San Francisco, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/20/2015 -- BestDebtCompanys.com (BDC) updated the criteria and scoring for its debt consolidation companies. This criteria overhaul is the third one completed this year.

Each of the 26 companies were re-scored and updated according to the new criteria created by the BDC team.

"This new criteria reflects the extensive research conducted about the consolidation industry," BDC PR Director Kate Ward said. "We are always looking stay on top of the industry and improve our criteria."

The new updated criteria includes:

-Up-Front Fees
-Price
-Interest Rates
-Time in Business
-Account Management
-Credit Counseling
-Accreditations
-BBB Score
-User Score

Each criteria point is weighted differently depending on the value it represents in the industry. Like the other industries reviewed on BestDebtCompanys.com, the user score received a major update. The user score now accounts for 25 percent of the overall score.

The BDC team wanted real customers to have a bigger voice in ranking companies. Since they are the ones actually using the service, their opinion should have more weight.

"Real user reviews helps potential customers better understand consolidation companies," Ward said. "They have experienced firsthand how these companies operate and can help steer others in the right direction."

Other heavily weighted criteria points include interest rates, account management and credit counseling.

The top three debt consolidation companies to date are DebtWave Credit Counseling, Inc., Consolidated Credit and Family Credit Management.

About BestDebtCompanys.com
BestDebtCompanys.com provides unbiased reviews of companies. Their unique ranking criteria, combined with real user reviews, creates honest rankings of debt consolidation companies.

The more real user reviews there are, the more potential customers can be informed about the company and its services. BestDebtCompanys.com focuses on making the consumer experience better.

For more information about debt consolidation, visit BestDebtCompanys.com/debt-consolidation

Media Contact:
Kate Ward
investigate@bestdebtcompanys.com