Citizens Debt Relief Reviews 513

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

4.3

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Review summary

Based on reviews, created with AI

Reviewers had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently praise the staff for their helpfulness, patience, and extensive knowledge, making interactions pleasant and informative. Many people appreciate the clear explanations provided, which helped them understand complex processes and feel more confident. The company is often highlighted for its professional and supportive approach, with numerous individuals noting the efficiency and ease of their overall experience. However, some customers also noted significant issues with payment processing and contacting the company. A portion of people reported that payments were not applied as expected, leading to further complications. Additionally, some reviewers were not happy with the difficulty in reaching customer service, mentioning unreturned calls, emails, and messages, which left them feeling unsupported and frustrated.

What people talk about most

Customer service

Customers consistently note ambiguous experiences with customer service. While many reviewers praise specific... See more

Staff

Reviewers consistently mention positive feedback about staff. Customers frequently praise the team for being... See more

Payment

Users describe negative interactions with payment. Many customers report that funds paid into the program... See more

Service

People report ambiguous experiences with service. Many customers express dissatisfaction, citing a lack of... See more

Customer communications

Clients share negative opinions on contact. Many reviewers report significant difficulties reaching the... See more

Based on these reviews

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Today I finally reviewed all of our activities on Reliantpayment.com, everything is going according to CDR representations, I should be debt free in 12 months. I had the hardest time trying to get thr... See more

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

I don't know Chris' last name but he was excellent in explaining the program to me. I got burnt by another co. That took me for about $1500 so I was very hesitant at first. He explained how it all wor... See more

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

So far, they have done everything they said they would do

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I was very skeptical about signing up for any program like this, but Todd Steinway was very patient, friendly and knowledgeable. He helped to ease my fears and doubts and made me feel comfortable and... See more


Company details


Contact info

4.3

Excellent

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

513 reviews

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Replied to 9% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 24 hours

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Communication, Patience, True Care

I found CDR trying to get out of a bad situation that fell upon me. From the beginning of my experience, Ethan Edelson proved to me that it was more than just another customer he had to deal with. Ethan was extremely communicative and understanding as I explained my situation. Over the months I’ve been enrolled, Ethan has remained in contact with me, just checking in to make sure everything is well. I am now on a track for success, all thanks to Ethan!

April 13, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

They are very helpful

They are very helpful. Easy to communicate. One of the person. I talked. Mr. Alexander. He is very very nice. He helped you a lot of everything. He explained clearly every step and I am so glad. And it’s Big health for me.

April 2, 2026
Unprompted review
Citizens Debt Relief logo

Reply from Citizens Debt Relief

Thanks so much for sharing your experience

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Ms. Jamie Lawrence

Mr. Turner was very knowledgeable and very polite throughout the entire process and informed me about every step that would happen. It was very easy to switch from my previous debt consolidation company to Citizens. I have no regrets. I highly recommend Citizens Debt relief.

March 31, 2026
Unprompted review
Citizens Debt Relief logo

Reply from Citizens Debt Relief

All of our consultants are IAPDA certified. Thanks for sharing

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Debt Free is Do-ABLE

This is my first time working with Citizens Debt Relief, and my experience has been excellent thanks to Brandon Turner. He has been patient, kind, and professional throughout the entire process. Brandon took the time to clearly explain the program, meet me where I am financially, and give me the autonomy to choose which debts I wanted to consolidate as I work toward better financial management.
He has also maintained consistent communication and has been very responsive to any questions or requests related to my case. Because of his support, I feel at ease with the process and have regained confidence in my ability to work toward becoming debt‑free in the near future.

March 31, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I was enrolled a couple of years ago

I was enrolled a couple of years ago, and the agent who enrolled me said I would be committing to a 60-month term. Boy was I wrong. I was able to pay larger sums with no penalties and was done with paying off all my lenders with more than a 50% reduction on each account. If I had done this directly with the lenders I would have incurred fees just to pay them off faster. This is a great option to get out of debt fast without paying big banks lots of useless fees. Thanks CDR

March 27, 2026
Unprompted review
Citizens Debt Relief logo

Reply from Citizens Debt Relief

Thank you! One of the main benefits of the program is you can pre pay :)

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Choose Wisely, Choose Accredited CDR

I have had past experiences with two companies in the same business providing the very same services. CDR is a completely different refreshing experience due to ALEX GAROFALO and the Customer Service Department. All my questions where answered with one conversation and my confidence regained that progress was restored towards meeting my goals.

March 24, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Stay far away

Stay far away. There are a 100 others that you can use. Use anyone else. I was with this company for a few months then ended up not needing it anymore. It’s now been over 5 months since then. They never gave me my refund. They won’t respond to my emails. Customer service doesn’t pick up. When they do, they said another department will call me back within 24 hours. They need to be sued.

