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Accredited Debt Relief

Accredited Debt Relief

Name: Accredited Debt Relief
Rating: 4.8

4.8

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1,556 User Reviews

4.8

star star star star star

1,556 User Reviews

The Good

The Bad

Bottom Line

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Company Details

Services Offered

Debt Consolidation, Free Consultation

Accreditations

AADR, CDRI

Is Nonprofit

Time in Business

14 Years

Company Headquarters

4370 La Jolla Village Dr, Suite 920, San Diego, CA 92122

Number of Reviews 1,556

info Source of Information

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: February 22nd, 2024

Accredited Debt Relief, founded in 2011, is a financial services company based in Houston and San Diego. The company specializes in debt consolidation and has serviced over $3 billion in debt.

Accredited Debt Relief works with a highly experienced team to negotiate with creditors and help customers consolidate debt from credit cards, medical expenses, and unsecured debt payments. Because your finances are unique to you, Accredited Debt Relief offers customizable solutions, such as debt consolidation programs or loans that can help you overcome debt faster. In most cases, you will be debt free in 24 to 48 months through Accredited Debt Relief’s services.

Accredited by the American Association for Debt Resolution (AADR), Accredited Debt Relief meets high industry standards, ensuring that you will receive high-quality service.

View verified Accredited Debt Relief reviews below.

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The Good

Personalized Accredited Debt Relief Services
Accredited Debt Relief Consolidation Loans
Success-Based Fees
Free Consultations
Multiple Industry Accreditations
Positive Accredited Debt Relief Reviews

Personalized Accredited Debt Relief Services

Accredited Debt Relief offers personalized debt relief services to fit your specific financial situation. Whether you’re using one of the company’s debt consolidation programs or would prefer a debt consolidation loan, an Accredited Debt Relief representative will work with you to determine the best options based on your needs. Your assigned company representative will work with you throughout the entire debt consolidation process.

Creditors can be tough to deal with, so an expert on your side can save you a lot of trouble. Whether you have credit card debt, student loans, bad credit loans, payday loans (either online payday loans or normal payday loans), installment loans, or any other type of unsecured loan debt, Accredited Debt Relief will give you the help necessary to develop a repayment plan so that you can climb out of your loan debt.

Accredited Debt Relief Consolidation Loans

Accredited Debt Relief will help you determine the best debt consolidation option for your needs. One such option that the company offers is a debt consolidation loan.

Accredited Debt Relief debt consolidation loans are provided by company affiliates in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $100,000. All loans have an annual percentage rate (APR) that will range from 4.9 to 35.99 percent based on your creditworthiness — high-credit borrowers will be eligible to receive the highest loan amounts at the lowest rates.

In addition, you will be responsible for an origination fee ranging from 1 to 6 percent of your financed amount.

Debt consolidation loans can be a faster way to consolidate and pay off your debt — Accredited Debt Relief can help you become debt free within 24 to 48 months.

However, debt consolidation loans typically have much higher interest rates than you may see with other loan types. Higher rates are common because companies offering debt consolidation services and loans are taking a larger risk than they might be otherwise. That being said, you may be eligible for lower rates if you are creditworthy.

Success-Based Fees

Accredited Debt Relief doesn’t outline any fees beyond an origination fee for debt consolidation loans. However, the company may likely charge other fees that you will be responsible for.

However, Accredited Debt Relief fees are 100 percent success-based, meaning that you don’t have to pay fees until the Accredited Debt Relief team has helped you achieve a solution for your debt.

This success-based fee model will likely exclude debt consolidation loan origination fees. Because Accredited Debt Relief works with affiliates to provide these loans, you will need to pay an origination fee to establish your loan account with your loan provider.

Free Consultations

Accredited Debt Relief provides free debt relief consultations. On top of a free consultation, the company offers a personalized approach to every person's financial situation and credit score.

The company rarely works with secured debt, so most of its customers have unsecured debt. Unsecured debt can be medical bills, a student loan or personal loan, or credit card debt, to list a few examples.

Free consultations are a national debt relief industry trend, so if a debt management company doesn't offer free consultations, you should probably look elsewhere.

Multiple Industry Accreditations

Regarding accreditations, Accredited Debt Relief has more than the average debt management company. The company is an accredited member of the American Association for Debt Resolution (AADR), formerly known as the American Fair Credit Council (AFCC), and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

In addition, Accredited Debt Relief is an accredited member of the Consumer Debt Relief Initiative (CDRI), an organization established in 2020 to promote and protect the debt settlement industry.

