Hi there! I am Michael, and I founded Consumer Recovery Network along with 2 friends and dedicated debt coaches, Dean and Dayna, back in 2004. I want to share more about the unique approach to coaching and helping people through debt and credit problems we set out with back then, and that continues today.
Credible debt coaching, where you get expert guidance in order to navigate a tough financial patch, was not commonly available to people when we started CRN and launched this site. There was only one other operation doing the stuff we envisioned at the time (we did not know the other guy then, but he later became, and remains, a good friend and associate).
Nearing two decades later there is still a terrible lack of experts available to coach people through unfamiliar territory when negotiating with banks and debt collectors (of all variety and size). And there is no other company that offers DIY debt relief education and coaching while also providing expert debt negotiation services to those who want or need it.
Our Intention.
The intentions of CRN, and this website, can be best spelled out like this… we figure that if you knew what we know about resolving debt and credit challenges, you could solve your problems yourself and save a bunch of money in fees (some debt relief companies charge a lot).
This simple concept is the foundation of what we do daily with site visitors; how we handle free telephone consults; and the one on one debt coaching we do with customers.
I have personally helped tens of thousands of people to overcome mountains of debt, and to achieve their financial goals. I look forward to exchanging comments with you here on the site, and to speaking with you, should you request a consult.
Cheers to your success – Michael
Oh where to start. I am coming out of a period of time working with Consumer Recovery Network and there are simply no words to express the gratitude I feel for the support of Michael and his team. I never shared this with Michael but there were a few times where I wondered if my family was better off without me. I thought about the harm I had done to my family by getting myself into this situation. I was considering bankruptcy but that didn’t seam feasible. I had enjoyed years of good income (along with high spending), and then during Covid, I got hit with several years of either no income or not enough to pay my debt. I made some large educational investments (20,000 each on credit cards) that I thought would pay off that put me substantially back and the job market I am in was shrinking rapidly. I owed over 100,000, had burned through savings and was sinking quickly. I also am not good at asking for help as I am the provider for others in my family. Michael and his team helped me make a plan, figure out what was important in terms of how fast we needed to go and we got to work. Last year I felt like I was dying and I am feeling so confident now. I have a few manageable accounts left to tie up and I will be done in a few months. I can sleep again! I have a different money mindset too. My sister somehow got in trouble at the same time and went with Freedom Debt Relief before I could tell her about CRN and regrets that she didn’t know about CRN. Nothing terrible about them, but I definitely came out better and faster and her debt was a quarter of mine. Michael is very transparent, direct and shared all the information he has. His partner, Jared is kind and supportive. They are both just fantastic at their work. I really can’t say enough about CRN, Michael and Jared. Will be forever indebted (<– had to throw that in) and grateful. CRN was really a gift to me in a really dark time. THANK YOU so very much for everything. I hope you know how you impact people's lives.
Hi there, I’m a single mom of two teens and a decent career. I make enough to pay my full debts, but I’m looking for a service or strategy to help me setup an account where I can accumulate debt payoff funds that I can’t touch, and a fiduciary pays on my behalf. So, not so much negotiation or consolidation, but a more structured and consistent method of paying debts and working a snowball. It’s currently too easy to mismanage paychecks with teens needing stuff and eating out, etc. I found your site following a search regarding escrow accounts, since that’s sort of along the same lines of what I think I need. I just don’t know how to make it happen or who to talk to about this method/strategy. Is this something you help set up or manage?
(Everyone else I’ve come across are either “coaches” who just talk, or “advisors” who act like their interested in my budgeting situation but really they just want to add a line item that they earn a commission on. It’s been frustrating to find the exact help I need for my finances.)
The closest service to that I can think of would be working with a nonprofit credit counseling agency who can work out lower interest rates with your creditors. You do pay into their account and they remit funds monthly to your creditors. You would be out of debt in 3 to 5 years.
One drawback to those programs is that the accounts you enroll in the plan get closed. But the benefits of lower monthly bills, a faster debt payoff, and the simplicity of a single payment would mean more to me.
You can call my hotline to talk to a counselor about this type of plan at 800-939-8357 and hit extension 1 to connect to one live.
There are also apps you can use in the same way you described.
What percentage settlement should I target when trying to settle my US Bank credit card? My current balance is around $11,000. I’m hoping to settle for around 25-40% on the dollar but wanted to get your professional opinion. Thank you for your time & consideration. Sincerely, Jason
How late are you with payments?
