Lewiston & Burke Financial
Complaint 79882 Details

I received an offer by phone for a loan of $7200. I had been looking for a smaller amount than that,but decided to follow through on the call. I spoke with Michelle Ferguson, who told me I had been approved for this loan. I would however need to put down the amount of $700 to secure the loan, and she would send me the documents. When I received the loan documents, in contract form, it stated that I would have to put down $933 for my 7200 loan, and my payments would be $233/mo. beginning in May, 2012. There was also an optional form for insurance on this loan for 1500, which I did not opt for.
I faxed the documents back, as asked, and was advised I would have to send the money via Western Union to a person, because it cost less than sending it to a business, and it had to be done in money in minutes. The name of the person I sent the money to was Ainsworth Brown, in Miami, Fla. I sent 933 with fees of $86 for a total of $1019, on 1/25/12. I called and gave Michelle the MTCN, and was told she would tell the lenders,and I should get my money within 4 hours. After not hearing anything for 2 days, I again called. This time I was told that the lenders had decided that I needed to pay the "optional" insurance. I informed her I did not have this money, and would have to figure out where that was going to come from. I called back and asked if I could simply begin paying the loan sooner, thus paying off the insurance first, and she said no, they wanted the money, however they would split it with me so I would only have to pay $750. I called her back to tell her I had managed to get together this money, and she gave me the name of the person"working" that day that would pick up the money. So on 2/10/12, I sent $750 plus 66 in fees, for a total of $816, to a Craig Whittingham, Miami, Fla. I again called in with the MTCN, and again was told she would forward the info,and I would have my money in 4 hrs. After not hearing anything, I called beginning on Monday, 2/13 and left a message. I received a message back on 2/14 but was not able to return it until the following day. That is when Michelle told me she would look into why I did not have my money. I followed up with a return call, on 2/16 and was told that because the lender was from outside the US, I would have to pay a tax to get the money into the country, $800. I asked her to please tell me what kind of tax she meant, and really did not receive a real clarification. I told her I would have to think about this. On 2/17 I called back and told her I was not going to continue with this and wanted my money back. Without hesitation, she told me I would receive all of my money,plus my fees. I asked how this would come to me, and she said via certified check in the mail. I asked when I could expect it, and she stated that being that the day we talked was a Friday, she would put it in the mail on Monday, I should have it no later than Friday, 2/24/12. I am still waiting. I phoned on Friday to ask when to expect this, and was only able to leave a voice message and to date have not received a reply. These people need to be dealt with swiftly. The contract that is sent appears real. Shame on me for sending any money to get money.