Positive Accredited Debt Relief Reviews

The company has more than 1,500 Accredited Debt Relief reviews on BestCompany.com, and over 95 percent of reviews are either 4 or 5 stars.

In Accredited Debt Relief reviews, clients point out and value Accredited Debt Relief's knowledgeable staff. Additionally, customers note that the company's representatives make them feel comfortable throughout the process. In one Accredited Debt Relief review, one customer stated that he wished he had called the company sooner. Another positive review is reproduced below.

Customer Review: Emily

"They are super helpful. They explained everything to me and were able to bring my payments to where I was able to afford it!"

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The Bad

Undisclosed Costs and Fees
Undisclosed Eligibility Requirements
State Availability
Credit Counseling Not Available

Undisclosed Costs and Fees

Accredited Debt Relief doesn’t outline specific costs and fees for its services. However, you can request a free consultation, allowing you to get an estimate of costs and fees based on your finances.

It isn’t uncommon in the industry for companies to not publish costs and fees because they will vary widely based on each client’s needs and financial circumstances.

Undisclosed Eligibility Requirements

Accredited Debt Relief doesn’t outline any specific eligibility requirements for its debt consolidation services. Your rates and fees will be determined based on your financial situation and creditworthiness.

State Availability

Accredited Debt Relief isn't available in every state. Make sure to check state availability to ensure your state is within the company's coverage.

Credit Counseling Not Available

While Accredited Debt Relief will work with your creditor(s) to settle your debt, the company itself does not provide credit counseling services. It does provide helpful information on its website about credit counseling and what to expect during a credit consultation, but Accredited specifically works with those who have already determined they need a debt settlement or consolidation program and doesn’t employ specific credit counselors to help you reach that decision.

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The Bottom Line

Accredited Debt Relief is one of the most highly accredited debt settlement companies in the industry. The company can help you become debt free within 24 to 48 months.

The company provides personalized debt consolidation services — each client is assigned an Accredited Debt Relief representative who will walk you through the debt consolidation programs and options available to you. Your assigned company representative will work with you throughout the entire debt consolidation process, ensuring that your questions and concerns can be addressed quickly while also helping you become debt free faster.

Accredited Debt Relief reviews on BestCompany.com are overwhelmingly positive — upwards of 95 percent of reviews are 4 or 5 stars. Satisfied customers frequently highlight the company’s exceptional customer services, as well as a simple and easy-to-understand debt consolidation process based on their specific needs and finances.

Accredited Debt Relief is an accredited member of both the AADR and CDRI, ensuring that the company meets high industry standards and adheres to ethical practices.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

4.8

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1,556 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

86%

4 grade

11%

3 grade

2 grade

1 grade

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Service

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Verified Customer

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Steven Valentine Alcoa, TN

It was excellent until I seen a automatic withdrawn from my cking acct by your Company for $201 on 2/5/20, which that not agreed upon.I called and talked with a Customer Service Representative on 1/28/20, and told her not to start my Program until 3/1/20 and she agreed with my plan. The reason I didn't need a withdrawal of $201 from you all yet and to start 3/1/20, was because I was involved in a auto accident on 11/5/19 with me not at fault in a head-on collision, and my car was totaled. Well, I had full coverage my car and my Ins.Co, settled with a $4000 pay out to me for my car's worth. The only problem was that they paid the Loan Co. the settlement money to obtain the Title of my car, that I had my car as collateral. I'm 66 years old and have been walking two of the last three months, and I was going to use the money I had my as a down payment on another vehicle. Well your withdrawal of $201 put a stop to the down payment I was going use, even after the agreement I had with your Customer Service to start withdrawal on 3/1/20. Believe me, I'm not pleased with what happened. Possibly rethinking wheter to continue using your Company, as my Debt Relief Representative. I don't appreciate being mislead of our Agreement, and causing me to walk for another month. See Sir, I live on a fixed income and can't afford mishaps like this.

5 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

Hi Steven,

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We’re sorry to hear that your experience with Accredited Debt Relief thus far hasn’t lived up to your expectations. We’d like to connect you with our Client Success team so they can address your concerns about your program start date and automatic withdrawals. Please call 800-497-1965 or send a message to with your name, email address, phone number, and account number so we can get in touch and help resolve this as soon as possible.

