
About Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp.
Based in Massachusetts, Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp. is a nonprofit credit counseling agency that provides financial education and debt management services to consumers. It offers credit counseling, debt management plans, and budgeting and financial education to individuals and families to help them reduce their debts. All counselors must achieve and maintain accreditation through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.
Overall Satisfaction Rating
- 5 stars
- 4 stars
- 3 stars
- 2 stars
- 1 stars
Pros
- Free credit counseling
- Extensive educational resources
- Member of NFCC and FCAA
Cons
- Fees vary by state
- Can take up to 50 months to get debt-free
Bottom Line
Cambridge offers a free budget and debt analysis, making it a good choice for those overwhelmed with debt and not knowing where to start. Monthly fees for the debt management plan are $50 or less, depending on where you live. It can take up to 50 months to become debt-free.
Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp. Reviews
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I just found Cambridge on the internet and started looking around. I don't have a bit of problem with Cambridge. I interact with my counselor all the time, and they were available when I needed them. They got my interest rate almost down to 2.5%. It was great. I couldn't ask for better things. You feel a lot better when you had a credit card paid for. You don't have to worry about it anymore. I thought that I might use them again, maybe. I don't know yet. For another, definitely.
We really didn't interact with them very much once we got everything set up, but when we called, they were there. They managed to bring down our interest rate. They were very kind and knowledgeable about everything and just kind of eased our minds about being able to take care of everything for us and get us on the right track. It made a big difference for us to get things in order so we could borrow some money to get our farm (we have a dairy farm). And so it kind of fixed our business up a little bit because it was getting messed up.
We first heard about Cambridge through our accountant. Prior to contacting Cambridge, well, it's a lot of stress. So I'd say it was a satisfying, gratifying, good overall experience with Cambridge.
I first heard about this company on a morning show, TV. During that time I needed some help how to get out of debt - and Cambridge really helped me get rid of debt! Once they set up the program, I didn't even need to call. I get an email every month, what they were paying, showing where they take the money. They lowered the interest rate and paid our plan and all that. They did what they said they would do. Very pleased.
It's been so long ago when I heard about Cambridge. I called them and talked to them and I just signed up with them and let them take over my bills the first time. I did it twice with them. I think they're great. I was able to get in contact with the credit counselor every time I had to. They did a wonderful job. They were able to help lower my interest rate. In fact, on a couple of calls, they got the interest completely cut out. It has almost got me out of debt. I still owe a bank in California a little bit on a Visa card that I have that is okay to use, but I only have that and then another Visa with my other bank. And that's the only ones I have. And my daughter is working with me to pay off the one in California. And since I don't have Cambridge now, it's much easier to make the payments to them and not borrow the money back. I would say it was a great experience. I am totally satisfied with them. I have recommended it to other people.
I had plenty of opportunity to talk to their credit counselors. I mean, they called but once my debts were placed in a debt management program and I was on the program paying, I really had no need to really contact them. So it was good. It was professional, but not always the best advice...
I don't know if this is a sequence. One problem that I did have that I didn't realize really messed up my credit was I thought they were advisable for one of the creditors that I had added to the debt management program. It was Barclays Bank or Juniper Bank. The name of the card was Juniper Bank but it goes through Barclays. They required that I'd be at least 30 days late in order to enroll the account in debt management. And Barclays, their computerized system, because I was over my limit for more than 10 days, because I didn't pay on 10th day, they notified that I was over my limit. (The payment wasn't even late. It was just days past). They expected you to pay down to under your limit and because of that they raised my interest rate from like 13.99% up to 29.99%.
I did get that overridden but the problem was their computerized system kept like throwing it back to 29.99%. So to get out of that and stop all that, I thought I'm just going to put it in debt management. Well, to be able to qualify, I had to go late on that and no one told me what kind of problems I would have. Actually, the fact that I went late on that payment probably has a worse effect on my credit and a more everlasting effect on my credit than even doing the debt management itself. Another problem I've had is I was only 30 days late once and they continued to record me as 30 days late three times. And I have not ever been able to get it resolved...
We just kept having a lot of calls prior to contacting Cambridge. I think it was friends of ours that have used it who told us about them (I can't remember. It's been a while ago.) With their help our interest rate went down and it helped us pay off those bills. We were able to get in touch with our certified credit counselor whenever we needed to, maybe once or twice, but it was fine. I didn't have problems with that. It was a helpful experience.
