anyone here filed for bankruptcy?

I'm seriously considering filing and will be contacting a consumer credit counseling service next week for advice. has anyone here had any experience?

Yes, I've filed for bankruptcy. You can PM me if you want more details, I'm happy to share.

i filed for BR after i had my gallbladder out and was in the hospital for a week with no insurance. it was my only way out. it is finally off my credit report and i have good credit again.

I've been through it. You can PM me, if you like.

Your doing the right thing by going to consumer credit counseling. That is now mandatory before you can even file for bankruptcy. (It didn't used to be.) Just make sure you are careful about who is giving you the counseling. It should be a non-profit agency. There are a lot of other "credit counseling" places that are basically working for the people you owe money to. They get commissioned based on how much money they talk you into agreeing to pay.

Bankruptcy can be a great tool for getting your life in order. A non-profit counseling agency will give you sound advice. Many years ago, it was an agency like that who actually persuaded me that I needed to file.

Save everything you get in the mail from creditors in a great big envelope. Don't let them intimidate you on the phone. Be polite to them, but remember you have no legal obligation to answer ANY questions they ask you on the phone. You have a legal right to stop any creditor from calling you simply by writing to them saying "Stop calling me." But they can require that in writing from you.

Good luck.

yes, but it's been a while and the laws have changed. You want to research and make sure you have good counsel. The best, and I know that sometimes it is for the best! Take care!

Been a while for me as well and I do know the laws have changed. You should probably avoid debt counseling if you are too far in the hole to get out. All they do is take some of the money you pay and your credit is still ruined. If you really think you can pay off what you owe and don't want to file BR then contact each one and make a deal with them. As far Im concerned tho, why not just file and be done with it?? Your credit will be restored,and it wont take that long, but if using credit is what got you into the mess in the first place, then who needs it again? ******* banks! They overcharge for interest and then get bailed out by the government with YOUR tax money. Really fair isnt it???

Thanks everyone for responding so far. The law requires going to the credit counseling for a type of certificate in debt management. I guess it's a way of making sure people know what they are doing and to avoid debt in the future.
So that is the first step before actually filing any paperwork. The certificate of completion from the accredited counseling service needs to be filed first, then my state has step by step instructions on line. It is intimidating, but I am doing it to get the pressure off. The final straw for me was a medical bill that I can't pay. I don't care about my credit score anymore. I just want to show some responsibility by filing and having it behind me.

Thanks again everyone for your responses.

Make sure you get an accredited counselling service, the BBB probably has a list. I went through BR years ago, before counselling was required, mainly for medical bills, but a few other things, too. Like you, the last thing I was worried about was my credit! So you have the right attitude going in, that is something that can be fixed down the road. In fact, BR will actually help a year or so from now.
The important thing to take away from the whole experience is how did you get to this point in the first place & what do you do different to avoid a repeat performance?
Best of everything to you!

I filed for bankruptcy last year, and it was one of the best things I did. I was kind of embarrassed that I'd let things get to that point, but honestly it was the best thing I could do. I'm in Canada so the laws are different, but in my case the whole process only took 9 months, although it stays on my credit report for 7 years.

My advice is to look for a reputable company to handle it.

splitimage

It's good that you are going for counseling. Make sure they are good financial advice. Before deciding on BR one should always be sure that there is no other go. I had planned for BR and luckily my sister told me to reconsider it and get expert to look into my finance status. I got assistance from Kevin Thatcher & Associates, Toronto. They told me to consider proposal instead of BR. My proposal was agreed by the creditor and now I am free of all the debts. I am not saying that there is always a option, but you need to know if there is any, because BR is not an easy path and the negative impact really effects your future matters. Just understand the pros and cons of BR, and also that of other options like, proposals, consolidation, settlement etc., then go for BR.