Feb. 11th, 2020

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Verified Customer

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kevin moses

i attempted to join this program. But due to the length of time that has to lapse i withdrew from the program. I shouldnt have to ruin my credit or my trustworthyness to complete this program.

5 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

We appreciate your feedback. We are always striving to improve customer satisfaction as we work towards helping people explore their options and help our valued clients meet their financial goals. We would love the opportunity to address your concerns or answer any questions you may have regarding how debt settlement works and the potential impact to your credit standing. Creditworthiness and financial goals are very personal and vary from person to person. We understand that what works for one person with respect to reducing debt may not work for everyone and that enrolling in our debt-settlement program is not always the best solution for every person. However, it is often the best solution for people who have too much debt and are already suffering from a diminished credit standing. While enrolling in a debt-settlement program will likely have a negative impact on a person's credit score, successfully resolving debt is likely to have a positive impact and improve a person's credit in the long run. Our no-obligation consultation is intended to help people figure out what solution is best given their personal situation, including whether enrolling in a debt settlement program makes sense based on their unique circumstances. We are sorry to learn that you have decided to cancel but hope you will think of us in the future if you change your mind and want to consider re-enrolling. 855-912-7085

Jan. 11th, 2020

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Verified Customer

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Shane Drew Ecorse, MI

Not good, unable to answer questions accurately and also lied about direct contact number and only wanted you to call from the same number so they would know it's you calling.

5 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We are always striving to improve customer satisfaction as we work towards helping clients explore their options and help our valued clients meet their financial goals. Communication is a key aspect to successful completion of our debt-settlement program. Unfortunately, our agents occasionally become unavailable due to illness, injury, or family emergencies and are unable to timely respond as they otherwise would under normal circumstances. Rest assured we have a whole team of experienced agents ready to provide assistance should this occur. For expedited assistance, clients should contact us through their online portal or at 855-912-7085 and let us know how we can help.

Dec. 23rd, 2019

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lauri cressman Lake Worth, FL

They were very deceitful when they asked how much I could afford each month and I said 250 to $300. Ryan my representative said that would be great. I e sign the contract which ended up not being my signature, they never showed me the entire contract, which then show that they would be taking 500 out of my account each month which I cannot afford. They were very rude in the beginning especially a lady named Hope who said she could not refund my money. I called my bank explained that it was fraud and they gave me my money back. Be very careful if you intend to use this company. Do not e-sign anything, ask for a full contract and read the entire thing before you sign anyting

7 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

Thank you for your positive review! We are here to guide you through your financial journey and resolve your debt! Thanks you for choosing Accredited Debt Relief!

Feb. 2nd, 2018

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Tanya Gainesville, FL

This company is terrible! Don't know how they get an A rating. Must have paid them for this rating. In Jan '15 I signed up with this company through Rich Hibner as my agent. As of Feb '15 none of my bills were being paid. I would question Rich on this. He never gave me a direct answer making me believe that everything is in good order. Finally in June '15 none of my charge cards had even started to be getting paid. I cancelled. The worst part two of my charge cards charged off and gave me bad credit. I have never once had bad credit in my life. I had always maintained upper 600's-mid 700's credit score. This has ruined my daughter's choice of medical school, buying a car, renting and owning a house.,etc. DO NOT GO THROUGH ACCREDITED DEBT RELIEF. BBB IS SO WRONG! In the meantime I went through Money Market Internatiinal. They are very good and an honest company and started paying my bills within a couple weeks.

7 years ago

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Ryan H. Sacramento, CA

In the begging this all sounded great and as always too good to be true. James walked me through the entire process only to learn that nothing will actually happen. We make $867 payments month after month and when I call James he can't even assist me. I'm told I need to call a different company Freedom Debt who will help me. That's great if I could actually get through to someone. Since I have canceled and joined with a different company that negotiates down my interest rates. In the meantime I have creditors and collectors that I'm trying to explain all that is going on so they don't sue me. Fun times and avoid like the plague.

8 years ago

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Verified Customer

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Glen York

I thought I wanted to use their program but changed my mind and called/emailed Dean M Jan 4 to cancel my enrollment and have not heard back from him.

5 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

Thank you for sharing this with us, Glen.

We’re very sorry to hear that your experience with Dean was less than stellar. We would not be here without our customers, and are dedicated to treating everyone with respect and care. The treatment you’ve described is simply not up to our standards. We were able to reach out to you since you no longer want to be in the program and we have helped you successfully to cancel. We’re sorry to see you go, and wish you the best of luck in achieving your financial goals!

