Debt Relief Experts
We’ve all heard or seen the ads: “Government program will reduce your debts! Call now! See if you qualify!”.
Most of us have also received phone calls from telemarketers (they always call when you are eating dinner) promising to settle your debts if you “Act Now!”
This started years ago with companies like Cambridge Life Solutions, a big debt consultant out of the US. Even though they are no longer around, unlicensed debt consultants in general still are.
Who are these Debt Consultants, and why can they afford to advertise heavily and hire telemarketers?
The answer is that many of these debt consultants aren’t anybody at all. Unlike Licensed Insolvency Trustees, they don’t have any professional qualifications, and in many cases they don’t even have offices in Canada. They work out of call centers, they take your money and often don’t do anything at all. It’s easy to have lots of money to spend on advertising if you never incur any costs to actually provide a service.
Believe it or not, many of them are nothing more than a referral service for Bankruptcy Trustees! They charge you a fee and then refer you to a trustee!
So why do these Debt Consultants exist? They exist because most people with debt problems have never had debt problems before, so they don’t know who to turn to for help. You don’t want to talk to a Bankruptcy Trustee, because you’ve heard that Bankruptcy Trustees in Canada work for the creditors, right? (It’s not true, but that’s what debt consultants want you to believe). So, when you have a problem, you call the company that advertises the most.
Here’s what you should know about debt consultants in general:
- Debt Consultants do not require a government license, or any formal training, so anyone can call themselves a “Debt Consultant”. (You can read the Doug Hoyes biography for details on my professional qualifications and experience). That makes it easy for anyone to set up shop and start taking your money.
- Debt Consultants often charge huge fees. It’s not unusual to pay hundreds, even thousands of dollars without even dealing with your debts. At Hoyes Michalos you don’t start paying until your consumer proposal is filed with the government, and a legal “stay of proceedings” is in place, preventing your unsecured creditors from taking you to court and garnisheeing your wages.
- Debt consultants often require you to sign questionable contracts to ensure you keep paying them their monthly installments even though they are not dealing with your creditors.
- Finally, as noted above, a Licensed Insolvency Trustee and Consumer Proposal Administrator like the professionals at Hoyes Michalos, provide legal protection from your creditors. Debt Consultants don’t.
I have no objection to companies helping people deal with their debts. I do object to unregulated companies with no professional qualifications using telemarketers to entice unsuspecting people into parting with thousands of dollars, for nothing.
My advice? Do your research.
Before you hire anyone to help you solve your debt problems check them out on line, then arrange a personal, in person meeting. At Hoyes Michalos we are happy to talk to you over the phone to answer your questions, or give you some ideas with our free debt evaluation, but all the technology in the world is no substitute for a personal meeting. So before you sign any paperwork with us, and before you pay us any money, we will meet with you in person to review your options and help you make a plan that’s right for you.
Do your research; the decision is up to you.
