About Us

Eight years ago, Consumer Recovery Network began with a grass root commitment to educate consumers about their options and abilities to deal with personal financial setbacks. We built a unique business model for helping people manage their way through debt struggles that has not been duplicated since.

CRN History:

We set out to make a difference in the debt relief products and services market in February 2004. It’s now 2012. How did we do all these years later? All things considered, pretty good!

In 2006 we launched CRN as the only DIY debt settlement education provider that also offered direct debt settlement services to its customers. We were the only company with a published performance based negotiation fee of 15% of what we save our customers. This was four years before rules were enacted to prevent companies from charging upfront fees for direct debt settlement services.

We were also the only company providing full negotiation services for free – suggesting that our customers instead donate what our fee would have been to a low income legal aid office, or to the local food bank in the form of non perishable food items.

How did our DIY efforts combined with our fairly priced full services work for our customers:

• From 2006 through 2009 over 50% of the accounts were settled by our members using the upfront education and ongoing supplemental information and support we provide.
• In 2010 and 2011 over 70% of accounts were settled by our members themselves which allows them to achieve debt relief more quickly because money that would have gone to professional fees went to satisfying the debts instead.

CRN – The Little Company Setting a BIG Example

2003 through 2010 saw a HUGE growth in debt settlement services being advertised and sold, often to the wrong customers, and while charging people far too much in upfront fees. This growth in sales and sensationalized claims combined with unfair fee structures became known for what they were – abuse of consumers on the financial edge – people with the least ability to bounce back after getting taken in by a slick pitch, bad business practices, and poor results.

Where was CRN during this time? We quietly set an example by competently continuing to deliver effective, fair and affordable assistance to our customers.

We were also in the thick of it when it came to calling out bad industry practices for what they were.

• We were reaching out to consumer advocate organizations and sharing our experiences that stood in stark contrast to the abuses in the debt relief services industry.
• We published articles with titles like “Debt Settlement – the Gist, the Juice & the Lies”.
• We reached out to main stream media outlets to share our opinions.
• We weighed in during the Federal Trade Commission’s 2 year long rule making process to pass amendments to existing laws that would curb consumer abuses in the debt settlement industry.

CRN made a difference. We are proud of the positive impacts our efforts have had on the lives of our customers and on the industry as a whole.

CRN Product and Service Present & Future

In 2012 we are taking our experience and advocacy to a new level. We have initiated a full commitment to bringing debt settlement education and fairly priced professional services to all aspects of the debt relief industry. This includes traditional debt settlement companies, attorneys with consumer law practices, and nonprofit credit counseling companies.

Some things we have implemented already:

• We have dramatically reduced our initial membership costs in order to be accessible to more people who need honest and unbiased debt relief information and feedback they can trust.
• We have partnered with other companies committed to providing fair and affordable assistance to our members.
• We have launched a new technology platform for delivering our dynamic upfront and ongoing educational resources.
• We have started a member’s forum that combines a social networking element to the debt relief process where our members can share with, and learn from each other.
• We continue to set the bar in 2012 by combining DIY education and ongoing support with attorney directed full service debt negotiation where fees are contingent on successful results and are set at 15% of the savings achieved.

CRN will continue to promote best practices; take our commitment to providing education and informational resources to a new level; and advocate for continued and positive change in the industry.

We will continue to lead by example.

CRN was founded by Michael Bovee, Dean Gerhart & Dayna Beyer.

We welcome all inquiries and requests for information. If you would like to speak with us you can fill out the contact box in the right side column found on all web site pages, or call us at 800-939-8357.