I live in Ontario, Canada. I have an unsecured debt(telecom) of $25,000 that went to a collection agency. The last date of payment on the account was Aug 15, 2025. I haven't had any emails, or calls regarding this account until last month.

I received an email before Thanksgiving from a lawyer/paralegal on behalf of the collecting agency in charge of collecting the $25,000 debt. Basically demanding payment, that they would accept a lumpsum payment of $16,000 to settle (I don't have). I have no employment income, for years now. I survive on child tax, trillium, and GST. I also have no assets. From my research it says I'm "judgement proof".

How likely would it be for them to actually go through the process of taking me to court? Or freezing my bank account? Or something along those lines. I have no other debt, it's just this that's coming after me.

What do I even do every option is awful

My parents are 79 and my dad was still working periodically (self employed). He suffered a stroke last night and is in the ICU now. If he recovers, he will not be able to work again and the recovery is likely to be long and very intensive. They have medicare but my mom does not know the details of coverage. She also has not been a part of many of their financial decisions and isn't sure how to access their accounts. Dad is unable to communicate at this time and so we need to make plans without his input.

On the way home from the hospital, I did learn that they have no savings, no life insurance, and owe "between $400-$600k" on their home, with a mortgage that their combined social security barely covers. Dad has apparently also been making those payments on their line of credit and credit card- so probably another $30-40k debt. Dad has a pension but it sounds like it's very small and is deposited directly to the IRS for some reason and mom isn't sure what back taxes that must represent.

I work full time but also have health issues (in remission for ovarian cancer) and so have little in the way of savings, nor the monthly income to take over their mortgage. My siblings are estranged and we have very little extended family, none of whom are close in proximity or feeling.

I feel like there's probably some kind of accountant we should see who could help us figure out what debt my parents actually have and what resources we might be able to access. I know we need to downsize but I've never bought or sold a house and am not sure how to start that process, especially when we need a place for mom to live. (I have been living in an ADU on the property while recovering from cancer so her moving in with me is not an option).

We are in Washington State.

If anyone can recommend a service, accountant, financial specialist, or other entity I should talk to, I'd be extremely grateful.

TLDR: Dad suffered medical emergency and I discovered my elderly parents are in massive debt. Need advice for financial specialist or support to understand all debt and what our options are.

Thank you so much, I am so overwhelmed.

Hi all. I have about $46k in credit card debt. My income currently doesn't outweigh my expenses, but I expect to be able to significantly increase my income within the next year (almost double) because I've been working part time only at my job for various reasons, but I'm expecting to gradually increase to full time.

What should I do to pay down my credit cards aggressively without feeling like I don't have any money left to do anything with? I have good credit score and have never missed a payment. I asked ChatGPT and it recommended looking into transfer balances to a card with a long introductory 0% balance-transfer period as well as reaching out to Chase/American Express to see about financial hardship/financial relief programs with them.

Has anyone done the financial relief programs through Chase/American Express? Have they ever offered 0% interest for a period of time or is it only reduced interest? What terms did they give you?

Should I prioritize transfer balances if I qualify? I have transfer balanced once before, so not sure if I can do it again.

I imagine I might be doing both transfer balance and financial relief program through the card issuers if I qualify. Are there any significant cons to either method that I can't easily find online?

Thanks in advance.

Edit again* the loan was from oct 2022- Oct 2026 so only 4 years. I got the date wrong.

I was 6k. I paid the last payment today!
I’m celebrating!!!

This was the biggest monthly I had and now I can throw the 205 I was paying to something else.

Edit: Due to rude comments I guess i meed to
Put why I’m in debt?

I thought all of us here were in debt and working towards paying it off but I guess not?

60% of my debt is from not having a job for 6 months in 2021 and still having to pay my own bills.

The other 40% is not having a job in 2024 for a month and having to do the same thing, moving expenses, snd some consumer debt from trips.

I don’t have people I can stay with, most of my family is dead, and I’m basically alone other than my bf and one family member.

Sad I have to type this out when people don’t understand that not everyone is in debt because they don’t know how to save.

Long story short, I did my undergrad in the US on a student visa and worked on OPT for a couple of years afterwards. The new admin’s policies made life very difficult for non-citizens. My work permit renewal was rejected, and my company had to lay me off, and sponsoring an H-1B for an entry-level employee wasn’t realistic for them. Legally, I had 90 days of unemployment, I either find a job or leave the country. I applied everywhere, got nothing, and had to depart. Three months of job hunting after an unexpected layoff put me into a lot of credit card debt.

