Old Sears Credit Card Debt

I could not have said that any better myself... hear hear!

To Debt paid in full  26 Aug 2010:

I am not arguing your point about owing a debt. There are points on both sides. As one writer after your post said "free loaders get paid back by having bad credit and not being able to finance anything else!!"  Another mentions that you (or any of us)
“could lose your life savings, home, job, family and everything that means anything to you, and would you still feel the same way????”


I do, HOWEVER, take issue with your comment that they “are the reason our country is in such a bad economic situation”.  Really??? I thought it had a lot to do with Huge problems on Wall Street, Detroit, BP and others that needed Government (We the People) Help at huge deficit amounts in the TRILLIONS just in the last 3 years.

You diminish your argument when you make wild, broad accusations that are not the cause you make as your claim. Your logic and the truth of “the reason our country is in such a bad economic situation”, don’t mesh. Your claim as to the “the reason our country is in such a bad economic situation” is simply, flatly not true – Wrong.

Did you somehow miss the RECENT messes of Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, AIG, GM, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, etc. Many of them got Huge Government Bailouts for their Corporate Greed, Mis-governance, bad investments, bad management, bad planning, and so on. Most of them got a lot of Government (We the people) –Taxpayer BAILOUTS.

I guess if you go shooting from the hip, visceral, making broad generalizations, you miss the facts, often miss the truth, and diminish your own arguments and credibility.

I did also notice that the system apparently removed MANY of your expletives directed at the other poster. Again you may have had a point to start, but your methods fend others away from what you are trying to get across.

As the 2nd poster I quoted also said but “there for the grace of God go I” (or you).

Waaaaa! So you don't want collectors on your backs? Then stop buying things you know you can't afford! I work at retail and I can't believe the amount of irresponsible people buying things that they know well they can never pay off or have a difficult time doing so. Yet they continue to do so. And when pay time arrives, they complain about how "bad" the company is. Bah!

Don't but if you DON'T HAVE THE MONEY. It's as simple as that. I don't care if it's past the time frame to collect and what not...they are after you for being a deadbeat. "Oh, I can't pay because I don't have money, but I just purchased a brand new $20,000 car. HA!

Darn cry babies. I bet all of you that think this is a bad message are the same ones with massive debts they can't pay. Pathetic.

Okay, you work in retail so that must mean you drive a 1989 Aries K car? And you certainly aren't a home owner because there is no way you make more than a house is worth. Did it ever occur to you that maybe, at the time of purchase, said person had a job and believed they would be able to pay their credit card after using it? And then, *poof* , they were laid off that very next week? What you are implying is that you know everybody's income when you're working the cash register? Making such a broad generalization of all people who use credit cards is almost as bad as making a broad generalization of a particular race.
In closing, I have no debt as of January 2011 and I STILL think this is a bad message; one only a 6th grade drop-out who can only get a job in retail would make. Would you like to check my credit report? You remind me of those snotty girls who work in cosmetics in Macy's and look down their noses at you because they are selling Chanel, like they could actually afford it. HA!

While looking for the url for the Sears Card I came across this site. I too have had a most disapointing experience with this card. I agree to open an account in Dec. 05 while purchasing $85.00 of clothing at the local retailer to receive a $15.00 discount on the purchase.

When the bill arrived in Jan. 06 I tried to pay online but, after filling out the application, it stated that it would take a week to authorize online payments. I forgot to follow up and make the payment.

In Feb. I received the bill with a $26.95 late charge. I paid the invoice and closed the account Mar.14 In Apr I received a bill for $9.95 for CITIUSA credit moniter. Since the account was closed and I hadn't authorized this service I thought it to be a mistake and ignored it. BIG MISTAKE. I now have, due June 23 a bill for $26.53.

After discussing it with the represenative and her supervisor I was informed that in addition to this payment I would also have another charge next month for interest on this balance. The represenative was difficult to understand having a heavy East Indian accent. The supervisor had a heavy minority American accent and an attitude. This is on a card cancled in mid March.

NEVER AGAIN will I agree to one of these come on's. I knew better this time but did it anyway/.

I asked for help to [removed:scam suspected] and they helped me. Thanks to that website.

As I've said a half year ago in this thread, Sears Credit was bought by Citi Group several years ago, which jives with your story. If you got satisfaction from Citi after their sloppy billing, that's great. What you haven't made clear is if you might have been tricked into subscribing to the credit monitor service (which happens too easily) and if the huffy reps were working for Citi or a third party, which would have influenced your defense options. If this faux debt appears again now that it's 6.5 years out, get friendly with the FDCPA and dispute!

I'd agree that obtaining credit over a sales counter is never, never wise. The teenybopper cashiers are not financial advisors and will be either absent or clueless if you someday need a statement from one over some credit dispute.

Obvious troll is obvious.  Of course people should only buy what they can afford to pay back, but sometimes things go south and people lose their jobs or have medical problems.

