questions for those doing debt settlement

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I know I've asked these questions before, however....For those of you that are doing debt settlement can you tell me how long your programs are?

I would suggest you do a 36 month program or less. Your risk of a lawsuit are much less. Some companies offer programs as far as 48 month but typically its not advised unless you are dealing with 100K or more of unsecured debt.
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How far past due were you when you entered your program?

Some people enroll who are still current but they are overextended and they see it coming. Or other enroll who are delinquent for years. Either way is fine but just understand the creditors will not negotiate unless the accounts are at least 90-120 days late.

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How bad have the collection calls been?

The worst of the calls will usually be the first 120 days because the creditors will try hard to collect to prevent the account from charging off and being sold to collections. The fdcpa doesn't apply to the original creditors so they will say just about anything to get you to pay them. Once they have been send to a third party the FDCPA does apply but some collectors ignore it. Some settlement companys will give you cease and desist letter to send to the collectors to tell them to stop calling you and to start dealing with the settlement company. That should help the calls taper off a lot.