How Doug became an advocate and educator of Debt Relief
Nine years ago, Doug began researching debt relief options on behalf of Becky, a friend who was being terrorized by collectors.  The collectors were calling her starting early in the mornings until late at night.  They were calling her friends, family, neighbors and employer.  They were making outrageous threats and claims toward her.

Doug knew the collectors were in violation of the collection laws, but he did not take action against them until a collector called Becky’s elderly and sickly parents and told them their daughter would go to prison unless her debt was satisfied immediately.  Becky’s parents responded by giving the collector a credit card number, which the collector used to make a $22,000 charge toward the debt.

This prompted Doug to start studying the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).  From his research, he learned that not only were the collectors in violation of the FDCPA, but they were liable for monetary penalties for each violation. 

Doug hired an attorney who filed a lawsuit against the collectors on behalf of Becky.  The collectors settled out of court by excusing her debt, correcting her credit, refunding her parents, and submitting letters of apology to her friends, family and neighbors.  As a result of Doug’s efforts, Becky walked away from $120,000 in credit card debt. 

This was the beginning of a nine-year long journey for Doug.  A journey that has compelled him to spend countless hours and thousands of dollars in an effort to uncover the truth and dispel the myths and misinformation that permeates the debt relief and credit restoration industries.   Pursuing collectors for violations of the collection laws is still a potential strategy for the relief of debt, but Doug has located many other creative strategies that overcome the "pitfalls" of traditional debt relief options such as Credit Counseling based Debt Management programs, Debt Settlement, and Bankruptcy.