National Debt Relief – Top 15 Insider Questions

National Debt Relief is one of the top debt consolidation companies in the US. They offer a program that many consumers are not familiar with and may seem too good to be true. Credit card companies really don’t want to you know about these types of programs either. Let’s take a look at several common questions about National Debt Relief answered by a 10-year insider.

Is the National Debt Relief Program Legitimate?

National Debt Relief

National Debt Relief helps thousands of families get out of debt faster every day. They have helped over 100,000 clients resolve billions in debt since 2009. They have over 84,000 client reviews across TrustPilot, ConsumerAffairs, BBB and Google. So, if you’re asking, “is the National Debt Relief program legitimate?” I’d say the answer is a resounding Yes!

NDR can help families struggling with credit card debt stemming from an increased cost of living, lower or stagnant wages and rising inflation.  They are a legit option for families going through a financial crisis such as a job loss, medical bills or divorce.

Does National Debt Relief ruin your credit?

Let’s start with the bad news.

The main program National Debt Relief offers – debt settlement – is an alternative to bankruptcy. The effects on your credit score will be similar but not as severe as bankruptcy. 

So yes, your credit score will drop because debt settlement requires you to stop making payments on your outstanding debts. Late payment reports show up, and the settled accounts stay listed for seven years from the date they became delinquent.

Now here’s the good news.

Your credit score will improve as you settle your debts because you no longer have those large debts on your credit report. Your debt to income ratio will improve as well making you look like a more attractive applicant.

It’s usually better to rip the band-aid off and settle your debts sooner with a temporary dip in your credit score than to pay the minimums on your debts for years, if not decades, and payback 2x-3x what you originally borrowed with all the interest charges and fees your creditors charge.

Is National Debt Relief a ripoff?

A common question people have when they hear that National Debt Relief can help you pay off your debt for less than what you owe and only gets paid when they deliver results is, “is National Debt Relief a ripoff?” since it can sound too good to be true.

And that’s understandable.

Just like you can negotiate with a car salesman, your debts can be negotiated as well. If you’re in a financial crisis and can only afford to pay some of it back, your creditors can choose to accept that or get nothing.

But the fact is National Debt Relief works for thousands of families every day. They can reduce what you owe and get you out of debt faster than other debt payoff methods.

NDR has a BBB A accreditation and over 84,000 client reviews over the last 12+ years they’ve been in business.

So you can feel confident trusting National Debt Relief to help you get out of debt, save you money and regaining your peace of mind.

Whats the catch with National Debt Relief?

Here’s what National Debt Relief offers – no upfront fees, getting you out of debt in 24 to 48 months, no fees until you see results and a satisfaction guarantee. Plus, over 84,000 client reviews, A BBB accreditation and 12+ years in business.

That may seem too good to be true so you’re probably wondering, “whats the catch with National Debt Relief?”

Once you’re a client, you’ll need to stick with the program to get the best results. That’s because your credit score will take a hit as you begin missing payments to your creditors. You’ll be saving that money to build up your settlement funds to get a discount on your debt owed.

So if you do cancel and get your money back from National Debt Relief for some reason, you’ll take the hit to your credit score but won’t get out of debt so you won’t have the desired result you wanted.

The National Debt Relief program works if you stick with the program and let their 12+ years of expertise work for you and get you out of debt for less than what you owe.

Is National Debt Relief a legitimate company?

National Debt Relief offers several positives demonstrating that it is a legitimate company:

1.       84,000+ client reviews on Google, BBB, ConsumerAffairs and TrustPIlot sites
2.       BBB A rating for over 9 years
3.       Over 12+ years in business helping 100,000s of clients get out of debt

The biggest “negative” of NDR is that it has over 250 complaints closed in the last 3 years on the Better Business Bureau site. These are closed complaints meaning that NDR and the clients have reached a satisfactory resolution of the issue causing the complaint.

So National Debt Relief is working with clients who have an issue with their service and is working with them to solve their issues. This is the kind of action you want to see with a company you are trusting with your financial future. You want to see them working on any complaints and trying to improve their service.

