I meant to post this yesterday using the meme format but I just never got the time to sit down and do it. I'll get to that in a minute.
1. So Bank of Satan, I mean, Bank of America, is thinking about dropping the idea to charge all its customers $5 a month for using debit cards. They say it's because of all the feedback from their customers. Ha. I'd like to think it has something to do with November 5 switch-from-a-corporate-bank-to-a-credit-union day. I heard some of these other banks that were jumping on board with BOA are also reconsidering. Thank you. How much money did we spend on bailing out BOA and other banks again? They're making nice profits and what do they want to do? Squeeze more money from all of us!
2. And don't get me started on those obscene bonuses executives of other corporations bailed out are receiving!
3. Part of the reason I didn't get to blog was because TB and I were busy going to Walmart and Lowe's to get a couple of things for the craft show on November 12. This venture is costing us. It's not expensive if you've got it but we're using money that would go to other stuff. TB needed things like lemon oil, sand paper, cash box, queen size sheets ... Yes, queen size sheets. I think we're going to borrow them from his mom. They're to cover the table from top down to the floor. The lady running the event said she uses queen size sheets so it should be good.
4. I'm seeing "Blithe Spirit" with Kristin on Saturday night. She's treating me, which is really nice. She's taking drama this semester and one of the requirements is that students have to take in a play. It's been quite a while since I've seen a play...maybe almost two years. Tickets for non-students is only $10 so Bill wanted to join us. I'm looking forward to this!
5. I'm relieved that Dr. Greenbaum was pleased with how TB's doing after his most recent appointment. The abdominal wall infection cleared up and the seepage from the incision slowed down considerably!
6. We're having a hard time remembering to finger stick first thing in the morning! Our sugars have been running over 100 lately so the doctor wants us to test for two weeks before deciding what else to do. After testing several times a day for years, you'd think this would be old hat to us but I guess two years of freedom from it all has totally erased all the old habits. If we forget to get the fasting level, we go for an hour after the meal. I'm kind of bummed that the levels have been above normal.
7. Another reason I didn't have time for blogging is I had a therapy appointment. She thinks I am depressed again. Really? I think it's situational. Yes, I'm stressed. There's a lot going on. I don't think there's a pill for that. I take a nap to escape the stress.
8. Christmas decorations in October? If you looked, you could see them lurking in the background. The Halloween decorations barely came down before the Christmas ones went up. Does anyone else get depressed about this stuff? I mean, what about Thanksgiving? Can't the stores wait until "Black Friday" weekend to start all this commercialism? The arrival of Santa at malls was traditionally after Thanksgiving. Now it could be anytime in November. I was in the middle of filling out this survey for B101, a radio station in my area, and they want to know when did I want to start listening to Christmas music? Now? November 15? After Thanksgiving? I was about to say after Thanksgiving but then I thought if I have to be subjected to all this other crap now, why not enjoy the music? Holiday music does lighten my mood considerably.
9. Now I'm rating Christmas songs for B101. There sure are a lot! It doesn't seem like they all get played because in past years if feels like I just hear the same ones over and over.
10. Kristin's taking ASL 101 this semester and it's fun to practice with her. Her signs are nice and clear and her face is very expressive. I'm glad I can help her practice. She's doing very well in this class.
11. I'm still working on that Christmas song survey for B101. I wonder if they'll pay attention to my results? I wonder if anyone else had the patience to sit there and rate all those songs?
12. Why does trying to find the best insurance plan/a doctor have to be so darn difficult? We're still trying to figure out our medicare options, waiting for the information about the insurance companies to come in the mail. Also: Kristin was on the phone for about an hour trying to find doctors that would take her insurance. We'd first called the insurance company and they passed us off to the "preferred provider", whatever the hell that means. The preferred provider at least was more helpful. The representative got on the phone with the gynecologist's office and finally got them to understand who they were. The doctor's office then agreed to make an appointment for Kristin. As for the other doctor, well, we struck out and so the rep is doing a search among nurse practitioners to find an appropriate doctor. Don't ask me why nurse practitioners are doing this. I have no clue.
13. I don't think there's an end to this Christmas song list on B101. I'll probably be here tomorrow too! ;)
Showing posts with label Bank of America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bank of America. Show all posts
Friday, November 4
Friday, December 31
Trying to catch up
I knew I hadn't updated in ages but hadn't realized how long it's been!
Going back to school ended up being much more demanding than I thought but it was worth it. I still feel wiped out though!
