Unbelievable. I called this number on craigslist, knowing that it was too good to be true. But, what the hell. Right? WRONG! They advertised $700/month mortgage take-overs on pre-foreclosed houses. I figured that with the economy, anything is possible. The guy on the phone explained that I put $199 as a down payment and a no credit check (which doesn't matter b/c I have great credit, but not a lot of money to put down). So, I figured it was a good deal. I asked where I could view the list and he asked me "what credit line do you usually use?" I said Visa. He said "what's your expiration date on the card?" I replied, "why do you need my credit card information?" First Red Flag. He said "you need to put the $199 down now, but you get a full refund if you don't purchase a house. We will send you a list of houses to your email." He told me that all I had to do was call customer service if I didn't find anything and they would refund my money immediately, and they would honor that refund for up to one year. I asked him where I could find that information in writing and he said it would be sent in the email after I gave him my credit card number. Second Red Flag. I immediately looked up the Terms and Conditions on the website and about 1/2 way down I found where it said that in order to get a refund (which they only honor for ninety days) you had to send certified mail to Anchor House Financial with at least 5 denial letters from homeowners. Third Red Flag. I immediately read out loud to the guy what I found on the website, explaining that it was totally different from what he told me and he said "I don't know, that's just what they told me to read in the script." Are you kidding me? I laughed and said, "you realize that you're ripping people off, right?" And then he hung up on me. How do these people sleep at night? If I had $199 dollars to flush down the toilet I wouldn't be looking online for foreclosed houses. Like I said. Unbelievable.
Oh, and you should know that they are using a different name now - American Standard Online
If you have given them any money .. Speak to your attorney. Good thing I did my homework on this company before giving them any money. I also spoke with my lawyer to get advice so that this company do not scam anyone else. I was directed to contact the attorney general of the state and report the phone number and website. So I did.. Make sure you all contact the attorney general of your state; they will go after this company and won't let up.
I just hung up from a call I placed in response to a Craigslist ad. I'm in SC and the agent had the same claims as others mentioned above. He was speaking so fast and what caught my attention was when he quickly asked me for my credit card info... RED FLAG. I told him I would put some thought into it (which meant I'd do some research) and call back once I decided. After reading the complaints posted here, I'm VERY glad I didn't jump at what SEEMED like a great opportunity. These folks should be ashamed of themselves. Im sure I'll be seeing them on an episode of AMERICAN GREED at some point.
Did anyone research how many new homeowners they have helped, who otherwise could not get a home? Did anyone bother to ask the 100k+ homeowners they have helped saved they credit and restore their honor when faced with foreclosure? Well did you think of who its working for and why a handful of complainers is small compared to the winners. You know Walmart gets complaints also and look at how much has been spent there over the last 10 years. NO FOUL ...NO HARM..
My wife and I are relocating to Austin TX and we searched Craigslist and saw some homes with 3 bedrooms in Austin for half the normal price. We called the number and a guy picked up and said we could take over the mortgage because it was a pre foreclosure. We had a rent or buy option. He said he couldn't give any information until we paid 199 dollars . I needed a house to rent within a week he said no problem. So we paid and got told to browse. We saw no contact info. They said we had to mail the owners when I called. I said I needed a house in a week and that wasn't except able. I said I want a refund and they refused and said I had to wait 90 days even after I said they could be of no help. They should contact the owners but don't because it's obviously just a scam. I reported them to the better business bureau and so should you.
They are spammer
I checked this site before doing any business with them. thank god i did! due to these complaints, they will never here from me. wish everyone knew how to investigate before they jump into theses type of situations.
