For many, the main purpose of a debt consolidation loan is to become debt free as quickly as possible. Debt consolidation allows people to save a few dollars each month while still simultaneously reducing the debt load with each payment. The result is they save money on interest and effort by making only a single payment instead of multitudes each month.
A loan to consolidate debt can backfire by pulling one down into a larger burden of debt instead of completely alleviating it. For example, the loans are almost always advertised as having low interest rates and attractive package perks which stimulates the instant gratification seekers to sign up instantly. So, what happens when someone really doesnt read the fine print and doesnt shop beyond the sparkly television commercials? Well, simply put, those people often end up with not very competitive interest rates and worse customer service than they would had they shopped around for the best buy.
Debt Consolidation Loans, while they offer a great premise — multiple bills put into one consolidation loan with one monthly payment at a better interest rate — do have a few negatives as well. One is...