Finals began December 15th. I found out all my grades right before Christmas and it was a very nice gift! I earned 4 A's and a B+. A couple of things I learned: I'm not too old to go back to school and can retain information in my brain most of the time. I still have my fibro days but there weren't enough of them to throw me off completely. Another thing I learned is that I can still write stories well. My instructor wanted me to try and get one of them published so that's something I want to work on for the New Year. I learned I can sort of teach myself when I have an instructor who's very disorganized. Most of all, I felt challenged and stimulated by these classes.
From finals, I went right to trying to prep for Christmas. I didn't have much time to devote to decorating or cards or baking or wrapping or any of that stuff while school was going on. If I thought I was going to be able to sit back and relax after finals, I was sure wrong! I probably could have let go of some of these things--like Christmas cards--but I just wasn't ready to do that and so I didn't.
Now, though, I sort of feel like a popped balloon. I keep telling myself there's things I should be doing but my body and brain are saying "uh uh". I decided to listen to my body and that part of my brain saying "uh uh" and am just resting. I read a little, I nap a lot and I just have been "vegging out" since Christmas.
The new semester starts in about three weeks. My batteries should be recharged by then.
TB's been suffering a lot and I worry about him. The pain meds don't seem to be helping very well. He has this issue with his hip now. He needs a shot using a fluoroscopic machine. We were supposed to go on the 27th but then there was this massive snow storm and so it was put off until January 3.
The doctors don't seem to be sure what's going on with his hip. An Xray seemed to show a foreign body (like a piece of arthritis) floating around. He had a CAT scan of his hip and one of the surgeons that looked at it thought he had a torn cartilage.
Why aren't they doing surgery to correct the problem? I don't get it. I don't get the explanation--that TB's baseline pain medical management and fibromyalgia makes the prognosis not hopeful. The surgeon wanted him to put up with the pain until he can't stand it anymore. Well...it's at that point now!
It looks like we're getting a loan modification after all from Bank of America. TB got the news over the phone just before Christmas but they've told us so many stories that I didn't believe it. I wanted to see it in writing and the paperwork just got here. We have a three month trial modification period starting in February. I am cautiously thrilled. I guess I still don't trust the bank and have heard other stories of the modification being cancelled capriciously. We'll see.
The three kids are still hanging in with us. They're all in school full time, working part time and right now not in a position to be able to live on their own.
The gang is doing great! Is the cold winter the reason they've all become extra snuggly lately?
So that's the major stuff that's been going on around here since I blogged last.
Best wishes for a happy and safe New Year!
Going back to school ended up being much more demanding than I thought but it was worth it. I still feel wiped out though!
Finals began December 15th. I found out all my grades right before Christmas and it was a very nice gift! I earned 4 A's and a B+. A couple of things I learned: I'm not too old to go back to school and can retain information in my brain most of the time. I still have my fibro days but there weren't enough of them to throw me off completely. Another thing I learned is that I can still write stories well. My instructor wanted me to try and get one of them published so that's something I want to work on for the New Year. I learned I can sort of teach myself when I have an instructor who's very disorganized. Most of all, I felt challenged and stimulated by these classes.
From finals, I went right to trying to prep for Christmas. I didn't have much time to devote to decorating or cards or baking or wrapping or any of that stuff while school was going on. If I thought I was going to be able to sit back and relax after finals, I was sure wrong! I probably could have let go of some of these things--like Christmas cards--but I just wasn't ready to do that and so I didn't.
Now, though, I sort of feel like a popped balloon. I keep telling myself there's things I should be doing but my body and brain are saying "uh uh". I decided to listen to my body and that part of my brain saying "uh uh" and am just resting. I read a little, I nap a lot and I just have been "vegging out" since Christmas.
The new semester starts in about three weeks. My batteries should be recharged by then.
TB's been suffering a lot and I worry about him. The pain meds don't seem to be helping very well. He has this issue with his hip now. He needs a shot using a fluoroscopic machine. We were supposed to go on the 27th but then there was this massive snow storm and so it was put off until January 3.
The doctors don't seem to be sure what's going on with his hip. An Xray seemed to show a foreign body (like a piece of arthritis) floating around. He had a CAT scan of his hip and one of the surgeons that looked at it thought he had a torn cartilage.
Why aren't they doing surgery to correct the problem? I don't get it. I don't get the explanation--that TB's baseline pain medical management and fibromyalgia makes the prognosis not hopeful. The surgeon wanted him to put up with the pain until he can't stand it anymore. Well...it's at that point now!