I think I heard about Cambridge on the radio. I needed help and I heard that they were not one of the scam ones. The first gentleman I talked to, I talked to him a couple of times and after that, I wasn't able to really get a hold of him. But the other people that I would talk to on the phone gave me the answers I needed. It went fine. If I had any questions and stuff like that about where I was at or when a bill was paid off, now what was it going into, and stuff like that. Also, they did lower my interest rate.
It was a good experience. They did what they said they'd do and things got paid off, so it's all done. I've recommended them to four.
My brother-in-law actually told me about Cambridge. I just needed it because of the time to clear some of the debt that we had and everything. It helps with taking care of what we needed to and was great. It was very easy and there were no issues, and I like that.
I think I had applied for a loan or something and then I guess I owed too much. I was in with a loan company and it didn't go through or something because I guess I had too much credit. I think that's how I found out about the Cambridge Credit Company. I was able to communicate with my counselor whenever I wanted, but I didn't have to. They tell me what they were doing so I didn't have to do too much calling. It was good because I don't ever go over there - just talk to them on the phone. I just got my bills paid off. So the people stopped calling me every day and everything. I already recommended Cambridge to people and to a couple of my friends.
My partner had used Cambridge in the past and had good experience with them, and I just needed to deal with my Chase credit card since it was in collection. I talked to some other people, but I just decided that Cambridge was the better choice. It was easy and very convenient. Once I got everything set up, it just was very useful, very quick and basically they made dealing with Chase a hell of a lot easier. They were able to lower my monthly payments.
Well, I heard about Cambridge on CNN and somebody was talking about them and recommended them. I was looking at our financial situation and we were paying a thousand dollars a month and all the credit cards with a base rate totaling up to 30 percent. So we were not using any of the credit cards, but they raised the credit rates in 2008 I believe. All the credit cards did that, I believe. We just kept paying $1000 a month and nothing ever changes. So we were just paying the interest only. So I looked at Cambridge, I called them and then I got involved with them.
Basically, we signed up. They gave us the spiel about what's going to happen. I came over and I decided we're going to go ahead and do it. So I submitted the facts or (anything like that) I brought all the different credit cards with me. They quickly had it turned around. They got all of them reduced down to a certain rate. They explained to me all the terms. They explained to me this was not getting rid of the credit cards; it was simply managing the credit cards. And so I understood that this was not any type of debt release as far as like getting rid of the debt. It was just able to pay it down. So we got all the credit cards paid down to 90% and they set up a payment for them of $697 per month which saved us $300 plus. That was including a $35 fee that they charged. They explained the fees to us and that was very reasonable for them to charge $35 per month for doing their services. So we set up an automatic draft and we did it from 2009.
We just finished last month. And we paid up a total of $27,000 of debt. Every month we got a statement showing us what has been paid and what was left over. And then towards the end when the credit cards would be paid, after each one was paid off, they automatically sent us a congratulation letter for each one plus information about if there was any overpayments and how to get the refunds back. That was done one by one and they automatically consolidated too, which ones had the highest amounts of rates and highest amount on the card. So it's very systematic and organized. I already recommended them to four or five different people.
I don't remember how I found out about Cambridge the first time because this is the second time I've used them. I have used them before so I went back to them again. I did seek assistance from my bank and other institutions but they all wanted money upfront. I forgot the person's name from Cambridge but he was always there if I had questions. And my fee went down every time my bill was paid off. I like the way they kept me up on the monthly financial statements that they sent.
Cambridge was a way of knowing that the bill was going to be paid every month and how much exactly was going to be taken out and the length of time it is going to take to pay it off and no more interest was being charged.
I've used Cambridge before this last incident I had. Somebody recommended them to me a couple of years ago. I went back to them again. I really tried to handle it myself and then I worked with this company called Fourth something which really screwed me around. And I thought it was similar to what Cambridge does but what they were doing was banking my money and then making an offer to the creditors so I settled that. And I paid probably about four or five months and then all of a sudden, somebody was running a credit report or something. And they were like, 'Man, you got all these things.' I'm like, 'Wait, I'm talking with these people. I was taking care of it.' And they go like, 'Hey, they've been taking your money.' So it took like months and months to get them to stop taking... and I got some of my money back. So I remembered Cambridge again.
