Newbie ISO advice (positive if possible)

[anne1975]

I have met with lawyer- paid his upfront costs in advance and have gathered all the docs and paperwork is filled out, now the lawyer is preparing petition and once we sign we'll be officially in process of Bk- (scary!)
I am trying to think positively- I mean I can't change it now- so I just have to make better finacial decisions for future. I am completely stressed though- Besides my hubby and lawyer I haven't spoken to anyone about this.
Anyway, my husband and I had been discussing for a few months now switching cellular carriers. Basically we haven't been happy with current carrier lately and our contract is now up- We are current in our bill and have no outstanding charges there- What we were wanting to know is, should we go ahead and try to switch carriers now...or wait until after we sign petition for bk? I asked my lawyer (I emailed him the quick que) and he replied that he was unable to answer the question becaus ebk law prevents him from giving advice to clients in incurring future debt-
So, I am hoping someone here may know if it matters either way and can offer me any advice-
THANKS!

[justbroke]

Doesn't matter either way.

It's probably easier to get it out of the way pre-filing because your credit will get hit with the infamous BK Public Record.

Especially if you've already satisfied the terms of your contract with the previous Cellular provider.

[BDG]

I guess it also goes with how much you use you cell. Personally I do not use mine all that much and get by just fine with a TracFone. (pay as I go) If you look around you can find all kinds of bonus minutes too.

[anne1975]

Thanks for all the advice so far-
We use our phones alot- My husband for work purposes and myself, not as much- But still often enogh-

Keep the advice coming!
Thanks!

[bkrelief22]

Just fyi...our lawyer told us to renew our contract with our cell carrier (we were happy with them) before we filed. Alot has to do with them checking credit when you renew...so I'd say if you want to change...change BEFORE you file....then it's a done deal.

Hope this helps.

bk22

[anne1975]

Just fyi...our lawyer told us to renew our contract with our cell carrier (we were happy with them) before we filed. Alot has to do with them checking credit when you renew...so I'd say if you want to change...change BEFORE you file....then it's a done deal.

Hope this helps.

bk22

THANKS so VERY much!!!!!

[anne1975]

Whats your stats mean?? I hope its not 5175-a month you have to pay back per Cht.13?????
Please- tell me thats not the case!

[reener]

change it before you file!

get one of those no contract phones like cricket or metropcs, whatever the local brand is that allows you to make unlimited calls

[anne1975]

change it before you file!

get one of those no contract phones like cricket or metropcs, whatever the local brand is that allows you to make unlimited calls

Why go for the no contract phones? The problem is my hubby works in area with little service except for a few providers- So since he needs it for work as well as personal we have limited options- We were at verizon and now are considering att...????
Guess we need to do that asap,huh.
Thanks for advice!

[Flamingo]

If you change carriers and your credit is bad prior to filing, you may not be able to change. After you file, you probably will not be able to change at all and Verizon may not even consider renewing a contract when checking your credit. Make sure you can afford your cell phone bills if you file Chapter 13...any bills you incur after you file are your own responsibility and if you can't pay them or your Plan payment if other bills get too high, you can run into serious trouble. If your hubby needs a cell for work, unless he is self-employed why doesn't his employer supply him with a cell phone?

[anne1975]

I wish they would supply cell phones- Unfortunatly they used to supply pagers- thats it, and its a waaste to have the pager and cell so we pay cell and have a plan that we can completly afford- Even if and when we switch carriers it'd be in the same price range-
WEve been with verizon for over 10 years and our contract was up a month or two ago and we really seriously were thinking of switching to att.

[justbroke]

Whats your stats mean?? I hope its not 5175-a month you have to pay back per Cht.13?????
Please- tell me thats not the case!

Okay, that's not the case. Not!

[anne1975]

Is that your mtg as well?

[relief13035]

My advice is to sign up for the new phone contract before you file. I couldn't even get a new bank account after the BK showed up on my credit. I am stuck with my Bank of America account now.

[justbroke]

Is that your mtg as well?

No. Mortgage payment is now real low (less than $3K a month). Thank God for lien stripping!