Has anyone ever hard of U.S. Debt Counsel in Jacksonville, Florida?

by **arber47** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:02 am

I've got $38,500 in credit card debt with Citi, Bank of America, HSBC, and Chase, and have no idea how to handle it. I can't afford my payments since I lost my job and am worried I'll have to file for bankruptcy. I got a letter in the mail from the U.S. Debt Counsel in Jacksonville, Florida, and called them back. Are they with the federal government working as a non-profit? The non-profit counselor said they could refer me to a law firm the specializes in debt reduction and get my payments cut in half. I need some advice: I am so confused about what to do. I don't want to make the wrong decision, but I am drowning with these bills. My two little girls can tell Mommy is stressed out. Help please!

Thanks so much,

Cindy

by **roche** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:07 am

Hey Cindy! I'll be glad to help.

Be sure whomever they refer you to has an A rating with the Better Business Bureau, first and foremost. U.S. Debt is actually one of the largest companies in America, has been around for a while--and from what I've found and who I've talked to about them--is a pretty good company to go with. I see a lot of good things about them from their customers' testimonials.

U.S. Debt is a 501(c)(3) non-profit company registered with the State of Florida, and works with various types of debt reduction programs, depending on what your needs are and how severe your financial hardship is. One program they refer people to is based out of California and is also licensed and bonded with the State of California as well: excellent debt management company and option for you. They are members of the Better Business Bureau and have an A rating (their BBB profile link can be found here: http://www.la.bbb.org/business-reviews/Credit-Counseling-and-Management-Services-Non-Profit/Golden-State-Debt-Management-Inc-in-Torrance-CA-13201740).

They also refer people to attorneys who specialize in debt arbitration. When you have an attorney representing you to your creditors, you'll get better results cause your creditors are much more inclined to work with you than if you were to do it yourself and try and work something out directly with them. These attorneys can normally get your debts reduced up to 75% depending on what your financial hardship is, who your creditors are, and what your income is. You have very popular creditors though and I would expect the same results for you. The attorneys are also bar certified with their respective states which means they are in good legal standing with the state body that regulates attorneys.

They also work with and can refer you to a bankruptcy attorney should your situation be that it requires one to resolve the debt: in other words, you're insolvent.

The best thing I liked about them was that they didn't try and sell me on one program compared to the other companies I've researched: they were all trying to sell me on why their program was better than everyone else's. Because U.S. Debt Counsel works with all different types of debt reduction programs, they don't have to sell you on one against the other: they educate people on what their options are for handling their debt, make recommendations on who the best companies out there are, then let you chose. Overall, I've had nothing but good things to hear about them and in my experience would certainly seek their counsel should I so need to do so.

Getoutofdebtguy

by **darik2** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:16 am

I went with the attorney they recommended to me and I am so glad I did. My first debt has already been paid at 33% of what I owed. They gave me a free consultation and explained everything to me and what all my options were for handling the debt. They never tried to sell me on a certain program. I had called some other companies but was soo confused on what I should do cause I felt like I was being sold by the sales reps. I will be out of debt in 9 more months and I'm paying less than half of what I was paying before. Sure, there are companies out there that are not good, but this is not one of them. They don't even work your debts: they give you a free consultation then tell you what they'd recommend and can refer you to that attorney or company. They helped me with my application and paper work and were super nice and very smart about debts.

by **toryn34** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:18 am

I went with the attorney they recommended to me and I am so glad I did. My first debt has already been paid at 33% of what I owed. They gave me a free consultation and explained everything to me and what all my options were for handling the debt. They never tried to sell me on a certain program. I had called some other companies but was soo confused on what I should do cause I felt like I was being sold by the sales reps. I will be out of debt in 9 more months and I'm paying less than half of what I was paying before. Sure, there are companies out there that are not good, but this is not one of them. They don't even work your debts: they give you a free consultation then tell you what they'd recommend and can refer you to that attorney or company. They helped me with my application and paper work and were super nice and very smart about debts.

They reduced my payments and also have reduced my debt from Capital One, Macy's, and Sears over 71%. I could not pay them anymore and I live on a fixed income. I am so thankful they helped me. I will be out of $30,000 debt soon.

by **werner72** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:23 am

Cindy,

Weigh out your options first. There are many of these companies out here and some of them are sharks! Here a resource that i dealt with that gave a FREE, no obligation, confidential debt consultation...and actually ended up helping me be debt free in just over a years time.
Give them a call and at least see what they have to say.

1-888-654-3168
Take care and good luck!

Espee

by oz » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:30 am

I called them and my non-profit counselor was super helpful and gave me a free debt and budget review, explained in detail what all of my options were and how they affected my credit, then let me chose which program I wanted and helped me with my application. I quite simply couldn't be happier! My payments went down and the attorney has been able to negotiate with my creditors to get my debts reduced down to pennies on the dollar: my first settlement was for 34% of the balance. You should be in good hands with U.S. Debt Counsel.

by **delron72** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:36 am

I was enrolled with another debt management company who was paying my creditors for me and was very unhappy with them: they were paying my bills late, and, sometimes, not at all. So I called U.S. Debt and got a free consultation. They set me up a payments that were half of what I was paying to the creditors. They are a non-profit debt referral agency and do not sell you and pressure you in to one program or the other. I don't know who this other debt company Espee is talking about, but it sounds just like what U.S. Debt does: offers a free consultation and then matches you with the best program for your budget and needs. I know they'll take good care of you Cindy!

by **eoforwic** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:39 am

Take it from the most interesting man in the world: U.S. Debt is just as interesting a company as I am a man. Although I do not have any debt (thanks to U.S. Debt-long time ago), as the most interesting man in the world, I would recommend you call them and let them do their thing then allow you to pick which program most interests you. Not all programs are for everyone, but with U.S. Debt: the attorney they referred me to negotiated my debt down to over half of what I owed while I was saving in to a federally insured escrow account each month. My debts were paid off in no time. First payoff was at 18% of the balance. Wow! Can't really beat that! That's what an attorney will get you: results.

by **tahmelapachme33** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:41 am

My non-profit counselor at U.S. Debt cut my payments in half and the debt management company they referred me to cut my interest rates from 26.990% down to 9.000%. I'm saving over 26K.

by **matchitisiw** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:42 am

After a free debt/budget review/consultation, they explained my 2 options to me: a lower interest rate debt management program with a co. in California who is a member of the Better Business Bureau with an A rating, and a law firm that does debt arbitration exclusively. Because I couldn't afford my payments any more I chose the law firm. So far, they have reduced my payments from $1,180/mo to $680/mo, and my first debts I paid off after they got 69% taken off the balance.

Bottom line.......

I don't know what I would have done without them and would certainly be paying A LOT more and still dealing with the collector calls that they were able to get reduced.

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