/Parent 9 0 R /Resources 249 0 R /Rotate 0 /CropBox [0 0 612 792] We would greatly appreciate any guidance that we need to do at this point to recoup our money paid to them (almost 3 years worth). >> Monarch Choose the serviceBankruptcyFDCPAFCRAConsumer LitigationOther. Based on information and belief, attorneys affiliated with Monarch rubberstamp all settlements, do not supervise the non-lawyer debt negotiators, and do not give reasoned legal advice to consumers about whether to accept a settlement. The representatives read from a script about Monarchs program and ask consumers to sign an agreement after the meeting. /Annots [] /Resources 89 0 R Furthermore, consumers do not even know that they are talking to Strategic employees. THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT. >> Monarch Legal Group | Better Business Bureau Profile /Type /Page endobj Attorneys rote notes demonstrate that they did not meaningfully interact with clients. 44 0 obj In 2010, the Federal Trade Commission issued a final rule amending the Telemarketing Sales Rule, 16 CFR Part 310, to regulate debt relief companies that use telemarketing to contact potential consumers or receive calls in response to mailers and other advertisements. Given those significant fees, the consumers potential savings on the amount owed was far less than Monarch advertised and explained. According to employee reviews on Glassdoor, Strategic Financial Services asks its employees to post falsified positive reviews to cover up the truthful negative ones: Reviewers on Better Business Bureau and Google also concluded that Defendants positive reviews are inaccurate. << 61 0 obj Monarch Media Group /Parent 12 0 R << Reviews In which an option of consolidating all my unsecured debt into a single monthly payment was advertised. >> Monarchlegalgroup Reviews | Read Customer Service WebMonarch Legal has completely shut me down. /Parent 4 0 R Monarch Solicitors. /MediaBox [0 0 612 792] Anyone considering a lawyer should independently investigate the lawyers credentials and ability and should not rely upon advertisements or self-proclaimed expertise. /Parent 12 0 R /Resources 181 0 R Attorneys use scripts for these calls. endobj /Rotate 0 For example, one person complained to the City that a customer service representative hung up on him when he called to ask why his wages were being garnished. /Annots [] endobj The Citys investigation indicates that neither Monarch nor Strategic employ lawyers to handle Litigation Defense. Instead, Monarch acts as a referral service by attempting to contract with outside lawyers to handle those matters for small flat fees. Monarch also requires that payments in the client`s account be up to date. /MediaBox [0 0 612 792] Contact Us. /Length 493 However, due to a temporary disability I was in and a hardship I was facing, I called and applied to the loan. endobj This kind of attitude destroys the debt relief space for good people that want to do good things. This company took over $25,000 from me then canceled my account, did not contact me and refuses to give me any information or any access to my online portal. /Resources 213 0 R A customer representative then told the consumer that Monarch could not guarantee that a lawyer would be available to represent the consumer at the hearing. 342 (b) (1) and 527 (a) (1) 57 0 obj If we can verify it in our system, an email will be sent to you with your password. >> Our records indicate the company failed to respond to the one complaint brought to its attention. /Contents [150 0 R 151 0 R 152 0 R] >> /Contents [274 0 R 275 0 R 276 0 R] The City of Chicago filed a lawsuit against Strategic Financial Solutions, Burnette Legal Group, Timothy Burnette, and Monarch Legal Group on July 26, 2022. /Annots [] Because so much of each payment goes to Defendants fees (particularly at the beginning of the agreement), consumers with multiple accounts to settle continue accruing significant interest and late charges for months, if not years. 60 0 obj Reviews of Defendants on various online platforms like Glassdoor, Google, and Better Business Bureau paint starkly different pictures. /Parent 10 0 R /Annots [] /Annots [] /Parent 11 0 R /Annots [] /Type /Page b. /MediaBox [0 0 612 792] Monarch Group, Inc. is a successful information technology firm offering a full range of IT services from planning and design to systems integration, from software development to business enterprise plans, from network design to hardware and software support, and from product reseller to disaster recovery. Skip to main content Better Business Bureau << See BrokerCheck by FINRA, James M Katayanagi, available at https://brokercheck.finra.org/individual/summary/4890437; Complaint, Department of Enforcement v. James M. Katayanagi, (FINRA Office of Hearing Officers, Proceeding No. /Parent 8 0 R /Rotate 0 As discussed in paragraph 36 above, customers pay a Retainer Fee (often around $1,000) and a monthly flat Legal Administration Fee (from $55 to $85). 53 0 obj Login - Monarch Legal Group 43 0 obj /Filter /FlateDecode >> Therefore, Monarchs attorneysboth in- house lawyers and those hired on a contract basisare not engaged in the practice of law. /MediaBox [0 0 612 792] The refund policy appears to exclude most aggrieved consumers. /Type /Page /CropBox [0 0 612 792] Visit Salary.com to find out Monarch Grand Vacations salary, Monarch nevertheless tells consumers that they pay for legal services and will have the assistance of attorneys. /MediaBox [0 0 612 792] Amount Settled: $0.00. 