Well, I wasn't going to add anything b/c I think its really embarassing... but oh well. When I was 18 I got a Macy's card... bought some small things & paid it in full each month to help build my credit up... a month later, I got a Stern's card. Did the same with that. By the end of the year, I had 2 mastercards, a Gateway CC (I'll get into that in a min.), Macy's, Sterns, Mandee's, Target, & Radio Shack. I was actually going to cancel the store ones since I got the MC's from using the store ones to build up my credit... since I could just use the MC at the store & not have to have a store card. They all had 0 balances except for a few hundred on the MC's that I used when my car broke down. Well, along comes my ex-boyfriend... (now this was like 5 years ago) and he had no credit. Well since we were together awhile, I thought I could trust him. He would ask me to put something on my card if he didn't have $ on him - and he'd pay me back. Well, at first he did. He would give me the $ at the end of the week - or whenever, and I'd pay the bill in full. Well, eventually - the purchase amt's were higher (b/c they raised my limits as a result of my good credit) and after awhile, instead of getting the full amt. from him - he'd give me like half, and give me the 'I'll give it to you next week' lines... well eventually he just stopped giving me $, the minimum payments were more than I could afford (with all the cards I had) and then it just snowballed with late fees, interest charges, etc... until I was at least $10,000 in debt. (Maybe more, I lost count). Oh, and about the Gateway one - Well, during the time he WAS paying me... we go shopping around Xmas time... he tells me he is going to buy me a new computer for Xmas. Now my old one wasn't THAT bad, but when I heard 'new' and 'computer' in the same sentence.. my common sense just flew out the window! Well, needless to say - that Xmas gift had to be paid on a CC that had to be opened in MY name.. (Yes, I was stupid. VERY stupid. 18-19 yrs. old & VERY VERY stupid) Well, this computer was $1,499.00 - $80 a month. No matter my waryness, I was 'assured' that no matter what happened, whether we broke up, fought, this, that ... whatever... it was my "gift" and he would make the payments on it. Well, 6 months later I finally get a bill (he said he would take the bills b/c he worked across the street from Gateway and was going there on lunch to pay it) well.. needless to say not ONE payment was made. So, that was a big chunk of my debt - b/c $1499 went up to about $3400 after the fees. Plus there were times he'd take my card and order crap from catalogs... take my atm card and take money from my bank w/o me knowing... just an all around 'nice' guy.
but anyhoo... I couldnt' pay it off - they wanted more than I could give, their idea of a settlement was like 80% of the debt... but had to be paid in full. Now when the bill is several thousand, 80% in full is not something I could pull out of the air... so I've spent those months and years never answering my phone, dreading the mailman... and just was miserable - kicking myself for being so stupid and gullible to think that I could trust him. Well, after we broke up way back when - he disappeared, with his spotless credit (b/c he didnt' have any to destroy) and was on to the next girl to soak up her $. Unfortunately she had her new car repo'ed because he was going to "make her payments". I couldnt' warn her in time. She lost $, her license too from what she said - b/c he was 'paying her insurance' LOLOL (Yeah right - it lapsed) Well, 2 months ago, my dad came to my rescue and used $ from a loan to pay off my debt. Luckily it wasn't as much as it was before - because at this point, it's been so long - that they were pretty much willing to settle for anything lol. Well, although for the last year I was able to have a cell phone in my name (how that happened, I have no clue) but before that... it was either pre-paid cells or under someone else's name. It finally feels like a ton of bricks has been lifted off my shoulders. Although all my accounts have closed, my Mandee card still was active (which I just found out about a month ago) being that was the only one he wouldn't use (girls clothing store lol) and still have a 0 balance from the good ol' days when I paid everything in full. Well, I used it last month - just for laughs, and it worked! I charged $13.04 on some earrings and hair clips. (They had to use the card to check if it was active - so I had no choice) but... maybe this will help a little, if anything - I paid my 'huge' bill of $13.04 in full... lol then used it again for a pair of $10 pants. Which I will pay in full when the bill comes. (I think I can swing $10 lol) but maybe it will show that I'm paying - I dunno... cant hurt I guess. I've had no late payments on my cell in the past year, but I don't know if that counts... but hopefully one day I'll be back to being the person I once was with the great credit.
Although I feel really bad and embarrased that my dad had to bail me out... but without them willing to budge on payments, and the $ I make, I wouldn't have been able to put it under control. But I must say... if there was one lesson I learned in life.. that was it.
And I know that I will NEVER let that happen again.
Sorry for the long rant... but it's hard to sum up 6 years in a short post! LOL
So if you have good credit... do whatever you can to keep it that way!!!
