Settling With Credit Card Companies- Could It Be Unethical?
If you said "you bet", fair enough. I can certainly understand your opinion that settling with credit card companies could be unethical. At the same time, it's not unethical to resolve your credit card debt if you cannot afford to pay it. If the lenders agree to receive less than the total owed, what's wrong with that? Not surprisingly, people's expenses alter continuously. There is no guarantee exactly what the future may bring about.
With the economic crisis, several debt collectors are usually negotiating for reduced amounts than normal. Prior to the economic downturn, the typical settlement amount ended up being approximately 50%. Today, the typical settlement has been reduced to roughly 42%. This would mean that the usual negotiation repayment is only around 42 cents on the dollar.
When settling with the creditors, you're simply paying back what you can manage. If perhaps you all of a sudden quit paying your credit card debt for no legitimate explanation, that would be viewed as unethical.
Is This Unethical? You Be the Judge
A creditor offering $30,000 of credit to someone and encouraging her to make minimum monthly payments so the lenders can easily obtain about $321,000 in principle, interest, fees and penalties after payment is made in full!? creditcards.com will show you the length of time it will require to pay-off a charge card debt.
How Greedy Can They Get?
Is this moral? Changing your due date without informing you so that they can charge you a late fee? This happens constantly. If it's stated within your contract, they're able to do it. Making your monthly payments about ten days in advance may be the only possible option (unless of course you want to contact customer support each week to find out if the creditor has changed the due date!)
Is this ethical? Creditors, for no clear explanation, raise your interest rates to 29.99%, even when your credit is good? Picture that. You do not miss a monthly payment and all of a sudden you get a notification that tells you that your interest rate will be higher. It's taking place a lot nowadays. However, President Obama signed a bill that will stop lenders from increasing rates to outrageous percentages.
Is this process ethical? Changing your billing period so that the payment will become owed on a Sunday, to enable them to assess a past due charge since they are aware the banking institutions don't wire the money on that day!
These are just a few of the many 'stunts' the lenders have up their sleeve. It really is regrettable that the credit card companies are taking advantage of consumers.
Now, Do you really believe it is unethical settling with credit card companies?