This demonstrates that National Debt Relief is a legitimate company that can help you with getting out of debt just like the 1000s of families it helps every day all across the country.

Can you get your money back from National Debt Relief?

National Debt Relief offers no upfront fees and no cancellation fees. They also offer no fees until you see results. They are completely performance based. They offer a satisfaction guarantee so if for some reason you do need to cancel, you can get your money back. Now if they have settled some of your debts, you may still owe a fee on those settled debts. 

Now you may want to think hard about why you’re looking to cancel because once you’re a client, you’re going to see an impact to your credit score as you are no longer making payments. If you cancel after missing creditor payments, you’ll be hurting your credit score for no reason as you won’t be getting out of debt with National Debt Relief helping you anymore.

NDR works and it shows. They have over 84,000 client reviews, a BBB A accreditation and a satisfaction guarantee.

What is the National Debt Relief hardship program?

National Debt Relief offers a financial hardship program for families going through a financial crisis such as medical debt, job loss or divorce. They can help resolve your unsecured debts for less than what you owe by negotiating with your creditors and getting them to agree to take less than the full balance you owe.

NDR can usually settle your debts for around 50% of what you owe which results in savings of about 30% off your debt after their performance fees are included.

You can think of it as a discount on what you owe on your credit cards. This hardship program is an alternative to bankruptcy, and it helps 1000s of families every day. NDR has over 84,000 client reviews so the program does work at helping families getting out of debt.

Is National Debt Relief BBB accredited?

Yes, National Debt Relief is BBB accredited since 2/5/2013 with an A rating.  They have over 1200 reviews on the Better Business Bureau site with an average rating of 4.38 stars out of 5.00. NDR does have 256 complaints closed in the last 3 years.

So, if you are considering NDR or any other debt relief provider, check out the reviews and complaints on the BBB and see how they are responding to issues. Make sure they are resolving issues to the client’s satisfaction.

No company is perfect and NDR is no different. They will work with you to make sure you are happy with your results. And that’s the best you can hope for with any company.

Can I cancel National Debt Relief?

Yes, you can cancel National Debt Relief if you are not happy with the program or the results. You can cancel if you talk to your friends and family and they say it’s a scam because someone told them it was without actually knowing it. Such as a personal finance guru like Dave Ramsey who advocates for bankruptcy which can be worse than debt relief that NDR offers.

Before you cancel read what other clients have to say about their firsthand experiences with NDR. Read how many wish they had called sooner. Read testimonials about clients saving thousands of dollars and getting out of debt faster than they could’ve on their own.

Because if you do cancel you risk hurting your credit score without getting any meaningful results so you’re setting yourself back even further financially.

Do some research on the BBB to see how NDR has solved complaints and issues with their services. See if you can find a similar story like yours and how they resolved it.

It’s a big decision to go with National Debt Relief and it should be a big decision on whether or not to cancel it so you should go by personal experiences than what a friend or family member or financial guru says without knowing all the details.

What happens if you quit National Debt Relief?

When you start a debt relief or debt consolidation program you may have second thoughts or you may talk to a friend or family member who has your best interests at heart and tell you to cancel that, it’s a scam, or you can do it yourself.

While trying to be helpful, their advice may not be the best course of action for your financial situation.

National Debt Relief has been helping clients successfully get out of debt for over 12 years, has an A rating with the BBB and has over 84,000 client reviews so the program works and is not a scam.

And yes, you can do it yourself but it will take 100s of hours calling and negotiating with your creditors yourself. Not everyone has the time and energy to take on this big task while working and taking care of the family.

So what happens if you do listen to them and you want to quit National Debt Relief? First, you will get a refund from your settlement funds that aren’t going to settlements or fees.

There are no cancellation fees with National Debt Relief.

There are downsides to canceling such as not getting out of debt because you won’t complete the hardship program.
You will have also lowered your credit score because NDR’s program does have a temporary negative effect on your credit score. Your credit score would have improved as you resolved your debt as you continue with the program.

So if you do quit National Debt Relief, you won’t get the benefits of getting out of debt and you will get the negative of lowering your credit score for no reason.

