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Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt: Phone
calls to banks that saved more than $43,000 in interest charges and fees!
by Scott Bilker
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Our Price: $19.95
Availability:
Ships within 24 hours.
Paperback:
(March 2003)
Press One Publishing
ISBN 0964840154
320 pages
Dimensions (in inches):
6 x 9 x 0.6 |
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Description
Learning how to talk your way out of credit card debt is the quickest, easiest, and most efficient way to start saving money!
It's true! You can call your credit card banks to negotiate a better interest rate and have fees waived! However, it may not be as easy as picking up the phone and asking. That's because bank representatives are trained to deter you from pursuing the deals you deserve. Overcoming their tactics can be difficult when you don't know what to expect.
Scott
Bilker, author of Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt, and creator of
DebtSmart.com, has been forcing banks to compete for his business since 1990. Now, he's sharing his personal phone calls to banks that saved more than $43,000 for himself, his family, and friends! These 52 phone calls, out of the hundreds he has made, demonstrate exactly what worked, what didn't, and why. In each call transcript, for anonymity, banks have been renamed as dog breeds and their reps as bugs. :)
In this book you will discover proven negotiation strategies, and build your confidence, while learning how to: (1) get annual fees waived; (2) lower your current interest rates; (3) shop for the best credit card deals; (4) get late-payment,
overlimit, and cash-advance fees waived; (5) compare loan options and calculate savings; (6) dispute charges and get all your refunds; (7) negotiate account settlements; and much more!
Reviews
"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I don't know how to say it any clearer
then that!! Thanks to your website and books I have been able to reduce
my overall credit card debt from $35K plus to just over $15K and my
highest interest rate is at 2.99% and that balance is only $6200. The
remainder is at .99% or 0%. I am now able to put money into a savings
account, two IRA's, and my 401(k) plan while still paying all the bills.
We are a single income family of four, paying a mortgage, with all the
household bills that come with that as well as all the credit card
payments made each and every month with extra payments sent as well all
on only $80K a year. Not sure were we would be if it I hadn't found your
website and your wonderful books with words of wisdom. It wasn't easy
for my family to do what we did, but we have done it, and learned some
very valuable lessons. The most important of which is, don't purchase
what you can't afford to pay for! Again thank you for all you do to help
others deal with the credit mess their lives are in, often times at
their own doing. Keep up the good work, it is helping others"
—Tracy Mundy
"Scott, I just had to thank you. I'm still not sure how we ended up
with $129,000 worth of credit card debt. Yep that's right, $129,000! We
don't have a boat. We don't have cars. We haven't been around the world.
We did have four cards with over 24% interest with massive balances and
after my husband was unemployed for 8 months I slowly started unfolding
what a financial mess we were in. (Still are to be truthful.) BUT, I saw
your book, Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt and bought
it. What an investment! We managed to get $34,000 of debt relieved
by using your techniques. Okay, with still many thousands hanging around
our necks the road ahead is not an easy one, but you started us on the
road to recovery. It was the best $19.95 I've spent in my entire life!
Thanks!"
—Sara V. Olds, UT
"Your credit card negotiation techniques have worked well (I track them
as you suggested in your book). My investment in you books have been
paid back many times over."
—Jim Intriglia
“I spent about 2 hours reading this book, Talk Your Way Out of
Credit Card Debt, getting comfortable with the strategies. Then,
after my first phone call, which saved me $210 per year, I was off and
running! I was able to reduce my interest rate by as much as 9%. I
called all six of my Mastercard/Visa companies and was able to save
$1,983 per year from the finance charges plus having a $59.00 annual fee
removed and a late fee removed ($29.00). The $/hour saved ranged from
$141/hour to $2,464/hour and averaged $1,334/hour. It was so easy!!”