With Cambridge, I really didn't have to run around, to have these people not know what I was talking about. It seemed like everybody had enough information. Somebody had some information pretty much about the day I called. So I had no problem with it. They were able to lower the interest rates. I had a couple at Washington Mutual, I believe. And I asked them for like 20 something and then I think two or three of those were down to 10 percent or something like that. That helped with the payoff.
I was pretty satisfied with Cambridge. They took the phone calls away and took the anxiety of just dealing with the credit. It just made my life much easier since they were good at doing what they were supposed to do. I recommended them to my sister. She had to take an early retirement to Texas and she's on Cambridge right now.
I felt overwhelmed. I got so many bills that I know I can pay but I can't handle like writing checks every day... I just wanted to consolidate it. And Cambridge has been very helpful and I'm very grateful for them. They are very good and they are very helpful and they listen and are very nice. Working with Cambridge has affected my life very, very positively. I was able to reach my goals and I feel free right now. I will recommend them to a friend definitely.
I heard of Cambridge Credit through my sister-in-law. It was great. It came at a perfect time. My husband had lost like half of his earnings at work and there were no commissions anymore. It was really a bad time. And we're not the type to file bankruptcy. We're not the type to not pay our bills. So my sister-in-law told me, 'Oh, I called these people. I had the best experience.' Her name was Betsy, I think it is. I never got to talk to her again. I think maybe one other time but she just helped us so much. They did everything. They consolidated it all. They lowered the interest rate. They paid everything off. I give them a 5 for sure.
I had tried to get a loan, and either the interest rates were too high or the other, and I didn't want that. I already had high interest rates to start with. So I said, no, there's no solution for me at the bank. I really don't remember how I heard about Cambridge but I think it was their phone on the internet, and I decided to just call to see. They gave me some good information and then I decided to give it a try and it worked great.
I actually didn't have much interaction with the credit counselor except at the beginning, where they suggested I do not only just make the payments with them but also how to go about saving a little bit of money and this and that. And I probably did most of what they suggested and things worked out pretty good. We didn't have much counseling after that. I talked to them a few times to see how I was doing. It worked out pretty good and they were able to lower my interest rates.
Working with Cambridge has gotten me out of the hole and out of being so tight in my finances every month. It freed me up to where I'm using basically the same credit that they used in paying off a few other bills that I had and concentrated paying one off and then going to the next one. It made sense. It gave me a rule to follow. I have already recommended this to other people. I had nothing but good experience.
I heard about Cambridge Credit Counseling from my brother in Ohio. He had used it and he sent me some information on it, helping me to use it. I needed help and I didn't know where to turn. I had thought about seeking assistance from other institutions but I really hadn't. I simply called and my brother gave me the information he had on it. They really served the purpose.
The Cambridge people were very concerned, and they gave me confidence because I really just didn't think I'd ever get free of all the debts and things I had gotten myself into. They were very helpful. From time to time, they gave overviews and checked to see how we were doing and whether or not it was working. This summer, I've cleared all those debts I had! What really got me out was the lowering of the interest rates.
Working with Cambridge has taught me to be more responsible in how to deal with things and do some evaluation before I just jump in, especially going in debt. That was an awful burden and then it was so much a success that it's just like a feather because I just felt that light, just like the burden had been lifted. I have completed all of the things I asked of them and they did it for me. I rate them a 5.
They were very friendly, very on the ball. You call them and they don't have an issue answering any questions. They are really good and more of helping out with one base rate rather than 15 credit cards in different rates. They did a really good job with that. I have a couple of credit cards here and there but they're not extreme as the one that I just finished paying out from Cambridge which they really helped me out a lot. I give them a 5.
I don't remember exactly how we heard about Cambridge Credit. It was well over five years ago. But we decided to do it because we had a lot of credit card debt. And they had a pretty good program. It turned out to be a very good program for us. I tried calling the different credit card companies, but they weren't real helpful.
I'll be honest with you, and I think this is probably the best recommendation I can give. It's that I didn't contact them a lot and they didn't contact me a lot in five years. It just went and it was finished and we got finished paying everything that was on there. And we're in much, much better shape now than we were five years ago. I think the fact that there wasn't a whole lot of interaction one way or the other... the lady that we dealt with called every year to see how we were doing and I'm sure she had all the records in front of her when she said that. But everything went well. She did check up on us. And that was nice to know. So, it was a good experience.