Jan. 23rd, 2020

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MG Lewisville, TX

Signing up with the company is easy and the person who helped me was very helpful and nice. However, if you choose to opt-out of the program you will get the worst customer service ever. Instead of calling you, they email you, and when you call you just get told a bunch of excuses. I'm sorry, but if you have time to write out a long email you have time to call me. If you know what is best for you DO NOT do business with this company.

3 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

Hi there,

Thank you for providing this feedback. We’re sorry to hear that your experience with our Client Success team has been less than stellar when you were trying to opt-out of the program. Providing great service during any portion of our process is central to our mission and we’re sorry to hear that we missed the mark with you.

We would like to hear more about your experience. If you would like, please contact us at 800-497-1965, or email customerservice@acrelief.com.

Thanks,

Support Team at Accredited Debt Relief

Feb. 18th, 2022

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Diane McBride

My husband and I signed the paperwork that was required of us and money is being taken from our account but our creditors are calling and sending texts. One creditor I spoke with said her company has not heard from any one asking to negotiate the payment. Where is our money going? I would certainly like to know. I am very unhappy and afraid we were ripped off.

7 years ago

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Jorge Nino Stafford, VA

It is unbelievable the lack of respect I received from Nick L, by ignoring all my emails and calls, even though I qualify for the program. This is lack of professional standards for the customer, and a Army Veteran being ignored is terrible I sacrificed my happiness for the freedom of people such as Nick to treat me like this. It's sad really but not surprising because that's how a lot of us get treated. I can't thank you or say anything positive and I'm sorry.

7 years ago

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Verified Customer

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Courtney Utley

Sounded great at first/ now she isn't answering the phone or calling us back. We have questions and i feel we just signed up to get screwed

5 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We are always striving to improve customer satisfaction as we work towards helping clients explore their options and help our valued clients meet their financial goals. We are sorry to hear you are having trouble reaching one of our certified debt specialists. Communication is a key aspect to successful completion of our debt-settlement program. Unfortunately, our agents occasionally become unavailable due to illness, injury, or family emergencies and are unable to timely respond as they otherwise would under normal circumstances. Rest assured we have a whole team of experienced agents ready to provide assistance should this occur. For expedited assistance, clients should contact us through their online portal or at 855-912-7085 and let us know how we can help.

Dec. 23rd, 2019

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Joe San Diego, CA

It's a sales gig to get you to sign up to make them money. It's as simple as that. Ultimately, they'll help you reduce some debt, so they get the 1 star. But the amount of debt they claim to reduce for you is quite deceptive, since you have to pay the settlement fee, back into the debt relief company. Do they relieve you of anything? Your money!

6 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

We are sorry to hear you are unhappy with your experience thus far. Please contact us at if you have any questions or need any type of assistance.

Nov. 13th, 2018

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Courtney Williamsport, PA

They are very harassing. I would get 3-4 phone calls a day from them, I didn't want their services. I explained my disinterest and asked them to remove me from their call list. Now I get 4-6 calls a day and half of them are partial calls and an instant call after. Will NEVER use this company.

6 years ago

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Mimi B. Renton, WA

I've requested a quote online twice from them on their website. It's been over a week and their representative has not contacted me yet. After the quotation process I received a prompt that a representative will be in contact with me soon.. no luck. If its this difficult to even get ahold of a person then thats a bad sign. Very disappointed.

7 years ago

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Michael Lynch St. Petersburg, FL

So far so good. I am not anywhere close to finishing my program and past all the phone calls without getting sued, so when I get further in I will leave a more detailed review.

7 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

We appreciate the honest review! Thank you for taking time to leave feedback!

Feb. 2nd, 2018

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John Allen Vista, CA

they are a middle man for Freedom they say they will be your acount advisor but they transfer you to freedom they are a scam try to say they are the company that settles but they dont!

7 years ago

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Verified Customer

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Kathy Clintwood, VA

Original phone call was very misleading. Make sure you read all the documents thoroughly!

5 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

Hi Kathy,

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We’re sorry to hear that your experience with Accredited Debt Relief thus far hasn’t lived up to your expectations. We’d like to connect you with our Client Success team so they can address your concerns about the original misleading phone call. Please call 800-497-1965 or send a message to with your name, email address, phone number, and account number so we can get in touch and help resolve this as soon as possible.

Feb. 11th, 2020

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Verified Customer

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Christine

It's great if you have no credit and you don't care if your credit rating is ruined.

