In the ongoing battle I've had with the predatory lender, Centex Mortgage Company, the latest is an admission by THEIR OWN REPRESENTATIVE that they LIE!
After a disastrous attempt to sell a house we own - (see: They Lie, They Cheat, They Steal) - we fell behind in our payments. The people who had been renting the house were trying to buy it; Centex did all they could to slow down and stop the sale - and did so succesfully - they took so long and then added unearned fees when they sent a payoff statement for the following month - rather than the month requested - that the lender backed out and so did the buyers. And the renters/buyers were so angry, they decided to just not pay a couple of months' rent. -
Bad story got worse: we ended up having to evict them and between the damages they and their dogs had done, the lost rents and the clean up costs, we were down several thousand dollars. And despite the fact that Centex knowingly and intentionally contributed to this situation, they started to aggressively pursue collection.
During this battle, one of their collection people, Ms. Coleman, called and identified herself as a "Manager for Centex." She said she was going to help us get the payments caught up. I'd already sent two payments - to an old address as it turns out. Although the first did reach them and was cashed.
Ms. Coleman told us that in order for her to help us, I needed to cancel that second check and give her our bank account number so we could get that payment credited immediately. I refused to do that. -I've read on this site of too many folks having done just that and then Centex starts "helping themselves." When I refused, she got all pissy and told me "she couldn't help me if I wouldn't help her." So I told her that in the spirit of cooperation I'd cancel the check and overnight Fed Ex a replacement check to her, which I did. She also asked that I call her back with the tracking numbers, which I also did.
She told me that if we did this, and then sent the next payment so it arrived before the end of the month (September) she had it set up where I'd AUTOMATICALLY be faxed a form to request a deferral of one payment to the end of the loan, and then our account would be current. I told her it would be the last week of the month - but she said that would be fine, so long as it arrived before the last day of the month.
Soooooo - again doing EXACTLY as she asked, I sent off the payment before the end of September - to Ms. Coleman's attention. Guess what? - DIDN'T GET A FAX OR A CALL FROM HER! -
When I finally got the chance to call them late that afternoon, our dear Ms. Coleman, after lecturing me that I had "attitude" when I kept repeating that I'd done everything she'd asked me to do - and then telling me that they didn't HAVE to help me at all - told me I'd have to talk to "the Manager." Hmmmmm - now that's what she said SHE was...
So I talked to Quiana Young. She said they'd fax the form.
Turns out I'd accidentally given them a wrong fax number. -But got with them first thing in the morning to correct it. Then they sent the form. -And SURPRISE!!! - It was WRONG! - It stated that we were TWO MONTHS behind in payments. - I called and spoke with Ms. YOung. Told her we couldn't sign a legal document that would have us owing Centex monies that weren't owed. (Get the pattern here? - Every time they send you a form to sign, it seems to contain unearned fees for Centex that you'd have to fight to try to recover from them...). Anyway, she then got quite nasty and said "Well then don't sign it."
I pointed out that it appears that Centex had done it's usual "bait and switch" routine. -Ms. Coleman had offered to help. We'd done as she'd asked. And in return, Centex was trying to screw us over. -She tried several tactics during this conversation: first she said we weren't eligible for the program because we'd cancelled a check - she'd just spotted it in the file - I told her Ms. Coleman had specifically requested we do so. Then she told me we weren't eligible for the program because we'd "post dated" the check we'd sent. I told her that was untrue - it was posted for the day it was sent. -She was obviously floundering around in the file for some sort of justification - unfortunately, just like so many of the Centex reps, she doesn't bother to READ THE FILE.
Then she told me that were weren't eligible for the program because the check had arrived too late in the month - I pointed out that according to Ms. Coleman, so long as the payment arrived before the end of the month, we were eligible - that I'd SPECIFICALLY ASKED THAT QUESTION OF MS. Coleman when we'd talked. So dear old Quiana said Ms. Coleman had it wrong. I asked her if that meant she'd lied. She said she'd "misspoken." I said - wait a minute - this woman, a representative of Centex, called US, telling us she could HELP. That if we cooperated with everything she asked us to do, she could help us get the account current. Now I'm being told that's "incorrect."
Ms YOung responded - and this is an exact quote: "IF YOU WANT ME TO SAY MS. Coleman lied, then alright, ms. COLEMAN LIED!" I told her that's called misrepresentation and bad faith on the part of Centex. She told me the conversation was over and hung up on me.
This week we got a letter from Centex telling us that since we'd cancelled a check, they were adding a $25 fee to our account.
So you see, Centex really DOES LIE, CHEAT AND STEAL!!! - They admit it and then go the extra mile to prove it.
Adrienne
North Little Rock, Arkansas
U.S.A.
0 comments