credit card?

Question

is my husband responsible for my credit card if i cant pay and he is not on it? i lost my job in 2001 and they said last payment was in 2001. recently they have been calling here. they said they sent out 3 letters which i never recieved and i asked for another so i could see options offered and she refused to send another. a credit card went from a $1,000 card to $3300.00 in charges. i have no income at all. no car, no job. my husband works but he doesnt have that kind of money either. they wont work with me. all i asked for was a letter showing what they were offering and she wouldnt do it. i said guess it'd be cheaper to file bankruptcy then she said you cant i said yes i can. i read the new laws and about counceling and etc first. i guess what i want to know is if i do file will they go after my husband then?

i paid on it every month for 4 yrs lost my job and couldnt pay it. last time i used it was in 1999 while paying monthly.

i also wanted to state that the difference between the 1000 and 3300 is all the fees theyve charged me.

Answer 1

Susan, you should not necessarily need to file for bankruptcy if this is the main debt you cannot pay.

First of all, it sounds like this is an old debt. It may be past the statute of limitations in your state. If you do a yahoo search for "statute of limitations by state" it will tell you how long the debt is collectible. Collectors do call most accounts that are about to drop off of your credit. They know that after 7 years, it will no longer show on your credit report and there would be no chance of repayment.

Please be very careful. Any payments that you send or even simply acknowledging that you owe the debt could restart that 7 year clock all over again.

We always advise that if you incurred a debt, you should pay it. However, it does not sound like you are in a position to do so. Furthermore, your situation sounds like one where a judgment would be very unlikely. Simply ignoring them might be the best answer.

Do some looking around, and see a financial counselor if you need more help. They can frequently answer additional questions for you at no charge. Good luck.

Answer 2

It depends on the state that you live in.

Most states are community property states, which means you both share assets and debts regardless of whose name it's in.

When they call you next, speak to their supervisor they should be willing to work with you, but it seems like you've gotten a jerk to call you. If that fails call the corporate office of the company that's calling you and try to get help there (it's likely a different company than who you owe the money to).

They should be willing to work with you since the alternative is to not see the cash ever.

Sorry about your situation. Been there too...

Answer 3

since you're married, i think you're both liable. as for the collections guys, they blow a lot of smoke and threaten you a lot. i don't know why they think you'll suddenly have money to pay them if they keep yelling at you.

advice. don't pay anything on the card until you can get a settlement in writing. negotiate! only pay when you can pay the amount of the settlement and have EVERYTHING IN WRITING!

try not to file bankruptcy, especially if it is just this one card.

Answer 4

Oh dear, what a mess you have gotten yourself in to. If you knew that you couldn't pay the credit card charges, why did you keep using it. Who did you expect to pay it?