Business

Patriot Funding is A Bad Choice To Get Out of Debt

Published

6 years ago

November 28, 2020

Why is Patriot Funding Accused of Being a Debt Consolidation Scam?

Patriot Funding has been reviewed by Crixeo, the popular news and reviews site, for being part of a long-running debt consolidation and credit card relief scam. According to Crixeo:

“The story is the same. They lure you in by sending you direct mail with a “personalized invitation code” and a low 3%-4% interest rate to consolidate your high-interest credit card debt. You will be directed to Patriot Funding Review or My Patriot Funding More than likely you will not qualify for one of their credit card consolidation loans and they will try and flip you into a more expensive debt settlement product.”

Ed Miles, crixeo.com

The COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm earlier this year. This led to the closure of businesses and workplaces, leaving thousands of people unemployed and without an income. One of the biggest struggles faced by workers as a result of losing their income was card debt payment. Credit card debt is becoming an increasingly rampant problem for everyone worldwide, especially after the adverse impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the economy, forcing many to need coronavirus credit card relief.

If you’re also struggling to tackle debt and pay your credit card bills on time, then we have strategies that will help you tackle this issue. Keep reading to learn how you can deal with debt during the pandemic!

Talk to your creditor.

Your first step should be to get in touch with your creditor. Many banks and credit card companies offer credit card refinancing programs, especially in the light of the global pandemic. In these programs, credit card companies offer lower interest rates and flexible payment deadlines, among other relief options.

Therefore, you should contact your creditor and inquire about any such program. These programs are often not advertised, and the companies only offer them when the customer asks for it exclusively. So, it would be best if you contact your creditor and explain your financial solution. If not a complete solution, the company will offer at least a short term relief so you can deal with your financial hardship.

Ask for a lower interest rate.

Another thing you can do to deal with the burden of debt is to request a lower interest rate. If your credit score has improved since the time you subscribed to the credit card, then you have a high chance of qualifying for a lower interest rate now.

Opt for a balance transfer card

If you have high-interest debt, then transferring it to a credit card that offers a 0% introductory interest rate could be a great idea for getting relief. A credit card with 0% interest will reduce the amount you have to pay on your debt bills each month.

However, it’s only feasible if you’re able to pay off your debt within the introductory period. If not, then you could have to pay a higher interest after the introductory period. If you want to avail this option, you’ll have to meet a good credit score to qualify for the transfer. Make sure you do your research and apply for a card that has the lowest balance transfer fees.

Pay off high-interest loans first.

When you have more than one credit card, then you’ll have to prioritize your debt payments or look for a credit card consolidation program. There are two approaches that you can take to pay your debt: the debt avalanche method or the debt snowball method. In the debt avalanche method, you begin by paying off debt with the highest interest rate first. On the other hand, the snowball method is to pay off your smallest balance first and then move to the ones with higher interest sequentially. We recommend adopting the avalanche method for paying off your debt because paying off high-interest loans will reduce the cost of your debts in the long run.

Consult with a credit counselor

If you aren’t sure which option to take to pay off your debt, then we recommend consulting with a debt counselor. There are several affordable options available. Consider contacting a non-profit credit counseling agency for a free consultation. The counselor will go over your financial standing thoroughly and will develop a debt payment plan that works for your specific situation.

Moreover, the credit counselor may also be able to negotiate with creditors on your behalf. In your situation, hiring a credit counselor may not be feasible, so you should contact a non-profit agency for assistance.

How to handle medical debt?

If you lost your job as a result of the pandemic, then you may also have lost your employer’s health insurance plan. Even if you do manage to keep the insurance by paying all the premiums on your own, it still won’t solve the problem of outstanding medical debt.

Without a health insurance plan, you’ll be vulnerable to financial turmoil in case of a medical emergency or illness. Here are a few options that you can consider:

Speak with your doctor/ primary healthcare provider: If you have an unpaid hospital bill that you are not in the position to pay, then we recommend talking to your doctor. You can request the doctor or the hospital’s billing supervisor to lower or forgive your debt. If none of that works, you would still be able to negotiate a sustainable payment plan to pay off your debt.

Some hospitals offer financial aid programs that offer to forgive or write off your debt partially or completely, depending on your situation. However, you will have to ask about such a program as they aren’t advertised or encouraged.

Seek consultation from a medical billing advocate: If your medical bill has already been sold to a debt collection agency, then consider consulting with a medical billing advocate. The advocate can help negotiate your debt with the agency and could potentially get your bill lowered. Most advocates charge a percentage of the saved money from the bill as their fees.

Other options

If you run out of all options and have a high-interest debt to pay, then you can consider tapping into your home equity. The prices of homes have spiked over the past year, and you can take a loan against your home equity to pay off your high-interest debt.

