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

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0964840154
• ISBN13: 9780964840157
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Press One Pub.
• Length: 319 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

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 bemeficial 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.

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.

Details taking charge of your credit card debt

"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.

Gaining knowledge and the courage to make the call.

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!

Great Book For Consumers Who Want To Lower Credit Card Costs

"Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt: Phone Calls To Banks That Saved More Than $43,000 In Interest Charges and Fees!" by consumer-advocate Scott Bilker shows people how to negotiate with credit card companies to reduce or eliminate fees, lower interest rates, and deal with credit card disputes and billing errors.For himself, friends, and family, Bilker made hundreds of phone calls to credit card companies in an attempt to achieve a better deal and evaluate what works and what doesn't when calling credit card companies.The full transcripts of fifty-two recorded phone calls are given and analyzed in "Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt." The names of Bilker's friends were changed to protect their identities. Probably to prevent lawsuits, the names of the banks were changed to the names of dog breeds. And, the names of the account representatives and supervisors were changed to insect names.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. (An appendix shows us how to calculate the savings we achieve by reducing credit card interest rates.)In another case, Bilker absolutely couldn't get Mr. Mosquito or Ms. Glowworm at Shih Tzu bank to lower it's rate, but the bank offered a low rate for transfers from other accounts. So, Bilker promptly transferred the full balance out of Shih Tzu and then back again to get the lower transfer rate. Bilker speculates banks believe people are too lazy to transfer money around like this, even though the savings in interest paid by doing so are often in the thousands of dollars.Bilker says it's crucial to keep your credit options open so you have bargaining power. He points out that banks with which you have established relationships are most likely to give you a good deal. So, Bilker argues, for people who carry credit card balances, there's little advantage in closing a no-fee, zero-balance account. With a phone call, they might lower their rate or might offer a great rate on transfers. Bilker writes: "Play all your credit card banks against each other. Make them fight for your business."Bilker writes: "It's easy for someone to say 'just call the bank and get the fees waived,' but actually calling is a different story. Without training you might risk not knowing exactly what to say in a highly pressured moment.... The key to success is knowing who to talk to and exactly what to say."Bilker notes that Americans expect a rigid pricing structure and often don't know what to say or feel intimidated when speaking with bank account representatives, who often give customers the run-around. (There's something quite empowering about having your account representative named Mr. Mud Wasp or Ms. Deer Tick.)Chapters in "Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt" discuss:* Getting The Annual Fee Waived* Reducing Or Eliminating Late Payment Fees, Overlimit Fees, and Cash Advance Fees* Lo