 I gave them thousands of dollars, but most of it went to their fees. Getting out of debt is neither quick nor easy. There are those who will tell you anything just to win your trust. Sounded perfect. I did everything they told me to do. They never paid my creditors. They didn't even contact them. Turns out I'm even more in debt because the fees and the interest on my cards kept piling up. Bad advice from so-called experts can make your financial situation worse. And the bank turned me down for a mortgage. And that's when I realized my credit was shot. I should have gone straight to my creditors to begin with.