OK FIRST OFF, i called the local sheriff in there so called office area. The sheriff dispatcher states" i know where that location is" that is where i get a vacuum cleaner repaired, and that is where they sell new appliances as well. there are no such address that belongs to this organization of scammers. this people are bull sxxt. they do not have a lic to even operate as a business. also the way they get their listing leads is through county record, which by the way is free to the public. then they go to google map, there they would take birds eye view photos of the home that people are so called" INTERESTED IN" then after that is done they would post it. then people like us will try and buy it out of disparate needs . so they then say they would write letter for us to the home owner, but it ends up we have to rite the home owner our selves then give our own address. so they are 100% scams. call the local sheriff, they will tell you them selves,
I just spoke to the “manager” top of the line professionals! I requested a refund, she laughed at me asking if I read the terms and services. I then asked if I was told to read these before or after my cards was charged, she had to admit that it was after the payment was taken. However she insisted that I should have not agreed on the site and attempted to cancel instead. At no point I was tools that I would have to print out letters and mail them at my cost – that is the way it is supposed to work. I got this information after I accepted .They give you a list (which you can obtain at the city or a bank) and basically tell you to and I quote “play the numbers game “send out letters and hope that one of the pre foreclosed home owners agree to allow you to take over payments. I finally decided to get educated in the real estate industry and found out that I was totally scammed. Lesson learned – this is not right in this economy it is just wrong to conduct such business and why does the state of CA allow them to continue?
I am in pursuit of a law suit with this company, It would greatly help if someone would take on the responsibility of getting a petition signed of all willing to stand up against this company. Each and every signature will contribute. My goal is to return the 199$ to everyone caught in this scheme and potentially a little extra for the added stress and inconvenience. Corrupt companies taints the very foundation of what America was built upon.
We have power by numbers, if interested in helping me, please comment...
I was just scammed by this place I want my money back [censored] where do I sign this petition to get these losers
I also got scammed by anchorhousefinacial were do i sigh
I just got taken in too! I felt it was a little too easy and convenient; the guy was nice enough but something just wasn't adding up that I couldn't put my finger on. It seemed to me that the man I spoke to, didn't sound educated enough to be in the this business and when he asked me for my credit card # I got suspiscious but I figured $199.00 is a small price to pay to get to a virtual tour of the many homes available in my area - he said he was going to send me an email, that I never got, he also said he was going to call me back in a few minutes, the call never came, and he has my CC info - so I went to dig up some info on this company, and low and behold; I found a slew of complaints that confirmed my worst suspitions! I immediately alerted my credit card company who informed me that it will take 10 days for the charge to post and then I can dispute it. So I have nothing from them in my possession, no email, no company info, just a churning in the pit of my stomach. So yes, that happened less than an hour ago, and I immediately put the charge in dispute, and they better refund me, or else... Let me know about that petition; 'cause I will sign it! Thank you Smith 7162, lfor offering a solution; let's go to war on these bandits!
This is such a scam! I'm extremely frustrated I didn't do my research first. My lawyer has already started a suit and if found to be a scam legally, I'm pressing criminal charges.
I agree completely
835 n milpas street (upstairs) Santa Barbara California is the office! Ask for mike
My husband did this while I was out with the baby! And now i come to find out it is a complete scam I will sign any petition to get my money back! People disgust me in there scams to get money!
Can I by chance use anyone's log in to check this out for my area? The guy said they had "75 homes" in my zip code. Of those... at least half were what I need. HAH. I want to see how valid this is.
This company provided a list of homes in my area to a neighbor who was currently living with family and wanted to purchase in the area. The company claimed to have verified that my home and several neighbors were in default status with our mortgage companies. Funny thing is I don't have a mortgage on this property. It was bought and paid for free and clear all cash. Taxes are paid as well as HOA. I called Anchor Financial when the neighbor approached me but all they could do was apologize and promise to remove me from their list. Now some three months later I received a letter addressed to "Homeowner" stating that they understood my financial situation and just wanted to help. SO...I just called them again. Same song and dance as last time. THEN the women had the audacity to say" well if your home is free and clear maybe we could help you buy investment properties. So if you could just give her my credit card information she would love to send me a listing of actual properties in my area that I would be interested in investing in". REALLY? I was livid but maintained my composure and played along. I told her that that seems interesting but I'm a little hesitant considering my home was listed previously and was not for sale or in foreclosure. She reassured me by telling me about a few properties that I know of that are truly for sale in my area. So I ask her to tell me about just one of the properties on her foreclosure list. She gave me the address right behind my home which happens to belong to life long friends and I know 100% it is not in foreclosure. I have real estate experience and from what I can tell they are pulling list for the last 5-10 properties sold in the area you request. It has nothing to do with homes being in default. By the way this is not even my primary home. Its a secondary lake property same as my friends and most of the community for that matter. This is a complete SCAM! I have already reported to every agency I can think of...locally, state of Texas, state of California also because that's the main address on my letter.