January 7, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I could not be happier with my…

I could not be happier with my representative, Brandon Turner. Throughout the entire process, over the last 18 months has been there for me when I asked. He’s given me advice and guided me to the right department and persons when needed.
Since I’ve enrolled, more than half of my accounts have been settled with lenders, with an average reduction of 65% off the original balances.
The first 6 months or so were pretty stressful. But once the settlements started coming in, I could see why this company is one of the highest-rated debt relief companies. These folks know their stuff.
If you are having trouble managing your unsecured debt take it from me and give these folks a call. You won’t be sorry you did.

February 4, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Brandon is Wonderful

Brandon has been great! He constantly stays in contact with me AND he has already gotten 2 settlements for me at an extremely low offer. I'm so happy to be signed up with Citizens.

March 18, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

SCAM! Whatever you do, do not use Citizens Debt Relief

Whatever you do, do not use Citizens Debt Relief. They are a scam. You can do better negotiating with your creditors on your own. If you absolutely need someone to represent you find a local lawyer that deals with debt issues. A lawyer will be cheaper!. I wish we had done this but didn’t know we could go that route at the time.

Here’s how they work(or didn’t work):
I gave them 3 creditors to negotiate with( $26k of total debt). They said they would negotiate them down to $19k total for which I would start paying $471/mo right away to build up funds. After 16mo I learned through my creditors that Citizens had made zero effort to negotiate or even contact them. On top of that, I negotiated directly with my creditors down to $13k on my own. When I told Citizens about this they didn’t know what to say except that I would still have to pay the $19k. Why would I pay $6k more than I needed to for your service I replied. This went on for a while(weeks) cause I was unable to get in touch with anyone at Citizens. (Once you question their process they will no longer answer your calls). In the mean time we received a court summons from a creditor, which would likely put our home ownership in jeopardy. So I closed my Citizens account(took 3 weeks to do something that takes them 5min cause no one would answer my calls), and demanded back my money that’s supposed to be sitting in an escrow account. They told me it would take 20-30 business days to refund me. It’s been 29-32 business days depending on which holidays they count and no funds yet. As a matter of fact my wife and I have called them at least 5x a week in the last 4weeks and not one call was answered, voicemail returned, or email replied to.

They will take advantage of you in your time of need, if they actually negotiate for you may pay a little less on you debt but you’ll save a whole lot more money and time negotiating with your creditors yourself. They have made our situation a lot worse. Now we’re fighting for our home. They could care less.

February 26, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

DO NOT TRUST CITIZENS DEBT RELIEF

Absolute horrible experience. Said several things that never happened. In the end they had me pull a loan that didnt cover all of the debt and told me to lie to the creditor about it. So overall instead of dropping the amount of debt they said in the beginning they raised my debt after 15 months to almost 15,000 more than what we originally signed. I tried to cancel and they pushed through three more "negotiations" which were what I was offered as settlements by mail and then on top they took their commissions for not doing a fu**ing think.. This company is worthless and a complete scam.. Now we have more debt, our credit is completely ruined, they took money for shit negotiations that were worse than what I was offered and stuck me with another loan for 600 more per month than what I was paying. I hope the company gets sued, would gladly join the lawsuit. NOW, I have a law firm representing me from all the lies and potential lawsuits they bestowed upon me and my family for their false scams and unethical business practices.

March 25, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

THIS IS A SCAM PROMISES PROMISES AND… CITIZENS THEFT AT ITS BEST

THIS IS A SCAM PROMISES PROMISES AND QUOTES ALL LIES I WANTED OUT OF THIS MESS AND NOW THEY WILL NOT RETURN MY MONEY. THEY HAVE NOT DONE ANY NEGOTIATING AT ALL. VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS COMPANY. BEWARE OF LIES AND PROMISES. TODD STEINHAUS YOU REALLY SHOWED YOUR TRUE COLORS NOT RESPONDING TO MY EMAILS OR TAKING MY CALLS. I JUST WANT MY MONEY BACK . IS THIS HOW YOUR COMPANY MAKES MONEY BY STEALING IT WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS.

February 5, 2026
Unprompted review
Citizens Debt Relief logo

Reply from Citizens Debt Relief

We take concerns like yours very seriously and want to help resolve this matter as quickly as possible.

At this time, we are unfortunately unable to identify your account based on the information provided.

We would very much like the opportunity to assist you directly. Please contact our main office at 800-560-3956 or submit a request using the Help button on our website so our team can locate your account, review your concerns, and work with you toward a resolution.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Moving forward

I was very skeptical about signing up for any program like this, but Todd Steinway was very patient, friendly and knowledgeable. He helped to ease my fears and doubts and made me feel comfortable and confident enough to move forward. I am looking forward to working with CDR and being able to sleep again at night.

January 15, 2026
Unprompted review

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