I’m back in Eastern Europe, and after months of unemployment, I finally started a job that barely covers my living expenses. I save nothing and have no family (another long story) to lean on.

The debt:

Chase: ~8.5K. Stopped using at 7.8K, the rest is interest because the intro 0% APR has expired.

Capital One: ~5K, stopped using. 0% APR just recently expired.

Discover: 1.6K, account closed.

Where things stand now:

For a while, I was able to manage minimum payments ($100-150/mo total) from savings I’d left in my US account, then Chase raised my minimum to $725. I called to ask for a lower payment and was told they couldn’t offer any plan because I was unemployed. I stopped paying and they’ve said the account will be charged off in January. Capital One offered to waive late fees. I’m two payments behind. Discover offered a very low payment plan, but even that I couldn’t afford because I literally have no money. Interest is piling up on all three, and wiring money to my US bank account also costs a lot in transfer fees and currency exchange.

So far I haven’t told my creditors that I permanently left the country. As far as they know, I’m just unemployed. I’m not sure whether telling them helps or hurts me.

My questions:

1. Is it true that creditors will settle for much less when you’re abroad because chasing you costs too much?
2. Should I tell them I’ve moved abroad?
3. How do I negotiate with Chase, who’ve been completely inflexible?
4. What’s the realistic legal exposure here (lawsuits, judgements, anything that follows me abroad)? Is the legal trouble realistic with this amount while I live in Europe?
5. How do I approach settlement when I can’t afford a lump sum? Should I wait for the accounts to go to collections?
6. If I cancel my US phone number, can they still reach me? Do banks call internationally? I’m paying for a plan I don’t use. I don’t have access to a mailing address in the US anymore. Can they just contact me via email?
7. I can’t afford a lawyer. How do I find trusted pro bono legal help?

I’d really appreciate any realistic advice. I would like to pay (or at least resolve) this debt out of principle, and to avoid legal trouble. I've never been in any legal or financial trouble before. I've always respected and followed the law. I already know that I’m in a bad spot. I can’t sleep most nights because this is always on my mind, and everyday feels like a burden, with this massive weight on my chest that I can't shake off. I would like to regain the mental clarity of being debt-free. The hardest part is that nobody knows. I haven’t told a single soul, no one in my family or close friends. They see me as a successful guy who studied at a great US university and landed a job there, and I can’t bring myself to tell them. A year ago I felt like I was doing great, and now I feel like I blew my chance.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did you manage out of it?

The business model is basically just having a lawyer fight the collections.

The way the program works is you enroll, the cost is half your debt load and is paid off with no interest over a specified term. When you enroll, the law firm we work with takes over the management of the accounts. Client stops paying on accounts. Once the accounts are written off and sent to collections, the law firm sends cease and desists and request original documentation, which, according to the company I am applying for, the collectors never have the documents and apparently it’s not worth the due diligence to pursue it most of the time so they just stop attempting to collect.

If the client is sued, the law firm works with the collector to settle the suit. That balance is readjusted and part of the program payment goes to the settlement payment.

I am not versed enough to know how legit this is. From what I know, a lot of debt settlement seems “scammy”. Does this sound like a typical kind of scammy debt settlement business or just a full blown scam?

Not really sure what to do here. I went to a medical rehab facility, when I left about a year ago I was sent the initial bill. Received me EOB from my insurance and called the provider. Because the bill was around 10K which they told me would only be 1K which I paid upon entry. They told me they were appealing the bill and it was still in process. Several months went by and I never received a letter or phone call and I honestly forgot about it.

So about 2 months ago I called the facility and they had no records of me. After some persistence I got to talk to a supervisor and apparently that facility was bought by another company after I had left. I was able to get ahold of the original parent company who states they don't have a record for me. I've called both places multiple times and emailed no one can give me an answer. Normally I would just wait for a letter or something but with my job my license requires me to be financially sound. I'm assuming someone wants my money and will come asking but I can't have a delinquency of this amount on my credit. I just don't know what to do in this situation.

Last year my Mom got sick and passed away, I been bed rotting for the last year and two months... within that time my credit went to collectors .. all I see is a validate credit letter that I can write... I would like to get this off of my credit report so I can start building my life again.

I have been working on my consumer debt through credit managemement and debt reduction programs but i have alot that is in collections. I considered filing bankruptcy just to hopefully help with the collections debt but im concerned about my car. I am in virginia , i have heard it can differentiate based off state. Does anyone know

Does anyone know of any lenders that specialize in redemption; besides the company 722 Redemption? Is it possible to take out a personal loan for the car if I can’t find a lender?

