I started my blog in 2/07 because I was fed up with the company I hired to collect child support. I did several blogs to try and get the message across that these people were crooks. Next month marks the 6th year that Supportkids has been taking 34% of my child support. I have tried to terminate with them several times but they refuse to cancel my contract. I recently had a fellow blogger post a comment on a blog I posted in November that stated:
We are looking into filing complaints against this company. Furthermore, the state of Virginia just filed a lawsuit against them as well.
I know that collecting child support can be a never ending battle. I went for almost 8 years without receiving anything. True, this company marketed their product on my TV, and I snapped at the chance to receive some type of payment to help me raise my kids. Little did I know, they are in it for the money. He owed my over $40,000 in back support. I tried to go thru the DA but it seemed like I was doing all the work. Once he left the State, they didn't try to pursue him. Now, Supportkids will not cancel my contract until they have collected all of that money. Wow, 34% of $40,000 is quite a bit of blood money, wouldn't you say? I'm sending out a warning to all of the desperate parents out there in search of help. READ the fine print. Do not hire Supportkids. If you do, you will be sorry. If the DA's office would just do their jobs, we wouldn't be so desperate that we hire companies like this. To me, they are no better than those people at "Check n Go." They suck you in and you cant ever get out. You give them money, they take their share, and give you whats left over. Its a bunch of crap if you ask me. People shouldn't be able to prey on innocent parents looking for help. The bottom line, DON'T HIRE SUPPORTKIDS.
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30 comments:
I have seen the commercials for this company. Thanks for posting this because it's only from folks like you who have actually used companies like this that we can find how they TRULY work!
I hope it all works out for you!
My daughter will be 18 this September and I have never received any child support. The onus here is all on the mother. I would have to get financial information, have her dad fill out a financial statement etc - oh yes, and of course find him first. I made a decision that I would have more peace of mind if I just forgot about it. And I have. There is always a lingering resentment that I've had no financial help from him, but in my personal situation it was the best way.
I never knew there were companies like this. 34% commission is just immoral. How much do "regular" collection agencies charge? Is there nothing in the contract that says that if they fail to live up to their obligation you can terminate? Please keep us informed how things go.
:( That's terrible
I am going through the same thing. I am fighting mad. I opened my account last May, although their records indicate my application was accepted in July. I have proof that the attorney generals office got the support for me. But supportkids still took their fees. I called to dispute this. Believe me they had many excuses. One of wich was the attorney general found my son's dad w/ their information. They had over a year to look for him. They did nothing. They did not even send out a wage witholding order, but they feel they are justified in taking monies. I am going to fight this. It is not right. Let me ask. Do you know how long they take 34%? I was not aware of this addidtional fee until I received a payment. We parents should all unite and make them change their way of practise.
Thanks
The 34% is forever while they are collecting for you. They have been collecting 34% for 6 years now from me. Thats why I said, 34% of 40,000 is quite a huge profit. You cant get out of the contract either, no matter how much you request it. They are crooks. The money they get comes from the DA's office, they just take their cut and send me a check.
Amazing! You know in Utah, I suppose I took for granted that we have ORS, which does all the work for you and it's a government agency. I am so sorry to hear that their gain was your loss..
I would be very interested in exchanging links with you...
http://spinparents.blogspot.com/2008/04/how-i-manage-to-be-single-parent.html
That is outrageous! And there is no way to get out? A friend of mine here is MI just started getting her child support. She's 70!! and it's out of her ex's SS check. She said she gets the wierdest looks at the bank because the check says right on it "child support". All the years she was raising her 3 boys she got nothing.
Now thats just sad. Where was that help when she needed it raising those boys? There is definitely something wrong with the system and it seems like the single parents are always the one being hit. It just pisses me off!!
I signed a contract with Support Kids, two years ago, however; the payments are not funneled from the local DA's office to Support Kids. Support Kids get them directly from my Ex's employer. Do you think I would be successful in canceling my contract with Support Kids? I would like to see 100% of the payments.