55 0 obj In its client retainer agreement, Monarch explains that bankruptcy is another option but discourages that option by stating that it will be reflected as a permanent record on a Clients credit report for up to 10 years.. /Annots [] >> DISCLOSURES REQUIRED UNDER 11 U.S.C. The testimonials selected may include testimonials made by individual customers on the third-party sites. /Type /Page Now, during the past year I have been paying Monarch Legal to get settlements to my credit cards. WebYour experience matters. << Phone (877) 450-8853. 23 0 obj endobj /Annots [] /Resources 157 0 R But Defendants repeatedly break this promise and leave consumers to defend themselves in court, even though consumers pay hundreds to thousands of dollars in legal fees. /CropBox [0 0 612 792] >> /Rotate 0 /Resources 245 0 R /Rotate 0 /Annots [] BBB is here to help. For example, on the Better Business Bureau website, where Monarch has a 1.15/5-star rating, the company has 39 reviews: 1 5-star review, 1 3-star review, and 37 1-star reviews. Also in 2010, the State of Illinois passed the Illinois Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act, 225 ILCS 429/1 et seq. /Parent 8 0 R In one case, Defendants settled a debt worth $3,943, agreeing to pay between 40-60% of the debt. /Rotate 0 Strategics partnership with Monarch is not unique. 3 0 obj Customer names may also have been shortened or masked to protect privacy. BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. /Rotate 0 << I was a victim of Monarch and I filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy as a result of trusting them. endobj Each of the lawyers on this site are either Managers, Members, Partners, Limited Partners or staff attorneys. BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. Monarch Legal Group Overview Reviews About. /Parent 9 0 R Individual customers who submitted testimonials to a third-party site were not compensated for their submission. /CropBox [0 0 612 792] | Read 41-44 Reviews out of 44. /Resources 221 0 R Consumers reported to the City that they were unable to receive answers from the attorney identified on Monarch paperwork and instead were forced to direct questions to non- lawyers who were not familiar with their situations. /Type /Page endobj /CropBox [0 0 612 792] Monarch Legal Group is a law firm. Monarchs status as a law firm also provides the basis for the companies to incorrectly claim that they are exempt from debt settlement regulations. /Type /Pages The Citys investigation indicates that Defendants do not act in consumers best interest when creating a customized payment program. It was when I filed a complaint with BBB and posted negative reviews that they took action. It also requires debt relief companies to make several disclosures about their services, including how long it will take to get results, how much it will cost, and the negative consequences that could result. The Cohn Law Firm - Baton Rouge, Louisiana Bankruptcy, MRM has received many consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collections /Annots [] - 1:22-cv-03705. In consultations and written retainer agreements, Defendants promise that consumers will save an unrealistic amount of money and will finish the program in an infeasible amount of time. /CropBox [0 0 612 792] << /Rotate 0 But when a consumer stops making payments to creditors, he or she is likely to face adverse effects, including (1) a sharp decrease in their credit score; (2) calls from collections agencies; (3) a rise in debt due to late fees and additional interest; and (4) lawsuits by creditors, who often seek to garnish wages and enforce judgments by other means. Defendants promise that through negotiating with creditors, consumers will be able to settle their debts for less than the amount owed. View complaints, reviews and check out how After working with them all these time, in which I have paid the total of $15,216.90 to the company plus $2,800 I paid directly to one of the creditors, >> endobj /MediaBox [0 0 612 792] >> WebReview your credit report. We are a debt relief agency. *In Canada, trademark(s) of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, used under License. /Rotate 0 We are scared and desperate at this point, See if this sounds like a reasonable and logical approach. /Resources 241 0 R June 16, 2022. toyota rav4 2013 specs. Defendants include in the total used to calculate their Service Costs not only the enrolled debt at the time that the consumer signs an agreement but also the additional debts and fees that accrue after the consumer heeds Defendants instruction to stop making payments to creditors. << /Resources 109 0 R >> /Resources 277 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 612 792] BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. /Parent 10 0 R On information and belief and as described more fully below, Strategic and Monarch jointly operate the debt settlement program. /Resources 149 0 R stream Its the exact reason Veritas stopped working with them altogether, many of our participating attorneys will not work with them either. endobj As a result, my financial situation is worse than when I enrolled in their program three years ago. /MediaBox [0 0 612 792] WebWe are personally invested and highly committed to the success of the project at every phase. /Annots [] Everything you need to know about man who became heir to British throne 71 years ago 1. /Rotate 0 Defendants charge a percentage of the consumers total debt as a Service Cost to the non-legal servicesrelated [to the] debt resolution plan. In examples the City has seen, that cost has been as high as 19%. /Resources 205 0 R /Contents [126 0 R 127 0 R 128 0 R] /Parent 12 0 R endobj >> >> endobj endobj Strategic has engaged in similar arrangements with sham law firms to defraud consumers across the country for