No Up Front Fees - Don't Pay Till You See Results!
Debt SettlementLetters
For many consumers researching their
debt relief
options, it is possible that they have come across information
regarding companies in the industry that are not conducting business
under ethical standards. Unfortunately, there are a handful of
debt settlement
companies that do not have their clients’ interests as a top
priority. With the percentages of consumer debt in the United States
rising drastically, it is inevitable that a portion of people
entering into the debt settlement arena will attempt to make a quick
dollar at the expense of consumers facing financial hardships. There
are a number of ways to confirm that a company is in fact conducting
business properly and successfully.
The first thing that any consumer should do when they are
researching different debt negotiation companies is to verify
whether or not the company is a member of the Better Business
Bureau. If the company is not a member, this should send up a red
flag immediately to the consumer. A nice thing about the Better
Business Bureau’s website (bbb.org) is the fact that you can analyze
company reviews that include consumer complaints filed through the
bureau in the past three years. If a company has a large number of
complaints, then you may want to consider another company. In
addition, if you are a consumer who is specifically seeking out the
help of a debt settlement company, you can verify that they are
members of the Trade Association of Settlement Companies (TASC).
This association sets industry standards for debt settlement
companies.
Once you have researched these factors, there is another step you
may take to ensure the debt settlement company you may decide to
work with is successful in the industry. Make sure, before you come
to any decisions that you ask the company to send you a number of
sample settlement letters so you can take a look at the results they
are reaching for their clients. If the company is advertising that
they can settle your debts for 40-50% of the total debt amount and
they send you sample negotiation letters showing that they typically
reach 60% settlements, then you know that their advertising is
faulty and they aren’t completely honest in terms of the results
they are promising to deliver. I would strongly recommend that you
shy away from working with these companies. Furthermore, if you are
in debt with a number of creditors, make sure the company is sending
you a sample settlement letter from each company. It makes no sense,
for example, to receive sample negotiation letters from American
Express and Chase if you are in debt with Citibank and Bank of
America.