topic It feels kind of hopeless to be in the position I'm in... in Rebuilding Your Credit

It feels kind of hopeless to be in the position I'm in...

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 16:33:11 GMT

This is mostly a vent, but if you have any suggestions, they're welcome.

I desperately need dental work, but nobody will give me a loan. I'm not blaming the creditors because it's completely my fault. But I hate the mess I've dug myself in with my low credit scores. I've tried to get a loan and/or credit card from so many places, but no one will give me one. I can even pay the loan off in three months.

The things working against me are: Self-employed and just started making more money this month, so no verifiable three-month income history. Lots of baddies--both credit card and medical, which I'm working on. Two default judgments. I have made some positive gains because this time last year, my credit scores were in the mid 500's. Now they're 592, 612, and 612. My utilization is 44%, so once I get that down to below 30%, which will be before November, I will get a raise in my credit score. But right now, I doubt even Springleaf or OneMain would give me a loan. I will work hard at getting my credit up. It sucks to have emergencies happen and have absolutely no options for help. Let me stress again that it's completely my fault, 100%. Not trying to blame anyone else.

Any suggestions on who I might get a credit card or loan from? I am with Wells Fargo and have been with them since the late 90's since they were First Union, then changed to Wachoivia, and now Wells Fargo. I doubt they'd give me a loan though, with my low credit scores. I have charge offs with Capital One, Credit One, and Discover, so those aren't options. I can get a bank account with Navy Federal, but would they give a new customer a small personal loan of $1800 with 592, 612, and 612 credit scores?

If you read it this far, thanks.

Re: It feels kind of hopeless to be in the position I'm in...

CH-7-Mission-Accomplished — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 17:11:04 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
This is mostly a vent, but if you have any suggestions, they're welcome.

I desperately need dental work, but nobody will give me a loan. I'm not blaming the creditors because it's completely my fault. But I hate the mess I've dug myself in with my low credit scores. I've tried to get a loan and/or credit card from so many places, but no one will give me one. I can even pay the loan off in three months.

The things working against me are: Self-employed and just started making more money this month, so no verifiable three-month income history. Lots of baddies--both credit card and medical, which I'm working on. Two default judgments. I have made some positive gains because this time last year, my credit scores were in the mid 500's. Now they're 592, 612, and 612. My utilization is 44%, so once I get that down to below 30%, which will be before November, I will get a raise in my credit score. But right now, I doubt even Springleaf or OneMain would give me a loan. I will work hard at getting my credit up. It sucks to have emergencies happen and have absolutely no options for help. Let me stress again that it's completely my fault, 100%. Not trying to blame anyone else.

Any suggestions on who I might get a credit card or loan from? I am with Wells Fargo and have been with them since the late 90's since they were First Union, then changed to Wachoivia, and now Wells Fargo. I doubt they'd give me a loan though, with my low credit scores. I have charge offs with Capital One, Credit One, and Discover, so those aren't options. I can get a bank account with Navy Federal, but would they give a new customer a small personal loan of $1800 with 592, 612, and 612 credit scores?

If you read it this far, thanks.

You are not likely to find any traditional financing unless it's at crazy high rates. Is the amount you need $1800? Why don't you just shop around for a dentist who will agree to a six months payment plan? You may have to approach several, but I would imagine you could find one. Try a dentist with a new practice. Also if you are anywhere near a university with a dental school, you can often get free or greatly discounted services by allowing their supervised dental students to do the work. My aunt did this in Seattle at U of W for many years.

Re: It feels kind of hopeless to be in the position I'm in...

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 17:47:35 GMT

Yes, it's $1800. I have dental insurance, and there's only one dentist around me that will take it. I'd have to travel about an hour away for other dentists that will accept my insurance, but if that means they'll give me a payment plan, I will do that. The dental school nearest me is 3.5 hours away, so i can't do that, but that's a good suggestion.

I will call the other dentists far away from me that will accept my insurance tomorrow. Thank you.

Re: It feels kind of hopeless to be in the position I'm in...

CH-7-Mission-Accomplished — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 18:05:20 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Yes, it's $1800. I have dental insurance, and there's only one dentist around me that will take it. I'd have to travel about an hour away for other dentists that will accept my insurance, but if that means they'll give me a payment plan, I will do that. The dental school nearest me is 3.5 hours away, so i can't do that, but that's a good suggestion.

I will call the other dentists far away from me that will accept my insurance tomorrow. Thank you.

I would just tell them that you are looking for a dentist "who can work with you" and offer a short term payment plan. I don't know where you are, but in Seattle I have seen some dentists who do local TV advertising offering payment plans. These dentists tend to be immigrant dentists who work in immigrant communities where people are more likely to need some time to repay. Obviously you wouldn't ask for payment terms from a Beverly Hills dentist who has all the work she can handle and her customers are not worried about how to pay for the services. Look for dentists in economically disadvantaged areas. They are all licensed, so you know they at least meet the basic requirements to get certified.

Also, as a crazy outside suggestion, lots of people go to Costa Rica or other places where the dentists have the same education but charge a fraction of the price. One could buy a $300 ticket to Costa Rica and have the work done for $200 and enjoy a short term vacation. Usually people do these trips when they need a whole mouth full of stuff done, however.

Re: It feels kind of hopeless to be in the position I'm in...

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 20:32:45 GMT

@CH-7-Mission-Accomplished wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Yes, it's $1800. I have dental insurance, and there's only one dentist around me that will take it. I'd have to travel about an hour away for other dentists that will accept my insurance, but if that means they'll give me a payment plan, I will do that. The dental school nearest me is 3.5 hours away, so i can't do that, but that's a good suggestion.

I will call the other dentists far away from me that will accept my insurance tomorrow. Thank you.

I would just tell them that you are looking for a dentist "who can work with you" and offer a short term payment plan. I don't know where you are, but in Seattle I have seen some dentists who do local TV advertising offering payment plans. These dentists tend to be immigrant dentists who work in immigrant communities where people are more likely to need some time to repay. Obviously you wouldn't ask for payment terms from a Beverly Hills dentist who has all the work she can handle and her customers are not worried about how to pay for the services. Look for dentists in economically disadvantaged areas. They are all licensed, so you know they at least meet the basic requirements to get certified.

Also, as a crazy outside suggestion, lots of people go to Costa Rica or other places where the dentists have the same education but charge a fraction of the price. One could buy a $300 ticket to Costa Rica and have the work done for $200 and enjoy a short term vacation. Usually people do these trips when they need a whole mouth full of stuff done, however.

"Medical Tourism". People fly to India for hip replacements, where the cost is a few thousand dollars, vs $50K+ in the US. Its also quite common for Southern California residents to drive to Mexico for dental work. Common in Texas too.