So, glad I listened to my wife... I was ready to move on this deal then she found this post! Too good to be true, probably is...
I completely disagree with all of you! I found my home thru Anchor house financial, I have been renting to own my property for about 6 1/2 months now and couldnt be more happier! Thank you Anchor House!
I am also interested in being a party to the suit.
Steve
I have recently been scammed by this company through craigslist. The listing that reeled me in has been removed of course and when I call to request a refund, I am denied. Im not sure where they get their listings from, but a friend of mine's home was among the listings and her home is not in Foreclosure neither is it in Pre Foreclosure. I really would like to be included in any class action lawsuit. I also would just simply like my money back. I needed to find a home for myself and four kids immediately because the roof is caving in at my current residence. I DID NOT have the money to waste. Please if you are reading this, dont give it a second or third thought. Just run far away from Anchor House Financial and fast. The complaints date back to 2008. It is now October 11, 2015. Its time that they are stopped. If there is anything I could do to help someone else please feel free to email me at veeta121485@yahoo.com and put Anchor House Scam as the subject.
I just phoned about a listing on Craigslist and the call went to this Anchor House Financial outfit. When I asked about the house that was advertised they said I would get a list of available houses after I pay $199.
Well, it just so happens I can get that same information for free from a number of other places. How about some local realtors and local financial institutions to start with? They are generally happy to have people asking for such information and they will gladly give it for free to anyone interested. Why? Because that's part of how their more honest businesses operate. Local Credit Unions are a great place to start looking... For free.
So, with a very small amount of my own leg work, I can have a much broader selection of pre-foreclosures to choose from in the area where I want to be and without paying $199 for whatever this other outfit might come up with.
I also did a search on the name "Anchor House Financial" and found this site, among others, with people telling the same kinds of stories and some people getting scammed and losing money for nothing. The BBB gives them a "F" grade and has a warning about them on their web site. They tell the same story many are telling here, but they also show how Anchor was recently operated under another name "Your American Standard" and was doing the same thing under that name.
So I flagged the listing on Craigslist as prohibited because it is unethical and very dishonest.
Hello everybody
My Name is Benlee Jorkan and i got caught on their scheme. They took $199 out of my account and when i asked for a refund they told me i should wait 90 days in order for me to get a refund. They said it was refundable like previous comments been mentioned. Like what the hell, how am i suppose to know about this when i was signed up through craiglist?.. Few days later i wanted to called them for cancelation, and this guy i was talking to was so mean, he told me not to ask questions when i was asking about refunds and all that. He told me " STOP ASKING QUESTIONS!"So at the moment i am contacting the Better Business Bureau about this. I mean this kind of situation you just wanna smack their F****** A** out. Sorry excuse my language!
...cont
I am ready to sign whatever petition you have to get this ridiculous company down!
Thank you for all your complaints. Glad I decided to do some research before I too became a scam victim. I'm sorry you all lost your hard earned money. It's truly sad to know people do this. Very unethical and inhuman. Melanie
Me and my family of 3 with babies just got ript off by this company is there anyway to get our money back. We will be homeless soon and they took what we really needed?
This company really is a frsud...fortunately for me I got my money back only because I think as soon as I had accepted and paid the required $199... Iwent to the Better business Bureau and was shocked... I called the sales representative tight back and no seems to know him even after I quoted his agent ID to them...which he braagged I could call him backetc etc.. Right away I called my bank and they said in order to cancel the payment they had to close my credit card used and issue new ones... While I was on my cell with my bank I was on hold with thier customer service on my land line..when they the finally answered.. I told them I wanted to cancel was asked if I had read the agreement... I said no...I just did the transaction about 5mins ago... I have not gone on the website...I have not signed in or anything and I was told I would get my money back... I was transferred to a supervisor... Was put on hold surprisingly not long... I then asked her to hold as I was talking to my bank reporting them...she waited and she saw I just did the transaction literally 15 mins ago and she canceled it.Thanks for the Scam Alert on BBB you guys.
