Types of Debt Covered By Citizens Debt Relief
Citizens Debt Relief offers credit counseling and debt consolidation services for the following types of debt:
- Credit card debt
- Medical bills
- Personal loans
- Various types of unsecured loans
The company is also dedicated to helping clients suffering from the negative financial effects of Covid-19. The credit counseling services offered by Citizens Debt Relief can help out with virtually any type of financial struggles and provide valuable insights into your personal financial practices.
Citizens Debt Relief Service Features
Citizens Debt Relief offers much more than debt negotiation and settlement services. The company takes a unique and personalized approach to each debt case, which includes one-on-one credit counseling with licensed professionals. Regardless of your budget or the type of debt you are facing, Citizens Debt Relief can help to create a viable plan to resolve your financial burden. This can include debt consolidation, home equity line or refinance, debt resolution, and even bankruptcy.
Citizens debt services are not available in every state, and the minimum debt requirement is unknown. The average time for relief and the average relief amount are not disclosed either.
Breadth of services offering | Wide selection of debt relief options Financial education |
Extent of Geographic Presence | Not available in every state |
Minimum Debt Required | Not disclosed |
Average Time for Relief | Not disclosed |
Average Relief Amount | Not disclosed |
Citizens Debt Relief Costs and Fees
While the goal of this Citizens Debt Relief review is to provide as much useful information as possible, the company is incredibly secretive about their fees and cancellation policy.
Most debt relief companies don’t charge any fees until they start resolving your debts. Citizens Debt Relief offers free consultations and is likely to follow the same fee structure. Plus, it advertises to offer flexible payments, but that is all we know about the costs.
Upfront Fees | Not disclosed |
Settlement/Performance Fees | Flexible - exact fees not disclosed |
Other Fees | Not disclosed |
Cancellation Policy | Not disclosed |
Money-Back Guarantee Policy | Not disclosed |
Citizens Debt Relief Application Process
Applying for debt relief with Citizens Debt Relief starts out with a free consultation with a debt specialist. The specialist will take a close look at your debt amounts and determine which debts are eligible for relief. If you decide to use their services, you’ll follow these five steps toward debt resolution:
- Open a savings account and make monthly deposits. The amount you’ll deposit is predetermined based on your call with the debt specialist. The money that is collected in the account is what will be used to pay off your debts once Citizens Debt Relief makes an agreement with your creditors.
- Stop using your credit cards. An important part of debt relief involves breaking the debt cycle. In order for this program to work, you must agree to stop using your credit cards and refrain from taking out any other types of loans.
- Citizens Debt Relief negotiates with your creditors. Ideally, they will negotiate a much lower amount than you owe. Because you’ve been depositing money into your new savings account, Citizens Debt Relief is able to negotiate a lower payment in full to get rid of the debt for good.
- Continue negotiating and paying off debt. Once one debt is paid, Citizens Debt Relief will contact your next creditor to reach a resolution, all the while you are still putting monthly deposits into your savings account. This process is repeated until all of your unsecured debts are paid.
- Become debt free. The final step is you graduating from the program debt-free.
Citizens Debt Relief Customer Experience
Citizens Debt Relief offers a solid customer experience, but nothing out of the ordinary.
- Website Extensiveness & Usability. The Citizens website does a good job covering the company’s services and procedures. It is professionally done and easy-to-use, but does not feature any information that is beyond necessary.
- Expanded Call Center Support. The website does list a contact phone number and an email address for any inquiries.
- Multi-Channel Support . Other support channels include an online chat and social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram.
- Supplemental Support (Information & Tools). The Citizens website includes a helpful FAQ section, but no other additional tools were found.
- Mobile Technology. Citizens Debt Relief doesn’t mention any special use of mobile technology on their website.
Citizens Debt Relief Trustworthiness and Stability
Citizens Debt Relief has several professional accreditations, which is reassuring given the company’s relatively young age of five years. As such, Citizens is a member of the American Fair Credit Council (AFCC) and the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators (IAPDA). It is also an authorized partner of Consumer Affairs.
Citizens does not disclose the total number of customers serviced or the amount of debt managed since its inception.
Years in Business | 5 |
Customers Serviced / Debt Managed | Not disclosed |
Certifications and Memberships | American Fair Credit Council International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators Authorized partner of Consumer Affairs |
Citizens Debt Relief User Reviews
Citizens Debt Relief has excellent user reviews on independent review sites like Trustpilot, BBB, and Consumer Affairs. The average rating across all the three platforms is around 4.5/5, which is a magnificent achievement for a company of five years. The Citizens Debt Relief reviews seem to highlight the transparent communication, efficient processes, and successful outcomes. Positive reviewers also report the professionalism of the company and the genuine care for each individual client.
Negative reviews of Citizens Debt Relief tend to focus on the lack of effort made when it comes to settling the debt. Since each situation will vary, it’s always best to fully understand your specific plan and make sure debt settlement will be possible prior to agreeing.
Citizens Debt Relief Compared to Other Companies
As compared to other companies, Citizens Debt Relief doesn’t share much information about the specifics of their debt negotiation and settlement services. Luckily, Citizens does offer free consultations, so you can easily find out more information by picking up your phone and speaking with them directly.
| Citizens Debt Relief | National Debt Relief | Freedom Debt Relief |
Minimum debt required | Not disclosed | $7,500 | $7,500 |
Fees | Not disclosed | Upfront fee: None Settlement fee: 15%-25% of original debt | Upfront fee: None Settlement fee: 18%-25% of original debt |
Cancellation Policy | Not disclosed | Can cancel anytime without penalty | Can cancel within 3 days without penalty |
Money-Back Guarantee Policy | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Service fee refund if the total cost to settle the debt (with fees) is more than original debt |
Average Relief Amount | Not disclosed | Reduction of 30% in original debt, after fees | Not disclosed |
Final Thoughts
As evident from this Citizens Debt Relief review, the company doesn’t readily disclose the specifics of their debt relief services. Nonetheless, numerous professional memberships and staggering customer reviews suggest that Citizens is among the more reliable debt settlement firms out there.
Citizens Debt Relief offers free phone consultations, so it wouldn’t hurt to explore their options. After all, the richness of their service menu and the advertised flexibility of payment plans suggest that you will be able to find something to suit your needs and budget and become debt-free once and for all.
