“Dear Steve,
I have a Sam’s card and was paying on it until i lost my job and can’t pay on it.. plus had to go to the doctor for depression and medication.
The credit card company calls and I explain it but they are nasty and I’m scared to what happens next.
What can I do until i find other employment. I own nothing right now and live at my parent’s house… which causes them problems answering the phone in my behalf until I tried to talk to them.
I don’t want to not pay the bill, but I’m struggling to find a job.
Cheylynne”
Don’t miss our free Get Out of Debt – “How To” Guide Series on a number of topics, for loads of practical advice, tips, and help to beat back debt. – Click Here
The Answer
Dear Cheylynne,
Sam’s Club issues credit cards underwritten by either GE Money or Discover. I’m not sure which card you have. Regardless the same issues apply. The reality is that due to your employment situation you can’t make a payment promise right now. The best thing to do at the moment would be nothing.
I know doing nothing sounds like crazy advice but until something changes here to alter the equation there is little need to do anything other than to be pleasant and nice when the creditors call. As long as you are cordial and nice your account will flow through the normal collection process and that will buy you some additional time.
So here is what will happen next. Once your account reaches 180 days past due it will be charged off and sold to a new owner. Until then your account will flow through the normal collection process and collection efforts will fluctuate as it moves from one collection queue to the next.
Eventually you may be sued to collect the debt.
I’m really glad to see you getting help for your depression. Debt problems only make depression problems worse so treatment for depression is critical at a time like this.
You probably want to do something to make this situation go away. The best thing you can do is concentrate of getting a job. By the way, how much debt do you owe?
Get Out of Debt Guy – Twitter, G+, Facebook
If you have a credit or debt question you’d like to ask just use the online form. I’m happy to help you totally for free.





