3 years of debt- Where do I start? Please HELP!?
I am a statistic..when I was 18 I got a credit card.. Then another .. and I owe Verizon and Cingular for outstanding bills all occuring approx 3 years ago. I am in the process of saving up $ to pay off my debt ..(I want to buy a car & home in the future) and I don't know who I owe exactly, the amount owed .. I don't know where to start. I am scared because I have had no contact with any creditors and I really want to get my credit score up to par and repaired! thank you so much. I do not have a bank account and cannot get one and have been denied an account, I owe Washington Mutual approx 500$
Public Comments
- GET RID OF YOUR CREDIT CARDS . BURN THEM. SAVE AND PAY OFF ALL YOUR BILLS . THEN YOU WILL BE FINE
- Your first step would be to get a copy of your credit report. You can obtain one free if you have been denied credit in the past 30 days and you are also entitled to one free copy per calendar year. Your credit report will show who you owe and will also give you addresses and phone numbers to get in contact with them. Assess who you owe and how much and work out a budget. Then give those people a call. Some may even be willing to settle for less than owed. Its a small start but its a beginning and you will be on your way to creditworthiness again. Good luck!
- Move to Iran or Iraq. The charging of interest, and credit cards, are completely forbidden.
- get rid of the credit cards and just start paying off he bills some each month good luck an God bless
- pull your credit report for free and then find phone numbers for all the creditors......the problem you will encounter will be determining who "owns" your bill. Don't send anybody anything until you have something in writing from them specifically address the amount owed, account number and address. Don't accept any verbal agreements, because most your debt is probably w/ third party collectors - make them "validate" the bill and set up a payment plan in writing......if they don't cooperate - don't pay them. The thing is, w/ no activity on 3 yr old debt - depending on your state - you legally won't owe the debt after 4-6 yrs of absolutely no contact or attempt to pay the debt. If you call, you start that clock all over. (that's a moral issue that only you can decide). google your state and "statute of limitations on consumer debt" and you'll find out your state's time line. I can't stress enough - get all payment terms and amount owed IN WRITING before you start paying them.
- Watch out for "free" credit report sites. The only legit credit report site that is truely free is: https://www.annualcreditreport.com You can view this online or print a copy. Reveiw it, and see who you really owe. Many creditors like verizon etc, forward your information on to collection agencies.
- this would help you: Step-by-Step Credit Repair Guide http://www.debt-loan-refinance-mortgage-credit.com/category/Step-by-Step-Credit-Repair-Guide.html
