Citizens Advice has said that a large proportion of people in debt try to manage negotiations with creditors on their own, but they should be seeking advice.
Creditors generally advise people in difficulty to discuss their problems, but evidence from the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) suggests people are not always treated sympathetically.
Alex MacDermott, creditor liaison policy officer at Citizens Advice, said: "Last year nearly one million people in England and Wales sought free advice on debt related problems.
"Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more clients coming back and telling us that their offers won't be looked at unless they are endorsed by a third party such as their local CAB."
The CAB is working with leading providers of debt advice to ensure everyone can access good quality advice and information on their finances.
According to Credit Action, personal debt in the UK stood at £1.4 trillion at the end of April, an increase over £110 billion in 12 months.
The average household debt in the UK stands at £9,223, with interest repayments costing Brits £94.3 billion a year.