—Fred Robinson, Teacher, Milford, NH
"Hi Scott, Received your book Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt,--it's
a winner.I have 6 credit cards. Today I decided was the day to TALK my
way to lower APR's. Hey the prime rate is dropping. Simmons First
National Bank, Pine Bluff, Arkansas--been a credit card holder with them
since 1973. The rate was 12.25% variable. Called and got it down to
7.25% FIXED for Purchases and Balance Transfers. Now listen to this:
Finance charge is calculated on Average Daily Balance. No Annual Fee. NO
transaction fee for Balance Transfers. Chase--got them to reduce from
12.47% to 9.49 Variable. Will transfer this one to Simmons. Called
American Express--they will not reduce from 10.25--so will transfer all
but $200 of this one to Simmons as well since I have a credit limit of
$30,000 with Amex. Thanks for all the good stuff in your book. Cheers."
—Noel Glucksman
"The man has 80 credit cards! That may seem to be a crazy amount to most
people, and it's one at which most financial advisers would shudder, but
to do what he wants to do with the industry (save and make money), 80
credit cards--maybe more--are needed. Scott Bilker has an interesting
take on the massive credit card industry: ‘The banks are at our mercy!’
That may seem absurd to those of us who have piled up the average debt
of $8,500 or more on a Macy's or Citibank Platinum card, but that's his
take. He's proven it with over 400 minutes of transcripts of
interactions between him or his friends and the credit card companies.
Bilker is also quite humorous--his New York mentality shows up in witty
comments about the industry: if you're late a couple times, your APR may
go up to 29.99% and you could get a better rate in North Jersey with the
mafia, he says. Bilker also touches on Credit Arbitrage, which is a way
to turn a money-losing situation into a moneymaker. All-in-all, this is
a fascinating sociological and economics lesson that is
well-recommended."
—Joseph SB Morse, author of
How to Take Advantage of the People Who Are
Trying to Take Advantage of You
"AWESOME RESULTS WITH YOUR BOOK. It took me 7 minutes to settle a
4,374.81 debt at 50% with Wells Fargo Financial. Piece of Cake--with
your book, of course! Thank you! My husband has leukemia and had to have
a bone marrow transplant, we traveled out of state for the transplant
and are both not working. You are directly helping us get our lives back
on track, be proud!"
—Amy
"Scott, I wanted to thank you for sending me the three books for the
price of the one (Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt)!
Just as you promised the book paid for itself. It did that in the very
first phone call, plus I made approximately $4.00 extra! What a deal.
Then yesterday I saved another $39. (On a late fee from April and it is
now September.) And they dropped the interest on one of my credit cards.
I feel so much more informed and empowered. Before I would attempt to
negotiate with the companies to get rates lowered but I had no knowledge
base about how things really worked to call on. I'm no natural born
negotiator. This morning I was reading How To Be Credit Card and
Debt Smart. My sons age 16 and 15 were getting ready for school
while I was reading. I was so excited about what I'm learning that I
wanted to share it with the boys. I wish that financial education taught
using your methods would be mandatory before credit cards are issued to
anyone below the age of 25 (really to anyone). Some program extensive
enough to be comparable to the education and official tests for
obtaining drivers licenses. Even if it was a seminar that you developed
and brought to major cities in each state for a fee. I would pay for
them to attend that, and wouldn't mind attending myself. Thank you very
much for your work! God Bless You, and yours, and all who help you in
your work! Thanks for the newsletter, the website, and the books"
—Wendy Forester
"Scott--another success story for you--I had absentmindedly forgotten to
make a payment on one of my Cap1 cards, and because of it, it pushed me
over the limit. I not only got slapped with an overdue fee, but an over
the limit fee as well. I called and asked for the fees to be taken off,
and the rep refused. I got my scissors out and held them up to the
phone, and cut the card in half and told her to cancel the account. She
immediately got a ‘supervisor’ on the line who not only took off the
over limit fee, but the past due fee as well. I told her she would have
to send me a replacement card, which she of course agreed to do--so it
does pay to call! And, best of all, it won't be reported to the credit
bureau because I was less than 30 days late in making the payment.
Thanks!"
