I had to deal with 2 credit card companies – Discover and Home Depot. How I ended up owing Home Depot, again is another story for another day and this one the NUITA’s will definitely NOT understand!! I lost my job, my main source of income, and I had to wait months before my unemployment hearing. So I reached out to each of them (Discover & Home Depot) and explained my situation – the TRUTH. Their exact words to me were NO PROBLEM. What a relief! How lucky was I to have lost my job at the end of 2008 when everyone else was losing their job too!! I really didn’t know what to expect but “NO PROBLEM” was certainly not what I thought I would hear. “lots of people lost their jobs and we established a “hardship policy…” While that “policy” made me squirm just a bit, the fact that I had to be on it made me sick to my stomach, literally. I had no choice so I took them up on their offer. How nice of them to truly “understand” the “average, middle class individual” I thought!
For ONE year, they “lowered” my interest rate IF I agreed to permit them to deduct a payment from my account every month. Of course there would be no late fees or add on fees of any kind. The interest rate would not increase during that period of time. In addition there would be no more need for harassing phone calls and questions about why I was late or couldn’t pay. I was “on their program” and FREE from all other communication. Wow – I felt like THE chosen one!
Unemployment started to “kick in” so my deal with these two companies was not a problem. In fact, I doubled the payments just to get it done and over with. Year TWO was quickly approaching and I still owed them but only a fraction of the amount I started. I thought I was making huge progress! Who knew that these wonderful companies were kind enough to determine for me that my “hardship” was going to end. I noticed that the interest rate more than DOUBLED!!! There must be some mistake. I called each of the companies. I don’t know which company made me laugh then cry the hardest!
sidenote: Finding the phone number to speak to a human is a task in and of itself. looking over the bill for the number…lost card (no that’s not the number I need), stolen card (who the heck would want to be me!!?) account balance (no not that one) TDD (not quite yet – lol), Espaňol (nope), counseling (beyond that!). Just tried any number and kept hitting “0” – eventually a HUMAN!! Maybe this was going to be a good experience after all!!
Discover – thank you so much for being on that program but it expired. The only way you can get back on the program is if you don’t pay the bill for three months then you will become a “hardship” again. In the meantime, the best we can do is give you a “few” dollars off each month if you continue to allow us to take the money directly from your checking account. When you are in The Season of BROKE $14 is $14! So I agreed.
…then came year TWO and a HALF – this month. My $14 off program also expired. I called again to get back on the program and questioned why that interest rate increased to 19.99%? We helped you all we can help they said. Call back in a month or two because we are always offering “deals” – we just don’t have one going on now. In the meantime, if you can’t make THIS month’s payment, you can be late with it and we can TRY to waive the late fee since you weren’t late for two years. But we can’t do that until you are actually charged the late fee (which of course will also rack up more interest). Oh you are so generous!! Really, you shouldn’t have…! I thought!
Even though I did get a very nice lady on the phone today, she couldn’t help me either. But nice is nice after all so I give KUDOS to her!
Home Depot – those kind folks over there – the interest was raised to 19.99% after year ONE and 26.99% after year TWO! I guess that was the only way they were going to recoup all the money they helped me saved the prior two years. Wasn’t that nice of them?! I told them my unemployment ran out (for good this time) and their comment to me was they only allow ONE “hardship” period per customer…but they understand my feelings because they answer calls all day from people like me! Seriously?
Does President Obama know this? And why isn’t he bailing “the average middle class person” out then!?
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