Id like to get 100% of my child support too. It wont happen. I have been trying to terminate my contract for 6 years. They wont stop until they have collected the amount of back child support you put on the contract, minus 34%....of course.
I too fell victim to SupportKids(SK). I signed with them in 2005.
THIS IS A BIT LONG BUT THERE IS VALUABLE INFORMATION HERE.
I recently informed them that I am no longer going to use their services. As with everyone else, they refuse to cancel my contract. I contacted the Attorney General in my state and I was informed to do the following: 1)Contact my child support agency and have them change everything back to my information therefore removing SK's P.O. Box information. BE SURE TO NOTARIZE EVERYTHING WHEN DEALING WITH THE STATE AGENCIES. GET NAMES,PHONE NUMBERS, WRITE DOWN THE DATES AND TIMES THAT YOU CONTACT THEM. 2)Notify SK and let them know that "my contract with you is "null and void because you are in direct violation of the court order". (OF COURSE THEY WILL DENY AND IGNORE THIS).
Contact every department that is involved, such as the clerk's office, disbursement unit, the state attorney's office, central depository...leave no one out. Be prepared to deal with nasty, rude people in customer service.
Google the Attorney General's Office and State Attorney's Office in your state and for the address and phone numbers. Explain your situation, if you have a hard time with anyone, ask for the name and number of the Director of the Child Support Division. Leave a message if possible. I did and my call was returned today.
Also file a complaint on-line that the AG's office has on their website. Someone will contact you.
This is what SK just did to me: They rejected my cancellation letter, of course, and sent the Disbursement Unit a direct-deposit form to deposit all future payments to their account in my name with their P.O. Box.
I contacted the Attorney General's(AG) office, and was told to submit a new direct-deposit along with my voided check and they will change the information back to my information. I also attached a copy of my notarized letter and sent it along with my voided check today. BE SURE TO PUT IN YOUR LETTER THAT THEY ARE TO MAKE NO CHANGES TO YOUR CASE WITHOUT YOUR WRITTEN, NOTARIZED CONSENT.
The AG has a contact person within SK that she will call and see if she can get back the 34%that SK "STOLE" today. She can't promise anything but she will see what she can do.
The most important thing is to change all the information back to your information. SK has no right to take 34% from any of our funds and they know this, and so does your child support agency. They will gladly change your information. DO NOT GIVE UP. IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE GO OVER THIER HEADS.
Virginia has filed a lawsuit against SK. If you don't stand up for yourself they will walk all over you. Simply ignore them once you inform them (if you want to inform them at all) that you will no longer deal with them. Then check your account with them on-line and I am sure that you will notice that their comments change from contacting the employer to leaving phone messages for the non-custodial parent.
Also send a notarized letter to the employer to discontinue giving information to SK.
Good luck. I am prepared for a good fight. I've been doing it for 22 years with the state agencies and SK is small potatoes to me.
Good Luck to all of you. I hope this bit of information is useful to all interested.
DOES ANYONE KNOW THE PROCESS ON HOW TO BEGIN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST SUPPORTKIDS?
What great information. I sent them a request for termination again today. Its been a while. We shall see what happens with that. I have a stupid question, is the Attorney General the same across the board or are they different in every state? No, I dont know how to do a class action law suit but would love more info on it.
Please, forget about sending SK any termination letter. From now on deal with your local child support office only.
No question is ever stupid. Whatever information I get, I make sure to share with others who are faced with the same situation.
Each state has its own Attorney General. Google Attorney General and your state's name. Contact that office, explain your situation and someone will be sure to help you. If there is a section where you can fill out a complaint form on their website, do that. Someone should contact you.
Be sure to have everything in writing and notarized when dealing with your local child support office. Also find out what department distributes the checks and send them a notarized letter that there shall be no deposits made to SK using your signed contract and court order and direct deposit form. They used my signed contract with them, my court order and a direct deposit form to have the funds go directly to them. Here in FL I had to print out a direct deposit form from the department of revenue's website, send in a voided check so that everything will be sent to my checking account. Find out if your state does the same.