It looks like we're getting a loan modification after all from Bank of America. TB got the news over the phone just before Christmas but they've told us so many stories that I didn't believe it. I wanted to see it in writing and the paperwork just got here. We have a three month trial modification period starting in February. I am cautiously thrilled. I guess I still don't trust the bank and have heard other stories of the modification being cancelled capriciously. We'll see.
The three kids are still hanging in with us. They're all in school full time, working part time and right now not in a position to be able to live on their own.
The gang is doing great! Is the cold winter the reason they've all become extra snuggly lately?
So that's the major stuff that's been going on around here since I blogged last.
Best wishes for a happy and safe New Year!
Wednesday, June 9
Update on navigating Bank of America Purgatory
Dealing with Bank of America (BOA) continues to be a Twilight Zone nightmare. The customer service people we talk to don't document all that we talk about unless they know they're being recorded. We never get the same person twice and can't ask for the person we've talked to because we've either been given a false name or that person is in a far-away call center (many times not even in this country!).
The latest fiasco happened after we first met with Consumer Credit Counseling (CCC). We had a follow-up phone conference between CCC, us and BOA. Nothing had happened and no one had escalated our issue from the first conference call. The issue (what happened to our paperwork?) had to be escalated again.
TB and I called about five days later. At first the representative (said his name was Mike) said that everything is "taking time" and when we didn't get off the phone right away, he checked further and found that we were declined again even before our follow-up call with the CCC rep. Why weren't we told then? Of course, Mike didn't know. He said our August 2009 payment to the old mortgage company hadn't been released to BOA yet--meanwhile, we've been getting different stories from different people about it.
He did say we could pay the same amount we'd pay if we were in the Making Homes Affordable program but--(Jaws theme music)--he couldn't send us written confirmation. He said for us not to call every week anymore. Gee, wonder why? He said we should call the first week of June to see if the MHA packet could be mailed to us. That would depend on our income.
Sigh.
We were supposed to see our CCC counselor on Friday but she wasn't there and rescheduled it to this Friday.
Today I made the idiotic move to call BOA to see what progress they'd made and spoke with Brenda in the Escalation Department. I called to check on the progress and also to verify the reduced payment would be okay. I just had this nasty feeling about it all! First she said there was no record of them reviewing our information or mailing a packet or anything remotely like helping us. Mike's notes about a reduced payment weren't there.
I was not surprised. I was surprised that I was pissed off and upset. I mean, what else did I expect from these people?
I wanted to know why Mike said it would be okay to pay as if we were on the MHA plan. She said she guessed it was because any payment would be credited to our account. I said uh uh, no way are we giving you anymore money to put us out on the street. I'll save it as moving money. She said okay, fine.
She also looked some more and said oh, I found the note now. They are working on sending you a packet. I expressed some doubt because they've been "working on sending a packet" since January. They keep declining us because they don't receive the packet that they've never sent. Three times.
She apologized. Isn't that nice? They always apologize. And say that they're really backlogged. And say that they "understand your frustration". And that this is happening to a lot of other people.
BOA was one of the banks bailed out by President Obama's program. They made huge profits last year. And they can't hire people to help with this so-called backlog?
The journey through Purgatory continues, although I did suggest that they come take the house and shove it up their a$$!
So that's how we left it.
The latest fiasco happened after we first met with Consumer Credit Counseling (CCC). We had a follow-up phone conference between CCC, us and BOA. Nothing had happened and no one had escalated our issue from the first conference call. The issue (what happened to our paperwork?) had to be escalated again.
TB and I called about five days later. At first the representative (said his name was Mike) said that everything is "taking time" and when we didn't get off the phone right away, he checked further and found that we were declined again even before our follow-up call with the CCC rep. Why weren't we told then? Of course, Mike didn't know. He said our August 2009 payment to the old mortgage company hadn't been released to BOA yet--meanwhile, we've been getting different stories from different people about it.
He did say we could pay the same amount we'd pay if we were in the Making Homes Affordable program but--(Jaws theme music)--he couldn't send us written confirmation. He said for us not to call every week anymore. Gee, wonder why? He said we should call the first week of June to see if the MHA packet could be mailed to us. That would depend on our income.
Sigh.
We were supposed to see our CCC counselor on Friday but she wasn't there and rescheduled it to this Friday.
