I'll warn you right up front - - - this is going to be a RANT.
If you aren't up for a rant this morning just toodle along down the internet highway to some other destination. It won't matter to me at all for I shall feel better just for having RANTED.
My rant today is against some HUGE bank, which shall remain nameless though there just MIGHT be a clue or two in this post.
SAID huge BANK loaned us money to help pay for #1 son's college bill. For TEN YEARS I've been paying this bank off for that loan - - - - something I happen to know that many many many Americans DO NOT DO - - - pay off school loans.
In July, when I was paying my bills, I noticed that with just a few dollars MORE on my monthly payment to SAID BANK I could pay off our loan one month early and get that one small bill out of my hair forever.
At least I THOUGHT I could get that lending institution out of my hair forever.
NOT.
In august, I received a bill and evidently in THEIR eyes I had not only NOT paid off my bill, I was a month LATE with my last pay - - - in their opinion.
Now comes the really hard and really RANTY part.
We started TRYING to call SAID BANK. Oh my word - - - they have the "long phone menu" down to an art and nary anywhere on that long phone menu is a "talk to a real live person" option.
Once I finally DID get a hold of a real live person - - - only to find they could barely speak English.
Once I allowed them to deduct the payment - - - now with late fees attached - - - from my checking account because I was afraid my check was lost in the mail. After I did that, Fisherhubby asked if I had looked at the bank records to see if that check had cleared.
Oh my friends - - - the check CLEARED MY BANK ON JULY 15.
More phone calls.
More fighting with long, long, long, phone menus.
Finally, when I was about to pull every last hair out of my head, I got a REAL LIVE ENGLISH AS A FIRST LANGUAGE PERSON. I went over and over and over my story. Finally, real live person told me he had credited me with the payment that I made back in July, that he would take off the check-by-phone I had just given, he would put a notation on my account, AND would take any bad reports off my credit report.
I THOUGHT all was well.
I was even almost happy.
Then, while we were in Indiana FOR OUR SON'S WEDDING the calls from SAID BANK began coming in yet again.
Oh my goodness!!! What IS IT WITH THESE PEOPLE??? What part of English do they NOT understand?
Today I spent LOTS of time on the phone, after a long menu where I just started punching in random numbers and "7" finally connected me to a REAL LIVE PERSON, trying to get this all straight yet again.
I finally consented to PAY electronically the same amount of the check I sent back in July - - - just to get them off my back. Then I sent Fisherhubby to our bank for a copy of the FRONT AND BACK of the cleared check which he then faxed to them.
Hopefully, at some point, I will get a check BACK from them for the extra payment.
Oh - - - but this is after fees I've had to pay to get the check copy AND fax it.
SAID BANK owes me for those fees.
I expect I shall COLLECT those fees from them when:
.
Oh, and I didn't even BEGIN the rant about them not talking to ME unless Fisherhubby LET them - - -
26 comments:
Oh my dear Keetha! That is intense! I hate when businesses pass you around like that, transferring your call here and there, no one really fixing anything! :( I hope it gets straightened out very soon!
I'm still trying to figure out which bank it could possibly be.
That's harassment. You've paid the thing multiple times. For them to continue this stupidity is insane. I hope it all works out for you soon and that you can put it all behind you.
Aren't they one of the banks that we bailed out and they have to pay back all the money they took?
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! That just irritates the heck out of me!
They are making money hand over foot and into their fat bank accounts and then they do this!!!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
There's my rant too!
hehehe.
Cindy
The level of incompetence that we have gleaned fom programs such as Affirmative Action is a huge problem. It is further complicated by the fact that the banks run everything, even our government.
I would suggest you send a letter to your local news sation and send CitiBank a copy. This hasn't ended. I think you know that.
Good luck!
Keep calm and Carry On!
You had me on your side Keetha right up until you said "unless Fisherhubby let them".
Can you imagine what could happen if every time someone called a call center and said "but I am his wife" they gave out information and made changes to accounts.
The first time some persons info was given or changed by perhaps an estranged spouse the companies would be in court for allowing someone other than the account holder to manage that account.
This is not optional and it is for the protection of people's accounts.
Companies should NEVER allow anyone other than the person whose name is on that account touch that account until the account holder put authorization on the account for that person.
I really do empathize with you on this because I can tell how frustrating this was and how inept the company is and you deserve to have a good rant about it but not about the legal private rights of an account holder.