How many unresolved debts are showing on your credit reports?
How many accounts are showing as paid/current on your credit?
I did a debt consolidation program with Rockwell Legal Group. When my original estimate was paid I found out that they had not settled two of my five accounts. I raised a stink and got a partial refund. I’m using that to try and settle the final two. I have a three month agreement with one that I’m happy with. The final one was a Discover account that was sent to Radius Global Solutions, and the bill from them says “Due to the age of the account, Discover Bank is not able to file suit….”
I want to settle the debt with them. What is the best way for me to negotiate a payoff at a % of the total? Should I call and try to do it over the phone? Should I write an email? Hire a lawyer? I know I could just rest assured that I won’t be sued, but I want a settlement letter, I want to put this debt behind me. I appreciate any advice on how best to get this over and done with. My goal is to pay less then 60% of the debt, it’s in the higher four figures.
I typically find it best to negotiate over the phone. We can often get these balances reduced to around forty percent of the balance. If you would like help with this you can schedule a call with me here: https://calendly.com/debtbytes/15min
I just closed my business due to Covid and closed my business credit card with Chase, outstanding balance of $44K. The account is current with a monthly payment of $1,200 which I can no longer afford. I called Chase and they offered me payments of $850 at 6 percent for 60 months… still unaffordable. I offered $500 and they said no. I did not discuss a one time settlement payment. Should I not make any more payments and wait 180 days? I also do not want the risk of a lawsuit. Would appreciate your advice or a phone call. Thank you!
Hi KARL. You can schedule a call with me here: https://calendly.com/debtbytes/15min
Done… thanks.
I am also a sole proprietors, not an LLC or Corporation.
Hello. I am trying to settle my account with Macys which has been sold to Radius Collection agency and is at a charge off status. I would like to settle the debt at a negotiated amount but need to draft a letter to negotiate a settlement amount .I was unable to pay the account due to caring of my aging parents who had passed during that time and have since change jobs in which I do not earn as I did previously. I would appreciate any advice you can offer.
I would call Radius to negotiate, and then let them send me the settlement agreement letter on their letterhead, that I then pay.
Greeting to all, my name is Sid and this is my personal experience with CRN and especially MR.M Bovee as my first contact and through end of my case. Of course every individual situation is differ from other person but we all have a common dilemma and that is, how to deal with our disastrous financial conditions. Regardless of how we got to this nightmarish cross road, most of us are looking for a light at the end of tunnel, rescue raft before begin devoured by financial sharks ((all banks, collection agencies, debts buyers, attorneys and so many other dark and shadowy characters … )) Ordinary people, like me, after recovering from initial shock of, how and why I got to this mess, would look to/for advised from all resources available to us, I started with friends which had similar financial problems, the result was astonishing from **Do not do anything to different tricks and sometime magical acts** then I start searching the internet, there are hundreds of individuals and Companies which all promise GOOD results in shortest time, by the way some of these elaborate claims are so astonishing, you would not believe your eyes ??!! BUT if you do search and study enough, you shall come up with some ideas of your own, for me it was the moment which I decide that, I DO need professional guidance/help to get through my debts challenges. I talked to some people which I found through Internet, and checked their background, this is an arduous task, but for me I choose CRN and my friend MR.M, Bovee. THESE are my personal reasons to choose him ((your reason to accept him or not depends on your personal taste, understanding and choice)) he sound and act easy, friendly with all from beginning, he does not try to lure you in by scaring you to death and show himself as your only rescuer, he try to explain all your options to you right from start and would repeat them in all follow up phone calls, he is very punctual on timing, would encourage you to solve your bad credit problems by yourself ((mental coaching)) but if you preferred, he would do it for you, his fees are reasonable comparing to others and CRN would follow the governmental guidelines, in short he practice whatever he preach, My story start with CRN last May(2020), we talked once a months and I study very hard through internet to understand better my situation, I approach all my creditors and made dissent settlements with all of them(always consulting with Mr. M Bovee), at end I recommend CRN to all the people with similar or more complicated financial predicaments((B.K, Attorneys, Judgements….)) to try them. Sid_Dast
P.S; Good luck to all
Phone
(714) 345-6836
Thanks so much for the call Michael! I really appreciate you listening to my financial problems and hope I can work through the negotiations myself and get out of debt free soon.