5 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

We appreciate your feedback. We are always striving to improve customer satisfaction as we work towards helping people explore their options and help our valued clients meet their financial goals. We would love the opportunity to address your concerns or answer any questions you may have regarding how debt settlement works and the potential impact to your credit standing. Creditworthiness and financial goals are very personal and vary from person to person. We understand that what works for one person with respect to reducing debt may not work for everyone and that enrolling in our debt-settlement program is not always the best solution for every person. However, it is often the best solution for people who have too much debt and are already suffering from a diminished credit standing. While enrolling in a debt-settlement program will likely have a negative impact on a person's credit score, successfully resolving debt is likely to have a positive impact and improve a person's credit in the long run. Our no-obligation consultation is intended to help people figure out what solution is best given their personal situation, including whether enrolling in a debt settlement program makes sense based on their unique circumstances. Please feel free to reach out to us at 855-912-7085 so we can respond directly to any additional questions or concerns.

Jan. 11th, 2020

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Verified Customer

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Sean

Might be legitimate, but try and cancel and they'll totally ignore you and just plow on

5 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We are always striving to improve customer satisfaction as we work towards helping our valued clients meet their financial goals. While we are sad to lose a client, we understand that our program may not be the best fit for everyone. As explained during our enrollment process, clients have the right to cancel at anytime but may re-enroll at a future date should their situation change. Please accept our apologies if our handling of your request fell short of your expectations. If you are waiting on confirmation of cancelation, please email our customer service team directly for assistance via email, or our enrollment team at 855-912-7085 to help expedite your request.

Dec. 23rd, 2019

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Michael Merced, CA

I canceled my account days ago and you still took 200 dollars out of my account. over drafting several of my payments. thanks. and thank JoE. because I called him personnaly.

7 years ago

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Rosemary Avitable Kalamazoo, MI

do not work with this company they make everything sound like it will be exactly what you need, They lie and don't think anything of it!!!! Absolutely horrible!!!!

7 years ago

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Detra

Knowledge, kindness and passion combined with desire to help by the representative was outstanding. Really appreciated her patience and willingness to explain things.

7 years ago

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Verified Customer

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Sherry smith

They promise you nothing in return for you paying them money

5 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

Hi Sherry Smith,

Thank you for your feedback. One of the benefits of our program is that we can ONLY collect our cost for services AFTER you’ve made the first payment to a creditor on a settlement that we’ve negotiated (and you’ve approved of it.) Basically we do not collect any costs for services unless we provide successful results. In that sense we are very much performance based. We would like the opportunity to discuss your concerns over the phone. Please call 800-497-1965 or send a message to with your name, email address, phone number, and account number so we can get in touch and help resolve this as soon as possible.

Feb. 19th, 2020

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Maria Vasquez Saint Helena, CA

You guys suck as far as customer service goes i havent being able to get a hold of anyone and you say you can cancel at anytime but that is just lies

6 years ago

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Verified Customer

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Carlos Cazador Madera, CA

Confusing...so I opted out. I don't recommend.

5 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

Thanks for providing us with your feedback, Carlos. Our goal is to educate our customers about our program so that they fully understand how our debt resolution process works. We’re sorry to hear we missed the mark this time.

You’re always welcome to get updates from our Client Success team by calling 800-497-1965 or emailing us at with your name, email address, phone number, and account number.

Feb. 11th, 2020

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Alex M McKinley San Francisco, CA

The purest of Trash, tried to work with the company the man i spoke with hung up on me an dnever called back

5 years ago

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Stephanie

bait and switch marketing, rude represenatives, can tell they read from a script, high pressure to sign up with them.

7 years ago

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Dawn Morris Berkeley, CA

Bogus at the truth! Prey on the vulnerable with lies and untruths Don't be duped

6 years ago

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Anonymous Lawrence, KS

Never returned attempts to contact them. Was unable to ever get in touch with anyone.

7 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

We are sorry to hear that you were unable to reach anyone. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 7 AM to 7 PM PST and Saturday and Sunday from 8 AM to 5 PM PST. Please feel free to call us at 1-866-345-5007.

Apr. 3rd, 2018

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Annymous

The rep was a pushy and know it all in demeanor.

6 years ago

Reply from Accredited Debt Relief

We are happy to here about your positive experience with us. We look forward to your continued success with Accredited Debt Relief!

Jun. 13th, 2018