legal action

Debt Settlement Solutions: Slow Torture vs. Fast Relief!

Consumers researching debt settlement solutions need to be aware that there are two very different approaches to the strategy: the Long-Term Method or Fast-Track Debt Settlement™ (pioneered by ZipDebt). We might also call these “Slow Torture” or “Fast Relief.” The Long-Term Method is where you start the project with nothing to work with – no nest egg, no stocks or savings, no IRA, no family assistance, no assets to...

ZipDebt Clients Enjoy Great Results! Success Tracking Update, 2006 through 2012

In July 2010, I published “Debt Settlement Done Right,” which included ZipDebt’s success tracking statistics for the period 2006-2009. As far as I know, I was one of the first in this industry to publish actual data on my results. Today, it’s still quite rare to see a debt settlement firm publish transparent information about actual performance results vs. the claims made in their marketing materials and sales pitches....

DIY Debt Settlement Myth #7: A Debt Settlement Program Will Stop the Collection Bombardment

This is the seventh in a series of posts discussing the most common myths about do-it-yourself debt settlement. It’s common knowledge that your phone is going to start ringing off the hook the moment you begin missing payments on your credit card accounts. Virtually all major creditors have automated dialing systems that are triggered off the lack of a payment being recorded by the due-date, and the bombardment can...

DIY Debt Settlement Myth #6: It’s Safe To Take 36-48 Months To Settle My Debts

This is the sixth in a series of posts discussing the most common myths about do-it-yourself debt settlement. Most traditional debt settlement firms are still quoting program durations of 36-48 months, sometimes longer, and clients are led to believe that it’s safe to take that long. By “safe,” I mean a low risk of lawsuit activity. After all, multiple lawsuits will tend to push a client into bankruptcy and...

$8.5 Million in Credit Card Debt Settlements by ZipDebt Clients in 2011!

In 2011, clients of my ZipDebt program reported settlements totaling more than $8.5 million of debt, primarily credit card debt balances. Here are the actual statistics: ZipDebt Settlement Results for 2011 Number of settlements reported __568 Debt balances settled __$8,557,873 Amount paid for settlements __$2,752,917 Client savings __$5,804,956 Average account balance __$15,067 Average settlement result __32.2% (balance at time of settlement) To put these figures in perspective, first you...

ZipDebt vs. Traditional Debt Settlement – How Do We Stack Up Against the Competition?

In my blog post on “The Future of Debt Settlement,” published a little over a year ago, I assessed the state of the debt settlement industry in the wake of the FTC rule-change that banned the advance-fee model for third-party debt settlement. To summarize, in that earlier post I described the in-progress breakup of the industry into three different groups: (1) companies closing down or suspending all marketing operations,...