Using A Debt Settlement Firm Can Cause You To Be Blindsided By Debt Collectors. PDF Print E-mail
Written by Matthew Highlander   
Saturday, 31 October 2009 08:42
Debt settlement firms want you to have at least $10,000 in credit card debt. They want $1500-2000 of that $10,000 in fees paid first before they begin working on settling your debt. They tell you to stop paying your credit card and to send those payments to them for their fees and to save for a lump-sum settlement.
by MatthewHighlander


Debt settlement firms want you to have at least $10,000 in credit card debt. They want $1500-2000 of that $10,000 in fees paid first before they begin working on settling your debt. They tell you to stop paying your credit card and to send those payments to them for their fees and to save for a lump-sum settlement.

If the debt settlement firm says they can get a $5000 settlement for that $10,000 of debt, how long will it take you to saves $7000, which includes $2000 in fees? What happens if they cannot settle with your credit card company? What happens to the account that has not been paid? What happens to the money paid to the debt settlement firm, and what about your credit rating?

To bank $7000 you will need to save $500 per month for 14 months. At that rate, it will be over a year before you can settle that $10,000 of debt for 50 percent. The credit card companies typically charge off unpaid debts after six months. They often sell those charged-off debts within the year.

That means your debt is owned by a junk debt buyer before the debt settlement firm has settled it. It also means the bank has no motivation to remove that debt's bad mark on your credit report and that the negative listing will be there for seven years.

According to the Credit Card Debt Survival Guide, you will need to be ready for the junk debt buyer?s attempts to collect the debt. If you are not ready, if you are counting on the debt settlement firm and unaware of the debt?s charge-off and sale, you could be ambushed by a debt collector or collection attorney.

So, your settlement fee is gone. Your debt is not settled. Your credit is bruised. And, you are fighting debt collectors. If you are lucky you still have $5000, but only if the settlement firm put it in a third-party escrow account.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

Matt Highlander did research for Credit Card Debt Survival Guide for consumers seeking to educate themselves about credit card debt relief.