Speaker: Whitney
What was your situation before you enrolled — how did it feel and what made you decide to enroll in debt settlement?
Whitney: My situation before I enrolled in debt settlement, was, I wouldn't say pretty dire, but it felt pretty dire. I was probably close to $46,000 in debt. Some of that was from credit cards, some of that was from a car payments, some of that was from school loans, private school loans, and then some of that was just from private loans. I had purchased some furniture under a loan and things like that. And I say it felt dire because, you know, when you're just being berated by phone calls day in and day out, you just, you really feel like you have nowhere else to turn, you have no, direction out, you just feel like you really can't get ahead of it and you know you're robbing Peter to pay Paul kind of a thing, it was just a really hard time, you know, I wasn't sleeping. I didn't know what to do. And It was in the middle of the night, you know, on my phone. I don't even know really how I found, ClearOne Advantage, but somehow it came up on my phone and I kind of looked into it and I read some of these stories here and so I called in the next day for a consultation and I talked to this girl named Charlotte and I don't know if Charlotte still works there and so this was probably 10 plus years ago. I mean this was 2016, so yes, 10 years ago when I first got enrolled, I remember talking to Charlotte and I just remember just feeling the sense of peace, you know, we got set up. The payment schedule that I was put onto was even that was a little bit higher than what I could do, but I was committed to making it work, committed to getting other jobs. I felt like I had a plan. I felt like I had a voice. I felt like I had somebody in my corner that understood my situation. I felt like I had somebody who could kind of go along this journey with me. And so we got set up and the very first thing she told me to do was just to go onto all of my accounts, change my phone number, and list them as the phone number to call so they could advocate for me and get all these settlements set up, and I just remember that first day, my phone didn't ring. That first day, all day, my phone did not ring, and I couldn't believe it. Usually I would have to like hide my phone because it would stress me out so much because my phone just rang off the hook with debt collectors and that first day I got enrolled, no one called me. They all called them and I just felt like I could breathe again. I felt like I could sleep again. I felt like, oh my gosh, I could actually do this, it can be a plan. And I just, it was great. It was great. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my entire life, honestly.
What was the debt relief program experience like for you — what results did you get and how did you feel when it was completed?
Whitney: The debt relief program experience for me, was life changing, It gave me a path out of what felt like a sinking well. Now, not all of my debt was included in that. Like I said in the first video, we listed everything and the payments required for that program were too high, so, my car was not included in my debt repayment, which was fine. That was the only separate payment I had, and then every other bill for all other loans were listed on that. Student loans, credit cards, private loans, everything was all listed in that consolidation. I had some medical bills that were listed on there too and you know, the only thing I had to focus on was making sure that I made that monthly payment, and I felt like that's something that I can do. So it took this overwhelming, swirling tornado of debt and plans and this and calling and da da da da da and it simplified it into we'll take care of the rest of it, you have to make this monthly payment, and I was committed to it and I did it, and I never missed a payment. We got everything cleared up and actually my program ended early. So I actually didn't, I think it was. I don't remember now, but it was set for maybe 5 years or something like that, and I was debt free in less than 3, I'm trying to do the math. Yeah, less than 3, and that included my car, and I was dedicated to paying off my car, and so I was 100% debt free in less than 3 years from the day I made the call to Charlotte, which I'll never, I will never forget her, When it got completed. I just had this overwhelming sense of control back in my life. I have this overwhelming sense of like, empowerment. I can do this. We've made it out. Don't do this again. You know, I had learned a whole lot. I had struggled through a lot, and actually I had some, I got a kickback. I had made, I had put so much money into the bank, and they were actually able to settle my settlements at a much lower rate than they even had intended, and some of the medical things we were able to get forgiven and I got another grant program, so it was really a team effort and just getting rid of this debt as quickly as possible and, I ended up having like an extra $1,000 in that. So when I graduated from the program, I actually got some money back, which I felt was really cool, and I felt like it was really trustworthy, right, that I could put this money in there. It was a third party bank, they got to use it and make the payments, but you know, they're not, they, you know, they could have said, hey, you've already paid it, and honestly I would have been like, "Keep my money, take my money, thank you so much," but they weren't, that you paid all your stuff, you did all the things, here's your kickback, here's your final packet, here's all your things, and I just felt so at peace. I was also in a better job at that point after 3 years I'd moved, so it had been a really, turmoil, crazy 3 years, but, you know, through dedication and paying attention and, you know, staying committed to what my part of the debt settlement was, yeah, we were able to get it done early and that was amazing.
What would you tell someone who’s thinking about enrolling in a debt settlement program?
Whitney: What would I tell someone who's thinking about enrolling in the debt settlement program? I would 100% tell them to do it. It was honestly one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I think the scary piece of getting started, is feeling like it's another scam, you know, you're in this mountain of debt because you kind of got scammed, right? Someone sold, you know, you got sold to, right, get this credit card, it's going to be amazing, do this, do that, do this, do that. You know, and you're in this world of spending all this money, which is why you're in debt, right? And so this thing comes along that sounds too good to be true. and so you're like, gosh, I don't need that. I'm embarrassed. That sounds like a scam. That sounds too good to be true. That's whatever, and I'm going to tell you right here, it was not. It was the best thing I've ever done in my entire life. I am so grateful for it. I'm so grateful for all the people that have worked there. Everybody that I ever spoke to on the phone was amazing, was wonderful, truly wanted to help, You know, it's, it feels kind of weird, you know, it feels, you have to take a humble pill, right? You have to admit that you need help, You have to admit that this, you know that you got into this mess, this is your fault, but as soon as you take ownership and you can say, hey, I got into this mess and I need some help to get out, they're gonna be there to help you. It's not a scam, firsthand experience. It was wonderful. It was amazing. I hope Charlotte's running it by now. But, I had an amazing experience and I'm so grateful for everybody there. I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful. I would 100%, 1 million% recommend it if you are feeling lost and alone and not sleeping, and you feel like you can't get control over it. Call them, call them, see what they have to offer, see what they can do to help. Even if the payments feel high, you have one payment. Focus on that one payment, focus on that, make that a priority, get another job, work your ass off, and do it. Get out of debt, get out of debt. It has been a life-changing experience for me, and I truly believe it changed my life. I'm now a small business owner. I'm now making a ton of income, but if I still had all the spending habits that I had 10 years ago, I'd be broke. I'd still be broke, right? So making more money is not the answer. The answer is learning how to control the money that comes in, and they're the first step to doing that, so 100% I would recommend.