Boy I am so lucky I did my research. As it was I didn't have the 199.00 that day I found the ad on Craigslist. I told Theresa that I'd have to call back in 2 days to sign up and receive my list. She was so eager for the transaction she gave me her direct number. I kept thinking to myself what a great opportunity and why I had not heard of Anchor House Financial before. That gave me the idea to check BBB. I was shocked the see the big "F". I was heart broken reading the complaints. I was flabbergasted. I thought to myself the old saying, "If It sounds too good to be true it probably is".
I really wanted this opportunity. What a great way to start over. The rush was awesome. Well guess what? I won't be calling Theresa back in 2 days.
Instead I'll be investigating more and be alert to scams.
Lord Jesus in Heaven! U found the ad also on Craigslist and I have to admit they talk a good game. The woman (Vicki) I spoke with kept me on the phone almost a half an hour almost imploring me to send the $199.00. I had my daughter call the number and she said it sounded like a scam, but still I was thinking in the back of my mind that I would pawn my gold chain and send them the money. So tonight I found the email Vicki sent me and decided to go ahead and send the money tomorrow, but a little voice inside said, " why don't you check and see if there are any COMPLAINTS about them first. And sure enough, I looked and found dozens of them, I can't find one person who can say a good word about them and no reports about anyone finding the house they want or getting their money back without a fight. I am so glad I waited.
Lord Jesus in Heaven! I found the ad also on Craigslist and I have to admit they talk a good game. The woman (Vicki) I spoke with kept me on the phone almost a half an hour almost imploring me to send the $199.00. I had my daughter call the number and she said it sounded like a scam, but still I was thinking in the back of my mind that I would pawn my gold chain and send them the money. So tonight I found the email Vicki sent me and decided to go ahead and send the money tomorrow, but a little voice inside said, " why don't you check and see if there are any COMPLAINTS about them first. And sure enough, I looked and found dozens of them, I can't find one person who can say a good word about them and no reports about anyone finding the house they want or getting their money back without a fight. I am so glad I waited.
I saw their post on Craigslist too! I gave them my name and address but not my credit card info can they do anything to me with that? like identity theft?
My first red flag was the fact that it did sound so easy (which nothing is now these days), the second red flag was the fact that they needed my credit card first on the phone before giving more detais about the house I was applying for. My third red flag with this company came when I found several links on their website are not working. And the domainname is hosted with the owners name kept private: which a legit company will never do. Lucky enough I did my research before handing over my card. Otherwise, say goodbye to your money. I am sorry for all those people here paying for this service. I am surprised this kind of companies have the ability to stay in business over such a long period.
I joined Anchorhousefinancial.com for 199.00. It was clear when I joined that if I wanted to cancel I had to send a written request within a certain timeframe. I agreed to that and was on my way. After sending out approx. 40 letters to homeowners (in or near foreclusre) ..with the letter recommended by Anchorhouse...which had Anchorhouse mailing information (not mine)...I did not receive even 1 response from Anchorhouse. During the specified time I wrote to cancel my membership and request a FULL refund. Didn't hear ANYTHING for a month after they received my letter. I emailed the service center..and they responded saying that they DID receive my cancellation request but it was on HOLD because I did not send any "DENIAL" letters. I called their service center number and explained "what denial letters?" ..the letter THEY recommended I send out had NO mention of a 'denial' letter. ANd if I had known I needed to get some sort of response from the homeowner I would NOT have joined in the first place. I got passed off to ANOTHER rep..who proceded to explain that when I 1st signed in to anchorhousefinancial.com the "terms and conditions state that to cancel I would need 5 denial letters. I never read that statement... and told the rep that if I knew there was this requirement I would have included a self addressed stamped envelope AND my own denail lettter for the homeowneer to send to me. I explained that there was NO mention of this need in any of their sample customer letters. We ent around for a few minutes... I had to raise my voice and indicate I would report them to the betterr business bureau...and finally the rep said she could do me a favor and do a partial refund of $75.00. I took it. At this point I wasted enough of my time and energy on this rip-off.