I'm in sales and customer service and I always tell people it's not if we mess up, it's how we handle it once we've messed because all companies mess up because we're all human. We all screw up from time to time. And they didn't really make any mistakes for us. They paid everything pretty much on time. I'm not going to say that everything went exactly right. A lot of it had to do with computers and mail and I think credit card companies hold things until the very last minute and then, 'Oops! We screwed up. Oh, we're charging extra.' But then again, I'm cynical when it comes to credit card companies. They were able to reduce the interest rate in most of the debts, not all of them but most of them very significantly. They did everything that they said they were going to do and, you know, I'm very pleased that everything worked well.
I definitely would recommend them to a friend but I don't normally put fives down. I would say a high four. The experience was just seamless.
I was talking to my granddaughter and I said, 'You know, I had this bill for so long and I keep paying and paying and they don't go down.' So she said, 'Well, you know, grandma, I'll give you a number. I'm with Cambridge. Why don't you try it and then maybe you can get it.' And I said, 'Okay, I will.' And I did and that's how I started and they really helped me.
I had a big bill and I actually told Cambridge about that but I told them I would never want to put that one on there. But they helped me with all my other little bills that I had because, like I said, I keep paying and I think even a lot of the guys that helped me from there said, 'Yeah, I noticed that you've been paying for so many years and you still owe the same.' I said, 'Yes, I know.' It was all going on interest. I tried my bank but I know they won't lend it to me because of that big bill that I have. So I said, 'No, I'll just try this,' and that's when I did.
I got to talk to them once in a while because they said, 'You have to keep in touch.' And they used to send me letters and I would fill them up to see how I felt and how I was doing and if I was kind of saving money. And to tell you the truth, I told them, 'No, I'm not. I can't.' But now that I'm not paying them, I'm saving that money that I was giving them. That's what I'm doing now.
They were able to lower interest rates for the ones I was paying. That's how I got them done. Otherwise, I'd probably be still paying. I'm out of it now and I told them I really appreciate the help that they gave me. So far, it was really good because I got all of my bills and that's kind of what I need. So they really helped me in that. I was really happy to hear about them.
This actually went on back a long time. But I do remember I actually heard about Cambridge Credit Counseling on a talk radio show. There was someone on there talking about debt relief or whatever and he happened to mention that he thought that Cambridge was one of the better ones to go with and that's how I found out about them. We've talked to them off and on. And most conversations were done when we started this. I know it was probably seven years maybe. So we just finished paying them off. We've been in this house for four years or so and we were in the other house when we started this. We got at least six credit cards and it could have been seven. My wife paid all the bills. She would know better than me. But yeah, we were totally happy with them.
The job that they did, we were just thrilled to death. I mean it really helped because we got all these things paid off and it's just made differences. I'd say we paid them off in six or seven years and had we not had them and just went doing what we were doing, we'd probably still be paying on these things for another five years or so at least and paying a lot more. But I've been very, very happy with them.
They lowered our interest rates, combined everything together, but they paid like so much on each one of the accounts and then when that account was done, it was paid off. We kept paying the same amount, and then that was applied towards the other ones. And so eventually, the biggest one was the last one and I forget when it got down to where that was the only one we were paying on. But that's bigger than the last year, I think, and then it just sort of knocked that down. So now, we've got $256 a month that we're not shelling out for credit cards that we didn't need.
They took a lot of pressure off. We felt secure and confident with them knowing that we sent this payment to them and knew as long as we kept doing this that eventually, this was going to end.
It's been a long time ago I knew about Cambridge and that's why when I got in trouble, I contacted them. They took care of it (very businesslike). Our interest rate went down with their help and they helped me get out of debt. We just paid every month... that was it, and it took care of the loan! I would recommend them to other people.
When you do something like this with a credit counselor, you're always a little apprehensive of what you're doing, if you'll get the right person. But I felt very confident with Cambridge Credit Counseling (because I did a lot of research - I checked out several places and looked them up online). I'm already finished and really enjoyed working with Cambridge. They were really good. I haven't had any problems with them at all. I think they were very professional and they definitely helped lower my interest rate. It's freedom! I have recommended them to several people.
I heard about Cambridge about 12 years ago on Moody Radio in Chicago. And there was someone being interviewed and Cambridge Credit Counseling came up and we've used them twice. We worked with them for three years or so. And then about four years ago, we started again with them. The 2008 crash is what started me to call them again, when everything started going out of control and with creditors charging 27 point whatever interest levels and all that.
