9212 Berger Road
Columbia, MD 21046
Other Business Names:
Summary of Business: Debt Settlement, Debt Negotiation
Number of BBB Complaints as of 6/17/08: 28 (relative to Debt Shield's size and compared to the number of complaints of similarly sized company's in the settlement arena, this is not a lot)
Members of BBB: No
BBB Profile
Business Start Date: December 2003
Number of Employees: 110
Trade Organization Memberships: IAPDA (International Association for Professional Debt Arbitrators), U.S.O.B.A. (United States Organizations for Bankruptcy Alternatives
Other Accreditations: Dunn & Bradstreet, Netcheck
Fees
What is the total fee for the program?
The fee includes a percentage that is based on the amount of debt enrolled and is included in the monthly payments
Over how many months is the fee paid?
Service fees are paid out over the course of the program, activation fees are paid at in the first several months
Do you have a set up fee?
Yes, There is a one-time activation fee (unknown amount)
Do you have a money back guarantee?
Yes. There are 2 guarantees included in the contract:
Customer Service Guarantee: Debt Shield clients who experience a legitimate customer service issue during the first 180 days of their enrollment may request and receive a prorated refund of their monthly maintenance fees, if the issue cannot be resolved. This guarantee applies to issues that are not directly related to the client's financial condition.
Term Guarantee: Debt Shield guarantees we will cut our clients' remaining monthly maintenance fees in half, if they are not out of debt by the time we project. For example, if a client has a projected term length of 30 months and still has unsettled debt after 30 months, the monthly fee will be cut in half from month 31 to the end of the client's program.
Do you charge a fee based on how much I save?
N/A
Eligibility
What type of debt do you work with?
unsecured debt such as credit cards
What is the minimum total unsecured debt one must have in order to qualify?
$10,000.
Does a client need to include all of their unsecured debt in the plan?
N/A
Services
Do you do the negotiations yourselves?
N/A
If not, who is the company you use for negotiations?
N/A
Creditor Calls
Do you send a Power of Attorney to notify the creditors that a client is enrolled in your program right away?
N/A
Do you send a Cease & Desist letter to my creditors?
N/A
Can I change my phone number & address to your company�s phone number and address?
Yes
Do you have a consumer advocacy group help me with calls?
Yes, Debt Shield uses the United Consumer Advocacy Network (UCAN) to help people with creditor calls.
(Disclaimer: The following information is based on an informal conversation that PayingPaul.Com had with a representative from this company. In no way should this be construed as a formal statement made by the company about the services it offers. Moreover, although an effort has been made to keep this information up to date and accurate, in no way is this a comprehensive overview of the company profiled. For complete information, please contact a representative from this company.)
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