Wow I'm so glad I found this before giving these spammers my money thanks guys
My story is the exact same as almost all the other complaints. .My wife answered an ad that anchor house financial put in our local paper the man that she called told her that they had several homes in the area that we are looking at, of course we couldn't get any more information untill we paid them 199.00$ I paid them with my debit card and the money came out of my account immediately. After the payment I pulled up their Web address and started a search, there was absolutely no listing in the area that they told us there was. So thinking that it was a software problem I Called them back they conned me into waiting an hour to try again still ne listing, so I called back again this time the guy who answered used profanity and hung up on me. So here I am 199.00$ poorer. I have been cheated and hope the feds act on this before any more honest hard working people get cheated. Sincerely william weston. Wweston50@hotmail.com
I will help any way I can. I am also a victom. I did however have my Attorney send them a letter. I was told to contact the Attorney General, which I dId. The sent me some paper work to fill out. I will being sending that back.
I am highly upset and in tears . I found anchor housing while looking for houses to rent on craigslist. At the time I was staying in a hotel desperately looking for a place before I ran out of money. I called and they assured me they could have me in a place within two weeks and said once I paid $199.00 they would be able to start the process and then they would have me in a house within two weeks they told me if they didn't have me in a house within that time frame they would give me a full refund . I told them my story how my baby and I were living in a hotel and needed something quickly they said no problem at all we will be able to help you and ull have your own place in no more than two weeks. The man on the phone made it seem like everything would be ok . so I gave him all my card information and my card was charged the $199.00 he gave me the website and stuff I needed to get all the information I needed. I go online and then I find out I had to send letters to home owners at my expense and WAIT until they contacted anchor housing . I sent out about 30 letters the next day and waited and waited I continued to call Anchor housing financial and all they could tell me was wait for a home owner to contact them. I told them this is not what I was told you guys told me ud have me in a house within 2 weeks . I have a baby and im currently pregnant with my second child . So I went by some of the addresses and I met with one of the home owners he had no clue what I was talking about and said he was in need of no help and his house was not in forclosure . I called anchor housing in tears saying I needed my refund . I was still in a hotel and I was running out of money. they were very rude and said your not eligible for a refund until 90 days . well i ended up running out of money and had no where to go i was literally homeless with my two year old son and 45 months pregnant. My husband recently passed away in a car accident 2 months after i found out i was pregnant i had no one . i was trying to survive off of what i had. i literally became homeless . i had to go stay with a friend in a state ive never been before . im still without a home . i wrote anchor housing saying its been 90 days and id like my full refund they said id get if they didn't get me in a home . he wrote me back saying i had to follow the refund request on the website . i read it and now there saying i need to write a letter requesting a refund and send in 5 rejection letters from the home owners and that theyd take 10% out of the 199.00 for fees. and then theyd mail me a check within 30 days ! i am so upset. i just lost my husband im preganat and i have a 2 year old son alone . what these people are doing isn't ok. they left me and my baby boy homeless. they knew my story and still lied and assured me they have me in a home asap. i don't have 5 rejection letters i don't even have one rejection letter no one ever got in contact with me ... also why do i have to write a letter to anyone why cant they just put the 199.00 back on my card. this has been a total nightmare . im in tears over all of this . these people needs to be stopped and everyone who has lost money needs to be refunded the money that they put into this . i am a single mother who just lost her husband and i need my money
Hi Smith 7162, My name is Tessa and I would be very honored to join you in your pursuit for compensation from these scammers. I work hard for my money and I dont' have any to waste on nonsense like this I just called Anchor for a full refund because my 90 days was up on 11/22/15. She proceeded to give me a bogus website to start the refund process and then she hung up so fast, that I couldn't even ask any questions or get some sort of sense of direction. Everyone on here who is complaining is on point. Everything that is being said, is exactly what i've experienced. Let's start the petition ASAP! I'll be the first to sign! Please respond and lets get our money back and some! email me @ tessalg77@gmail.com...I check it often and will respond right back.