A home equity loan will provide you a lump sum amount that comes with a fixed repayment period and interest rate. The repayment period can range from 5 to 30 years. Normally, you can take a loan of up to 85% of your home’s value. However, this number may have been affected due to the situation created by the pandemic.

Final Words

The current times are unprecedented and extremely challenging. Along with the health threat, the pandemic has also brought financial and economic havoc globally. If you’re struggling, then consider choosing one of the options that we have discussed above to tackle debt.

Business

Ipsos Helps Brands Understand How They Get Customer Experience Wrong & Why It’s Costing Them Millions

Published

4 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Matthew Wiles

For brands looking to succeed in the modern business ecosystem, the customer experience (CX) is not something companies can afford to ignore. CX is a direct driver of revenue, loyalty, and growth for organizations.

Ipsos, one of the world’s leading market research firms, helps brands understand that failing to focus on the customer experience can lead to lost sales, which in turn can translate to not only millions in lost revenue but also lost trust and credibility in the market.

How brands still get CX wrong

“The customer decision and desire to do business with brands directly affect the bottom line,” says Brad Christian, Chief Commercial Officer at Ipsos – Experience Practice.

Customer experience may sound like a simple concept, but many brands still get it wrong. CX goes beyond surveys and feedback. Leaders who fail to connect feedback in a meaningful way to goals such as retention, repeat visits or purchases, advocacy, and operational performance fail to deliver on their service promises. The emotional and functional disconnect can spell trouble for brands. The most polished advertising campaigns cannot make up for a frustrating customer interaction or a promise that a business cannot fulfill.

According to Ipsos’s internal research, many customers today see service as too automated and impersonal. More than half report that their experience is worse than promised.

These findings don’t just result in disappointed buyers. They result in lost customers, negative feedback, and a long-term impact on the business as a whole.

“Brands have to manage the entire customer experience across each and every touchpoint,” explains Christian.

Poor CX can be expensive

Executives can often underestimate how expensive a history of poor CX can be. Global losses can reach into the billions while leaders wonder what went wrong. In an age of rapid social media communication, a single negative interaction can spell disaster for a company, leading to reduced customer spending or the entire loss of its most loyal customers.

Those losses are not just reflected in lost revenue, however. Customer acquisition and marketing dollars can also be lost as companies continue to spend money trying to retain their customer base, often skipping right over the experience part of retention.

Poor customer experience can be a deep operating problem that creates a domino effect, decimating businesses from the inside out. These poor experiences can impact not only present and future customer acquisition but also business leaders and employees.

CX matters more in today’s business landscape

The customer experience has always mattered, but it may matter more to brands trying to make it in a modern, ultra-competitive, digitally-driven business landscape. Good experiences encourage repeat purchases, boost loyalty, and increase the likelihood that customers will go online and recommend a brand to others.

“Customer experience isn’t an isolated function,” says Christian. “It’s ‌part of a larger system that ensures that brands measure and manage customer experience data and then act on that data to drive action where customer experience gaps exist.”

Brands also have to seek to understand today’s customers, who expect experiences that are seamless, authentic, and relevant. As more and more companies hop on the automation train, they will want to reassure their customers that the human element that many people consider important still exists.

At Ipsos, six drivers of strong customer relationships form the bedrock of the company’s CX platform, something that they refer to as the “Forces of CX”: certainty, fair treatment, control, status, belonging, and enjoyment.

Customers want to feel that if they have an issue with a brand, it will be handled and that their concerns will be understood. They don’t want the customer experience to feel like a battleground; they want it to feel fair and human.

“Customer experience isn’t just a nicer experience,” says Christian. “It ties directly to specific financial outcomes, whether that be increased sales, greater market share, or stronger brand loyalty.”

How Ipsos helps businesses deliver customer experiences that matter

Ipsos turns customer feedback into reliable, actionable, decision-ready information. The company goes beyond simple satisfaction metrics and implements voice-of-the-customer programs, journey analytics, relationship feedback, and quality research.

“Brands don’t just need data,” Christian says. “They need measurements as to how they are delivering on their brand promise and predictive modeling to tie financial performance measures to those measures to help them determine where to invest to maximize the customer experience and understand what financial impact those investments might deliver for the business.”

Ipsos measures the interactions that matter ‌most and shows brands how each interaction can affect retention, share of spend, and efficiency. For brands that are trying to reduce the guesswork behind CX, Ipsos helps them move beyond cosmetic fixes to achieve real, meaningful change.

Customer expectations can shift on a dime, influenced by society, social media, and even changing trends. Ipsos helps brands meet those rapidly changing customer expectations with hard evidence and comprehensive metrics.

Today’s brands need to understand how to get the customer experience right. Ipsos has the insights needed to drive home the deep importance of CX in today’s marketplace.