—Sue Sheffler, Richmond Hill, GA
"Hi Scott, I received your book Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt,--it's
a winner! I have 6 credit cards. Today I decided was the day to TALK my
way to lower APR's. Hey the prime rate is dropping. Simmons First
National Bank, Pine Bluff, Arkansas--been a credit card holder with them
since 1973. The rate was 12,25 variable. Called and got it down to 7.25%
FIXED for Purchases and Balance Transfers. Now listen to this: Finance
charge is calculated on Average Daily Balance. No Annual Fee. NO
transaction fee for Balance Transfers. Chase--got them to reduce from
12.47% to 9.49% Variable. Will transfer this one to Simmons. Called
American Express--they will not reduce from 10.25%--so will transfer all
but $200 of this one to Simmons as well since I have a credit limit of
$30,000 with Amex. I found a DISCOVER CARD--called OPEN ROAD--in last
Sunday's Austin, Texas newspaper--3.9% APR on balance transfers until
January 2010. No Annual fee, 5% cash back on gasoline and auto related
expenses PAID Monthly. They just called me to say I have been approved.
WOW! 3.9% sure is a whole lot better than 10.25% Thanks for all the good
stuff in your book. Cheers."--Noel G.
"Scott, THANKS! Your advice in Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt
and on your website (Featured Credit Cards) have saved money, in my
first step in helping my sister and her husband lower their debt. I was
able to open a new credit account for them and transfer the balance
($4300) from another card, now paying only 3.99% for the entire time of
repayment, instead of the 27.99% (Ouch!) on the older account. I'm about
to tackle another card, but I wanted to share our success with you,
since you were instrumental in making this happen. Again, thanks! Onward
and downward--regarding debt, that is!"
—Anne
"Since 2001, after my divorce, I had $5,500
in debt. I started the zero percent credit card game and nailed that
debt in six months. Then that same year, I decided to slam down my house
of $154,000. They let me pay off my house with a HELOC at 3.25% and I
rode that up until last September then I jumped into a 5.4% fixed home
equity loan. On top of that, since 2001, I have been paying down $20,000
a year using a credit card at zero percent for 12 months. I have been
running the credit card parallel to my house payments. I borrowed $20K
from the credit card company, paid down the house and paid the credit
card company back before they charged me interest. The next year I asked
them for a new rewards card and had them transfer my available credit
over to the new card. From listening to your advice...you want
to know where I am six years later? $40,000 at 5.4%!!!!!!! Scott, YOU
ARE THE MAN!!!! I dropped my house debt from $154,000 to
$40,000! I started out with $1,100 a month payment, and now I am paying
$345 a month. The money freed up goes on that credit card. So every
month I send in $1,666.67 to beat them at interest. So, in about 7.5
years, which is next year, I will have no house debt!!!! Now I don't
know if I should reward myself and buy a vacation (second) home in the
mountains and first mortgage that place with credit cards. But the main
thing I want to say is a BIG THANK YOU! I just can't believe I'm almost debt
free. I know if it weren't for your website, I would have never found a
way to use the credit cards as leverage to get out of debt. My life is easier now and we just got
married and paid all CASH for the wedding. Money that I never had
before! It's like money falling from the sky! I thank the wonderful
credit card companies but more important--YOU Scott. I hope one day I'll
meet you in person to shake your hand and personally thank you. I didn't
have a game until I jumped on this website. You made someone out here
very happy. Thanks again, Scott."
—Greg Cards, Delaware
"Hi Scott, Thank you! We are finally getting a better handle on our
credit cards thanks to you and your books. For instance, I had a balance
of $18,000 on a Capital One MC and was late by one day and they raised
my interest from 9.9% to 26.2%. That happened while I wasn't paying
attention, unfortunately for 2-3 months. When I called Capital One they
told me they could not reduce my rate, so I told them I could not afford
to remain their customer and took your advice and transferred the
balance to a 0% for the first six months offer. Now, 6 weeks later,
Capital One has sent an offer every week and recently offered a 2.99%
for the life of the balance transfer offer. So I did transfer another
credit card balance back to Capital One (a $17,900 balance!). A savings
from the 11.7% it was at Citibank. The total savings for one year of
interest (11.7% to 2.99%) is over $1500! And that's just one year.
Slowly but surely I'm learning that it's paying to pay attention and
spend time required to take care of our large debt (my husband and I are
self-employed). Now it's actually fun to be doing the books and I have a
much better feeling about myself. Many, many thanks for doing what
you're doing."
