Month: June 2002

As the clock ticked toward our new loan being signed (which will pay off the old one, thus probably wiping out any trace of the botch they’ve made with our old loan), Margie’s on the phone once more.

“After we’d closed it out, incompletely, an additional amount was deposited the next week, but that didn’t close it, either, and I’m afraid there’s been fraud.”

You would think this would raise some attention. That would imply silly Earth logic, however.

The response? Our systems are down right now. We can’t help you. Call back some other time when the system is up. Tomorrow, perhaps. Or maybe not.

As to her allegation that this got sent off to Research on 8 May? Her file (on a different system, obviously) shows it went off to Research two weeks later, on the 20th.

“How about this — I called a supervisor yesterday and was told someone would call me back today, and nobody did — is that in my file?”

Evidently not. Well, the system is still down …

“I’ve been dealing with this for a month. If it depends on the system being up, I’d think it would be solved by now.”

Well, how about we send it to Research …

Margie is adamant. That is not an acceptible course of action (again).

In a huff, the CS rep says (I kid you not), “Let me get my manager, so she can tell you the exact same thing I told you.” Click-onto-Hold.

So Margie is getting fairly frustrated. The assistant CS manager on duty (“Alison”) comes on — and needs, of course, the whole story told to her, again, from scratch.

Well, perhaps we can send this to Research …

Margie, going on the frustrated scale from fairly to utterly, gives voice to same, noting that she’s been dealing with people telling her it’s going to Research for a month now. It sounds rather upset to me, but clearly I don’t have the keen ears of a CS manager.

“Ma’am, there’s no need to get hostile with me. You haven’t dealt with me before. Please hold.” Click-onto-Hold.

Margie says something very sarcastic to the muzak.

“Tired mommy,” quoth Katherine.

Amazingly enough, things go upwards from there. “Alison” asks her for the names of folks that she’s been dealing with. Margie has no names for some of them, only first names of the rest. “Nobody gives me last names.”

The CS manager provides her last name. Add another point in the positive column.

Margie provides names. This has been problematic in the past. When she called back, for example, asking for “Christie” (one of the CS managers who had said she would call back the next day), nobody in Customer Service knew of a manager named Christie.

Margie has to get off the phone, so we can go sign our new, non-U.S. Bank mortgage. The CS manager says she will research it herself, and call back tomorrow.

Amazingly enough …

… when we get home from dinner (Pasquini’s Pizza Kitchen on 17th. Very fine.), there’s a message from her. She’s managed to dig up the old loan information (obviously she can run the Old Loan System) and reads it back to us, to verify that it’s correct before she “opens a can of worms.”

It matches the fax we were sent (which is, as such print-outs from decades-old finanicial systems tend to be, nearly impossible to understand), and Margie calls back and leaves a message to go can-opening.

So we’ll see. The U.S. Bank loan will be actually paid off by the mortgage company on Wednesday. Actually, it will be more than paid off, which will probably churn the bottom mud enough that we’ll be stuck trying to track “Christie” down again.

We drank some champagne. Margie’s great.

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Still more U.S. Bank stuff …

Here’s a chronology of the shenanigans that happened today, prompting my diatribe from earlier:

1. A letter, dated 29 May (a month after we started pinging Whazzup? to U.S. Bank) arrived from the first group that was going to investigate Margie’s question and get back to her in 3-5 business days. “Antonio” (no last name) informs us that “the payoff was short” by $250. The balance had increased to $295, but they would waive that interest if we sent them a check. Now, please, and sorry for any inconvenience, and if you have any questions, call this generic phone number.
2. Credit Dispute called (just getting back to Margie after her 8 May “Someone will contact you in 3-5 business days” call). That was one of the groups Margie was forwarded to by Customer Service, but …

   … they couldn’t really do anything because, as far as their system showed, the loan was still open, so what they are currently reporting to the credit agencies is correct. And, of course, they couldn’t do anything further, but perhaps someone in Customer Service could help, maybe it’s been taken care of and is just in a stack of papers somewhere, here’s their generic number …

   Margie called that number. They said, So sorry, can’t do anything for you, you really need to work through the branch on this one.

   Margie insisted on talking to a supervisor. There was none available to talk to. The CS rep did forward the problem to a supervisor who’s “pretty good” about returning calls. Yeah. Right.

   Margie called Credit Dispute again to let them know that it was not yet processed. The person she’d talked to was not available, so she left a message. Miracle of miracles, he actually called back.

   They still couldn’t do anything. Margie asked if they knew anyone in Customer Service who could actually resolve the problem. No, of course not, since that department’s all the way in Wisconsin. And things are confused right now, because of a recent merger between U.S. Bank and Firstar …

   Margie pressed. Okay, since there was evidently no Customer Service person who could respond, who’s the President of U.S. Bancorp, and what’s his number?

   “Um … let me get a supervisor.”

3. The Customer Service Supervisor (“Andrea”), whom Margie talked to Monday (and who promised action first thing Tuesday) called back late this afternoon.

   She reported again that it looked like someone had only partially paid off the final amount. She hadn’t been able to see all the details though because …

   … well, they changed loan computer systems last year, and none of the old information got rolled up into the new system. So if someone there wants to see details on an “old” loan (e.g., one “closed” in 2000), they have to find an “old-timer” to access the old system.

   (Evidently nobody stays in Customer Service for more than a year or two. Quel surprise.)

   “Andrea” had actually shown enough initiative to find someone to look up this info for her (the most initiative anyone has shown so far, though it did take her the extra day and she didn’t call in the meantime). And she dug up something very, very strange.

   When the old line of credit was paid off, it was paid off with a payment of about $44K. That should have been the close, finis, end of story.

   But it wasn’t completely paid off, as we now know.

   But a week later, someone — certainly not us — paid in another $180. Leaving $250 or so unpaid.

   Who paid in that additional partial amount? Why? Why only partial? Why at all?

   This made Margie more than a bit suspicious, and she actually raised the issue of someone playing fast and loose with accounts. Yes, she actually use the word “embezzlement.”

   Andrea faxed us the printout from the old system, showing this oddity. Interestingly enough, it was on Firstar paper.

4. Margie called the branch manager again, leaving a voice mail.

5. Somewhere in this process (Margie doesn’t want to get them in trouble), Margie obtained the name and phone number of a regional Customer Service manager from someone trying to be helpful. Said secret source urged Margie to “stand firm” and “threaten to go over their head” if not satisfied. This from another U.S. Bank person. Yeesh.

   So Margie called this regional person. Said person is at training today, and should be back tomorrow. She left a message …

6. Margie called her mom to get a sanity check. Her mom has been in banking for many years, working in a branch. What would she do if a customer came in with this leftover $250 tab.

   “I’d get a manager and find out how we could close the account and what local G/L number the branch could use to absorb the cost.”

   That’s customer service. Too bad it’s been so lacking at U.S. Bank.

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