The credit counselling industry is unregulated and as a result there are a lot of fraudulent credit counselors looking to take advantage of people that are struggling with personal credit problems. When you have money problems it’s hard to know who you can trust. The thought of filing personal bankruptcy or making a consumer proposal is scary enough without having a “credit counselor” warning you against meeting with a licensed trustee in bankruptcy.
The reality is that most of these supposed credit counselors who promise to help you are really just taking advantage of your difficult situation and preying on your fears about dealing with a licensed trustee in bankruptcy. I have seen cases where people have paid significant amounts of money to a credit counselor without receiving any relief from the harassing collection calls and threatening letters. In most cases these individuals, after having paid money to the credit counselor, end up having to meet with a licensed trustee in bankruptcy.
My advice is to avoid the unnecessary frustration and expense of dealing with a credit counselor -- in essence skip the middle man. You can have a no obligation meeting with one of our licensed trustees free of charge. Therefore, before you pay any money or agree to any type of debt settlement or debt management plan through a credit counseling agency you owe it to yourself to meet with one of our licensed trustees in bankruptcy to review your situation. We will review all of your options, including the options offered by credit counselors and after our meeting you can decide which option is best for you and your family.
- Chris Welker
