The kiss of death for any debt settlement company is a one-two punch of too many complaints entered to the Better Business Bureau and a company name change. One independent review that was found reported that they had changed their company name; however, their website is still “live” under www.4dra.com (Debt Relief of America). Confusing?

Because of independent reviews we found, this is one company that we can say “run from” with no reservation. There appears to be not much of anything good that comes from doing business with them.

Quick facts about Debt Relief of America:

Founded in: January 2002

Years in Business: 7

Number of employees: Not disclosed.

BBB Rating: F

BBB complaint: 106 in the last 36 months. These complaints are wide-ranging, but there is a common thread in most of them: There are too many that say “parties could not provide sufficient information to support their positions nor were they agreeable to make reasonable efforts toward resolving the issues of the dispute.”

Free Information: Offered with your phone call to their toll-free number or by filling out the form on their website.

Escrow or Payment Plan Available: Not disclosed.

Source of Funds: Your monthly payments.

Fee Structure: Appears to be higher than the average at 18% of the debt enrolled into their program along with a monthly fee of $50, which is also high.

Avg Settlement: Not disclosed.

Refund Policy: None given.

About the Company

Debt Relief of America is located in Dallas, Texas and has been in business for seven years.

Beginning the Process

Contact them by filling out the form on their website or by calling their toll-free number.

Types of Debt Serviced

Unsecured only.

Worth Noting

The BBB website claims that complaints center around dissatisfaction with the service provided by the company and that they misrepresent the results of their debt negotiation program. They have complaints filed against them that state that clients have continued to pay monthly into the program with no reduction in debt and that creditors continue to call and pursue customers with aggressive debt collection actions. There are notes of refunds on some accounts while others are simply referred to their agreement for an explanation of their actions.

Program Caution and Your Responsibilities

Read very carefully the agreement that you must sign in order to get into the program. Make sure that you adhere to the rules and terms of the agreement so that you are not taken by surprise if things do not happen just as you want them to.

Will Debt Collectors Still Call?

Yes, but they try to work with you in getting them to cease.

Other Information

While there is some confusion about this company and what their real name is, it appears that there is enough justification to write them off as “not worth the effort” in considering as a serious debt settlement company. There are far better choices out there.