suppose Freedom Debt Relief is able to reduce the amount of debt you owe by 40% through debt settlement. Then, they tack on fees of 20% for their services. In the end, you've actually only saved 20% through their debt settlement program. Depending on how much you currently owe, that may not be very much.

For example, if you owe $10,000 in debt, and you're able to settle for $6,000, you've saved $4,000. However, if Freedom Debt Relief charges a 20% fee based on your overall debt for their services, you'll owe them $2,000. Thus, you've only saved $2,000. For this reason, a better option might be to negotiate your own settlement with the creditor or collector and save more.

What's the alternative to Freedom Debt Relief?

If you're determined to settle your debt, you don't have to pay for the services of a costly company like Freedom Debt Relief. They can't guarantee that you'll be able to settle your debt for a specific amount of money, and the expense you'll pay for their services can severely cut into the amount you've saved. While it may be attractive to hand your bills over to someone else to handle, you're not likely to save very much, and you can severely damage your credit. Instead, consider trying to settle your debt on your own.

Negotiating a settlement with your creditor can help you resolve the debt, save money, and avoid going to court. If you've been sued by a debt collection agency or other debt buyer, your chances of settling are even better. Most collection agencies purchase debts from creditors (credit card companies, banks, etc.) for as little as 8% of the original debt amount. This means that you could pay 50% of your debt off, and the collection agency would still make a big profit.

In fact, debt buyers and collection agencies will likely settle for anywhere from 1%-60% of the original debt amount. On the other hand, original creditors will usually settle for 20%-70% of the original amount.

Here are some tips and tricks for negotiating your own settlement:

Tips and tricks for negotiating a debt settlement

Don't be afraid to negotiate a settlement plan. Communicate with the creditor or collector. Let them know about any financial hardship you might be facing, and offer them a specific amount after crunching some numbers. The more you communicate, the better your chances of settling will be. Avoid payment plans, and offer a lump sum payment.

If you've been sued for debt, SoloSettle can help you send and receive settlement offers until you reach an agreement with your creditor or debt collector. To learn more about how to settle a debt, check out this video:

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit makes it easy to respond to a debt collection lawsuit.

How it works: SoloSuit is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your answer. Upon completion, you can either print the completed forms and mail in the hard copies to the courts or you can pay SoloSuit to file it for you and to have an attorney review the document.

Respond with SoloSuit

"First time getting sued by a debt collector and I was searching all over YouTube and ran across SoloSuit, so I decided to buy their services with their attorney reviewed documentation which cost extra but it was well worth it! SoloSuit sent the documentation to the parties and to the court which saved me time from having to go to court and in a few weeks the case got dismissed!" – James

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