Debt Negotiation Advice - Has anyone had luck with debt settlement companies for credit card debt?

Has anyone had luck with debt settlement companies for credit card debt?

I am in Ohio and do not want to file chapter 13. Looking to make settlement to credit cards. I am looking for reputation companies that do credit card settlement. What do these companies charge. 50,000 in credit card debt at 23% apr. Do not want to go to consumer counseling, we can get a loan from family for 25,000 to pay off total. Can not afford to pay anymore. We need to help our son who has some medical issues.

Public Comments

Try Consumer Credit Counseling, I don't know if you have them in your area but they are pretty good. Also look it up online, if they are going to charge you large amounts of money don't use them go with someone that will help you for free.
your best bet it to deal with the credit card companies or the collection agencies directly. You can settle for less than what you owe and pay on a monthly basis. If you deal with the credit card compnies, make sure to get something in writing with them stating once the debt is all paid off, the account will not be marked negative on your report. Many collection agencies will give you the letter as such in order to collect the debt. Debt consolidation could work but make sure to ask them how it will affect your credit once the proposed amount is paid off. You dont want to have negative marks on your credit while you have paid off the debt. 50k of credit card debt is a lot. Depending on how much interest you have paid, you may end up paying only the prinicipal amount but that would mean a lot of haggling.
I am a former Financial Counselor (debt and credit); I used to work for an extremely reputable company called Consumer Credit Counseling Services. At that time, the counseling services were free and there were no fees. Since then, Money Management International merged with CCCS. MMI has a wonderful and flawless reputation (no fraud, etc. Check the BBB) They are literally able to pull you out of your bankruptcy option (which is better for your credit). MMI/ CCCS already established relations with all major credit card companies and department stores almost 20 years (basically, all revolving credit). Having such a long term relationships with these companies, they will knock out overlimit fees and late fees; plus, they are able to lower your interest rates, therefore enabling you to whittle away at your overall balances. With regular monthly payments (which is the Absolute Key with any of these programs) you will actually be able to see the results of your total debt balance decreasing with each payment you make. I believe there is a fee once you decide to join The Plan; but all counseling sessions are free. They also have budgeting, retirement/ financial and mortgage counseling. For more information, you can look on-line at moneymanagementinternational.com. Call them. They will schedule an appointment for you to speak with a Certified Financial Counselor (NFCC). They will be able to help you and answer any and all questions you may have.
You might like to try this site, a friend of mine recently visited it out of the blue and found the services in it to be absolutely helpful so I'm showing this to you: http://www.freewebs.com/jamescelt/
Mom; Sorry to hear about our situation. Based on what you have revealed, it sounds as though you are a candidate for debt settlement. The fact that you have access to money right now in order to settle your debts is a positive thing and will certainly speed up the process. Here is one tip that I offer to my readers at my website with regards to choosing a debt settlement company. Make sure you deal with a large company that negotiates on behalf of many people with the same credit card companies. Why you ask? Instead of negotiating with your credit card card company(s) to reduce just your $50,000, they will "pool" your debt with other people's debt and negotiate a much larger balance, sometimes well over $1 million. This gives them a greater amount of clout and will/should ultimately reduce the amount that you will have to pay your creditors to settle our debt. A downside of debt settlement is that it will have a very negative affect on your credit. Keep that in mind. Here is the company that I recommend for debt settlement ( http://www.curadebt.com/a/1602/ ) and I verified that they will work with you in Ohio. Best of luck Mom. If you would like further information on debt settlement and/or your other options please visit my debt information site, http://www.debt-elimination-guide.com