—Kristine
"Hi Scott - we are very excited because your advice works! My husband
called Capital One to try to get them to combine two accounts into one
and lower his rate. Both cards were paid off and one we had shredded
while we were on the phone with them when they would not raise the limit
- they actually HEARD him shred the card! At first they said no, but
then when my husband said he would shred the other card too and go with
BOA instead, they changed their tune. The combined the limits of both
cards onto one. Even though the limit is still less than $1000, it
proves your point that it does PAY to make that call! Now I am going to
try to get them to combine mine... Thanks!"
—Sue and Ben Sheffler, Richmond Hill, GA
"Your books arrived and I didn't even get to read them all before I called
my first credit card company. I just briefly glanced at the variety of
scripts under calling credit card companies and then I called. I
mentioned to the first operator that I received an offer for 5.9% and
that I would like to have my interest rate lowered. She came back with
'the only special I have right now is 0% for 4 months.' I said, 'I'll
take it.' That's $107.00 a month saving for 4 months. My second call I
was transferred to the 'Account Specialist' (it helped knowing from the
scripts in your book this could happen!). This gentleman was a very
fast, smooth talker. I told him about the 5.9% offer and he came back
with yes I paid promptly, on time, but I hadn't used the account often
enough so I only got 2 out of 3--not enough to get the interest lowered.
He did offer to reimburse the annual fee of $49.00, which I did take. He
said I would now be included for upcoming special offers. Not bad for a
1/2 hours work! Thanks Scott. I look forward to reading the rest of the
books for more great ideas."
—Judy Davidson, Ontario
"My nose has been stuck in your books! Not since I read Victor Hugo
have I carried a book everywhere I went, and I'm just now returning to the
rest of the world, armed and ready for battle. (Your books should be
required reading for anyone opening a credit account, if not a
prerequisite for high-school graduation.) I'm about to call Discover to
try to get a late fee canceled on my mother's account. Two months ago, she
realized--just as the clerk rang up her transaction--that she'd gone over
her limit by $6.00. She immediately drove to the nearby Sears and paid
cash to bring her account below the limit, but--surprise!--Discover
charged the overlimit fee anyway. Since she didn't realize this, her next
minimum payment left the balance still over the limit, and she was charged
another fee. I'm going to ask to have both fees waived (I'll be glad if
they'll waive at least one), and, while I'm talking with Ms. Katy Didd,
I'll also ask to have the interest rate reduced and the limit raised.
Thanks!"
—Anne
"I am in the same field as Scott, and have recommended his book
countless times to consumers. With credit card companies raising rates,
fees, etc. his advice could not be more timely. I just interviewed Scott
today on my EverydayWealth Radio program and he told me how he just got a
10-month-old late fee waived! That's practically unheard of. Scott's book is the definitive guide
for negotiating better rates--real advice that works!"
—Gerri Detweiler, author of The Ultimate Credit Handbook and host
of EverydayWealth Radio
"Credit Card Help From Scott Bilker: The $43,000 Man. When you
are Scott Bilker, credit card help is not what you are offering people;
it's a way out of debt for life! Scott Bilker, author of Talk Your Way
Out of Credit Card Debt, promises that his book is the quickest and
easiest way out of debt for people like Mary and John. Mary is a
widowed 40-year-old female from San Francisco with a problem, a credit
card problem. She currently has 3 credit cards to her name and another
that belonged to both her and her husband. While she has obtained low
interest credit cards for herself, her and her husband had a credit card
with accumulated debt in the thousands. Besides being a painful reminder
of her husband's death, the credit card that Mary is..."
—Christopher Yuscavage (Read
entire review)
“Thanks to your book and website! We are getting very close to getting
all of our credit cards paid off. Your organization provides a great
service!”
—Brenda
"Hi Scott, I opened your Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt,
and called Capital One and got my 19.8% reduced to 14.9%--thanks for
your help!"
—Joshua LeBeau
"Thank you for saving my sanity about a year ago with your book. I have
since done GREAT advances on my credit cards. I found you before it was
too late."
—Eileen
"I wanted to say thanks to you--your teachings have undoubtedly taken
thousands of dollars out of the credit card companies pockets and put
the money into my pocket. I view this is a grand thing."
