Gambling Addiction & Recovery Support Group

Wow Vern, It sounds like you had a very stressful day. I am very sorry. Here is an article that I came across that might helpful to you. Here is the link to copy into your browser. There is also a finance support group on DS that has a lot of helpful information.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/co...

I certainly wish you the best. Try not to worry. I have never heard of this kind of treatment before either. xoxoxoxo mamabear21

Hi vern, same thing happened to me. I had paid a so called debt settlement company 80 bucks a month for about a year. One day the sherrif shows up BOA wants $15,000.00 in 30 days. I talked to a friend he told me I had but one choice, bankruptcy. Long story short, thats what I did and the debt settlement people still called me for a couple months telling me they wanted to help me get on the road to financial freedom, what a joke. I have sinse done some research on line and have found out these plans are often not what they are presented to be. I assume your debt problems are gambling related, I learned the hard way, bankruptcy does not treat the disease, only the symtoms. I continued to gamble after bankruptcy, eventually self excluded and am now getting my life straightened out. Hope everything works out well for you.

OMG, I am terrified!I recently singed up with a company. I am paying them faithfully. What happened? I am with the one backed by the BBB and the other "good" bunch of letters.

Hey guys -
I checked out the BBC as recommened by Mamabear (thanks). The company I'm using has top ratings, but there was a company a couple of years ago that had changed their name by one word or something and had used my company's address etc. I talked to the lawyer that represents my state for this company. This program does not stop creditors from getting their own lawyers and still pusuing the debt. This so called debt settlement co does not even represent you in court. Great.. I was in such a panic about getting up to 20 calls a day.. I signed up. One option was for them to negociate ( can't spell) with yout debtors to get the interest rate down and to stop the late fees and for me the over the limit fees. The other option is for them to settle, I chose that option beacouse it was the lowest payment and frankly all I could afford. This is what didn't register for me. You pay them a monthly payment ( for me 5 years ) and their fees come out first.. The rest goes into your "escrow" account.. After about 3 or 4 payments of $115 per month, I now have $64 in my escrow. Talk about fees. I guess as time goes on more money goes to escrow and less to fees maybe a couple of years.. I don't know but it sucks !! I have no clue what to expect in court.. will I go to jail? will they garnish my wages? My bankruptcy, divoce and forclosure of home were all final spring of 2006. I'm digging out of a giant hole of stress,anxiety,debt and a whole lot of other issues caused by my gambling addiction. I guess I should check about filing again... but then those fees.. Please to anyone out there reading this, do whatever it takes to arrest this disease... Or face the end result: prison, insanity or death. I am going through an extreme aftermath over this and I may need to get a couple of more shovels :)) Stay Strong!!!

Mine is a certified, non profit credit counseling co and they have
pre-arranged interest rates with every card I had. The payments didn't go down but the interest rates did tremendously. Their fee is only $35 a month and has us on track to be done in 4 years.

There workers do not negotiate balances. They contacted each company and we actually received a letter for each account from the lenders stating how great it is that we were in the program and that all overdraft and late fees will be waved.

I think a real company doesn't make stupid promises and actually shows changes in your statements to reflect what they told you.

The good companys are out there. I really hope you can fix this for yourself. Gambling debt sucks big time! I hate it.

Amy