does debt management work.. can they get you out of debt?
475994
I have been working in the debt settlement industry for 4 years and yes they really can get you out of debt!! you can e-mail me if you want more info.
317036
Here is a method I used once to get rid of a legitimate debt that I owed. You may be ablet to adapt this and use it for yourself. \n\nI owed a $485 bill to AT&T that I refused to pay until they took down a cell phone tower that had been illegally erected right next to someone's back yard. Of course they ignored me, so I ignored them right back and things went round and round for a few years like that. finally the debt was sold to a collection agency and then to another one and finally to one in Florida. Up to this point none of them had reported it to any of the credit bureaus. Suddenly one day, there it was! A festering puss-filled sore right in the middle of my credit report! I immediately wrote a letter to the collection agency saying that the debt was not mine, that this was an old debt (by now it was over five years) that was being shopped around until they could stick it on somebody. I told them this was very damaging to my credit, that I had no other late payments, and I demanded they remove it immediately. Also, I said, at the time this debt was incurred there had been two other people living in the same county as me with exactly the same name as me, and it must have belonged to one of them. Again I demanded that they remove this thing from my credit report. About two weeks later I got a very apologetic letter from them saying how sorry they were for the mistake and yes it would be removed from my credit report immediately. It was and I never heard from anyone about this again.\n\n"Hell no," said Tom. "I'm not paying this. You can take this bill and shove it!"
421965
I'll help you, email me. Budgets are key to getting out of debt. It's a map to success. Instead of wondering where your money went, you know exactly where it went. It's stupid not to use a budget. Do you think Fortune 500 companies do business without a budget? Of course not. So why should you conduct life without one?
478036
Living your current life has, presumably, put you into debt. I don't think anyone can promise you a method to get you out of debt without your making changes.\n\nThings that you can do include:\n- spending less, even if you still go out\n- making more than minimum payments on credit cards; pay more than you've charged for the month plus the interest due\n- negotiate for lower interest rates on credit cards\n- don't charge things on credit cards\n- start saving money so that you have resources should the unexpected occur\n\nYour public library should have books that help you gain control of your finances. In addition, I'm sure there are several online sites.\n\nDon't expect things to be easy, or a quick fix. But with a little planning, you can start gaining your financial independence.
968725
These companies offer to collect on debt that has long sinced dropped off your credit report.  They tend to be very aggressive; but you can absolutely tell them to go pound sand.  There is absolutely nothing they can do.
918640
Get in contact with the debt management charity the 'Consumer Credit Counselling Service.'  \n\nExplain your situation.  Thry maybe able to assist you with your creditors.  \n\nDON'T go to a debt management company which charges.  \n\nGood luck.
1020490
Help people learn to manage and payoff debt.
938453
I highly recommend you call these folks\nhttp://www.cccsintl.org/\nCCCS or Consumer Credit Counseling Service (if you are in the US)\nThey are a non profit credit counseling service that all major credit card, irs, government agencies recommend to help folks with bills.. might even prevent bankruptcy.. They can work with you and help you with contacting your creditors and what to say and help you settle with them, might even negotiate lower payments. etc.. I used to work for a major department store dept collection department and we always referred the worse cases to these folks... goodluck!
212127
Have you tried working with those you owe money to?  Many times, if you just call and explain that you are willing, yet unable to pay off the bills, they will work with you on the debt.  Sometimes by lowering the total debt, sometimes by reducting interest rates. Sometimes by removing penalities and fees associated with non payment.  \nBy the way, I think it's great that you'd rather pay for your debts than file for bankruptcy.  Too many times, people just give up and file instead of toughing it out and paying their dues.  You'll feel so proud of yourself in the end.  Good luck!
80119
It should not.....be sure to ask that question to your debt elimination company.
89369
I would consult an attorney about it.  \n\nIf you can't do that because of money issues - talk to the firm who is "helping" you to get out ot debt.  They of all should be able to have exactly what you should do all planned out for you.  \n\nIf they can't help you on it... I would SERIOUSLY be looking into a different company to help me in this.  There are non-profit agencies out there who know everything about this sort of thing.  Good luck
196733
Of course they can. They are a collection agency. A collection comes along and takes over where the original credit grantor left off and gave up. They get a portion of what was owed on the original debt like 25% or so. Sometimes they purchase your debt from the original creditor for pennies on the dollar! Remember, the collection agency isnt your friend no matter how nice they are. They're in it for you money; as much as they can. Sometimes they will offer a "paid in full" for a lump sum of just half of what was owed. Make no mistake. Even doing that they still make money although they wont let you know that. You need to arm yourself with credit knowledge. Start by going to annualcreditreport.com and getting your free annual credit reports. Learn as much as you can by yahooing or googling about such info. If your debt is old, it might be better to not even mess with the collection agency. By law, a negative (unapaid) item in your credit report has to be removed after 7 years. Hope I helped some. Good luck.
