Korean Job Discussion Forums

[D.D.]

I didnt make a full payment last month on my samsung card. I rang the english hotline and explained and they said no problem.

I kept getting emails and text messages in Korean so I called the english line to ask why. They said that another department makes those calls and that they will call them to tell them to stop.

Today I get to my school and some idiot has called from card company and talked to my V.P. and my co-teacher and told them all my credit details.

All I did was not pay off the entire balance for one month. I made a partial payment.

They said they were threatening legal action.

My V.P was upset with me. Isn't it against the law for them to phone people and give them my credit details?

They also mentioned late payment fees that were huge.

Strange thing is I called the english line today and they said they were very sorry for what that guy did.

Be careful of the late payment fees on these cards as they are so high make loan sharks look nice.

[Xuanzang]

Why should your VP be upset? It's not his money. As for privacy laws - it seems there are none

[jdog2050]

[big_fella1]

In the current economic climate can I suggest do not pay late at all. Getting a credit card in Korea is very much a privilege not a right. Credit card companies here (everywhere???) are looking for excuses to cut credit to people. Yes their businesses will suffer due to this but they are choosing this over the heavy defaults that occurred in 2001 here.

I am sorry about what they did to you, unfortunately confidentiality here does not mean what it means back home and it may well be acceptable/legal in Korea to tell your boss.

Thank you for this very timely warning though.

[Huh Kyung-young]

Moved here from the Job-Related Forum, since it deals with living in Korea and not job issues per se.

[Otus]

I don't want to sound like one of those apron wearing nanies that give all the paternalistic advice on this board - (actually I really don't like them), but just to further your advice: the debt collection departments for most credit card companies here in SK are brutal in that they will go straight to your employer very quickly if you default on any payments - even slightly.

Also - realize that the sales dept, customer services dept and debt collection dept sometimes have no control over each other.

The salesperson has to get a credit clearance for you and they used to sometimes wildly exaggerate your yearly income to do it. At least for university teachers. I think they got away with it partly because the debt dept knows they can go to your university and cause all kinds of trouble if payments are defaulted.

Even with another employer, they know he or she will lose face big time in the case of sponsoring a foreigner on a visa.

To enlarge on a previous point - you can keep talking to customer service and they will sweet talk you and apologize all you want. Meanwhile, the debt collection people will proceed to put the knife in further.

If it seemed easy for you to get a Korean credit card - it was not without reason.

Cleaned such a mess up myself a few years ago. My credit line is good and they keep trying to offer me more, but I'll never take it again.

[Jeff's Cigarettes]

I use my samsung card instead of cash. They automatically take out the money every mo 1 day after payday. There is absolutely no interest charged as my wife checks the deduction against my monthly accumulated receipts. the amount taken is always the exact same as my receipt total.

[hogwonguy1979]

if you have to charge something big say plane tickets etc you can tell the retailer to spread it out over a period of time yeah they charge interest but its better than getting a huge bill you cant pay at once.

if for some reason they dont spread when you tell them to it out call them and they will fix it, have had it happen a couple times to me.

im suprised they let you have a card without having automatic debit of the monthly bill.

[Juregen]

I believe a spread in 3 months are not eligible for added interest costs.

[D.D.]

I freaked out because I had put a bit more than my monthly pay on my card. I though if they took it out as a direct debit I would have no cash for the month.

So I called them and set up a payment schedule- they said no problem.

Then freaky dude called my school from another department in Samsung ad was yellng and the whole bit.

[Jeff's Cigarettes]

Well that's quite the different story, inn'it? If you agreed to pay the total on a certain day you can't just change ur mind on a whim, can you? You could have just taken out a cash advance if you needed cash in hand or just continued on using ur card to pay for everything. I don't think there's much in Korea you can't settle w/ a card. After all, along w/ the privilege of having a card includes the responsibility that you use it in an aboveboard fashion. Now go out and charge yourself a happy meal or two.

[D.D.]

I thought if I didn't pay the full amount the card would not work this month and they would have all my pay and I would have a useless card until I paid the other bit off.

[Jeff's Cigarettes]

I see, I suggest you keep ur receipts and track ur spending. You must have been on vacation, bought a big ticket item to have spent so much or maybe u went to bars every night during winter vacation. I normally spend 600,000 or so per mo and I use my card for everything I purchase except utility bills and the occasional trip to the local market for market day. Good luck, and try to be more frugal. Sound like ur parents, huh?

[sobriquet]

Yes. It's all Samsung Cards fault that you can't manage your spending.

Maybe you should ask your mommy for some pocket money.

[wylies99]

They called your school? Gotta be smarter about these kinds of things, OP.