I have had some people in customer service of the state attorney's office (that's what the child support office is called her in FL) tell me that I have to hire an attorney to cancel my contract with SK. Not true. The information that I received form the Attorney General's office was to notify SK that my contract with them is null and void because they are in direct violation with the court order because the 34% that they deduct from the child support payments reduces the amount of child support that the court specifies that the child is owed. You have notified them so now forget about them.
Do not bother wasting your time because they will just keep telling you that they can't cancel your contract. Deal directly with your local office. Contact the Attorney General or your local State Attorney's Office and complain about SK. Someone even made mention at the website ripoffreport.com that they contacted the Federal Trade Commission. I did too but have not heard from them yet. I also sent a letter to the Attorney General of Austin, Texas a letter complaining about SK.
Please let me know how things workout for you.
I forgot to mention that you must also send a notarized letter to your ex's employer asking them not to give any information to SK using your court order or signed contract. They should only deal strictly with the child support office. Give the information of your child support office. Let them know that your contraact with SK is null and void. Be sure to mention that they cannot provide any information without your written consent and notarized letter. Send the letter certified if you have to.
Good luck!
Enough of the bashing of the IV-D agency workers. Your local child support agencies can do only so much. They deal every minute of every work day with people who are working diligently to avoid paying or those who are diligently attempting to make the worker appear useless.
Most of us IV-D workers have been doing so for many, many years. Get a grip. You can't call us a name we haven't already heard and your threats of taking our jobs are laughable at best. If you want the job, apply and good luck in your endeavors. Be kind, we are not social workers, counselors or attorneys.
Some obligor parents are better at hiding themselves, assets, etc. than others. Each state's laws, each child support office's procedures differ. We must work within the law and the policies set forth to ensure that IV-D follows the law. If you want current law changed, contact your legislator.
The federal government recently enacted revisions to existing policy and have made it easier for us to collect child support arrears after the age of emancipation. This has resulted in a marked increase in collections. Child support collection laws are revised in one way or another every session in every state. I strongly urge you to contact your local politicians with your comments and suggestions as to how you think collections could be increased.
Oh, by the way, don't close your IV-D case. It doesn't cost you anything to leave it open.
Excuse me JBO58...that was spoken like someone who has never had to deal with child support issues. Dont tell me how diligently the people at the DA's office work, if that is in fact what an IV-D worker is. Ive been dealing with those people for 16 years. If they had been doing their job to begin with, I would have never hired Supportkids. The time that I did work with them, I DID their job. It seems like by your "get a grip" response, you truely have the personality they look for in an employee. Ive dealt with many people like you, with that same exact attitude. Im open to responses, I try to listen to both sides...HOWEVER, on this one, you are WAYYYYYYYYYY out of line. Until you've walked a mile in my shoes, dont you dare tell me how hard you work...dont even go there. I speak for millions of single parents that get nothing but crap from government agencies. If the system worked, you'd be out of a job. They work harder for the people on government assistance because its THEIR dollar and the working single parents get the shaft. We could debate about this for days. Ignorance is bliss....thats all Ive got to say about that.
I just called the SupportKids office and was told that it shouldn't be a problem. I've had my case with them for about 9 mos with no result. My husband is going to adopt my son and we are going to leave the past in the past. I was told to fax this in to their dept:
Fax # 1-866-337-3387
Att: Termination Dept
My name
Non-custodial parent's name
Case ID #
Reason for termination
(Mine is that I no longer want to pursue it)
She was all "Hey no probs, fax that in and give us 30 days and you'll get your confirmation letter".
I'll let you guys know how it turns out!
Yep..I have sent them several letters to terminate. They always deny them. Good luck. I hope you are making the right decision about your son. Boys need their Dads but they need their Mom's too.
