Consumer complaint received 2018-10-19
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: CT
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Struggling to pay your bill
Sub-issue: Credit card company won't work with you while you're going through financial hardship

Complaint:
I've contacted Chase Bank numerous times about my financial hardship. I lost my job back in XX/XX/XXXX and received unemployment for six months. Much of which I used to learn new skills, continue to pay my debts, and support my immediate family. I have struggled tremendously with keeping a roof, utilities, and a working vehicle that's insured and maintained. I have even depleted all my savings from my 401k plan and no longer have any assets. I have not made more than 30k per year in over four years. 

Although these credit cards from Chase has helped me in times of need over the last four years, they have also created a burden that Chase will not provide a solution too. For more than a year I have asked Chase about my options. I have always paid my debts on time and now that I am in a worse situation I have been late approximately three months approaching the 90-day mark. I have cards from Chase which are all over their limits due to fees and fines alone. One is a limit of {$6000.00}, another a limit of {$3200.00}, another a limit of {$2200.00}, and a final card limit of {$500.00}. 

Knowing what I know now about credit cards and interest rates I would have never depended so heavily on the credit cards in times of need. Those times of suffering were way less than what my family and I are going through now. I am not looking to avoid my responsibility. I am just seeking help and options for an opportunity to pay it back on different terms that will not make me lose my place to stay in the process committing to astronomical numbers and interest rates. 

Minimum payments do not make a dent when your interest rates average north of 21 %. If you are not able to pay on time, there is an additional {$34.00} charge because you do not have the money to begin with anymore. On top of four other cards you can not pay so therefore that's {$170.00} in fees and fines a month which is approximately as much as my minimum payment for one card. 

They have informed me more than several times in the last year since XXXX they can not consolidate nor help with any plans to pay because I am not late or behind? This is hard to believe because now that I am behind I still have not been able to close the cards after talking to Chase and their departments. I have children in my household. The household will always take precedence over credit cards and my only problem is an employment problem besides how to get relief from these debts when it does not make sense to pay for them when it means losing your roof. 

Please. If there is anyone out there that can give me any advice on what to do about this, it would be highly appreciated. I've worked all my short life and ethically I want to do the right thing all the time even when no one is looking. Besides Chase credit cards, I have about {$4000.00} left in student loans that I am handling on my own. I have another credit card I am working on worth {$4000.00}. 

That's what I wanted to share and thank you to anyone and everyone reading this post.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation