Need some help, please

[Foreverandever]

I'm in debt right now and can't really afford to pay it off. I mean, I can make payments, but the interest will keep growing. Does anyone know of any places that help you with your credit? Like the kind that get with the creditors and offer you a small monthly payment? And are these places legit? Any help would be appreciated. I've looked online and the ones I've found seem shady. I've heard advertisements on the ones that stop interest so the balance you owe won't get any larger...but can't find them online

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

If you have steady income, and a decent credit rating, you could go to your bank. They could probably do some sort of consolidation loan so that you end up paying back the bills a bit quicker.

Not so sure I'd trust those TV advertisements. :main_no:

 

[Mel&Keith]

Most of those "debt consolidation" places actually charge you to file bankruptcy paperwork for you so watch out! We had a pretty good chunk of debt a few years ago and consulted an attorney about it. Surprisingly she told us that she could help us but wouldn't! We owed about $8000 to credit cards and would have had to pay the attorney $2000 to file bankruptcy so she told us to work directly with the creditors to pay it off. The debt collection places want your money so they WILL work with you. I think we settled each card for less than half of what was owed and paid in payments. It can seem overwhelming but don't let them bully you. Tell them that you want to pay and and be firm about what you can and will pay. Make sure that each company sends you a written receipt for every payment and a final pay off receipt that shows that your debt is paid and nothing else is owed. It may take a while but it's better for your credit in the long run if you pay them off.