—Craig K.
“I found your website and am so glad I did! I was feeling like an
irresponsible person because of this debt situation but after reading
some of your articles and questions from other readers I am starting to
feel a bit better. Thanks and keep up the good work!”
—Raquel V.
"With one phone call to Citicards and a minor threat of moving to a
different card they did not lower my interest rate (14.5%) forever, but
was offered an introductory rate of 1.99% for nine months. You are
correct about making the calls. Also a good credit history helped."
—Rush Kittle
“It is very informative. I looked at my statement and realized I was
paying 17.5% on my 5,700 credit card loan. I found your site and
followed your instructions. It worked. I received their promotion for
5.2% for the first 6 months and then 11.5%. They said to call back after
6 months to find out about any new promotions. Thanks so much!”
—Mark Picone
"I just got your three books and was reading through Talk Your Way
Out Of Credit Card Debt, when it dawned on me that I hadn't seen
a statement from one of my banks for a while. I remember making a $5
charge at Baskin Robbins because I had ordered ice cream for the kids
before I realized I didn't have my wallet. The account had a 0 balance
at that point and I knew I would pay it in full when the statement
arrived. I checked the account online, and was floored to see the new
balance at $102.38 because they charged me two months of late fees at
$29 each plus a membership fee of $39. I just called to let them know
that I had not received a statement from them and would they please
waive the late fees and membership fee. I got the standard 'we can't do
that' but was told that they would make a $10 adjustment to one of the
late fees. I then asked what the APR was at, and the rep told me to sit
down before he gave me the figure. Because of the missed payments
(because I got no statement) it had jumped from 14% to 27.74%. He
dropped it down to 9.9% fixed for two months then 9.9% variable after
that. When I asked again about the membership fee being waived, he said
he could waive it, but then would not be able to reduce the interest
rate. I went for the reduced interest rate and the $10 adjustment to one
of the late fees. I will pay the balance in full on the 15th and not use
the card for a while. The call took me 12 minutes and I was transferred
once. Thank you for all your information."
—Tracy Mundy
"Dear Scott, Salem, Virginia, a ray of sunshine: your books arrived!
They are exactly what I hoped they'd be, and they tempt me to ignore all
else, as I devour them. I'm starting with Talk Your Way Out of Credit
Card Debt, and, although I ordered it to learn how to help my sister
and brother-in-law, I'm finding information that I can use to help myself,
too. You were right to "guarantee" that your "books will
help." To paraphrase you, I've gotten mad, I'm getting smart--thanks
to you--and I'll soon pick up that phone! My only regret is that I didn't
think to ask you to autograph the books before you shipped them. Perhaps
I'll have the opportunity to meet you someday, and I'll remedy that
omission. Now, back to your phone calls... Enthusiastically,"
—Anne
"Hi Scott, I am just bursting with excitement to email you today. I
received your books in the mail when I got home from work and read the
first chapter of Talk Your Way Out Of Credit Card Debt. I then
called one of my credit card companies that was charging me a whopping $59
(zowwy!) "member fee" each year and followed the steps that you
outlined in the chapter I just read. Just as you said, I got the first
representative who explained all of the "great thing" that the
"member fee" provided, such as sending me a statement each month
"absolutely free," sending me a replacement card if it is lost
or stolen "absolutely free," yadda, yadda (seriously, do these
people actually believe what they are saying?!). I asked for the
supervisor, was told they couldn't do anything, talked to them anyway and,
big surprise, the fee was waived on my account! I had your books less than
2 hours and already saved twice the cost of them with a single phone call!
Thank you so much for all that you do to provide people with this great
resource about a topic that most people seem to be afraid to talk about.
What a great idea to record your phone conversations and share them! It
gave me the exact action sequence and the confidence boost that I needed,
and I have no doubt that many, many people have been helped by your
efforts. Keep up the great work!"
—Tina Kerchner, VA
"Scott, I wanted to thank you. I ordered your books a few weeks ago
and read them right away. I had an incredible amount of confidence when I
called to get my credit card rate lowered. It was so easy! They lowered my
rate from 10.45% to 3.9% (for a large balance too) for the life of the
balance, with no fees. I calculated my savings at $3,968. WOW! Thanks
again for your terrific advice!"