years. /Type /Page c. Most significant to Defendants, complying with Illinois regulation would sharply curtail their abusive fee structure, discussed further in Section II below. /Parent 11 0 R /Annots [] *In Canada, trademark(s) of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, used under License. By structuring its debt relief program as an offering from a supposed law firm, however, Monarch purports to avoid the requirements and restrictions of the DSCPA and similar laws. Standard phone and data charges will apply. >> >> /Kids [45 0 R 46 0 R 47 0 R 48 0 R 49 0 R 50 0 R 51 0 R 52 0 R 53 0 R 54 0 R] /Resources 201 0 R /CropBox [0 0 612 792] Webaction complaint against Defendants Strategic Financial Solutions, LLC (SFS), its subsidiary LLC d/b/a Monarch Legal Group (Monarch), receive a percentage of monthly charges paid by the client to SFSs billing processor (generally between 3% and 10%), with the lions share going to SFS. Defendants to change their business practices and would likely result in diminished profit. 27 0 obj /Rotate 0 >> /Annots [] 21 0 obj The day of Debt Settlement companies creating their own non-compliant Legal Plan that provides the consumer with nothing more that a template answer to file themselves is thankfully coming to an end. Steve Rhode is the Get Out of Debt Guy and has been helping good people with bad debt problems since 1994. 30 0 obj endobj /Kids [55 0 R 56 0 R 57 0 R 58 0 R 59 0 R 60 0 R 61 0 R 62 0 R 63 0 R 64 0 R] Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating, Need to file a complaint? /Parent 9 0 R 63 0 obj 8 0 obj Defendants hide that reality from consumers through Defendants misleading estimated payment schedules. << /Parent 10 0 R /Parent 11 0 R /CropBox [0 0 612 792] Defendants know that they charge these fees and that consumers cannot complete their program without paying them, and yet Defendants omit estimated fees when representing to consumers how much money they will save. /CropBox [0 0 612 792] /Rotate 0 /Annots [] Employee and customer online reviews suggest that Strategic works with as many as ten law firms:. Hi Miss Anne, Hopefully I have the courage to do what you did to get my refund also. /CropBox [0 0 612 792] Monarch tells prospective consumers that its client services team (which, in reality, consists of Strategic employees located in another state) will assist [customers] in arranging to speak with an attorney to provide legal advice or respond to legal questions. Despite paying a monthly retainer fee for a lawyer, the consumer responded to the summons and defended himself in court. endobj Income and expense information dictates consumers capacity for monthly payments. Do you agree with Monarchlegalgroup's TrustScore? /Contents [198 0 R 199 0 R 200 0 R] /Contents [246 0 R 247 0 R 248 0 R] Note we do not assume your debts, make monthly payments to creditors or provide tax, bankruptcy, accounting or legal advice or credit repair services. >> WebMonarch Recovery Management is a collection agency based in Pennsylvania. Attorneys and/or law firms promoted through this website are also federally designated Debt Relief Agencies. On information and belief, Defendants find program participants by engaging in telemarketing, and Monarch outsources this telemarketing to Strategic Financial Solutions and related entities. As the sole member and manager, Burnette has controlled and continues to control Defendant Monarchs conduct, including its arrangements with Strategic and other third-party vendors that carry out the debt resolution program. /Type /Catalog I followed the steps that Steve outlined in the blog post he linked below and I was able to get a refund of $14,000 from Monarch. /Contents [214 0 R 215 0 R 216 0 R] << << How to Get Your Money Back From a Debt Relief Company if You Feel Like Youve Been Scammed, What Repaying Your Debt Will Cost You in Retirement Calculator, The Truth About The Success Rates, Failure Rates, and Completion Rates of Credit Counseling, Debt Settlement, Bankruptcy, and Debt Consolidation Loans. BBB reports on known marketplace practices. >> WebGoogle Business Reviews Monarch Legal Group Reviews Google Business Reviews 5.0 5 5 out of 5 stars (based on 3 reviews) Excellent 100% Very good 0% Average 0% Poor 0% Terrible 0% Latest Reviews: Professionalism 5 Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness, Value T M Great organization that helps people 5 2013035572001), at 4, available at https://www.finra.org/rules- guidance/oversight-enforcement/finra-disciplinary-actions?search=2013035572001.]. /Contents [170 0 R 171 0 R 172 0 R] See 815 ILCS 505/2JJJ. If you are able to qualify which should not be too difficult I recommend their services most highly. endstream It has reduced my stress level a 100%.With fresh start, I have learned to be more responsible with my finances. /Parent 4 0 R /CropBox [0 0 612 792] Our complaint services are free and our team of expert mediators will assist in resolving complaints with businesses. Monarchs website states that Timothy Burnette is the attorney responsible for the content of this Site.. /Parent 4 0 R /Resources 121 0 R << /CropBox [0 0 612 792] /Rotate 0 /Parent 12 0 R /Contents [106 0 R 107 0 R 108 0 R] I enrolled with 9 accounts in the program. /Parent 11 0 R The two contacts excerpted below identify James Katayanagi, an employee of Strategic subsidiary Finance Solutions, and Haider Salas, a former employee of Strategic Financial Solutions, as the consumers Law Firm Contact. Neither Katayanagi nor Salas are lawyers: [Before or concurrent with his employment at Finance Solutions, Katayanagi worked as a personal banker.

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