Too little - too late

[woohoogirl]

I agree these ar the best. I really want to share these with my coworkers, but of course they don't know that I'm filing and it kinda fun to see how they look at me while I'm reading these posts and laughing. I love these...keep'em coming...have you thought about a job as a stand up???

[nazstar]

HAHAHAHA!!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT! Your too funny! I hope you keep posting your interesting conversations with these people. You made my day.

I'll keep you posted. It's weird. The minute my husband and I started to do this today, we were able to laugh about our situation. We still understand the seriousness of it, but really... You hit a point and what more can you do? We are having a leeeeean Christmas this year, but our daughter is too young to understand presents anyway. As long as Mommy and Daddy are happy and laughing, all is right in her world. I hung up and there were tears streaming down his face because he was laughing so hard and he just hugged me and said, "You are such a freak! I love you."

This is all funny but it really made me realize the toll bankruptcy takes on a marriage - even a good one. The lightheartedness can disappear so quickly just at the time when it is needed the most.

[chpxiii]

I think you guys are doing great. I've read stories on here where people are divorcing due to bankruptcy. It makes me sad. I wonder what happened to commitment. But then I also don't know the whole story.

You and your husband sound like you are truly "in this together" and are a team. That's awesome. One thing is certain ... you two will be stronger for this.

[nazstar]

have you thought about a job as a stand up???

Hahaha! I'd probably get on stage and wet myself. Most of the time, I find people don't get my sarcasm anyway, which is also fun to watch.

[nazstar]

I think you guys are doing great. I've read stories on here where people are divorcing due to bankruptcy. It makes me sad. I wonder what happened to commitment. But then I also don't know the whole story.

You and your husband sound like you are truly "in this together" and are a team. That's awesome. One thing is certain ... you two will be stronger for this.

Don't get me wrong - there are definitely moments when he's talking and I'm nodding, but my brain is wondering at what velocity would this frying pan just injure - not kill him. I'm sure he thinks the same thing from time to time. But, we get by. We have the same sense of humor so that helps. Right now, we are having our house foreclosed, moving to a rental, dealing with an infant, found out we are pregnant again and dealing with bankruptcy. The way I see it, if we come out of all this together, nothing is gonna separate us after that!

[woohoogirl]

Hahaha! I'd probably get on stage and wet myself. Most of the time, I find people don't get my sarcasm anyway, which is also fun to watch.

I understand that...most people just look at me like I've either threatened to kill their dog or grandmother or just have this blank stare ...I just make a mental note that so and so doesn't have a funny bone

[chpxiii]

nazstar, aww! I think we all have moments like those. Thoughts like that come in times of stress, but we don't really mean it. It's the actions we take that count the most. And hey, the frying pan didn't get propelled, so that's what matters!

[nazstar]

I understand that...most people just look at me like I've either threatened to kill their dog or grandmother or just have this blank stare ...I just make a mental note that so and so doesn't have a funny bone

The worst is when my husband is being sarcastic and hysterical but they don't get it. I'm trying to keep a straight face and the poor person is staring back and forth between us like we're a couple of morons. We were in the Disney store and kids were freaking out. He turns to this guy that's completely calm and grinning in his little Disney member uniform. He's holding a mickey mouse santa and smiling at all the kids - seemingly oblivious to the mania around him. My husband leans in close and says "Dude, lithium or qualudes?". The guy stares at him and tells him he doesn't think they carry that but he can check for him. I had to walk away because the guy genuinely looked like he was gonna ask the manager if they carried lithium and qualudes. To be fair, he was probably around 23 years old and had no idea what my husband was talking about. But it was hysterical for us. We laughed all the way back to the car.

[Runnin on empty]

Great stories nazstar! It's 'bout time some of those creditors got their comeuppance! We too were in the same boat. For years we tried to find a way to consolidate, and nobody would lift a finger, yet we'd receive another $30K-$50K in CC offers every other day!

To heck with 'em. They helped create this mess (we did our part for sure), now they can reap what they sow. FWIW, in our experience, AT&T Universal has been the most unfriendly to us.

We're filing today, so I cannot wait to be able to answer the phone, just give them the case number, and tell them to go whizz in the wind!

[FreshLikeADaisy]

AT&T Universal is my main debt, and yeah, they have been the absolute *NASTIEST* to me as well. And when it went to collections, they got the scum-suckingest most bottom feeding wastes of human flesh they could possibly find that could be as evil as they are and still breathe air.

(sorry, I guess I have some strong feelings about them)

You know, all my life I have worked so hard and paid my bills on time and never charged anything I couldn't afford (nothing against anyone here, I just always feared debt) and so when I got into this unemployment/disability/foreclosure thing it was more than I could stand. But I am perversely grateful in a *very tiny* way to AT&T Universal Card and their nasty ol' sloped-forehead collectors, because creditors like them actually make me feel good about bankruptcy. They have been so evil to both me and my family that I have actually wished that my debt with them were bigger...