Thanks again! I have been watching some of your youtube videos since i first contacted you. Very helpful! I would and will direct anyone else I see with debt to your videos and website. I appreciate what you do! God bless!
Hello, I have debt from years ago that I could not pay due to hardships in example loss of job, having nowhere to live and I want to correct these debts. While I can’t afford to pay the total amount I would like to pay something and get this taken care of!! If you could guide me on how to go about this, I greatly appreciate it!!!
Thank you,
Steffany
Who are the creditor or debt collection companies involved at this point?
What are the balances owed?
Were you ever sued?
When did you stop paying on the accounts?
Yes, I am going to be writing much more later this month about our whole situation however, one I haven’t seen on here is what I am wondering about. I have a loan with affirm that was charged off a month ago. They have gone with true accord which appears to be a gentler collection firm. They offered 30% off online. Have you had any luck with getting them to 30 to 50% settlements? Hoping I can negotiate down
I do not typically see True Accord approve deals that low. Sometimes you have to wait to see who gets your account next in order to see if you can get a better settlement deal.
Hi Michael – months ago, I had a telephone conversation with you regarding my mountain of debt, and I wanted to thank you for that. It was very helpful. Since that time, my husband and I have been able to pay down the debt a bit more than anticipated, and have managed to keep his debt on 0 balance cards, etc. I was able to get on a debt management program which, unless the COVID 19 thing continues forever, which of course it won’t, I anticipate making the payments and actually getting the debt handled sooner than five years. I wanted to mention that I am using Cambridge Credit Counseling (I think I saw that on your website, or the Resolve website at some point) and I am very pleased with them so far. I am newly on the DPM, and the reduction in interest rates has been amazing to me. So just a shout-out for them, and a thank you to you and your associates for being there for people like me!
Thank you for posting an update Mary! Glad to hear things have smoothed out for you.
Wow, your web site is really great and helpful! Thanks so much for providing so much useful information. Here is my situation. My brother has dementia and made a mess of things, and I am dealing with his creditors. He has almost no assets and is in a care facility. We are starting the process of applying for Medicaid. He has a $9K debt to Discover, which was charged off two months ago. We haven’t heard anything from them since then – no calls or demand letters. We’ve settled his debts to Chase and Citi at 32 cents and 36 cents on the dollar. His only income is Social Security and a $200 monthly pension. He should get a stimulus check for $1,200. By the time we sell his car and empty his bank account, we can come up with maybe $3K. The posts on your site from some time ago make it sound like Discover holds onto the debt instead of selling it, and they play hardball. They may sue quickly without even trying the usual phone calls and letters. Is that still their policy? How do you suggest we deal with them? I don’t want my brother’s final years bothered with litigation or hassles from bill collectors.
Yes, Discover is still mostly the same with their collection practices.
If your brother has no assets and only income is protected, I am not sure I would be going through with settling Discover. They cannot force the payment even if they did get a judgment.
I am with you on wanting to make things easier for him though. You just want to know that is worth the roughly 50%-ish needed to deal with Discover.
Let me know if you want help with this one.
When settling with a debt collector. How is the difference in the settlement handled with the IRS, ie debt $11K, settlement for $6K with the difference of 5K. Would the $5K be calculated as income.
The IRS will look to tax you on any settlement where you save 600 dollars or more. Not everyone will have to pay that tax. I have more on that here: http://consumerrecoverynetwork.com/debt-forgiveness-taxes-settled-credit-card/
Are you a Not For Profit or For Profit Organization?
CRN is profit organization, but mainly with a free to the public publishing goal. There is a network of helpful service providers available to people. Some are nonprofit, others for profit, some attorneys, and even a public benefit corporation I helped found.
Hello,
I have a debt with MCM about $6k. They sent paperwork and court documents to an old address from 5 years ago. They then of course had the right address when it was time to try and garnish wages. They sent me a Notice of Court Proceedings to Garnish Wages Notice. After researching and talking to a few friends I went to the court and filed a motion to vacate the judgement due to being served improperly. I have a hearing in about 3 weeks. I called today to try and settle with MCM they said I had to pay in full and wasnt eligible for any discount at this point. I told them I would just go to court to vacate the judgement. Is there anything else I should be doing or aware of at this point?
Until the outcome of that hearing, not really, but I would talk to an experienced debt collection consumer law attorney in your state about this.