Let me tell you, when you are one hair from bankruptcy, and the 7 years of slow recovery that…read moreresult -- When I found the BC Credit Counselling Society, let's just say I was hoping for the best but not expecting much. I was on EI, my income was low and I was looking for work. Well I was pleasantly surprised with the interview process - since I still had enough to set aside a definite payment each month, they accepted my application and off I went. Now I had close to 8500 in debts which is a fair amount to an unemployed person who can barely pay bills - so to have a company step up and meet with them and get them off my back was HUGE ! Fast forward 2.5 years later - and I am down to my last 2300 in debt.... It is really cool that I can make extra payments if I have extra coin ! I am likely going to be out on debt within a year - and that's over a year AHEAD of the initial estimate !! Best part of that is that because the Credit Council did it as a debt repayment arrangement, UNLIKE bankruptcy, it will be much better on my Credit Rating and as proof when I applied for new cell and cable service in Vancouver, my rating has already improved such that I got new accounts WITHOUT a limit or deposit !' Thank You !!!!

Exceptionally thorough and knowledgeable Credit Counsellors. I got a lot more advice than I'd hoped…read morefor, and the best thing about it was that the counsellor was able to find the gaps in my knowledge that I myself was not aware of. And yes, they are completely free.

They are the worst at customer service. I had to call my collectors to see if he had contacted…read morethem. Which he didn't !! He actually called me to ask me what we talked about at our meeting IN HIS OFFICE !! Do not trust what he says. He said the retainer is only used if there is an agreement made. He didn't make an agreement with my creditors. I did. He kept that money, he wasn't even honest enough to say that he failed and returned the money to me. He just sent me a statement that said my account with him was at zero. This guy is a fraud. Be wary of his intentions.

I phoned after a referral from my cousin. Despite not being licensed in my province the gentleman I…read morespoke to spend about 20 minutes on the phone helping me. He took the time to give me referrals , explaining to me what companies are legitimate and how to look out for scammers & time wasters. He was genuinely compassionate to my financial hardships. I was amazed at his kindness and generosity of his time all the while knowing I would not be hiring him, due to his licence only valid in BC. I spent a whole day on the phone doing "assessments " with scam Debt relief companies that I've heard advertised on local radio. If not for him taking the time to explain the loss to me I would have wasted thousands of dollars the following day. I highly recommend calling this gentleman ...I know he changed my cousin's life she is now a proud business owner with multiple employees thanks to him.

If a credit bureau pull is what you dread, and you are sick of bill collectors incessant calls and…read moreletters, call Peter. He offers knowledgeable, friendly and honest advice on where to start the credit repair process, what to avoid, and how to look at the initial cause so it doesn't happen again! I often refer my clients to Peter as I believe that knowledge is power, and if you are serious about gaining control of your financial life, he is an excellent place to start!

Peter and his team provided empathy throughout the whole process. I happily refer Peter and his…read moreteam when your financial situation needs help in regards to debt management. I should have called them sooner!

I would highly recommend Sands and Associates to anybody struggling with debt or having Financial…read moreissues. My experience with Sands & Associates has been a very positive one. The staff are all very friendly and outgoing and willing to help. My trustee Raj Hara was amazing and so helpful. He gave me some very helpful Financial advice, answered all my questions and supported me through everthing. He made me feel like I wasn't the only one dealing with financial issues and offered me a lot of support. It made the experience all that much better and easier to get through. It has relieved an immense amount of stress in my life. It is changed things for the better for me. Thank you to everyone at Sands & Associates New Westminster branch.

A very understanding, and helpful group of kind professionals. If you are considering bankruptcy,…read more I would urge you to consider Bromwich & Smith.

Bromwich & Smith has helped me , in many ways , I've made poor decisions when I was younger and…read morefelt there was no way out , trouble sleeping at night , creditors calling all hours of the day/night , finally was exhausted and needed help , so I googled and came across Bromwich & Smith , they reached out right away and helped me with the best decision I could make , walked me through every step of the way! I highly recommend, there's is no shame in asking for help and reaching out to start over again ! Thank you so much Bromwich & Smith

