Debt Settlement WARNING! (Plus 3 Rules to Avoid Trouble)

Shopping around? Getting quotes from different companies? Filling out forms on the internet, looking for help? Tempted by lower payments?

Don't be fooled...

DO YOU HAVE ACCOUNTS WITH ANY OF THESE CREDITORS: Citibank, Discover or Bank of America?

Are you sure?

BUYER BEWARE:

If you receive quotes from anyone who does NOT ask you who your creditors are, you better RUN!

With so many people in a financial hardship these days, many unscrupulous, untrained or ignorant people are jumping onto the debt settlement band wagon. Unfortunately this could mean big trouble for you!

Did you know Citibank, Discover and Bank of America are much more likely to file a lawsuit against you if you make the mistake of enrolling into a bad debt settlement program over 24-30 months. Or, in some cases, even if it's longer than 12 months?

It all depends on how much debt you have with "aggressive creditors" like Citibank, Discover and Bank of America.

You may have accounts disguised as other creditors, but and are actually owned by these same nasty creditors, like...

* AT&T Universal (Citibank)

* Most gas cards (Exxon, BP, Citgo, Chevron... ALL Citibank)

* Sears (Citibank)

* Lowes & Sams (Discover)

* FIA (Bank of America)

* Plus many more common names you might know all too well, but didn't know were ticking time bombs in your financial plan.

In fact, if you have too much debt with Citibank, Discover and Bank of America, then debt settlement MOST LIKELY won't work for you at all!

What If You Enrolled In Such A Program?

You'll most likely get ripped off and left to deal with nasty creditors on your own if you fall for the smoke and mirrors most companies offer. Usually clients are ignored and given poor customer service from such companies because they are only set up to enroll clients. They are not there to fulfill their empty promises. When creditors get nasty or sue, the company is not there for them. The salesperson is long gone with their commission, and you're left to deal with collectors, attorneys and courts all alone. Watch out for high pressure sales people or slick-sters trying to sell you on the lowest monthly payment without even looking at your specific situation.

"Three Rules" To Avoid Trouble:

1. Only trust quotes from a debt settlement company who requires statements prior to providing specific quotes. There's simply no way to give an accurate estimate based on balances alone. The details found only on the credit card/account statements are critically important in determining a cost for settlement and a monthly payment.

2. Only work with a debt settlement company who has been in business over 5 years. If 90% of businesses fail in the first five years, why would you trust your financial future to such an unproven newbie? Stay away from start-ups! Choose a company with a proven track record over time.

3. Only work with companies who are BBB Members in good standing, with a clean BBB Reliability Report. Stay away from companies with a long list of complaints... This is a sure sign these companies over-promise and deliver poor results, probably getting their clients sued unnecessarily.

Something Else To Watch-Out For

With the collapse of sub-prime lending, rising unemployment and increasing debt, the debt settlement industry has exploded. Many financial salespeople have rushed into debt settlement to MAKE MONEY. Most "debt consultants" might as well have been hired yesterday. They are only trained to enroll clients in volume. They don't really know what they're talking about and are only after a quick sale, regardless of how bad it may turn out for your financial future.

I had a representative from a major debt settlement company call my cell phone last week by mistake. I was amused, so acted as a "secret shopper". She asked me how much debt I had. I told her I had $30-40k in credit card debt, just to see what she would say. Immediately, the hackles shot up on my back when I heard her say I could be debt free for payments of only $250 a month.

That's ridiculous!

There is simply no way to achieve such results, especially without knowing ANYTHING ELSE about my personal financial situation: who my creditors are, or even which state I live in. You may be able to make payments of $250 a month long enough to pay a debt settlement company a large amount in fees, but you'll be sued by most of your creditors. It will end up costing you far more than expected by the time you save enough money to settle your debts.

How many people are being suckered like this?

This habit of "over-promising" has become the norm to compete and survive as a debt settlement sales rep. In the years to come, the debt settlement industry will be exposed for its dirty laundry, and this will be the core of evil. Misleading consumers is wrong morally, ethically and legally. Still, it's happening every day.

Use your gut and common sense.

You've Been Warned

It seems the troubles in the economy continue to harm those around us with more unemployment, higher gas and food costs and the housing market slumping further and further down the tubes. Things have gotten out of hand.

Make no mistake, debt settlement may be the best option by far for you if you're in a financial hardship, but only if it's a good program that works in YOUR SPECIFIC CURRENT REALITY. Of course, personal service and expert knowledge are nice, especially in the sea of ignorance and desperation swarming the debt settlement industry these days.

There's a huge need right now for immediate education about how to deal with financial stress and struggle, how to get out of debt and how to manage financial hardship to regain a solid financial footing and achieve freedom and independence, before it's too late!