So don't feel bad. I had my card with them from start-up in 1992, and the fact that I had 15 years of perfect payment history didn't make a damn bit of difference when I got into trouble. I am only tremendously glad that I am now costing them as much as I am.

[Runnin on empty]

I had my card with them from start-up in 1992, and the fact that I had 15 years of perfect payment history didn't make a damn bit of difference when I got into trouble. I am only tremendously glad that I am now costing them as much as I am.

Same here. 8 years of perfect payments, but the very first month we missed (when we knew that we were going to file) and BLAMMO, instant 33.5% interest rate.

I don't feel one bit bad about filing. I do feel ashamed that we let ourselves get to the point where it was the only option, but I feel no remorse to those companies. They've easily made the original funds back that we charged, the rest of it was just the blood-sucking interest & fees.

I don't look at this as a mistake. I look at this as a learning experience and a fresh start. Heck, I've got a new lease on life that I haven't had since before August of 2001. That was a lifetime ago, as far as I'm concerned.

It is going to be a long road. It isn't going to be easy. I don't expect it to be. But you know what? I can look at myself in the mirror again, smile, and like the person I see in the reflection (well, except for that pesky 30lbs I need to lose).

[nazstar]

Same here. 8 years of perfect payments, but the very first month we missed (when we knew that we were going to file) and BLAMMO, instant 33.5% interest rate.

I also got a card with them in 1992, I remember because I was a freshman in college. I always made on time payments with them until this year. Here's a great story of their blood sucking fees. A few years ago, I took a cash advance out with them, which carries a higher interest rate. When I went to repay it 30 days later, I called and told them I wanted to apply this payment to the CASH ADVANCE balance, not the revolving balance which carried a really low rate (comparatively). Otherwise, they post payment to the lowest interest account. They told me ok and that I had to mail the payment with an explanation to a different department, which I did. I get my statement next month and my interest rate is 30.99% from 11.9%! The payment was due on the 15th, and I paid 2 weeks early. It was posted right there on the statement! In addition, there is a late fee of I think somewhere around $30. So, I call and they tell me they raised my interest rate because I was late. I ask them to verify when payment was due and they confirm the 15th. Then I ask them to verify when they posted my last payment. It was 11 days PRIOR to the due date. So, I ask how in the heck am I late if YOU confirm posting the payment 11 days before due date?! They tell me it must be an error, they will reverse the fees, "this time" like it was MY fault but there is nothing they can do about the interest rate because that's an automatic posting. I flipped out and spoke to a supervisor who fixed it after about 30 minutes.

[rilbrianne]

The worst is when my husband is being sarcastic and hysterical but they don't get it. I'm trying to keep a straight face and the poor person is staring back and forth between us like we're a couple of morons. We were in the Disney store and kids were freaking out. He turns to this guy that's completely calm and grinning in his little Disney member uniform. He's holding a mickey mouse santa and smiling at all the kids - seemingly oblivious to the mania around him. My husband leans in close and says "Dude, lithium or qualudes?". The guy stares at him and tells him he doesn't think they carry that but he can check for him. I had to walk away because the guy genuinely looked like he was gonna ask the manager if they carried lithium and qualudes. To be fair, he was probably around 23 years old and had no idea what my husband was talking about. But it was hysterical for us. We laughed all the way back to the car.

Yep, I don't get it. I have no idea what your talking about. Must've been something before my time????

[FreshLikeADaisy]

Here's a great story of their blood sucking fees. A few years ago, I took a cash advance out with them...

I so believe you. Being in Jacksonville I have known several people that worked there, and stories like that are not uncommon. The people I knew said it was just hell to work for them. Being taken over by Citibank didn't help matters any, just made it all worse... grrrrr.

(Oh, and they did that damnable rate boost on me too, but didn't wait until I was late with them: they did it when I was late with the mortgage, which was long before I quit paying them. I forget what it's called, but it's a clause they inserted in the RICA that allows them to check your credit bureau and up your interest rate if you are late or overlimit on any other account, not just credit accounts either. Seriously, my only regret is that I tried too hard for too long to pay my bills, and didn't stop paying them WAAAAAY sooner...)

[nazstar]

Yep, I don't get it. I have no idea what your talking about. Must've been something before my time????

HAHAHA! Must be before your time!!! Lithium and qualudes are drugs that would make one very mellow and pretty much indifferent to the chaos around you. They had valid medical reasons for existing but aren't as popular anymore. My husband was joking with him that he must have been taking one or the other to be standing there like a smiling idiot when children where staging a mutiny all around him. The clerk thought he was asking where the the lithium and qualudes were in the store as if they would be between The Little Mermaid and The Lion King.