To make a long story short, I have managed to bury myself with almost ,000 in credit card debt I did not want to file bankruptcy. I have been able to pay around ,500 a month towards credit cards consistently which usually cover a little more than the minimum payment. I was doing the math and even with getting interest lower this is going to take me anywhere around 8-10 years. So I decided to join a debt settlement program that allows me to pay 75 a month for 36 months and it will get me out of debt by settlement. I have never been late on anything before but this month I have been advised by the company I decided to work with to stop paying the creditors. Does anyone know if the debt settlement companies send pfd’s or are they just trying to settle and get their share? What are somethings that I should expect to happen to my credit in the next 3-5 years? Does anyone have any success stories about settling their debt? I am just trying to sleep good at night with this decison.TY

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A few month’s ago, I started working with National Debt Relief to settle 2 credit cards….1 with Discover and one with Citibank.

I have had no issues until the other day, when someone from Citi called me to say they don’t work with debt settlement companies.

So, I have my debt settlement company telling me "don’t listen to the creditors, they are just trying to scare you", and then I have Citi telling me "don’t listen to the debt settlement company because they take your money and never pay us…a law was passed last year that we no longer work with debt settlement"

When I first enrolled into the settlement program, they said they did work with both banks, I had to provide my statements and they seem completely legit. I have a certain amount of money automatically being deposted into a trust account with the settlement company uses to pay off attorney fees and my creditors over a specific period of time.

How do I determine who is telling me the truth, and if my debt settlement isn’t working, what do I do with Citi? They did send me a letter asking me to settle…so what’s the difference if I settle through debt relief vs. settling directly through me?
If it helps, Discover has contacted me and is aware that I’m working with debt settlement and seemed more than okay with that. and they both sent me letters to settle for less than what i owe. it isn’t very much debt at all….just what I couldn’t pay off from my old lifestyle, after I had to move across the country and take a job making much less than i had before.

Technorati Tags: amount of money, attorney fees, banks, citibank, credit cards, creditors, debt relief, debt settlement companies, job, lifestyle, national debt, period of time, settlement company, settlement program, telling me the truth, trust account

In June I enrolled in a debt settlement/consolidation plan with a company. They said they would settle my debts and as long as I was putting the money aside I was supposed to then everything would be fine. They would be contacting my creditors and I should no longer talk to them. Well that is all well and good until I am contacted by an arbitrator and a law office. My accounts were fast tracked to arbitration when they found out the program was in. Each has offered me a settlement but I can’t afford it without a loan. I have perfect credit except for these two past due credit card balances and that is preventing me from getting a loan. The law office said I could make payments, but they would be nearly 00 for six months. There is absolutely no way I can afford that. What can I do? I’m really scared because I thought I was doing a a good thing and ended up in a terrible situation.
I have contacted the debt settlement company and they keep saying I’m not even supposed to talk to the attorney. I am so scared of them taking me to court though. I am putting the correct amount of money aside each month. The attorney’s office told me to go to ripoffreport.com and look up debt settlement companies and I found a lot of other people in this situation.

Technorati Tags: amount of money, arbitration, arbitrator, consolidation plan, credit card balances, creditors, debt settlement companies, debts, getting a loan, settlement company, six months

I heard that debt settlement companies are a scam is this true?
I’m using netdebt.com

thats the name of the agency, netdebt

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Looking for the good, the bad and the ugly stories for anyone that has had experience with debt settlement companies. I am working with one right now and can’t decide whether to continue working with them or file Chapter 13.

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Suggest me best Debt Settlement Companies

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I was thinking of signing up with a debt settlement company but I have heard the debt settlement companies not what they seem. They promise to settle your credit card and unsecured debt for half or less than what you owe. I have heard what they don’t tell you is that you usually get sued, get your wages garnished, and that the debt settlement companies over report what they actually save you while charging you a huge fee. In addition, I have heard that your savings are reported to the IRS as income and that your credit report is trashed. Supposedly their seemingly caring sales people are paid high commissions. Apparently you can negotiate with your creditors and be just as successful while saving the thousands of dollars these companies charge you. What I want to know is if all that is really true about these companies and can I actually negotiate with my creditors myself and save thousands in fees. I need the scoop from someone that is honest and knows the truth about these companies

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I hear that debt settlement companies are rip offs.

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i have two creditors.Bof A and chase.all together i owe over ,000.i sent Bof A an offer through their collection agency.i also made an agreement with chase.i told both i wanted letters stating that the debt was to be settled for a certain amount,and wanted confirmation as soon as the letters were recieved.i already tried going through 2 different debt settlement companies and it was just a bunch of bull.what other documentation should i get in case i get blackballed?

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People state that a debt settlement company helps people in all their debt issues. What kind of debt settlement companies should we prefer?

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I work in Debt Settlement for an extremely ethical, 100% above-board company who work to assist our customers with legally, legitimately getting out of (unsecured) debt so they can move on with their lives. Yes, legislation is needed to regulate the industry to ensure that all Debt Settlement companies have clearly defined requirements that protect consumers, but our government is trying to villify the industry as a whole, exemplifying contempt without genuine investigation.

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People say approaching a debt settlement company would be a good choice to get relieved from debts. What kind of debt settlement companies should we choose?

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does anyone out there know anything good or bad about debt settlement companies?

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DEBT SETTLEMENT COMPANIES ANY GOOD?

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As everyone must have noticed, there are now hundreds–if not thousands–of debt settlement companies out to make even more money on people that are almost in a state of bankruptcy. They all seem to "claim" that they can reduce your debts by 50% or more without damaging your credit score. So if it’s that easy, does anyone know how to go about doing it yourself without paying someone?

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Can you trust a law firm that says they can settle you debt? I know debt settlement companies are not too good sounding, but what if it is a lawyer?

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I am not interested in debt settlement companies. Is there any help out there for me ?
Perhaps I should be a little clearer regarding what it is I need. I am not interested in debt settlement companies or fraudulent lenders whose only means of contact is an email address. I am aware that with my low score I cannott qualify for a loan so I do not wish to receive answers from people who are soliciting "victims" for their fraudulent loan scams.

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do the debt settlement companies really help you out or are they just a scam?

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After careful consideration and with the help of some pprofessionals as to what to do in our financial situation we have decided to handle our debt negotiations ourselves instead of using one of these debt settlement companies out there. I typed up a proposal letter to request setteling on our debt up to 40-50% and am requesting a payment plan. My question is do I send the letter certified mail to the normal payment address on our statements or do I have to ask for a seperate address where this sort of thing is handled?

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When researching debt settlement companies, how do you know the best one to use? It is a fairly new industry and most companies are 5-7 years old. How do you know they are reputable?

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I know it’s time to hire a debt settlement company, since I don’t think I’ll be able to get out of my current situation by myself. (roughly 0,000 in debt… and counting). Are there any good debt settlement companies you would recommend?

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