A little over a year ago I was trying to refi' my home. I had been approved for the loan, and the next phase was the appraisal. I scheduled the appointment for 11:30 during a workday (that was the only time they had available). Subsequently, I had to take a half-day leave from work. Around noon the appraiser called and said he was running a few minutes late and he should be at my home in fifteen minutes. Tick tock times 3 hours later he finally arrived at (3 1/2 hours late). He got out of the car, took a few pictures, and the first thing he said was "I don't know why I got stuck doing this house. I don't even do this type of appraisal. I do waterfront and commercial." He comes into the house, walks into the bathroom, knocks on the tub, walks stright outside, takes a few more pictures, and leaves. He didn't go into the kitchen or any bedrooms. He didn't ask what recent upgrades I'd made to the home since last appraisal (approximately $15,000 worth). Needless to say I called his office as soon as he left and reported my concern. I informed the very rude lady that I was not happy at all at the man's lack of concern for all facets of my home and demanded another - real - appraisal. She laughed and said that's fine, but I'd have to pay for another one. Consequently, I called my bank and immediately cancelled the check. That got their attention. They called a few times demanding money, and I told them that I'd be happy to pay for a real appraisal. They also sent lots of letters that I simply wrote "return to sender." A few months go by, and I get a phone call from a collection agency stating that they are freezing my assets, contacting the state attorneys office in my county, and sending out a private investigator to interview people in my neighborhood and my employees. Nonetheless, I got bullied and scared into paying for a quality of service I never received. As far as I'm concerned, that's extortion.
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