My troubles all started when I got into a car accident about 2 years ago. My car was totaled and I had some pretty massive medical bills, but the worst part was that I was out of work for almost a full month.

Due to the mounting medical costs and big drop in income, I was unable to make my credit card payments in full for two months. This was the first time I had missed a payment on anything, and I had most of the accounts for ten years or more!

Of course, my creditors were not very sympathetic. I was charged late fees, and my interest rates were raised to ridiculously high rates! I had no idea what to do at this point.

As I went back to work and paid down my hospital bills, I would have been able to resume making my old credit card payments. But at this point, I owed late fees and past due balances, and my minimum payments skyrocketed! My creditors wanted hundreds of dollars each as a minimum payment to get caught back up!

It seemed pretty crazy to me that, even though my financial situation had returned to normal and I had been a good customer for several years, the creditors were so unwilling to work with me. I seriously started considering just ignoring the bills or even filing for bankruptcy!

Luckily, my wife pointed me towards an article called Debt Reduction Programs – Pros And Cons (this is not the actual article, but it is a more updated one). Fortunately, I learned more about my options.

After reading the article, I had a new sense of hope and the desperation had finally cleared my mind. I immediately jumped up, picked up the phone, and called up my credit card companies one by one.

I did not let the rude, unhappy customer service people deter me from my goal. I explained my situation and in some cases asked to speak to a supervisor. In the end, I got pretty much the results I was hoping for.

One of my creditors actually waived my late fees and dropped my interest rate to previous levels. I have to admit, I was shocked when I heard that news. 2 of my other creditors put me in a hardship plan, where my interest, fees, and payments were reduced for 6 months.

My final credit card company was a bit more difficult, but finally they agreed that if I made 3 straight payments of $150, they would drop my interest back down and consider me current on my account.

I was relieved from my stress and finally found relief from my debt!

1. What Are Your Debt Relief Options Click to read the article titled "What Are Your Debt Relief Options"...
2. Why a Credit Card Debt Settlement Could Be the Solution Click to read the article titled "Why a Credit Card Debt Settlement Could Be the Solution"...
3. Tips to Help Erase Debt and Improve Your Credit Click to read the article titled "Tips to Help Erase Debt and Improve Your Credit"...