I have been coming here for a couple of weeks now and have never posted. After reading the long thread below started by Marie I just have on simple question.... Whatever happened to paying the freiking money you owe and quit trying to find all these loopholes to not pay your obligations????? I am so tired of reading sob story after sob story on here. If you owe money to someone, pay them for Christ sakes and you won't have to worry about bill collectors! If you don't pay money back that you owe, then your credit WILL be wrecked for at least 7 years. And I for one, don't feel one bit sorry for you. You deserve everything you are getting. And if posting on this board might somehow make feel better about yourself for being the deadbeats you are, then so be it. I'm off my soapbox now, anyone out there agree or disagree with me?
Um, excuse me, but why the hell are you here if you don't have credit problems?? If you are so tired of reading these "sob stories" then don't read them. Just because someone has money problems does not necessarily make them a deadbeat.
Dude, your an idiot . If you have nothing positive to say, then get lost. Besides I think your mommy is calling you. JWP, it's time for dinner
The situation is not always as simple as it may seem. In 1970 if someone were to lend you money and charge a 24% APR it would be considered usury, which was illegal. To garner the favor of large credit card companies as credit cards became a neccesity many states changed their statutes to allow exorbitant interest rates (i.e. ever wonder why so many large credit card issuers are located in Delaware). This brought employment and commerce for the state. The consumer lost, as the interest rates rapidly climbed beyond the stratosphere. Many hard working, good and moral people ended up in financial hardships due to single missed payments causing APR's to climb to maximums and credit card companies began using tricks such as mailing a statement 10 days before the payment due date (cross country mail can be 5 days) and banking on the fact the debtor would not open it and send an express mail payment. 5 days mail, 2-3 day delay in payment being submitted, 5 days mail--- Voila late charges! The credit card companies are much to blame for honest people defaulting on their debts. In addition MANY of the people here are discussing items entered ERRONEOUSLY on their reports. Consumer reports estimated in their most recent survey that 48% of the reports sampled contained major errors from credit reporting agencies. GEORGE wrote: ------------------------------- There is no LAW that says you have to go to this web site or read ANY posts...
The topics discussed on this board have little or nothing to do with avoiding credit obligations. It doesn't strike me as immoral that someone wants to exercise a legal right to have erroneous or dated information removed from a credit report and I don't think it's wrong to share information about credit card companies. Nevertheless, thank you for showing us the light and getting us off the road to eternal damnation.
In addition, many credit card companies market to college students with NO income. Do they really expect ALL cardholders to be able to pay it back?? No. They get tax benefits for the "loss" they take when a cardholder defaults. It's not as though they actually lose much if any money. Many people pay their debt for years paying mostly interest and barely chipping away at the principal balance. Then when they get into financial trouble and can't pay the balance the banks add on even more interest and late fees. It's not uncommon for a person to borrow, say $1000 on a credit card. By making the minimum payment they could end up paying back $1500 over a few years and still owing what they originally borrowed. The banks will give cards to people who are at risk to default, because they know they'll get back most or more of what they originally lent even if they default. Many people will argue that the cardholder knew what they were getting into, signed up for the card, etc. That may be true, but most people don't have much choice. We need a credit card and have to take it at their ridiculously high interest rates. Maybe if they'd reduce the interest rates and fees more people could afford NOT to default.
Hey Mr. Perfect Why have you been coming here for a couple of weeks? Is there something wrong with your credit? Sometimes people have problems with their credit due to circumstances beyond their control such as illness, unemployment etc. and sometimes there are just plain old mistakes by the credit bureaus. Also, this board is here to help people repair or establish their credit. Positive posts are the general idea and if you can't do that maybe you shouldn't post at all. There seems to be several people lately who seem to think they are almighty and personnally I am sick of it.
RE: Hey Mr. Perfect C,mon now, I never said or claim to be perfect or almighty if you actually read my post. I do owe around 19K with my CCs and student loan combined, so I came here to find out about good deals on cards, reducing my debt faster, etc. I'm sorry my post was not "positive" but it just gets me when people will do everything in their power to get out of something they are legally obligated to pay. You might as well just go rob a bank as far as I am concerned because stealing is what you really are doing. If you don't want collectors calling and harassing you all time, it is very simple.....PAY YOUR BILL. Enough said.
RE: Hey Mr. Perfect If you don't like what people are discussing on this board, then GO AWAY. Why waste your time posting here? Do you really think people who have been posting here trying to help each other are now going to stop posting just because some whiner doesn't want to read it?? By the way, most people here are not "legally" obligated to pay anything. That's why we're here, to learn about our rights. Like we've said - most people here have paid the bills and are fighting creditors and CRA's who violate the FCRA. And for those who haven't paid their bills, that still doesn't make it right for the creditors to viloate the FCRA. We are not here to be critics of each other - this is a SUPPORT board. I don't appreciate being labeled a "deadbeat." I am college educated, have a professional job where I make a very high income, live in a beautiful home and have a great life - I'm not a whiner, I made a few small mistakes years ago in college, have paid for them, and am just looking for a little advice on how to get rid of some old negative entries on my credit report so I can get a lower interest credit card. Like I said, if you aren't interested in those types of posts then go to another board. I just don't understand why it took you 2 weeks to realize that most people on this board are interested in discussing CREDIT REPAIR.
