A debt consolidation company promised to help Tamara Burgess get out of her $9,000 debt, but a year later, Credit Solutions has yet to pay a penny towards her debt.

Burgess was told that if she signed a contract and paid $1,500, the company would reduce her debt to around $5,000.

"They made it seem like it was a good deal," said Burgess.

But after paying $800 over six months and still getting calls from creditors, Tamara found out that Credit Solutions hadn't paid a penny on her debt. So, she started asking why.

“Phone calls everyday, talking to a different person the next day. You would call and that person no longer was dealing with our case, so we'd have to explain our case to a completely different person," Burgess said.

Then, two weeks ago Burgess was served with a warrant. One of her creditors that Credit Solutions was supposed to be dealing with was taking her to court.

"Of course, Credit Solutions says, ‘Give us that information and we’ll take care of it.’ I honestly didn't think it would reach the point of receiving a warrant in the mail before they would take care of it," said Burgess.

According to the Better Business Bureau, Credit Solutions has had nearly 350 complaints filed against in the last three years. The problem is the company waits until its large fee is completely paid before ever settling with your creditors.

Iris Borden is a credit counselor with Credit Counseling Services of Hampton Roads.

"They are looking to make money off of the individuals that have hardship situations financially in the first place," said Borden.

She says if a company wants a big fee to settle your debt, stay away.

"What we pride ourselves on is educating these consumers in this situation to in the future be able to manage their money and make arrangements with the creditors themselves, which is the cheapest way to do it," said Borden.

Experts say protect yourself from similar schemes, check out the company with the Better Business Bureau before you sign any contracts, and always make sure the company has certified credit counselors.