About Me

New York, New York, United States
Rob is the author of New York, New York: So Good They Named it Twice: An Irreverent Guide to Experiencing and LIving in the Greatest City in the World

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

lost mortgage payment mayhem

The reason why so many financial institutions are in trouble has nothing to do with the sub-prime mortgage crisis. It also has very little to do with people not paying their mortgages on time and being delinquent. It has everything to do with people like myself paying their mortgages on time................and the company with whom you have the mortgage with then losing the funds. Just last week I got three phone calls from E trade mortgage regarding a missed payment. I had no idea that my mortgage was with E trade. That was my first surprise. I pay electronically each month through my bank. I haven't opened up a mortgage payment envelope in 6 years. I looked up my checking account to see if payment had been sent out and to see if the check had been cashed. It was and it had. Phew!! So I picked up the phone and called E trade. What a debacle.
I first listened to the menu of options and typed in my social security number into the phone to verify who I was. It wouldn't take the number. I was then diverted to another menu which needed my account number that I didn't know. I was lost in self help, self dial, self kill oneself mode. I said the word representative six times . Eventually the electronic voice asked me if I wanted to speak to a representative. I was so frustrated that I said, " no, I want to speak to someone who can help me please." The machine just understood the word "no" and so I was reverted to yet another electronic menu.
When in doubt just hit the zero button over and over again. This finally worked . I eventually got put through to a representative 20 miles north of Calcutta, some 9,000 miles away from the property concerned.
The very nice lady told me that I had not paid my mortgage. I told her I had. We went back and forth six times until I said that I have proof and did a nah nah nah nah nah. She didn't like that very much. She asked me what proof I had and I informed her of the proof of payment that I had from my bank that I could print off and fax to her. That wasn't possible. She didn't work in the fax receivable department. She then transferred me by phone to them.

I then spoke to a lovely lady in Tampa, Florida. She gave me the fax number. I asked her name but she told me that she couldn't give me her name. I asked her what her employee number was. She couldn't give me that either. I asked her what her work number was. Nope. Not possible. She asked me my address. I wouldn't give it to her. She said that she couldn't do anything further for me unless I gave her my address so that she could update the file.I told her we can swap information. She needed it for my non payment payment and I needed her information because I needed to follow up when and if everything had been resolved. No deal. She wouldn't do it. So there we were at a stalemate. And so I told her I was hanging up, which I did. I know I have paid so I don't care. we shall see what happens!

2 comments:

  1. I thought it was only in the UK we had those problems. Rob somehow it almost sounds funny when it is someone else but I hope it resolves itself and I am looking forward to the next instalment.

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  2. You idiot. That was just a scam to get your bank details! Steve Laz

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