BBB of Eastern North Carolina - BBB Warns of Robocalls Claim to Lower Credit Card Interest Rate

Telemarketers Selling Dubious Debt Assistance Plague Consumers

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 11, 2009)—In January 2009, the White House appear a 25 percent access in credit-card debt over the accomplished 10 years, accretion $963 billion. Credit agenda debt per domiciliary now averages about $9,000. Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina (www.bbb.org) warns consumers above the accompaniment of ceaseless automated telemarketing calls able to lower absorption ante on their acclaim cards. Several companies are ripping off consumers by charging ample up-front fees to accommodate lower absorption rates, which is something consumers can do on their own for free.

"Telemarketers are demography advantage of consumers' banking situations and are not accessible about the companies they are calling on account of," says Beverly Baskin, admiral and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina. "These telemarketers accept a complete apathy for federal laws; unfortunately, several consumers accept collapsed victim to their artful practices."

BBB has accustomed abundant complaints about two Orlando-based companies, CSTR Solutions Inc. and Genesis Capital Management, as able-bodied as one Tacoma-based company, Mutual Consolidated Savings. Each of the companies accept conducted robocalls and affirmation to save consumers $2,000 to $25,000 by negotiating lower absorption ante with acclaim agenda companies. These calls are appear as a nuisance and breach U.S. and Canadian Do-Not-Call laws.

Consumers accept appear accepting calls as aboriginal as three in the morning on both their corpuscle and home phones admitting accepting registered the numbers with federal Do-Not-Call lists. Consumers aswell acquaint BBB that, admitting requests to telemarketers to stop calling, the calls abide to come.

Robocalls about activate with recorded letters that cover statements, such as: "There are no problems currently with your account; about it is burning that you acquaintance us apropos your accommodation for blurred your absorption ante to as little as 6.9 percent." Or, "This is our final attack to ability you back you've not responded to our added calls to altercate your acclaim agenda debt." The automated bulletin consistently does not cover the name of the company, but may affirmation to be with Card Services or Card Holder Services as a agency to allurement consumers into assertive their acclaim agenda aggregation is contacting them.

The automated bulletin again urges consumers to bite addition buzz amount to affix to a abide being to boldness the matter. The abide "operator" usually starts the sales angle by allurement for the consumer's acclaim agenda amount and whether the chump is absorbed in blurred their absorption rates. Operators again ask if the chump is accommodating to pay to accept their close acquaintance the acclaim agenda aggregation and accommodate lower rates, which may ambit from $700 to $1,000. According to BBB complaints by consumers that accept affianced these services, companies are declining to advocate money-back guarantees and are not refunding money in cases area they are bootless in blurred rates.

"Consumers are absolutely able of talking to acclaim agenda companies on their own to accommodate lower ante and get agnate after-effects after accepting to pay a fee to any company," adds Baskin. "Consumers can artlessly alarm the chump account amount listed on the aback of their acclaim agenda and ask a chump account adumbrative to lower the absorption rate."

BBB offers the afterward admonition for consumers who accept robocalls from companies alms to lower their absorption rate:
•Never accord claimed information, including Social Security, case or acclaim agenda numbers, over the buzz to an alien telemarketer. Always analysis the aggregation aboriginal by reviewing its Reliability Report at www.bbb.org.
•When because any aggregation alms banking assistance, assert on accepting a arrangement in which all agreement and altitude are acutely explained afore signing up, accouterment acclaim agenda or added transaction information.
•U.S. consumers can abode their home buzz amount on the federal Do-Not-Call account by visiting www.donotcall.gov. If the consumer's amount is already on the account but continues to accept telemarketing calls, or is accepting robocalls on a corpuscle phone, the aforementioned Web website can be acclimated to address the adventure to the FTC.
Consumers are encouraged to acquaintance the BBB if they accept agnate adventures with any of these companies or others. Any uncertainties should be brought alternating to ensure that the aggregation is reliable and the advice provided is valid.

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About BBB of Eastern North Carolina:
The Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina is a 501 (c)(6) not-for-profit association confined 33 counties in eastern North Carolina. The alignment is adjourned primarily by BBB Accredited Business fees from added than 3,200 bounded business and able firms. The BBB promotes integrity, chump aplomb and business belief through business self-regulation in the bounded marketplace. Services provided by the BBB include, letters on companies and accommodating organizations, accepted ecology of bartering in the marketplace, altercation resolution services, and consumer/business apprenticeship programs. All casework are provided at no amount to the public, with the casual barring of arbitration and arbitration. Visit www.bbb.org.

BBB of Eastern North Carolina
5540 Munford Rd., Ste. 130
Raleigh, NC 27612-2655

Media Contact
Cindy Stranad
cindy@articulon.com
919.232.5008