People schedule phone consults with me, Michael Bovee, to talk about debt and credit challenges and solutions. I have been doing these free consultations since 2004. The call is a free service designed to allow me to get details about your situation, and your goals, so that I can provide optimal feedback.
My experience and expertise is most helpful to those with problem debts. In other words, things are not going well for you financially, and you need a plan of action, or to understand all of the options that will help you deal with your situation.
You may have questions about a single collection issue from your past, or need a complex action plan outlined to deal with dozens of different accounts that you are struggling to resolve, and with an eye on your future.
I have the ability to provide actionable steps you can take to deal with debt today, or over a few years, and I can often do that in one brief phone call.
How I Deliver This Service
Some people have a single one off issue or question that I can answer, while others may need to work out solutions for multiple debt and credit challenges. I need an outline of your present debts, and will ask you about income and resources today, and that you can project over the next few months and years.
I will take those details and walk you through a process of elimination, using mostly math, to identify debt relief options that cannot work for you, or that would waste time and money. I then help you understand and focus on the direction that you can take to solve your debt problem.
If you have a simple, single issue, we may be off the phone in minutes. Most calls will go the full amount of scheduled time, and there are always ways you can follow up with me.
Why take the time to share with, and listen to my feedback?
I have been helping people solve debt problems since 1994, and full time since 1999. Some reasons to schedule a call and talk with me include:
- I sincerely care about you getting reliable feedback that you can make actionable decisions on. That is why I publish all of the guides I do on YouTube, on the CRN site, and elsewhere too.
- I know a ton about debt relief! I am a nationally recognized expert that other experts call when they have questions they cannot answer.
- I judge no one.
- I do not charge for the call. It is free!
You can call all manner of salespeople to talk to them about their brand of paid services. In fact, the process for most calls in the debt relief industry is to try to fit you in to the service they offer.
There are not many people with my skill set and experience. There are only a handful you can interact with for feedback online, and fewer still you can schedule time with on the phone in order to get actionable feedback.
Here is a brief video where I talk about what to expect from your consult with me.
I help people through phone consults everyday. I can help you too!
You can schedule a call, ask a question, or request a targeted settlement estimate using the links below.
I was served with a lawsuit last week by the law firm of Pantenaud and Felix on behalf of Capital One for $3,500. Back in 2018, I became ill, almost didn’t make it, was hospitalized for a long time. I pulled through but now disabled, on SSI and food stamps. When I got sick I all of my credit cards (even those with a zero balance), bank accounts, and store cards were closed and charged off. I have considered hiring an attorney, but wondering if I could negotiate with the law firm on my own. I don’t have anything really but my son said he will loan me $1,000 to offer them if they will take it as a settlement to avoid going to court. I have a few questions before I contact the law firm.
1. Is there anything that I should NOT say or do when talking with the law firm?
2. Do I need to provide proof that I am disabled and on SSI?
3. Do I have to answer any personal questions, such as my living situation, SSI amount, or my disability?
4. Do you think that they may take the $1000 as a settlement in full?
5. Do they have the right to request my bank statements and financial information, or do they (the law firm) already have that information?
Thank you for all the help and information on this website. It has been most helpful and appreciated.
Settling when sued is something I cover in more depth here: https://consumerrecoverynetwork.com/question/can-you-negotiate-and-settle-a-credit-card-debt-if-you-are-being-sued/
Outcomes tend to be between 50 and 80 percent of the balance.
I have seen some lower, and it is often when you have no assets, and can fully document a fixed income while qualifying for your state exemptions from wage garnishment.
I am doubtful they will go that low in the settlement. In the effort to get them there I would anticipate having to answer more detailed questions about my income and expenses.
There can be documentation requests.
I have 3 Navy Federal credit union cards. 2 credit cards and 1 line of credit. I also have 2 credit cards with Penfed Credit union and 1 card with Chase Bank. I have been paying on time with all of them for years, but recently it has become more difficult to make the monthly payments. I am thinking the only or best way to get out of this mess is to stop paying and save up for a year or so then offer a settlement. Is Penfed Credit union generous with settlement amounts? Is Chase Bank generous? Are any of them likely to sue? I owe Navy over 60k. Penfed over 40k and Chase over 10k. Thank you
Chase settlements are better than the other 2.
PenFed settlements are often 40 to 50 percent, but they sell to debt buyers now too, and that can change things depending on who is collecting.
Navy Federal settlements are in the middle.
There is at least some chance of being sued on all 3.
I received a civil summons packet informing me about a civil lawsuit for the amount of $1500 started by a law firm representing Midland Credit Management 2 days ago. I went ahead and contacted MCM through their website chat and was directed to the law firm handling the lawsuit. I contacted the only local bankruptcy lawyer near my county that was willing to handle my case for consultation and he suggested me to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy(which I don’t want). I was looking more to settling the debt with them and asking Midland to remove the derogatory remarks from my credit report. After giving it thought I called the law firm representing MCM today and they were very polite and came to an agreement and I scheduled a payoff on the account on April 9. They agreed to send me a letter and email agreeing to dismiss the case in court once the payment is made and they would send the payoff info to MCM as well. I asked them about Midland removing the derogatory remarks from my credit report but they told me I would have to speak with MCM because they were not authorized to negotiate credit bureau and they advice me to speak to them before the payment was made. I proceeded to call MCM and they said once they are informed the account is payed off by the law firm that it is their policy to remove the accounts that are over 2 years from credit bureau, which he confirmed it was 2 years in February. I just want to get advice if this sounds right? Am I doing the right thing? The local attorney I spoke to was not very nice and was not willing to represent me if I took the route of settling with the law firm and was pushing for chapter 13 bankruptcy.
That all sounds about right and normal from my perspective Lino.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your feedback. I have been reading and watching your blogs and you just don’t know how much I have learned in the past 2 days.
My sole income is SS. I have been treating for terminal cancer for more than 3 years. My medical bills and other debts are astronomical. What type of bankruptcy do I file?
Talk to a local bankruptcy attorney about chapter 7.
I am trying to negotiate a settlement with a creditor in response to a court summons over the debt. They are asking me to provide questions about my rent/mortgage payments, income etc. The rep said they cannot offer a negotiation without this information and I would have to pay the total amount. It is not a lot $1900 but over $500 of that are interest and late fees that accrued. Should I give this information to negotiate down for the principal of the matter or just make an arrangement to pay the bill?
Who is the creditor suing?
Who is the law firm involved?
Generally, providing that level a detail, unless it shows a fixed income and no asset scenario, is not conducive to getting a better settlement outcome.
I really need help woth an AMEX issue, please call me i could really really use help. Have tired for over a week to find a solution and nothing. Spent 8 hours on the phone with AMEX today.
You can schedule a phone call with me here: https://calendly.com/debtbytes/15min