I spent 13 months in a debt settlement program. Here's exactly where my $8,700 went.

I'm posting this because I wish someone had shown me real numbers before I signed up.

I enrolled in a debt settlement program in September 2025 and canceled in October 2026. My payment processor statement showed:

- $5,022 went to my creditors (settlement payments)

- $3,570 went to settlement fees

- $145 went to monthly and setup fees

The fee was 27% of my enrolled debt. When I canceled, the remaining fee was taken from my account balance, including my last two deposits, so I got nothing back at cancellation.

What I learned the hard way:

1. **You can call creditors yourself.** After leaving, I settled or set up payment plans directly, one phone call each, with zero fees.
2. **Ask how the fee is calculated before signing.** Mine was based on enrolled debt, not on how much they saved me.
3. **Settling hurts your credit.** Settled and charged-off accounts stay on your report for about 7 years from the first missed payment.
4. **Some lenders never forget.** Creditors flags members who cause them a loss, and that can block future loans unless you repay the difference. I'm paying mine in full for that reason.
5. **Forgiven debt can be taxable.** If $600+ is forgiven, you may get a 1099-C.
6. **Get the payment processor statement.** It shows every fee line by line.

(THE 27% FEE IS CHARGED BASED ON YOUR DEBT AMOUNT NOT THE NEGOTIATED PRICE THAT WAS DONE WITH THE CREDITOR)

- For example:

$15,000 in debt

$7,000 negotiated amount

$15,000 x .27 = $4,050

$7,000 + $4,050 = $11,050

Basically I saved only $3,950

The 27% fee is times by EACH creditor amount you have.

Not financial advice, just my experience. Happy to answer questions.

I was going thru a debt negotiator program where I stopped paying all CC and they’ll negotiate after cards go to collections for lower monthly payments and I went in knowing it would not help my credit score.

I bring in $2.5k a month, have 4 CC and currently owe~ $25,000:

•2 are discover and just hit default for a total of ~$15k (10k and 5k);
•1 CC will be paid and caught up for the monthly before the CC defaults (~$10k); and
•1CC is my emergency didnt budget properly card that gets paid off

One of my parents found out I was in this program and advised me to exit the program and withdraw the negotiation money (2.6k) to catch back up with CC#3. Im following the advice to leave the program.

They say well since my 2 CC are in default they’re pointless to pay off and save my credit score. They confirmed nothing else will really happen to me for not paying the two cc.

But I’ve read some companies will sue for collecting money (~$15k debt as a reminder), and really idk. What would you guys do at this point?

Hi all,

Not exactly proud of this but I'm currently dealing with $35k worth of credit card debt. Not going to explain it away, just really need help with how to tackle it.

• I'm 29 years old and I make $4,000 a month after taxes and contributions
• My rent was $1700 + electric + gas + wifi it was almost $2000 to still have two roommates. So I moved into a relatives basement apartment and only pay $500 now all in
• I just paid off my $40k student loan last month, which I am proud of. But my credit score obviously dropped from 766 to 737
• I did not have a car when I was living in the city but now I'm back to my car I used during college, so I do have to pay for gas/upkeep now. And now I commute via public transit into the city for work 3 days a week so that expense is about $400 a month
• My CCs are $27,000 with a $825 monthly minimum and $6,500 with a $65 a month minimum. I throw a $1,000 at both a month bc the second one was a 0% balance transfer

Do I get a personal loan? My main living/commuting expenses are only about $1000 now compared to $2000 before, so if I'm putting way more money towards by balances obviously I want a lower interest rate. What is the best approach? Thanks!

Good evening I got myself into a pretty bad chunk of credit card debt. Think about 25k, long story short I have been sued by 4 of the cards I couldn’t afford to pay anymore. I set up payment plans with all 4 and signed a judgment. Well I lost my full time job and since the job market is terrible and everything is so expensive Ive only been able to get a part time job till I get another full time job and stopped paying those payment plans cause I simply can’t afford it. My question is what should I do? Should I call those lawyers and collectors to let them know I can’t pay? Literally have no savings and barely any money in my bank account and stay in Texas (just adding that to know what laws apply when it comes to debt collecting) What can I do or send them? Any advice is appreciated

A person has a debt on you, how can you retrieve it back? Considering that the person is unreachable, won't response, it's like your looking for a ghost.

