i'm dying and i'm poor and my cat hates me
I have the worst cold known to man. I'm grumpy, and I'm dying, and I'm going to firebomb Wells Fargo. Everyone always tells me that Bank of America (who have never done anything to piss me off other than try to force me into having more savings accounts than any human being could ever manage, and send me a credit card without me asking for one - which actually turned out to be a very good thing when I was very, very unemployed) is the devil incarnate, but Wells Fargo - keepers of my student loans and therefore my soul - have done nothing but lie to me, make up rules, and overcharge me for years. Here's the latest email that I've tried to send them. (They won't accept more than 20 lines, because the trained chimps that run the bank can't read that much. And after spending 20 minutes chopping down the letter, I realized that by "20 lines" they actually mean "14 lines". I mean, I wouldn't expect them to be able to count, what with them being a bank and all.)
A week ago (Nov. 16) I was called regarding a late payment - I had missed a payment of $133.32. I have two student loans out (both attributed to account number xxxxx-xxxxx), and had been getting separate bills ever since I began paying again after deferring them, and I assumed that one of them had gotten misplaced and therefore not paid due to my own stupidity. The bill collector who called (identified as "Doug") took a check payment over the phone for $294.60, and I was told that this amount was for the overdue amount and the current bill due 12/01. I pointed out that I had received a statement the day previous for $479.14, and I asked what amount of that was left to be paid, and he told me that this amount did not need to be paid at all, and that I wouldn't have another payment due until January. After ending the phone call, I realized that this current statement is for both of my loans, and that I probably paid only the one over the phone, and I still have an amount that should be paid on the second loan.
I then went through my records, and a payment of $350 was processed through my Bank of America online bill paying on 10/31. Since the combined total due for both of my October statements was $317.82 (One for $184.50 and one for the aforementioned $133.32), it would seem that I not only paid the bill, but I overpaid it, and then I paid it again over the phone, as well as an unnecessary late fee of $28.00.
I can see from my online statement that the amount I am expected to pay has been modified to reflect the fact that I paid one of my loans twice, yet I can't help but notice that I have still been charged a late fee. My records show that payment was received a day before it was due. I hate to split hairs, but this is not the first time that I have had such problems with Wells Fargo in regards to my loans. The fact that I was charged a late fee - and then called on a Saturday morning to make a payment a full two weeks after said payment was received - strikes me as a bit unfair. "Doug" gave me incorrect information that, had I taken the professional at his word, would have caused another late payment in the future as well.
I would appreciate it if I could get a revised statement disregarding the late fee of $28.00. I would also like to know what I can do in the future to prevent such confusion and complication from happening in the future.
Thank you,
Michelle Brady
I'm really convinced that what they're doing is criminal. Or at least really, really wrong, and incredibly stupid. These are the same people that, after talking to three different people about getting my student loans deferred, I got three different set of rules, all of which cost me more money than I actually owed. (I'm also fairly certain that I'm not gonna get that $28 back. I'm also aware that my bitching is probably not going to please the bank, and that they can continue to screw me over for being an annoying customer. But really. It's the principle of the thing. And I'm my mother's daughter. (She's been boycotting Sears and the Taco Bell near Ventura College for as long as I can remember, and trust me, she let them both know it. Luckily I've got a bit of my weak-willed father in me as well, otherwise I'd be going to a Wells Fargo on Monday and screaming at someone.)
None of this is helping me save up money for the world's greatest road trip to San Francisco that iamfreak and I are planning over our Christmas break.
Oh, and, Australia won't let me watch Paul McDermott anymore. I'm having a bad day.
A week ago (Nov. 16) I was called regarding a late payment - I had missed a payment of $133.32. I have two student loans out (both attributed to account number xxxxx-xxxxx), and had been getting separate bills ever since I began paying again after deferring them, and I assumed that one of them had gotten misplaced and therefore not paid due to my own stupidity. The bill collector who called (identified as "Doug") took a check payment over the phone for $294.60, and I was told that this amount was for the overdue amount and the current bill due 12/01. I pointed out that I had received a statement the day previous for $479.14, and I asked what amount of that was left to be paid, and he told me that this amount did not need to be paid at all, and that I wouldn't have another payment due until January. After ending the phone call, I realized that this current statement is for both of my loans, and that I probably paid only the one over the phone, and I still have an amount that should be paid on the second loan.
I then went through my records, and a payment of $350 was processed through my Bank of America online bill paying on 10/31. Since the combined total due for both of my October statements was $317.82 (One for $184.50 and one for the aforementioned $133.32), it would seem that I not only paid the bill, but I overpaid it, and then I paid it again over the phone, as well as an unnecessary late fee of $28.00.
I can see from my online statement that the amount I am expected to pay has been modified to reflect the fact that I paid one of my loans twice, yet I can't help but notice that I have still been charged a late fee. My records show that payment was received a day before it was due. I hate to split hairs, but this is not the first time that I have had such problems with Wells Fargo in regards to my loans. The fact that I was charged a late fee - and then called on a Saturday morning to make a payment a full two weeks after said payment was received - strikes me as a bit unfair. "Doug" gave me incorrect information that, had I taken the professional at his word, would have caused another late payment in the future as well.
I would appreciate it if I could get a revised statement disregarding the late fee of $28.00. I would also like to know what I can do in the future to prevent such confusion and complication from happening in the future.
Thank you,
Michelle Brady
I'm really convinced that what they're doing is criminal. Or at least really, really wrong, and incredibly stupid. These are the same people that, after talking to three different people about getting my student loans deferred, I got three different set of rules, all of which cost me more money than I actually owed. (I'm also fairly certain that I'm not gonna get that $28 back. I'm also aware that my bitching is probably not going to please the bank, and that they can continue to screw me over for being an annoying customer. But really. It's the principle of the thing. And I'm my mother's daughter. (She's been boycotting Sears and the Taco Bell near Ventura College for as long as I can remember, and trust me, she let them both know it. Luckily I've got a bit of my weak-willed father in me as well, otherwise I'd be going to a Wells Fargo on Monday and screaming at someone.)
None of this is helping me save up money for the world's greatest road trip to San Francisco that iamfreak and I are planning over our Christmas break.
Oh, and, Australia won't let me watch Paul McDermott anymore. I'm having a bad day.