Credit and Debt Counseling

Ask These Questions Before Signing Up

If you are looking for credit and debt counseling, do your research and compare a number of different agencies. This will help ensure you find a consumer counseling firm that provides the expertise and services you need – at a price you can afford.

Once you have identified potential debt counseling agencies and narrowed down your choices, it's time to meet with each firm. This will enable you to ascertain whether you want to hire a particular company based on its capability to effectively serve your needs and persevere on your behalf.

A face-to-face meeting at an agency office can be quite revealing. You will immediately get an idea of the level of professionalism, quality and expertise the agency offers.

You will also be able to assess your comfort level with the people you meet and see how well the communication flows.

During your meeting, ask lots of questions so you can clearly compare one credit and debt counseling agency with another. Following are some important topics to discuss.

Ensure you are satisfied with all the responses you receive before signing an agreement for counseling services.

Questions to Cover

  • What information does the company counseling credit debt management need from you initially, to get started with the consultation? How long does the initial appointment last?

  • What kind of services are offered by the company? Do they negotiate lower rates with your creditors? Do they disburse payments to all your creditors, in return for one consolidated payment from you?

  • Do they also offer budgeting advice? Do they provide any educational materials free of cost that can help you save and manage your money better in the future?

  • What are the fees for each of their services? When and how do they accept your payment? Remember, information about the company should always be given to you free of cost.
  • Who are the counselors working with the company? Are the counselors certified? By whom? Are they trained in the areas of money management and credit counseling?

  • Which agencies or independent third-party organizations is this company accredited with? Is the accreditation current?

  • If you utilize their services or sign up with their plans, does it affect your credit rating? How?

  • If you sign up with their repayment plan, do they provide online or other access to your updated account data?

  • How long has this counseling company been in business?

  • Is there going to be a written contract? There should be.

Getting the answers to these questions can help you determine if you want to hire the credit and debt counseling agency or strike the firm off your list for consideration.

For more information on hiring a consumer counseling firm, click here: Debt Counseling. In addition, review the related articles below.


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