Dueling Musics-on-hold
Mar. 19th, 2013 09:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
captainsblogOur perpetual refi has gone another month without significant progress, once again requiring us to make a mortgage payment under the old deal while the new one inches along. About two weeks ago, after a silence of several weeks, our broker called because the underwriters were "very concerned" about a drop in my income.
Drop, schmop. They totally ignored the fact that I now get some of my former referral income paid to me directly as a part-time employee of the referring firm, and that 2012, combined, was actually ahead of 2011 and the first two months of 2013 better than either. I told them all that, reduced it to writing, and waited for confirmation of receipt. Promised two Fridays ago, last Monday at the latest. By the time I had time to bitch about it at the end of last week, we discovered that the broker was away until Thursday of this week.
Now I understand the job title. Every month that goes by without the loan being refinanced, we get broker.
And yet somehow, today, a glimmer of hope rose from the snow-covered wasteland out there.
I cut out a bit early for cardio and, as I walked into the gym, got a weird four-digit number displaying on my cell. Suspecting spam, I let it go to voicemail. Turned out to be a data verifier hired by the new mortgage company; they needed to confirm the current balance with our current mortgage and that we haven't been late since this process began, lo these five months ago.
I called back the full number left on the voicemail, and got put on hold. Big hold. Major hold. LONNNNNG HOLLLLLD. Eventually, I hopped on an elliptical and got at least a little cardio in while the eternal cycle of music continued; in time, though, I worried that the call might drop inside that cavernous dump, so I headed home to hand off the on-hold call to Eleanor.
A bit more than a block away from the house, Ashley finally answered. I pulled over to ensure not losing the connection. Yup, everything was in order, but they'd need to conference me in with the Current Mortgage Company to get a verification of the balance and of the recent payment history. Next thing I knew, she was calling into CMC, touch-toning the prompts with MY social security number and ticking the "speak to a representative" option,....
and, now close to a half hour since I hit send, wound up, once again, with music on hold.
CMC's is far more annoying. Whereas the new shop cycles every couple of minutes with the same "your call is very important to us" message, the old guys rotate the message constantly among suggestions to make you go away. Did you know you can access your mortgage information online? Our 24-hour automated phone line gives you most of what you need to do your taxes. Would you like fries with that? If they'd suggested that I apply with THEM for a refinance, I'd have gone totally postal (we did that, between June and August, and ultimately got turned down because of a BS issue).
Finally, Adam came on the line, and got all chummy with Ashley. Ah, young mortgage processor love. He confirmed that we've been a good boy and girl since the credit was last run, and hopefully, when Broker T. Washington returns day after tomorrow, he can confirm that this near-hour exercise in stupid was actual progress- and that we will close and cash out before April 15th, when the funds are kinda important.
No movies or even Jazz.FM for me tonight. I've heard way more than my share of background instrumentals:P
Drop, schmop. They totally ignored the fact that I now get some of my former referral income paid to me directly as a part-time employee of the referring firm, and that 2012, combined, was actually ahead of 2011 and the first two months of 2013 better than either. I told them all that, reduced it to writing, and waited for confirmation of receipt. Promised two Fridays ago, last Monday at the latest. By the time I had time to bitch about it at the end of last week, we discovered that the broker was away until Thursday of this week.
Now I understand the job title. Every month that goes by without the loan being refinanced, we get broker.
And yet somehow, today, a glimmer of hope rose from the snow-covered wasteland out there.
I cut out a bit early for cardio and, as I walked into the gym, got a weird four-digit number displaying on my cell. Suspecting spam, I let it go to voicemail. Turned out to be a data verifier hired by the new mortgage company; they needed to confirm the current balance with our current mortgage and that we haven't been late since this process began, lo these five months ago.
I called back the full number left on the voicemail, and got put on hold. Big hold. Major hold. LONNNNNG HOLLLLLD. Eventually, I hopped on an elliptical and got at least a little cardio in while the eternal cycle of music continued; in time, though, I worried that the call might drop inside that cavernous dump, so I headed home to hand off the on-hold call to Eleanor.
A bit more than a block away from the house, Ashley finally answered. I pulled over to ensure not losing the connection. Yup, everything was in order, but they'd need to conference me in with the Current Mortgage Company to get a verification of the balance and of the recent payment history. Next thing I knew, she was calling into CMC, touch-toning the prompts with MY social security number and ticking the "speak to a representative" option,....
and, now close to a half hour since I hit send, wound up, once again, with music on hold.
CMC's is far more annoying. Whereas the new shop cycles every couple of minutes with the same "your call is very important to us" message, the old guys rotate the message constantly among suggestions to make you go away. Did you know you can access your mortgage information online? Our 24-hour automated phone line gives you most of what you need to do your taxes. Would you like fries with that? If they'd suggested that I apply with THEM for a refinance, I'd have gone totally postal (we did that, between June and August, and ultimately got turned down because of a BS issue).
Finally, Adam came on the line, and got all chummy with Ashley. Ah, young mortgage processor love. He confirmed that we've been a good boy and girl since the credit was last run, and hopefully, when Broker T. Washington returns day after tomorrow, he can confirm that this near-hour exercise in stupid was actual progress- and that we will close and cash out before April 15th, when the funds are kinda important.
No movies or even Jazz.FM for me tonight. I've heard way more than my share of background instrumentals:P
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Date: 2013-03-20 06:17 am (UTC)Every month they would confirm the number, and every month the direct debit would get mucked up. By the fourth month, I was at home for it - and I was at home for the 5th when they mucked it up AGAIN. I was actually standing behind my mother with a bottle of aspirin in my palm because she was so very angry with them I thought she would give herself a heart attack. I was boggled by the continued incompetence by a *mortgage* company. I guess it's not an uncommon thing.