I ended up in David's office as a result of a criminal fraud situation wherein I lost my townhome,…read moremy credit, my assets and was forced to declare bankruptcy. I was financially and emotionally devastated and having to deal with David throughout the 3 years of my bankruptcy only added to my emotional turmoil. His manner is curt and condescending and I was made to feel as if I was stupid on more than one occasion. He seems client-oriented and tells you what you want to hear when you first set foot in his office but once he's got your business...it's another story altogether: you have to badger him and present yourself physically in his office to get any information. E-mails were unanswered, tasks were not completed as promised and then when I questioned him, I was told blatant untruths to cover up his neglect to do what should have already been done. For example: he told me he had written a letter to a potential co-op board regarding my bankruptcy situation and it was ready for me to pick-up at his office. When I presented myself at the office there was no letter in sight. Instead he quickly wrote it while I stood there waiting and to make matters worse, the information in the letter was completely incorrect. Apparently I was supposed to have completed 2 counselling sessions prior to being discharged - 1 in the 2nd month and 1 in the 6th month. 3 years into my banktuptcy and I only find out about this when I am awaiting my discharge papers. When I questioned why I was NEVER told this, he lied and said that his office attempted to contact me numerous times in the past to advise me of this requirement. Never was this even discussed! Again when I questioned him about the falsity of the information, he stated that there were letters mailed to my residence about this. I received only 1 document in the entire term of my bankruptcy. He then blamed the fact that I had moved during my bankruptcy and admitted that the correspondence was returned to his office. Again I questioned why then I was not contacted about the return of these important documents and why had my address not been updated in a timely manner when I had advised the office well before I moved. I received no explanation for this rather he replied "Regardless these sessions need to be completed prior to discharge." Further to the above, he neglected to advise me that I was entitled to a portion of the funds from the sale of my townhome. Had I not enquired about this in passing, I never would have received this significant amount of money until the end of my bankruptcy when he realized his oversight. My townhome was sold in October and I was not dispersed the funds until at least 3 - 4 months later. Again he admitted that this should have been done some time ago but never apologized or offered explanation as to why it was neglected, etc. I am not the only individual who has had such experiences with David. In fact, a personal friend of mine who was in the same situation as me, has had the exact same experience as mine. In fact she was so traumatized by dealing with David and his staff that she asked me to accompany her to a meeting with David to discuss her financial matters. Going through bankruptcy is a tumultuous and emotionally devastating process. You need someone who is on your side and is willing to listen and inform you each step of the way. David is definitely NOT this person. Find a trustee you whom you trust and will work 'for' you.

I highly recommend David and his team. I have send dozens of clients to him and always been…read morepleased at their level of professionalism, knowledge and care.

I was skeptical about companies that offered debt relief. But i looked into 4 Pillars and found out…read morethat they have been established within Canada for over 10 years. I was in a lot of debt trouble. Bills piled up from different credit cards with interest adding on. I made decent money, but i just couldn't keep up with all the payments. It was getting very close to the edge for me. My goal to pay off my debt and save up for a house seemed impossible. And then i finally decided to seek some help from 4 Pillars in Richmond, B.C. That's where i met Dale Chen. I actually saw an ad on Facebook that advertised 4 Pillars. I am very thankful that i sought his help. I called him, but he was unavailable, so i left a voice message. I was hesitant at this point, he called me back and i missed his call as well, and he called a few more times leaving voice messages. When things were in a tight jam, i decided to call him, and we set a day and time to meet and discuss my financial situation. Dale welcomed me into his office in a very friendly and professional manner. I had read reviews about him from others as well, and i was happy with what I saw. So when i went to him and we talked, i felt eased, even though i was in a tough situation. He showed me what he's about, and what he does, and why he does it. He is very passionate about his job. I did have to pay some fees up front and he was very nice about it and let me divide into multiple payments compared to companies that do it for free and charge hidden fees later on. The only stressful part i had to deal was with calling my credit card companies to stop any payments. But that in itself was a relief, as i did not have to make any payments to them, as i awaited the approval of my consumer proposal to the creditors. This is all legal according to the Canadian government which he told me as well. You can look it up as well. It's an accommodation to help people in this situation. After setting up my file, Dale did most of the work, I just had to gather documents, paychecks, etc and meet up with the creditor and Dale to submit the proposal. We both did our part. A month or so later, Dale told me that my proposal was accepted, and my debt was relieved by 80%! I was shocked, but so happy and relieved at the same time. I couldn't thank Dale enough. I couldn't have re-started my life without his help. Everybody makes mistakes, and I really needed to fix my life. Thanks to Dale again, that it is possible now. From managing multiples and multiples of bills, i just have to pay off one sum of debt which is down to under 20% of what i originally owed. When i was worried that the proposal was not going to be accepted, Dale gave me hope. He said he hasn't seen a proposal not accepted yet. My experience with Dale was professional, friendly, amazing, and he made you feel like a friend. He tried to do his best for me. He understood my situation. He talked to me about his family and his son. He even met my family and was nice to them and even my family trusted him. I trust him. Not only did Dale try to reduce my debt, but also helped me get back on track by building my savings with budgeting and a couple coaching classes. He wanted me to live a normal life again. By fixing the debt and the steps to build my foundation back after reducing the debt. I am thankful to all he has done. I cannot say how grateful I am to Dale. I did not know where to turn to when i was seeing plethora of bills/envelopes so often paying minimum payments including a Line of Credit. If you are in debt, and are having trouble making payments, i very highly recommend Dale Chen. He is a people person and not only a financial savior, but an emotional one as well. The feeling of living again is amazing. Thank you Dale!

From the owner: At 4 Pillars Consulting, we serve Richmond and Delta clients and specialize in debt restructuring,…read morebudgeting, credit rebuilding, and financial literacy.