• Credit counseling sessions typically last an hour.credit card image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
  
  Consumer credit counseling helps people seeking a way to manage their growing personal debt, such as credit card bills and pay day advances. Using consumer credit counseling should help people create and stick to budgets in order to help them pay down bills. However, users of credit counseling should look out for hidden fees attached to basic services, additional fees charged for more services and disreputable business practices.
  
  

Non-profit Doesn't Always Mean Free

• Many consumer credit counseling organizations promote their services as non-profit. This means that the agencies offer their services without making a profit. However, simply because consumer credit counseling agencies are non-profit doesn't guarantee their services will be affordable, free or legitimate, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). For instance, some consumer credit counseling organizations charge high or hidden fees for their services. If organizations refuse to send any information about its services without obtaining people's personal or financial information, then don't use them, according to Nolo, a group that provides legal information to individuals navigating the legal system.
  
  

Fees for Additional Services

• People with higher amounts of debt might need to pay more money for help from consumer credit counseling organizations. These organizations typically offer a debt management plan, or DMP, to people who can't budget their way out of help. Users agree to deposit monthly payments into an account and to allow credit counseling organizations to pay their debts for 48 months or longer. However, enrolling in a DMP takes money. For instance, there can be a fee to establish the plan and monthly fees for credit counseling to administer the plan. The monthly fee could be 10 percent of people's debt but no more than approximately $50, according to Nolo. However, people shouldn't be forced into accepting any DMP and should have their financial options explained to them. Also, creditor counselors should teach people budgeting and money management skills, according to FTC.
  
  

Disreputable Business Practices

• Not all consumer credit counseling organizations are reputable. People should always check with the Better Business Bureau or local consumer protection agencies to make sure that the organizations have good and clean business records. If the consumer credit counseling organizations have clean records, people should still be wary of organizations that try to pressure people into making decisions. For instance, people should stay away from organizations that try to make them start payments to a DMP account before creditors have accepted the program. Traditionally, credit counseling organizations must first contact creditors and negotiate lower payments.