Dimitri saved over $45,000 and cut his monthly payments by more than half.
| Creditor | Account Balance | Settlement Amount | Client Savings |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citibank | $75,529,91 | $30,212,00 | $45,317,91 | View |
Dimitri knows a challenge when he sees one. Having witnessed firsthand government excesses and the lack of freedom under the communist government of his home country Hungary, he decided to risk it all and leave. Sleeping during the day and under the cover of night he made his way toward Vienna, Austria.
After about a week, he finally made it to the border and had slipped through the crossing without being detected. Shortly thereafter he made it to Vienna. While there, he was arrested for improper documentation and for illegal entry. However, since he was a political dissident and was facing a big prison sentence in his homeland, all charges were dropped and shortly thereafter he was granted permission to move to the United States.
Furniture making was in his blood and moving forward a couple decades Dimitri had established himself as an owner of a small custom furniture factory. He grew the business up to ten employees at its apex, and life was great.
However in the mid-1990s he witnessed a slight change in the furniture industry. Less people were willing to pay the larger prices for handmade quality furniture and many were opting for cheaper imports, a lot of which was made in China. The change was incremental though, not overnight. Each year there was a reduction in business, but the reduction was about 3-5%. Every two or three years to keep his company going he had to lay off an employee. 10 employees became 5 and after a while longer Dimitri found himself making the furniture again with help from his wife and son. Furthermore Covid-19 just about doubled the cost of materials.
The three of them working together was the business protocol until about 2018 health problems set in. It’s difficult to make furniture at any age, never mind in your seventh decade of life. Both knees had to be replaced and he was out of work for three months. During that time the business was gaining almost no new sales. He was also diagnosed with a cardiac condition called auricular fibrillation. The results are shortness of breath, being tired and reduced furniture production.
Economic and health factors beyond Dimitri’s control spurred him to call us. He needed help and he couldn’t afford paying $3,745.00 per month toward his business credit card debt anymore. That amount was bottlenecking his business, and he was considering closing the doors forever. In addition, the payments were never even going to end at that rate. Something had to give. With our help we had developed a program for him whereby his monthly payment would be a more affordable $1,549.00 per month. This saved him and the family business about $2,200.00 per month. Secondly after about 15 months we had negotiated the account from $75,529.91 down to $30,212.00
After hearing the results, Dimitri told us that because of the cash flow savings we engineered and our help with cost cutting measures, he’s happy to inform us that his business is still alive today and stronger than it was before seeking our services.
