Not all third-party debt settlement providers are the same. You can check with the Better Business Bureau if you are concerned about any business's reputation, including ours. Some debt settlers have given the industry a bad reputation. If you check with the BBB, you'll find that we are one of the top in the business--with a clean record.

Some people have attempted to settle their debts themselves. They may even find success, and talk their creditors into accepting a smaller amount than the sum total of their debts. However, simply attaining a settlement isn't enough. You want to obtain the best settlement possible that reduces your debts as much as the creditors will allow. This isn't something you're likely to be able to do on your own.

Novice debtors looking for a settlement might take the first offer--after all, a novice may not know a good deal from an average or a bad deal. When pressed, a creditor's customer service representatives are instructed to shave a couple thousand dollars off the top. This usually satisfies a debtor. Even trying to haggle after this point can be fruitless.

Quite frankly, many creditors don't take debtors seriously. The reason is because the creditor is in the driver's seat. The creditor knows that a debtor has fallen on difficult times and will take any offer that reduces their debt, even if the offer is pretty much insignificant. With the new 2005 bankruptcy laws taking effect, a debtor will have less leverage by threatening to declare bankruptcy. So what's the solution? Working with a professional debt settlement agency like DTS can really make a creditor take notice and offer a larger settlement.