Uh yes.......I DID have my mortgage with them, a fixed rate mortage for 11 years and suddenly they raised my interest rate out of the blue...I told them I had a FIXED rate for 11 years...they dont care. So I have been very happy for 5 years with my bank as the mortage and a rate from 10%(from the 1990s) to 4%.
Boy do I understand your rant!!
It has come to my attention that Ms. K. is indeed on the papers and so should have full access to the accounts so my previous comment doesn't refer to her situation.
What I said still is correct but just not in this situation.
Sorry Keetha. My bad.
That's why I don't bank or borrow money from them...I've heard some horror stories from them. Kind of stick with my local credit unions here. Sorry you had to go through that.
Grrr. I'm frustrated for you.
Doesn't your frustration level just go through the roof when this type of @(#*&($& happens? Your last sentence was the one that set me off LOL Even though you've been paying the bills for however long and your name is on all the checks or online payments - you have to GET PERMISSION to talk about your account. Yet if something happened to one of us (hubby or I) they would sure talk quick enough to get what they want! Urgggggghhhhhhh!!! I feel your pain.
So sorry to hear this, but it happens everyday. We have a columnist in our paper, called "The Watchdog". When people have exhausted all means to solve an issue, he takes over. Nine times out of ten, he gets results and things work out best for the customer. I do not like Chase Bank. It has come to the point you cannot trust anyone anymore.
oy vey!! So sorry you had to go through this all! I say these people do this because it makes them feel important and like they are so powerful! But so annoying too!
Hand me a megaphone! The most irritating thing I can think of----the endless wait, the non-responsive personnel, the pure dim-wittedness of the whole thing. Another institution to avoid at all costs!!!
Thanks for the heads up.
I hate with a passion these huge banks and other institutions where you fight and fight to talk to a human being and then, then...they don't do what they say they will. I am with you on this rant! It is hard to win but keep trying!! hugs, Linda
On those speak to us prompts I just keep saying I want to talk to a human and eventually the machine just can't respond so I get someone to talk to. I feeeeeel your frustration.
I feel your pain! I hate it when I have to punch this and punch that and still don't get a human to help me!
I handle ALL of our affairs and I too have to get DH permission to handle some things... I feel like telling them if they depended on him to pay anything, it wouldn't get paid!
Hope it will all get fixed and you will get the money back PLUS fees! HUGS!
Oh, my goodness we have been there! When we were first married, husband asked me to call a certain credit card company to get whatever straightened out. When they said the "I'm sorry, your husband must give permission" thing...I hung up and when he got home....I kindly and sweetly ha handed him the bill and said I would never again call unless my name was as good as his as a person to talk to!
Whew, you made me rant! Good luck getting that check back!
Imagine that... We all have been where you have been!! I might even have issues with your same bank!! It's crazy how they tell you one thing and you find they do another!
I press zero until I get someone real, even if zero isn't part of the menu options. It usually works at some point. Sometimes you have to press zero a dozen times in a row. It's crazy that you can't talk to a real person without getting ticked off by a machine first.
Good luck to you my dear. I'm so proud of you for sticking with it.
Oh and about the husband allowing the wife to talk -- I get that, too. I actually told one guy my husband's SS number and he said that my husband still had to approve it. I said, OK. The plumber is here, I'll get him to be my husband real quick and the person on the other end said that would be fine!!! Insane.
Rant away Keetha!!! It too has happened to me. Not a bank but Gateway computers. After logging 80 hours on the phone and talking to different people we made the circle back to previous people we had talked to weeks before who remembered our situation. Needless to say most didnt speak a de english any too well. They finally took the faulty computer back and repaid us the money after we found a consumer help company to get involved. That took 10 different letters to attorney generals, consumer affairs, etc... So believe me, I can sympatize... Gee I wonder why Gateway was finally sold. We no longer buy big items thru the mail.
Isn't it crazy that they won't talk to you unless the get authorization from your spouse. We've been this route time and time again with credit cards, and I'm the one who pays the bills--not LBeau.
That said, on a happier note, I saw the Badgers won last night. So you get to sit back all relaxed tomorrow while the rest of us kick off the season. I can't wait!!
wow! grrrr I absolutely hate having to deal with things like that. sorry you had to, I sure hope it is done. What was the name of that bank anyway ;)
Don't EVEN get me started. Same stinkin scenario different bank. We will NEVER do business with B of A again. Ever. We are finally done with them and own our truck now. Sorry that happened to you.
Nothing makes my blood boil faster than having to deal with big big companies and their phone maze. It's maddening!
Sorry.
I won't get into the politics of this . . .
I left said bank in 2005 never to return.
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