The so-called debt relief companies have a large market that they are preying on. Debt relief companies catering to the vulnerable middle class families that are having a tough time with what is going on in the economy; they're facing job losses, wage reduction, and even unemployment. And with the instability a uncertain future of our economy, these families are experiencing a stronger feeling of fear and are nervous about their financial situation. The housing market crashed, stocks are going up and down like a rollercoaster, and people are losing their lifetime savings. It's at this time that an offer to debt relief from the mortgage, college tuition and credit cards can sound pretty appealing.
These debt relief companies do know how to market, and they do a great job at making it sound like it's the solution to everything, and that they are there to help and do what is in the best interest of the customer. Debt relief companies will consolidate all the loans into one small payment, usually, for about a third of what is owed, and then everything will be alright. They also charge a decent amount of money to do this, which, actually, puts the people further in debt, it's just not disguised in a different light. The debt relief customers willingly pay these fees, no matter what they are, in high hopes that shortly, they will be free of the load of multiple loans that they owe. Hoping that it will magically go away because the guy on television and on the phone said so. Unfortunately, reality is that debt relief does not work that way truth is, these companies are a scam. Debt relief companies just want to get money up front. There are only a few people who do realize that they can do a lot of these things by themselves, without relaying their personal information to a third party. According to the Newark Post, the Federal Trade Commission has charged four companies that were deceptively marketing debt relief operations that failed to provide services that they were promising--the reduction of their customers' debt. They offered their debt relief services mostly through the internet, such as SettleDebts.com. They worked out a great marketing scheme where it is very easy to sign up and request the service, and that way attracted millions of willing and hopeful debt relief customers. They paid the money for the debt relief services, and then nothing happened. Most of the time, their creditors were never even contacted by these debt relief companies! Like it was mentioned earlier, the debt relief customer actually ends up with more debt than before, because of the legal fees, possible late charges on the payments of credit cards and other loans, finance charges, and the worst one of all--a giant increase in the annual percentage rate, which skyrockets the interest payment. There are also occasions, when people's wages get garnished, if it is concerning a federal loan, such as a student loan. And of course, numerous calls from the collection agencies that never stop. These companies are not magicians, they do not eliminate or completely erase people's debt, like they say they will. It's important to understand that nobody will pay somebody else's loans. The most they will do is shift the balances and maybe combine into less payments, but nobody will make it all disappear.
For more information about debt relief and how a debt relief company can actually help you please visit SettleDebts.com. By: Aaron Spill |