—Lisa Harris, DE
"When it comes to saving money, there are some deals that are
no-brainers. Take Scott Bilker's book Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card
Debt: Phone Calls To Banks That Saved More Than $43,000 In Interest
Charges and Fees! for example. Not only does he show you how to talk
to bank card representatives to lower interest rates, get fees waived and
deal with credit card disputes & billing errors, he guarantees you
will save over $200 in the process of using his advice or he'll give you a
full refund of your money (and keep two other credit card management books
for free to boot). It's not often that we are guaranteed a risk-free 1000%
return on our money. There's solid advice in dealing with the run-around that representatives
are bound to give and making sure you reach to a supervisor who will have
more power to help you. While it would be great to have Bilker there
negotiating with your credit card company for you, the book is the next
best thing to having him make the calls himself."
—Jeffrey Strain, SavingAdvice.com (Read
entire SavingAdvice.com review)
"A valuable book from day one! I was
shopping for a book that would help me with the credit card debt I have
accumulated. I chose this book. It has proven to be very beneficial to me.
It contains a large amount of information your banks don't want you to
know. My first night of reading the book, I got up to about page 70 and
made my first phone call, with the intent of gaining information about the
account and possibly getting a fee reversed. I ended up getting a $50
credit to the account, relatively easily. I cannot praise this book
enough! If you need to reduce your credit card debt, this book may very
well be your solution."
—Monica Rice, PA
"I just got your books and was
inspired to call my major credit card to ask for a reduction in APR. The
current rate is variable 12.74%; with a $10000 balance that's costing more
than $100 per month in interest. They reduced that rate to 9.9% with no
discussion. But here's where I really benefited from having read your
book: In talking about that rate, the account supervisor told me they will
wire cash advances to my bank account for only 2.99% APR. They will
provide as much as $10K per month. So, I could reduce the 19.74% rate to
2.99% rate by having the money wired to my bank and then writing a check
to pay off the entire balance! Amazing-- they told me how to save money.
So, I just wanted to say that I feel I've
already gotten my $19.95 worth from your books. Thanks!"
—Kathy
"I have recently found your book Talk
Your Way Our of Credit Card Debt and it has really helped me. I
have had excellent credit until very recently. I had an automatic payment
through the credit card. A few months ago, the minimum payment was $3 over
what I had set as the auto pay. I had not noticed that there was a
difference until too late. This one time problem cause my interest rates
to go up from 3.9% fixed balance transfer rate and a 13% purchase rate to
24.9% and 5.9% fixed balance transfer rate and a 10.9% purchase rate to
27.9%! It affected more than just the one card. I read your book and
called customer service on all of my credit card today. I had amazing
success. Most of my interest rates went back to their original rates and a
few I was able to get lower! One account would not budge, so I transferred
to a lower rate. Thank you!!!! You have save me a bundle of
money!"
—R.J.
"THE CONFIDENCE YOU NEED IS
CONTAINED HEREIN...I had the same problem most of you
reading this have. But after reading this book from cover to cover, I was
awashed with a new vigor and confidence to launch a strategic war of words
with the credit card telephone handlers. As you read thru the transcripts
of the author's actual calls, picture yourself talking on the phone with
the same savvy as he. Then close the book, put up your over charged, over
penalized, and over interest rated bill and MAKE CALLS! Show them that you
are taking CONTROL of your finances and relish the experience of sticking
up for yourself."
—Amazon.com reader (madinventor) from Brooklyn, NY
"I ordered your books and studied
them and I have read your newsletter for quite some time. I had close to
$55,000 in credit card debt with high interest rates. Following your advice
I did balance transfers until I was able to get the interest rate to 3.9
percent and I have paid off four cards and cancelled them. In two years the
total has dropped to about $25,000 and is dropping fast with the low
interest rate. My son lost his job 7 months ago and your advice saved their
home. Keep up the good work and especially keep telling everyone not to
trust the banks who issue the credit cards."