Also, to your comment about how you work retail.  I don't get how you can tell an irresponsible person or one who is unable to pay their bills.  You work retail, your job is to push product, or even more likely it's just to ring them out at some minimum wage job.  So you literally have no right to judge other people, or for that matter have any real way to tell a person's financial situation or ability to pay on stuff.  If you think you do, you're probably just another bigot who stereotypes, because I can only imagine the 'type of people' you're referring to.  

Also, I've worked retail for years as well.

lone stronger, what an intellectual, classy response to that imitation frolley.

OK call in Judge Woppner, from The People's Court!!!!!!

That's Joseph Wapner to you .... Strictly speaking he was not a judge but an arbitrator, and his "court" was really dressed as a conceit for the viewers. Ironic that arbitration is the current pipe bomb savvy consumers are using to blow up debt collection lawsuits.

Sears credit card buyer beware!

There are suspicious red flags about the spam-like posts from Arser and J Steever above. Like most phishing web sites the grammar on the searscreditonline web site is atrocious - almost incomprehensible. There is no contact information at the web site -- no postal address or telephone number -- only an online contact form. Additionally, the searscreditcardonline.net domain is registered to a contact in Tbilisi, Georgia (the country not the US state, formerly a part of the USSR) with a generic e-mail contact at Google gmail.com.

Valid Sears web sites are registered to Sears Brands LLC, 3333 Beverly Road, Hoffman Estates, IL 60179.

I called Sears Customer Service at 1-800-567-1196. The agent denied any knowledge of searscreditcardonline.net. The agent referred the information to the bank security department.

Stay away from searscreditcardonline.net!

I had a sear's easy payment plan, (paper) years ago. Sears switch to citibank (plastic) later. The problem I had was getting phone calls from citi group's debt collectors in my caller id, my credit card had zero balance I. told sear about it and citibank kept calling. Then later on I got a letter from citibank saying from the way I was using my credit card they lowered my credit from 14000.00 to 7600.00. I let the card expired. I use my chase card now for sear's purchases.

Thanks for the information.

This is an amazing post.
Though it uses language (which according to a future post that makes reference to the word that has been censored, as "junkie" ---which IMO is a gross exageration of language appropriate for censorship), the principles discussed and the structure of the statements are well-organized and to-the-point.

I will not go further into detail as to how I agree with this post (as I could easily write a 100-page thesis on this topic), but will say that it is indeed a post made by a responsible, civilized person who unfortunately has just given up on the use of polite and appropriate language, as it all-too-often is dismissed and falls upon deaf ears.

Bottom line:  
Indeed, though I understand the dillemas and hardships of debtors, all-too-often those debts come back to hurt those who are responsible with their bills and obligations. And with the present state of the economy, frustration from those who have indeed remained responsible with such burdens is heightened.

To debt paid in full you just do NOT realize all the reasons that a person might go into debt, Yes there are people who use their credit card too much, but the reason they have a credit card IS because they work at micky d's & don't have enough money in lump sum to go buy a t.v. & (you) have made it possible for them to buy it and feel good about themselves in a materialistic way & I should point out that if everybody paid their debts you wouldn't have a job! at least not right now!  It's still stupid to dump on them,even though they should manage their credit better..

Now then there are situations like this that are really sad because of insurance companies taking advantage of people in times of need! My mother in law's husband (my father in law) died in 2006 and they paid their life insurance regularly But when my father in law died She went to buy the stuff for the funeral & I might add  her son & I would be getting married almost a month later.. The funeral home called the insurance company & they said she had 30,000 to spend.. they Ok'd it & everything was confirmed right...and so we had the funeral & then a month later a wedding....everything's looking better right?? WRONG! My mother in law's insurance told her they weren't going to pay it because whatever their lame excuse was & now my mother in law had to go into bankruptcy! She lost her house  Her husbands suv... and also had to default on her insurance that she thought was paid for because she couldn't pay it all, Plus her husband had medical bills I am sure. he was sick & dying of kidney disease she was missing 2 days of work a week to take care of him & he couldn't work either for 3 years! I'm sure they weren't expecting for him to get sick when they bought the house in 1996

She had to go into bankruptcy & it isn't even her fault! Maybe there were things she could've done but didn't know about?! I dunno but when your loved one has passed away it's hard enough just getting through the day! So then she couldn't even get another house so she rented & we lived with her for 3 and a half years. Plus She had to tell the landlord about the whole thing which probably made her really sad. So stop assuming people are deadbeats! you have no idea what they may be going through! I doubt she'd ever be able to make up 200,000 or more in debt, and I think the court made a wise decision to forgive her debt, they'd be heartless not to! You should try forgiveness trying looking that subject up in the Bible. & make sure you read thoroughly because everyone needs Jesus to forgive them as no one but Jesus is perfect!