Hello I am in Massachusetts. Midland is taking me to small claims this December. they are suing me for $4310. In their portal they state they bought off my debt on 02/27/25. the last statement dated 2/26/25 with my original creditor has my balance as $3521. Why is there a difference? In their debt validation letter it states no interest or fees were charged after 2/27/25.

I plan to just show up to court and see my options. I do have the money to pay it off but idk if that's a good idea. because the way things have gone with another court date for the end of this month.

This law firm representing Midland has sued me for another debt. I paid that off as a lump sum and they did not accept any of my offers. They said you can pay it off now and get it over with and we can dismiss it you don't need to go to court. I also asked for a copy of the proof of payment. So I stupidly paid without getting anything in writing. I waited 7 business days then called back to inform them that the court docket still says open and I still have not received my letter of proof of payment. the person working on my case said she already sent the message to the attorney the day we spoke and she will not be sending them another email. She says they will probably go to the court date to dismiss it. I told her that's not what I agreed on. and anyway I have still not received proof of payment. She said she will send it again. Today is an additional 7 business days since that call. in total it's been 14 business days.

I know this court location provides a lawyer for a day. Idk how it works but I plan to ask for the bill of sale, master agreement, and request a reason why there's a discrepancy. Has anyone else gone through this? I am trying to do the right thing here but they are playing a different game

posting on a throwaway, sorry for the long post this is the first time I'm ever admitting how bad of a hole I've put myself in

I'm in a dire financial situation currently, about 30,000 on two credit cards currently, one 23% and the other 25% APR. I am a graduate student in a very challenging field who, in about six to eight years will be making quite a high income (minimum 200k guaranteed) but that is a long way off right now. Currently, I make 41,000/ year in a high cost of living area and I am completely unable to afford the current payments and I'm scared the balances are soon going to max out on at least one card even if I keep being able to meet the minimums.

I've had a few extenuating circumstances that did cause me to rack up a bit of the credit card debt out of my control but I know that for it all am 100% responsible for my own terrible financial decisions and feel so much shame and embarrassment that I can hardly stand it. I have set up a budget, I know exactly what expenses I need to cut and am willing to make any sacrifice I can to make it happen,.

I was trying really hard to get additional income, even having a few service job interviews lined up (even though I work between 50-60 hours a week trying to finish my schooling, I know that at this rate more income is the only way I can pay this down). But the graduate program I am a part of is very strict about not allowing students to have any other job whatsoever outside of their grad student stipend agreement (again, I knew this, it's my own fault). So even though I'm still trying to find some way to bring in some extra income, I am very scared to risk getting kicked out of my program and not being able to get to ever pay off any of this debt (not to mention student loans which I have accumulated as well but are currently on pause from repayment while in school).

I need advice, I am considering a debt consolidation loan. I've read some things about Achieve or credit unions and I feel like if I can pay a lower interest rate it might help me gain some control. I haven't been late on my CC payments and my credit score is around a 712 currently. I have no other loans I haven't mentioned (other than student), I rent, I don't have a car, anything like that. I know I can get a handle on my expenses and live extremely frugally because I've done it before. I understand that it is not an option to run up or use cards once I pay off my current ones. I grew up quite poor, with no financial literacy but I am very determined and I know I can make it happen. There just isn't any other choice. Unless, do you all think I'm completely screwed? Did I ruin my life permanently?

I plan to talk to my partner and my parent about this tonight. The shame has made me keep the real magnitude of the problem a secret from them, although I've told them that I am in a lot of credit card debt and trying to pay it down. I am not expecting any of their help financially, because I got myself into this mess and they have their own bills and things to deal with. I understand if they're very angry at me for keeping it a secret. I'm scared, but I hope if. I come in with a game plan they might forgive me. I don't know. I really appreciate any advice you might have.

Hi everyone,
I'm looking for advice from anyone who has gone through a similar situation with a consumer proposal in Canada.
I recently filed a consumer proposal, and my trustee informed me that one of my major creditors voted against it. However, the majority of my other creditors voted in favour.
Because the opposing creditor's claim represents more than 25% of the total claims, a creditor meeting has been scheduled.
My trustee said my proposal is currently on track to pass at the meeting, but I'm still feeling anxious and unsure what to expect.
For anyone who has experienced something similar:
Did your proposal eventually get accepted at the creditor meeting?

Is it possible for a proposal to be accepted before the scheduled meeting?

Will creditors ask me questions directly about my finances or how I accumulated my debt?

Is there anything I should prepare for?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you!