—Jimmy Thomas, Texas
"I had to write and thank you so
much for the book. I just got it yesterday afternoon and started reading
it. This morning I decided to try it out on one of my cards that has a
very high interest rate. This card had been only about 9.99%, but the
interest rate skyrocketed last May and I didn't know why and I really
didn't know what to do about it. I called the company this morning and in
less then 5 minutes I found out why (I'd had trouble with another card
issued by the same company) and got the interest rate lowered from 23.99%
to 8.99%. One point lower than it had been before! This one call paid for
the book and way more. I figured out how much I saved. It's a good thing I
was sitting, because I'm sure I would have fallen on the floor when I
realized I saved $10,706.50."
—Jill King, Philadelphia, PA
"The best book there is on the
topic! I unexpectedly run into high debt. So far, I just got this book 2
days ago. I made three phone calls, saved $85 dollars fee for a credit card
and about $3,000 in interest charges on one credit card. And this is just
the beginning. Extremely helpful book. I honestly recommend it to people
like myself because there is always a solution and this book gives me
hope."
—Amazon.com reader from Brooklyn, NY
"This is a fantastic book! Bilker walks you through the entire phase
of dealing with creditors, on several different issues! If you have ever
called a credit card company to discuss lowering your interest rates, or
requesting a waiver on that annual fee, you know how humiliating they can
make you feel! Bilker teaches you how to gain control and show them who's
boss!"
—Alyice Edrich, TheDabblingMum.com
"Scott Bilker is one of the most
effective negotiators that I know. If you're going to
be talking to credit card companies it's well worth getting his book Talk
Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt."
—Tom Allan, host of the I Hate Debt radio show in San Diego, CA
"....before I start singing the
praises of Mr. Bilker's prose style, or his innovative use of trochees and
spondees in the anapestic diptych (or whatever), I must admit that when I
picked up this nattily turned-out trade paperback, I wasn't exactly
expecting William Morris's The Life and Death of Jason....What
I did get was a surprisingly witty and to all appearances effective how-to
manual for hoodwinking these bloated social parasites that we now know of by
the euphemism "banks" into cutting us a little slice of economic
justice now and then. Granted, the power is entirely on the side of the
large financial institutions, such that Mr. Bilker's winning tactics often
shed their savor of victory in a larger context....with the help of Mr.
Bilker's book, one can fight a series of strategic rearguard actions, and
manage to cut one's losses a bit. After all, there's no sense in completely
rolling over and playing dead -- before it's time, anyway."
—Victoria Acroyear, Circle
Magazine (Read
entire Circle Magazine review)
"Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card
Debt provides solid advice on getting your rate reduced, annual
fees waived, removing a late payment fee, handling disputes, and many
other common problems when dealing with credit card companies. More than
just advice, it is a collection of detailed examples of phone calls
including complete transcripts. Each transcript demonstrates how the
author handled a particular issue and the results of the call. Not content
to just give one example of getting an interest rate lowered or removing
over limit fees, each type of problem has several transcripts so you can
get a good feel for what to expect and how to handle it. Most people are
not aware of how much power they have when dealing with a credit card
company and how to get things changed. This book walks the reader through
the process from beginning to end and is a recommended read for anyone
looking to gain control of his or her credit card situation."
—Harold McFarland, Editor, Readers Preference Reviews
"Scott Bilker lays out a variety of
scenarios involving debtors and collectors. He presents several options
for coping with each situation, then he takes it a step further by
providing a suggested script for dealing with the debt. He also covers
things like lowering or eliminating annual fees, getting lower interest
rates, dealing with late fees, obtaining cash advances—you name it. This
guy's clearly experienced in dealing with financial institutions at the
consumer level, and he understands how to play the game. You don't have to
use his exact words, but Bilker's dialogue is a good place to start. I
haven't road-tested any of his scripts, but the needle on my bovine
excrement detector didn't move, so give it a shot."
—Richard Pachter, Miami Herald
"Talk Your Way Out Of Credit Card Debt by money management
expert Scott Bilker is a straightforward, "user friendly" guide
to negotiating with credit card banks for better interest rates and
getting fees waived. Offering tested strategies for the waiver of annual
fees, late payment fees, cash-advance fees and more, shopping for the best
credit card deals, comparing loan options, getting refunds, and more, Talk
Your Way Out Of Credit Card Debt is very highly recommended reading.
