I spoke with a sweet Customer Support representative, Mansi, at Chase Bank today for about 45 minutes. She called me. She was very supportive and liked to talk, hence the long call. I arranged to make stabilization* payments for the next few months. I also told her about the book. I think she put it in the notes this time, about me writing a book about the scam. Every time I talk to a bank associate I promote the book, largely because the people I talk to are women.
I only answer the phone if I recognize the number, or it’s a local call, or if I’m sitting at my desk. I don’t want to talk to a bank at the breakfast table or when I’m in the bathroom or… This morning I was sitting at my desk. There I can take notes and look at my records, if I need to.
I want to say—ALL of the bank representatives I’ve spoken with have been sympathetic, understanding and most helpful. That includes Chase, Citibank, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America. I think it may be due, in part, to our very good credit history of 30+ years and they see that this is an anomaly, albeit, a HUGE one. They don’t really know or don’t seem to anyway, the enormity of my debt (enormous, at least, in my eyes). Well, maybe they do, but they are probably only concerned about their piece of the pie. That makes sense.
* Stabilization payments are the absolute minimum I can pay on the accounts with huge balances, those on which I cannot pay even the minimum balance. What stabilization does is postpone the age of the debt, to keep it from becoming 180+ days past due. If it reaches 180 days, it becomes subject to charge-off, which would take it out of the banks’ domain and into collection mode. I don’t really know exactly, I’m trying my best not to go there. What charge-off means to me is—charging off to bankruptcy. Not happening!