How to Make Sure a Debt Settlement Company is Legitimate
There are, however, several options at the consumer's disposal including working with a debt settlement company to help significantly reduce the amount of debt to the point where it is affordable to repay.
This is accomplished through debt negotiation.
The vast majority of people of course will have little if any experience dealing with debt settlement so they really don't know where to turn, or what to look for.
We are going to offer some sound advice here in this article in order to get you off on the right foot as you begin your journey to becoming debt-free.
When dealing with a debt settlement company it is absolutely imperative that you thoroughly check them out to make sure that they are in fact reputable.
It is a sad fact but there are a great many unscrupulous individuals and companies out there that are taking advantage of people that turn to them looking for their help.
The first thing that must be done is an inquiry with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
The Better Business Bureau is a trusted and established organization that keeps extensive records of complaints lodged against businesses.
You can find your local chapter by doing a quick Internet search or by looking in the phone book.
Now it must be said that it is possible that a reputable company will have some complaints against it because no matter how hard we try we can't please everyone.
But if there are a great many disgruntled customers then that's a huge red flag and you should avoid whatever company that may be.
You also will want to go online and do a search on Google using the company's name.
Carefully read any and all information that is returned.
Oftentimes you will pick up customer comments and forums where people are discuss their dealings with the company.
That's exactly the kind of information that we're looking for.
It is very revealing.
Another way to make sure that the debt settlement company you are investigating is a reputable one is to contact the Attorney General of your state and the state in which the debt settlement service is headquartered.
Once again we are looking for complaints and grievances but this time you want to know if there's been any legal actions taken against the company.
By following these steps you will know for certain if the debt settlement company you are considering working with is in fact legitimate.
I cannot stress enough how important doing this research is.
This is your financial future that we are talking about so take the steps necessary to assure that you protect yourself financially and legally by doing your homework.