"paying the freiking mone JWP, Not all instances are CC related in which you feel it similar to robbing a bank. Take medical bills in which the insurance refuse to pay getting off on a technicality arguing that they didn't get a referral in on time, or taking IT courses in which the Financial Aid advisor lures you into promising Guaranteed Financial Aid, and when that didn't go through, drop you on the spot requesting the full tuition paid in full to be able to complete the program. You see guy, every situation is unique, and a lot of times one doesn't feel they owe the debts, like me am willing to go to court and dispute them. But the end result is the same. There is a negative/derogatory item in your report. You may side with the creditors and lenders that we should be punished with higher interest rates. But everyone here is trying to improve their credit to save money. If you have perfect credit, but feel the need to scan these boards with the terrific infos and advice that people here are generously giving, then please do so and zip it!
Dear JWP please read this and Part of the education of this group is letting people know what their rights are and how to exercise them. I agree in paying your debts, if you can. I am also human and I see people get sick, get laid off, get their identities stolen, and the bills still keep coming with no collection company ever wanting to compromise or help you protect your rights. How do you justify Citibank never working with me on payments (after I was almost killed in a car accident, by the way). They legally wrote off my debt (p&l writeoff), took their tax deduction, sold the loan to a collector who then harassed my mother at her place of employment (because even though they had my address, they tried to extort money out of my Mom because she had a similar name). Ok, we get that all cleared up. Citibank sells it again to another collection agency (these agencies are on the FTC list for violations and large fines/ and lawsuits for flagrant violations of the law). Ok, so now my parents and I get to deal with the criminal collection procedures of collection companies. Meanwhile, Citibank et al put all MY info (which I did try to pay off, by the way) on my Mother's credit file. There were items there for over 10 years. We had chronically confused files so my parents paid for my accident too. Equifax didn't care til we almost filed a lawsuit. Later in life, I had a roommate steal my identity and run up illegal credit. She had access to my SSN and she had a college id made with my info, her face. Guess what, affidavits later, letters to creditors, letters to CRAs, took lots of my time and energy. and they can try to choose not to believe you and persecute you anyway. Did you know that? You're guilty until proven innocent. I couldn't have financed a stick of gum during this time. I didn't do a thing wrong but I paid for this one dearly. After all this, I learned my rights. Still, for 5 years I really didn't use credit because either I couldn't or I didn't want to bother being in that system anymore. Was the system fair to me? Guess what, it didn't care a bit. By the way, while I was hurt my parents and I even tried to help me pay the monthly payments. I was just out of school and didn't have that much saved up. My parents had 4 children in college. Not much left over. But if the payment was 20 (just for example) Citibank wouldn't take 10. Plus they added late fees and penalties. Interest rates rose. And of course, I did have more than 1 card. The hospital bills are killers. I tried for over 7 years to repay everybody. SEVEN years. Most of my debts tripled or quadrupled based on fees and penalties. Did they ever work with me? Absolutely NOT. Over all this time and all these issues, about half of the creditors acted like humans. The other half didn't care. Oh, the debts were listed on my reports multiple times. The collection companies changed the dates so they could "renew" the debts (ILLEGAL by the way). One debt would cost me 3 or 4 entries on my reports. Well, after that much reality, you finally grow up, learn your rights, and finally fight back like an adult. But you'd probably just call this a sob story, right? JWP, whoever you are, I try to find the best in everybody, and I'm even trying that with you. And at the same time, I truly don't see how you can come to us for help, advice, our info on how to get better rates... and then act so hostile towards us. If you really believe in paying your fair share, why are you even looking for better cards? Just pay what they initially offer you. Isn't that fair to the credit card companies. You signed the initial agreements, why would you try to negotiate (to alter) your original terms. Just pay your current interest. Oh, you want an edge, and advantage, an education on what's a better way. Well, so do we. We all just have different circumstances. And we are human about others' circumstances: better or worse. And as you're reading this and thinking about all that we've said, realize this: the big post was about COLLECTION agencies. Ever look at the FTC website? Let me give you some quick links so you can read about COLLECTION agency abuses: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2000/07/nacc.htm http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1999/9902/perimeter.htm I got to deal with Perimeter. Fun fun. Obscene language, threats, threats of violence, on and on. Calls late at night, early in the morning. Calls to my neighbors, calls to my grandmother, my mother, my mother at work, my father at work. Get the picture? COLLECTION AGENCIES! One of the reasons the law was put in place was because a retired woman suffered a stroke after a COLLECTION agency told her that if she didn't pay her husband's burial fees in full that week they'd DIG HIM UP. She had a stroke because of the COLLECTION agency. ABSOLUTE TRUTH. how about the ftc file on the guy whose credit file got confused with a "deadbeat". He lost his corporate card because of an account review, his employer found out and thought he had chronic financial problems, fired him, wife left