I was getting tired of waiting for the state to collect my child support and called SK after seeing them on TV. Now I wish I hadn't. The state agency finally got the court order moved to the stae my ex lives in and is having having his wages garnished for the last two weeks. However, SK seems to think they're entitled to that money somehow and have taken my money and put it towards the initial fee. I realized this morning what they were doing so I called them and explained that they are not entitled to that money since they didn't do anything to assist in collecting that money. The lady at SK said I have to send them proof that the local enforcement agency collected the money without the employment verification that they did last month (I gave them his employment info when I signed up with them and gave the same info to cse months before that!) With a written request to cancel my case with them and they will refund my money. I talked to my case worker too and he's going to send me a letter detailing how they proceded with the case to send to SK. However, now that I've read this I'm scared they aren't going to do anything. I did send in an updated direct deposit form so hopefully I'll be getting my future payments. I hope they can't change it back afterwards. I wouldn't mind them taking a comission/fee if they were the one collecting it or working for it but I don't see how they can charge me for something the state is doing for free. All they're doing is interceptimg the payment and taking a large portion of it for nothing??? Not fair. I wish I would have read ur blog before I signed with them!
You know, they get their payment directly from the DA here on my case too. I dont know how they get away with it but they do. Someone needs to stop them. This is out of control.
They must have gotten you to sign a form requesting your payments be direct deposited to them... go to the DA (or whoever collects it in your state) and fill out a form to change your address back to your own and change where there check is sent. That way at least you'll be getting it directly. Print off a Revocation of POA and have it signed and fax it to them too and give a copy to the DA there so they can't change it back when they figure out what you did. Hope this helps!
Please try this to see if it works in your favor in getting rid of Support Kids (SK):
Contact the employers and your child support agencies via certified mail and have them change the address from SK's address back to your own address. SK does direct deposit of all the checks received.
Have your child support agency redirect the direct deposit back to you or have them mail you a check directly.
Contact the employers directly and have them stop providing SK with information. Inform them that no changes can be made without your written consent by a notarized letter.
There are ways to beat SK at their own game. They robbed me of 34% too and I got fed up. When SK told me that they would not cancel my contract, I got mad and took action.
They are in direct violation of the court order because they are basically STEALING 34% of each child support check and the court has ordered that the child is due to receive a specific amount as ordered by the court.
Don't write SK anymore letters, deal with your child support agency and the employers.
The problem with that is, the DA has a copy of the contract with Supportkids. Ive tried, believe me. Their response, they NEED to abide by the contract. Its the law...can you believe that?
Try getting help from an attorney. There may be a fee or the initial consultation may even be free, but this may be your best bet. Contracts CAN BE broken. I'm surprised that the DA did not give you advice on how to get rid of SupportKids and that they are willing to turn over your money so fast to these thieves. Please don't give up. I am still surprised that I was able to break my contract. Please don't give up.
wow, i am bummed to hear it is so hard. in my case, supportkids has done nothing with all the information i have provided them. they continue to post activity on my account once/month with things like "got a busy signal when attempting to contact ncp" or "left msg for ncp".
So do they have a contract for LIFE?
I just want out so I can pay a lawyer to sue for the balance due, if that's possible. My daughter is now over 18 and Texas closed my IVD case. So I don't think any state will be able to help me; They haven't been for the last decade so I don't think they can now.
I have no problem paying 34% IF the company is doing collections for me and using their legal resources such as filing liens, issuing warrants, etc. However, in over a year and a half, all they have done is leave phone messages for the ncp. The State will not help me either since my daughter is over 18 and we simply will not be a priority. I want to now hire a personal lawyer. What I want to know is how long is this contract valid without having anything collected from the ncp? Can they force me to pay them if I am out of pocket for legal expenses to collect it?
The contract is valid forever unless 1. They dont collect anything for a year or 2. They forward your case to RJBA. In which case, you can terminate your contract like I did. If they get your money from the DA just put in a change of address when, and if they transfer your case. I tried to get out for 7 year..the system is set up so that you cant. You can request a million times to terminate your contract and all they do is deny your request.
I would like to let you all know that I just got my payments stopped! Finally! Took about 4 years but I am so glad! Hope you all have luck like myself, call your Family Division for your county!
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