In a world filled with scams and people who try and rip you off, this yet another story to add to the very many. The difference between this story and the others is that this is a story about a company that is ripping off children. Yes, you read this right, children. We hear so many stories about fathers who do not pay child support. As a matter of fact this problem has been happening all over the U.S. for decades, and is nothing new. If you have ever tried to get assistance from the state where your support was issued, you know how difficult it can be. Once the order has been filed, it could take years for people to collect the child support they are rightfully owed. Sometimes people search for an alternative way to collect the money that is owed to them.
There are a lot of companies that claim to be able to collect the money owed, for a price. Such is the case with www.supportkids.com. On May 2nd of 2007, my wife had enough. She had a support order against her husband at the time which was issued in the State of Florida in February of 2006. For over a year she received nothing. Nadda, zip, zero, zilch. Since the state of Florida did not seem to be getting anywhere with collection, she decided to take another route.
One of her friends was aware of the situation, and the toll it was taking on my wife financially and emotionally. She suggested that she look into a company called Support Kids. Knowing that she had nothing to lose, she decided to hire them to help. Their contract states that they will take over 30% of the money collected. Realizing that this is quite a bit of money, the logic was that it was "Better to get something than nothing at all." So, she went for it. In the beginning they were very helpful. They listened to her. She supplied information that helped them get in touch with the father that owed the money. After months of calls, and letter they finally were able to collect. We thought (at the time) these people were great. That is until she called to find out about support that had been paid that she did not receive. At this point she went from client, to an inconvenience. They became rude, obnoxious, and frankly, down right mean. It seemed as though once they got the money, they could care less about their client.
On March 10th of 2009, support kids received a garnishment from her ex-husbands tax return in the amount of 1755.00. We know this because the State of Florida confirmed that they had sent the check to support kids, and supplied us with the amount and the date. On May 18th of 2009 support kids moved her account to a law firm (RJBA Child Support Enforcement - 5 Industrial Way, Salem NH 03079.) On their voicemail it says they are also a collection agency. They gave no advanced notice. They did not tell their clients about the change until after the accounts were transferred.
So where did the 1755.00 go? That is the question that remains to be answered. Support Kids claims that since they transferred the account, they have no further obligation. RJBA claims that the money was received by support kids before they received the transferred accounts and also, have no obligation. We have called the IRS (They informed us that the money had been garnished), supportkids, RJBA, and the child support division in the State of Florida (Who said they did receive the garnishment and sent the money to support kids). The IRS said to call the State of Florida, the state of Florida said to contact support kids, and you guessed it, support kids said to contact RJBA, who in return said to contact support kids. It's a vicious circle, with no end in sight.
I have contacted the local news agency in Austin, TX where the company is located. I am trying to find as many people as possible that have had the same or similar issues with this company, so that they may do a story to blow these scam artists out of the water, and expose them for who they really are. The only way we can make a difference is making sure our voices are heard LOUD AND CLEAR!
Please email the local news agency - newsdesk@news8austin.com with the experiences you have had.
You may also file a complaint with the Attorney Generals office in Austin, TX and the BBB.
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
PO Box 12548
Austin, TX 78711-2548
BBB Complaints