him, and HE SHOT HIMSELF because there was NOTHING he could do. Credit bureaus, collection agencies... Do I have any sympathy for collection agencies? No. You have a student loan. Better not ever have a problem with them. They're the worst! They have the most ruthless collection systems around. Their last resort: The IRS will come after you for the rest of your life! US guaranteed. Are you sweating that loan yet? Do you have several months payments in the bank in case of a problem? You'd better not start thinking about what would happen if you got chronically sick. Do you have disability insurance that would cover all your bills for several years? Do you have medical insurance that would continue if you could no longer work. What about if you got laid off? How quickly would your money run out? What about someone you love? What if they had problems. Would you be so heartless? Hey, do you know where all your credit cards are right now? Did you throw away a pay stub with your SSN, name and address on it? Did you buy something online and someone intercepted your info? Did you use your credit card at a restaurant and somebody captured your card info, cloned it, and is using it right now? Did you throw away a preapproved offer and someone went through your garbage, got it, didn't even get most of your info right (even crossed through the address and sent it to another one... but that's what they tell you to do if it's wrong) and is using your new card right now... Have you even looked at your credit report lately to know how many people are screwing with YOU even as you're reading this post. And you felt all safe, warm, and smug before, didn't you? Ah, collection agencies. They're everywhere. They don't care if the debt isn't yours, they don't care if you paid it off already, they don't care if the judgment they just got on you was false but your lawyer couldn't beat them. They'll get you anyway, because you don't think you should either know or exercise your rights. Karma is interesting. What goes around comes around. Likely you have many more years of life... let's just see what horrible things come YOUR way in the future. Sleep well?
One problem, moron, is that if you DO pay off an old debt, your credit is still damaged for 7 years. Although people shouldn't default on their debts, there shouldn't be a system of organized blackmail and extortion applied against people who do happen to default, for whatever reason. And that's another point. It isn't always possible for people to pay debts that they fully intended to pay. You might as well say that if people just don't get sick, they won't have any problems with medical bills. Or that if people just avoid doing business with crooks, they won't have any problems with legal expenses.
EVEN IF YOU DO PAY YOUR CREDIT IS WRECKED FOR 7 YEARS. YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE BAD CREDIT TOO AND ARE IN DENIAL. BOOHOO. BABY IT WILL BE ALRIGHT. RONI
RE: mr 19K in debt. Sounds like you are in real trouble if you've accumulated that much debt. Maybe we can help you, if you come off in a not so high and mighty fashion. Obviously, you oweing 19K is a sign of serious trouble in credit card debt. Here's a tip: Cut up your cards, stop using them, cancel the accounts, and pay them off, quit living a lifestyle you aren't capable of paying for. Otherwise you will become one of the people who end up not paying off their debts. education is key. Take note, you need to quit charging, correct your spending habits, or you will become one of what you are so upset about..
To Marie and JWP Marie: You are to be complimented for having taken the time and devoted the effort to respond in such a straight forward and sincere manner to JWP. JWP: It appears to me from having observed this message board that the people who post to it come from all walks of life. Some people post references to good things that have happened to them as well as not-so-nice things that have happened to them. Stick around. Be patient. Whether you have zillions, or whether you are living hand-to-mouth, you can only learn from reading the experiences of those who post to this board. February 16, 2001 Mark Aronson in Pittsburgh, PA.
This is what I think of JWP You did exactly as you planned. you wanted to insult the board and get crap off your chest. You should be happy with yourself. BRAVO! Do you feel better now. I hope you dont lose your job, or have a disability which will leave you unable to pay your debts. if you do, i hope you dont have your friends be as judgement of you as you are of us. BTW: most of us pay our bills on this site when it is possible. You are just a judgemental "prick" who choices to believe what you wanna believe instead of what you read. roni
You know guys, typically speaking to don't even respond to such ignorance, but I gotta say, JWP, if that's how you feel, that's too bad. As others on here has explained (and for what I don't know because JWP can't do one damn thing for you) there are circumstances sometimes that may affect the situation. And then, there are people who try to get around having to pay at all. Nonetheless, JWP, you aren't ANYONE to spew your crap because someone is exercising their freedom to speak. If you have SUCH a problem, then ignore it. But stop looking down your nose at people, shut your damn mouth, get WHATEVER you came to the board for and dismiss yourself. And if I'm not mistaken, no one asked for your 2cents!
To:Sam lol,lol LOL, looks like JWP went away...... sam wrote:-------------------------------Sounds like you are in real trouble if you've accumulated that much debt. Maybe we can help you, if you come off in a not so high and mighty fashion.Obviously, you oweing 19K is a sign of serious trouble in credit card debt. Here's a tip: Cut up your cards, stop using them, cancel the accounts, and pay them off, quit living a lifestyle you aren't capable of paying for.Otherwise you will become one of the people who end up not paying off their debts.education is key. Take note, you need to quit charging, correct your spending habits, or you will become one of what you are so upset about..