710827
This is just a surface problem - I would assume your debt goes a lot deeper.  Visit the National Federation for Credit Counseling for some help with what direction you should go in to get yourself out of debt.
731063
Bad credit is one of the worst problems to have... however there exists a solution.\n\nI will hereby talk from my personal experience.\n\nI did debt consolidation a couple of years ago, however If I had to do it again I would pay to some minor details,\nif someone wants to get out of debt today it is pretty easy with a debt consolidation plan, however it may get a bit tricky at times, I suggest you get as much information as possible online on this first,\n\na good place to start in my humble opinion is astraight to the point ebook with question and answer I found :\n\nhttp://umgarticles.atspace.com/debt-consolidation.htm\n\nif it helps kindly remember me in your voting!.. cheers!
1187360
As a former financial counselor, I can let you know of what to look for in a debt management company prior to enrolling. I also am enrolled in debt management, so I know what helps. Make sure you find a company with the following:\n\n1) A company who is genuinely trying to help consumers. A company who is looking for the consumer's best interests will not only counsel you, but they may take you through a budget, analyze your situation, provide free financial material, etc. In other words they don't just try to enroll you. You should never feel pressured.\n2) A company who is non-profit, certified, and has a good track record with the BBB. A company who is non-profit may ask for a donation but it is purely voluntary. All your payments should go to your creditors. Also there are regulation agencies in place to weed out the "shady" companies, so you should make sure they are certified and a responsible member of the BBB.\n3) A company that answers all your questions. You probably have lots of questions, but a counselor who is knowledgable AND certified will be able to walk you through step by step, and explain thoroughly every step of the process. \n\nIf you are interested in the company I worked for, it is http://www.incharge.org . They have a great relationship with the Defense Department as soldiers that are in financial trouble are often referred to them. If you are interested in the company I have an account with, it is http://www.careonecredit.org/ . Both of these companies are registered with the BBB and have outstanding reputations. \n\nThere are plenty out there though, so you should find the one that best suits your needs. I hope that you get to where you want to be and don't ever give up! Patience will heal your credit. There is no quick answer. Good Luck!
730984
In short, they'll hassle you forever and make your life hell until you will want to pay your debt if only  to regain some sort of peace back in your life. \nBy using services from a debt relief organization you will stop receiving phone calls asking you for money. You will pay a fixed rate amount every month which will never go up. You won't be dealing with your creditors any more. The "debt relief people"  will be paying your bills for you, and your credit card company is out.\nYou then pay the debt relief company.\nlots more here:\nhttp://credit-cards.ebookorama.com\nhttp://finance.ebookorama.com \nhttp://credit.ebookorama.com\nhttp://credit-repair.ebookorama.com\ngood luck!
415067
These programs do nothing to help your credit, it is actually the oppostie, regardless of what they try to tell you. What happens is this: You sign a contract for them to get your debtors to lower interest rates, then they decide on a lump sum you pay the credit "counseling" company, a part of which is a fee they take for this "sevice", then they divvy up that payment amoung all your creditors. You do NOT have only one creditor now! Then as long as it takes you to pay off these debts, which can be a long time, you continue to show late, non-payment, on all these accounts. They do not pay them off one by one slowly allowing you to demonstrate you are  paying them. they sit there as bad debts the entire time without much to show for all the hard work you are going to to pay off your debt. After, while it shows them as paid off, it also shows how long it took you and how long these creditors went without the money you owned them. This helps your credit very little. OH yeah one more thing, when you sign the contract you are agreeing to NOT apply for releaf under the bankrupsy law!! YOu sign away your right to do this untill these current debts are paid off!! If you fail to make your payments you also now have one more creditor that of the consumer credit counseling company you signed the contract with!! Do you know for sure what your income will be next year or the year after that or the year after that, etc?? Do you know for sure a tragic accedent or illness will not strike your familly? Do you know for certian you will continue to have your current health plan and for sure what your share of the medical bills will be? Listen if you don't know even one of these things FOR SURE then credit counseling is not for you. If you do know for sure then by all means go ahead and sign up. \n\nI highly reccomend you get online and begin looking this information up. Get information directly from a one of those so called non profit organizations and spend $100.00 at the most, often you can do this for free to speak with a bankrupsy attorney. Become fully informed, look at your situaltion, your future possible situations and then make a fuly informed decision which will be in YOUR and your families best interest. There is a lot of room in the small print section of the contact you sign with these "counseling" agencies. Where do you think they get their money from? You and others like you who sign up for services.