How much does National Debt Relief affect your credit?

Any time you miss payments to your creditors your credit score is going to go down. National Debt Relief’s hardship program will advise you to stop making payments to your creditors and use that money to build up your settlement funds.

After you have built up enough settlement funds, NDR will reach out to your creditors and offer a settlement to settle that account for less than what you owe.

This process will provide you a savings or discount on your credit card debt of about 30% of what you owed. The “cost” of getting you out of debt is that National Debt Relief’s program will affect your credit score and credit report temporarily in a negative way.

However, once you are out of debt in 2-4 years, your debt-to-income ratio will improve, and you’ll be debt free and can start seeing an improved credit score with little to no debt.

You’ll need to weigh the pros and cons of using a financial hardship program like National Debt Relief’s that can save you a significant amount of money on your credit card debt while temporarily affecting your credit.

What credit score is needed for National Debt Relief?

One good thing about National Debt Relief is there is no credit score requirement to qualify for the program. You can have a 500 credit score, 600 credit score, 700 credit score or even an 800 credit score and still qualify.

What matters more than your credit score is your financial situation and what your financial future can look like by getting out of debt now with NDR’s help.

To qualify for National Debt Relief, you need to be going through a financial crisis and have enough debt to make it worth the cost. That amount is at least $7,500 in unsecured debt.

Is National Debt Relief the best?

There are several reputable debt relief companies like National Debt Relief, but we all want the best in life and are asking if National Debt Relief is the best.

NDR’s reputation has several positives that can place it among the best debt relief companies: over 84,000 client reviews, an A rating from the BBB, top ratings from consumer review sites and over 12 years in business.

Now let’s look at the negatives – complaints from clients.

One of National Debt Relief’s biggest competitors – Freedom Debt Relief has an A- rating with the BBB and has over 400 complaints with the BBB over the last 3 years.

National Debt Relief is doing a little better with an A rating and over 250 complaints over the last 3 years.

So neither company is perfect.

What makes a company the best? It’s one you feel comfortable with, answers all your questions and makes you feel like a person instead of just another number.

How to find the best company to help you get out of debt?

Read client reviews, check out the BBB profile and check out consumer review sites to get a good feel about any company you’re looking at and then you can decide which one is the best choice for you.

Who qualifies for National Debt Relief?

National Debt Relief helps clients who are going through a financial crisis (such as medical bills, job loss or divorce) and have over $7,500 in unsecured debt.

Unsecured debt includes credit cards, personal loans, lines of credit, medical bills, business debts and private student loans.

Debts NDR cannot help with lawsuits, IRS debt and back taxes, utility bills, rent, federal student loans, auto loans or home loans.

There is no credit score requirement to qualify for National Debt Relief. You can have good credit or bad credit and still qualify for NDR’s hardship program.

Does National Debt Relief charge a fee?

National Debt Relief is not a non profit or a government organization so yes, it does charge a fee. However, NDR is completely performance based so they only earn a fee if they deliver you results.

National Debt Relief charges a fee based on your enrolled debt and the state you live. The fee ranges from 15-25% of the total debt. This fee is earned over the life of the program which is 2-4 years and is only based on results. You don’t get your debt reduced; you don’t pay any fees.

When you think that what NDR charges is expensive, compare it to the average credit card interest rate which is about 16% and is charged each and every year by your creditors.

Your creditors charge you an average of 16% a year in interest and National Debt Relief charges 15-25% for the life of their program.

Paying a one-time charge to get rid of your debt versus paying an annual charge to your creditors can make a lot of financial sense.

There you have it, some of the most common questions about National Debt Relief from an insider. They can be a top option for you if you’re drowning in debt, tired of living paycheck to paycheck and want to regain control of your financial future and peace of mind.

National Debt Relief - Is it A Legitimate Company?

About The Author

Adam Tijerina has written for over 14 years about personal finance including 10+ years at National Debt Relief, a BBB A accredited business helping families get out of debt. Adam has experience with resolving debt, having successfully settled $43,250 in credit card debt on his own. He has also co-authored two books about overcoming adversity and has been featured on Credit.com and USNews.com.