Our certified credit counselor kept in touch with us by email and we had no trouble at all during the entire process. It was very predictable and we had worked with them before so we knew how it worked and it seemed like a good experience. The only thing that I missed was the incentive plan that they had the first time we used it. There was a good payer system that gave some type of a kickback thing if everything stayed good the whole time. And this time, they don't have that as a policy. So that I missed. But other than that, it was fine. We appreciated their help, them being able to help bring down our interest rate. It was overall a good experience, and we're glad to be done. I have recommended Cambridge to people.
Several years ago, I saw an ad video at somebody's house and I called Cambridge Credit. At the time, he was a counselor and now, he's the president. I talked to him and he took me up because I owed some bills. I just wanted to get out of debt and there was one of the ways he talked about. He said that I could pay this per month and they would take it out of my checking account and they did. They were able to lower the interest rates and they sent me some things every month, newsletters and so on. Last month, they sent me a thing saying that I was debt free. I mean, I don't owe anything. I paid my debt. I paid it all.
I had no problem at all with Cambridge Credit. It was a good experience and I'd recommend them.
I first heard about Cambridge Credit Counseling through my work. I really needed some help. I have a business and I got myself in trouble. We got emails saying that you could start a business with these people and then I thought that I'd try them. But then they kept taking money out and I had so many cards that I was using and I just thought this was going to pick up my business, and it never did. It just kept on adding every month and then pretty soon, I just couldn't handle paying all my credit cards back, and then I realized I was in trouble and I needed help. So I contacted my work. We have a personal system program thing and so I called that and they referred me to Cambridge. So that's how I ended up going with Cambridge.
Cambridge was really good. I mean, they stretched me a lot. I almost couldn't seem to pay my bills for a while there, but it worked out. It was a long stretch but I got it done and I'm really happy. Working with Cambridge helped me to realize that I just need to be really careful with my finances.
A friend told me about Cambridge Credit, so I decided to get in touch with them. It was good. They were to the point and there was no hidden anything like I was expecting. Everything they told me was true. There was no misleading or anything. I was able to interact with the credit counselor and they were available whenever I needed them. I paid it off.
I was in debt a lot and wanted to get out, and I didn't see any way of needed help. A few years ago I had gotten one of those that advertised on television to help and I got tired of them and didn't take them anymore so I hadn't looked around until my son told me about Cambridge. I've wanted to go somewhere and I didn't know where to go. My son said he had heard real good things about Cambridge Credit.
I talked to them at Cambridge two or three times. Once it got set up and got going, I really didn't need any more help. It wasn't like I needed help with doing what I was doing. All I needed help with was just paying them off. It relieved a big load off your mind to know that you're going to be able to pay them up. I think it was a while but it did get done so that's the important thing. They were able to lower the interest rate and it helped me pay the bills off by getting to pay less. I'd say they are a great relief.
I don't really remember how I heard about Cambridge Credit, but when I did some research, I found out that they were one of the most credible ones to seek assistance from. All I knew at that time was that I had to do something and get everything in order, and so I talked to them about my problems. Although I didn't get to interact that much with my credit counselor, I would call him at times to ask about what's happening. Other than that, I stuck with the process, and I got through it.
They were able to lower my monthly payment by at least $400. The savings helped tremendously and opened up a lot of things for me. A lot of things happen in life, so less payments was great. I feel relieved, and I appreciate the help. It was a good experience.
I was desperate. I was drowning in debt. My paycheck was literally disappearing and I had nothing to live on. So I got to do something. I think I might've gone online and tried to find a debt management organization and that's how I got to know Cambridge Credit.
The people were nice and it was a good plan. I think my gal was Nicole, and she sent me all kinds of information and everything. She talked to me a lot. She called me and asked me how I was doing. I thought that was very nice that she did that. I know that they negotiated my repayment with some of the creditors and got me a lower interest rate. During that time, I get paid twice a month. So I would live on one paycheck and the other paycheck went for that. And so now I'm able to have savings and it's not killing me. I think that was good.
And after it was paid off, I can't tell you how excited I was, with all that debt gone. I'm there now and it will never happen again. They were somebody I needed at that time to get me back on track. It was awesome. It's life-changing.
Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp. Company Information
- Social media:
- Company Name:
- Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp.
- Year Founded:
- 1996
- Address:
- 67 Hunt Street
- City:
- Agawam
- State/Province:
- MA
- Postal Code:
- 01001
- Country:
- United States
- Website:
- www.cambridge-credit.org