Bilker's finance evaluation strategies are extremely useful, even to those
who choose to carefully avoid getting into credit card debt in the first
place!"
—Midwest Book Review
“In this informative and often entertaining manual, Scott
Bilker tells credit card holders how to really take charge
of their debt situation by showing exactly how he does it
for himself and his friends. Each chapter briefly introduces
a topic like “Lowering Your Interest Rate” or “Disputes,
Chargebacks, and Errors” before providing transcripts of
actual phone calls that Bilker made to various bank officers
to strike dollar-saving blows for the common man. Besides
disguising the names of the guilty (banks are renamed after
dog breeds, and bank officers after insects), Bilker
presents an audio-verité guide to saving money and
regaining a real sense of control of your finances.“
—D. Patrick Miller, Fearless Books (Read
entire Fearless review)
"Talk Your Way Out Of Credit Card Debt: Phone Calls To Banks That
Saved More Than $43,000 In Interest Charges and Fees! is a great book
about negotiating with credit card companies to reduce interest rates and
eliminate fees. This advice can save you thousands of dollars, if you
carry a credit card balance. The savings Bilker achieved were significant.
In one phone call, Bilker got the bank to lower the interest rate from
13.72% to 8.75%, saving $4,320.00, based upon the existing credit card
balance. I highly recommend Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt
to anyone who carries a balance on his or her credit cards or anyone who
wants to gain skill in negotiating with a credit card bank to reduce
interest rates or eliminate fees. Following Bilker's advice can save
thousands of dollars in credit card interest and fees."
—Peter Hupalo, Entrepreneur Books (Read
entire Entrepreneur Book review)
"Unique, clever."
—Jim Barnes, Managing Editor, Independent
Publisher Online
"I don't know why a book like this has been written sooner. It
contains so much common sense advice, I can't believe I didn't think of
these things myself sooner. Thanks to Bilker's book I was able to take
detailed notes, including names on promised rates for my IRA. When the
promised rates didn't appear on my next statement, I was able to talk my
way through many layers of resistance and finally get the original deal I
was promised. I highly recommend this book to anyone with debt or who
deals with any financial institutions for any reason."
—Jon Del Russo, Ph.D.
"This book is amazing. Reading it has opened our eyes to how much
money we have been allowing to slip through our fingers unnecessarily. All
my husband and I did before reading this book was complain about the
outrageously high cost of borrowing money on credit cards. Since reading
Bilker's detailed how-to-book, we have actually been able to call banks
and save money. We couldn't be more grateful!"
—Barbara Crammer
“I tried calling my credit card bank and
using one of the things you said on Friday’s TV show. Well, I called and
they raised my limit to $1,000 from $300 and dropped my rate from 17.9% to
15.3%. Thank you!”
—Mark Crilley
“After watching Scott demonstrate how to talk to the credit card
companies, I not only know what to expect, but I am capable of, and
comfortable with, negotiating with the banks for myself!”
—Greg Mador
"I give this book my full recommendation! I've never seen a
more detailed how-to book. If you have a credit card, you need this book!
I think Scott outdid himself on this one. Almost everyone I know, and
myself included, has been intimidated by credit card banks. To have an
actual script to follow for all situations will be a godsend to a lot of
people. Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt is the one book that every
credit card holder should have."
—Terry Rigg, Editor of The Budget Stretcher
(Read entire
Rigg review)
"5 stars! Easy to understand, anyone can use it, very informative. I
used Scott's advice in the book about calling the credit card companies and
having the interest rate lowered on my credit card. I have learned what I
need to say and how to negotiate. Whatever you need to know its in the book.
Before I called I had a 14.99% for purchases and 19.99% for cash advances.
After speaking to the representative for 7 minutes I had my rate drop to
12.99% for purchases and 14.99% for cash. Not only that but I have another
card with them and the rate went from 19.99% for both to 15.99% for both.
Not bad for 7 minutes. I wish everything was this easy. Total Save
$1000.00!"
—Scott Morey, NJ (Truck Driver)
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