You can hardly turn the TV or radio on these days without hearing an ad for a consumer credit counseling service. Some claim to be able to lower your interest rate and raise your credit score in no time flat; others promise to help you form and stick to a budget, lowering your expenses and providing more money to pay off debt; and still others guarantee they can help you quit using credit and begin paying with cash on a regular basis. It is crucial to consider carefully before enlisting the aid any of these organizations. There are some that may not have your best interests at heart. In fact, while some of these consumer credit counseling services are non-profit and others are for-profit, many non-profits derive their income in the form of a percentage of what they recover for creditors. As a result, they are often more concerned with the benefit of credit card companies than they are of the consumer. Investigate these organizations thoroughly and even enlist the aid of an attorney if you are in serious economic trouble. They can help you discover which is the best option for you, even if you have already lost money to one of the less reputable services.