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We have all heard the radio advertisements for debt settlement firms promising to eliminate credit card debt. Unfortunately for the people that hire them, these companies do a much better job of selling their services than they do the job of delivering those promised results.

Their fees, a minimum $1500-2000 on $10,000 in debt make it difficult for settlements to take place before credit card debts charge off and are sold. Their lump-sum settlement programs are standard. You stop making payments on your credit cards and pay that money into an account they have created for you. They take their fees out of that account then they pay your creditors, when, and if, enough money accrues to strike a settlement.

According to MSNBC, settlement firms often promise more than they can actually deliver. They keep their fee whether or not a settlement agreement is achieved.

Most credit card banks write off, or charge off, bad credit card debt six months after non-payment commences. In that time, indebted consumers cannot save a thousand dollars a month or more to quickly develop a lump sum for a reduced settlement payment. Hence they are faced with seven-year negative marks on their credit reports, as well as collections and possible lawsuits.

Credit card companies sell off their bad debt to junk debt buyers for 10 cents on the dollar. While, some consumers could still be unwittingly paying money into a settlement fund for the original creditor, it is better to demand the return of that money and to fight off the collection efforts of junk debt buyers with consumer protection laws like the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, according to the Credit Card Debt Survival Guide. That is because the unsettled portion of the debt will simply be sold to another junk debt buyer for further collection.

When it is all said and done, DIY-do-it-yourself is the way to settle credit card debt for reduced lump sums. That way the consumer has control of the situation and a better chance of eliminating their credit card debt.

Matt Highlander is a consumer who has researched credit counseling, debt settlement, debt collectors and collection attorneys. If you are seeking credit card debt relief, read Credit Card Debt Survival Guide. Matt Highlander is a contributing writer.