Today I made the idiotic move to call BOA to see what progress they'd made and spoke with Brenda in the Escalation Department. I called to check on the progress and also to verify the reduced payment would be okay. I just had this nasty feeling about it all! First she said there was no record of them reviewing our information or mailing a packet or anything remotely like helping us. Mike's notes about a reduced payment weren't there.
I was not surprised. I was surprised that I was pissed off and upset. I mean, what else did I expect from these people?
I wanted to know why Mike said it would be okay to pay as if we were on the MHA plan. She said she guessed it was because any payment would be credited to our account. I said uh uh, no way are we giving you anymore money to put us out on the street. I'll save it as moving money. She said okay, fine.
She also looked some more and said oh, I found the note now. They are working on sending you a packet. I expressed some doubt because they've been "working on sending a packet" since January. They keep declining us because they don't receive the packet that they've never sent. Three times.
She apologized. Isn't that nice? They always apologize. And say that they're really backlogged. And say that they "understand your frustration". And that this is happening to a lot of other people.
BOA was one of the banks bailed out by President Obama's program. They made huge profits last year. And they can't hire people to help with this so-called backlog?
The journey through Purgatory continues, although I did suggest that they come take the house and shove it up their a$$!
So that's how we left it.
Thursday, May 20
I'm about to scream, wail & gnash my teeth...
...because my husband needs stuff we can't afford. Those who have great medical coverage won't get it. Those who are in the same boat as us are probably going through something like this.
TB needs Cymbalta for the pain he's in all the time. It helps him not need so much morphine and percocet. The trouble is the cost because it's a name brand and there's no generic. It's expensive now with the crummy plan we have. Once we fall into the doughnut hole it'll really become unaffordable.
It's the same thing with testosterone. TB's tired all the time and needs to boost his levels. In addition, if he doesn't have enough he could suffer bone loss. You'd think this hormone is readily available in a generic--but it's also very expensive. And we'll have the same problem when we're in the doughnut hole.
With our luck, wouldn't you know that as soon as we pulled up from the doctor's office today the frames on TB's glasses broke. Know how expensive frames and lenses are for people with heavy duty prescriptions? The eye exam is probably covered but not a dollar for the frames or lenses.
So. TB has to have the glasses. As for the prescriptions, we are left with the choice: does TB go without or do we just stop paying someone? Like ... the mortgage company? I don't know that TB will get into one of the prescription programs offered by the manufacturers because they tend to be for those unfortunates without any insurance at all. So, once again, we are left with some tough choices.
This is one reason why we needed health insurance reform ... and it probably ain't gonna happen.
TB needs Cymbalta for the pain he's in all the time. It helps him not need so much morphine and percocet. The trouble is the cost because it's a name brand and there's no generic. It's expensive now with the crummy plan we have. Once we fall into the doughnut hole it'll really become unaffordable.
It's the same thing with testosterone. TB's tired all the time and needs to boost his levels. In addition, if he doesn't have enough he could suffer bone loss. You'd think this hormone is readily available in a generic--but it's also very expensive. And we'll have the same problem when we're in the doughnut hole.
With our luck, wouldn't you know that as soon as we pulled up from the doctor's office today the frames on TB's glasses broke. Know how expensive frames and lenses are for people with heavy duty prescriptions? The eye exam is probably covered but not a dollar for the frames or lenses.
So. TB has to have the glasses. As for the prescriptions, we are left with the choice: does TB go without or do we just stop paying someone? Like ... the mortgage company? I don't know that TB will get into one of the prescription programs offered by the manufacturers because they tend to be for those unfortunates without any insurance at all. So, once again, we are left with some tough choices.
This is one reason why we needed health insurance reform ... and it probably ain't gonna happen.
Tuesday, April 20
GiST #117
1. By happy coincidence (since we just called the station Friday), Jim Donovan (consumer reporter) aired the piece where he helped a woman trying to get a restructure from Bank of America. He said--don't try to deal with the bank directly. Go through a consumer credit counseling agency. Okay--get an advocate!
2. I had the phone numbers for consumer credit counseling agencies. I thought they were for those drowning in unsecured debt. Wrong. Oops. We have an appointment to see a counselor. Maybe they can get us further and maybe all the way through Bank of America Hell/Purgatory.
3. A woman was giving away free 2x4s on Freecycle so TB and I went to pick it up. Well--she also had thick sheets of plywood and a door set out. Wooohoooo! The kids need shelves for the TV room upstairs and now TB can make them. Yay Freecycle!
4. Lost is on tonight. Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost!
5. Today was also Cats on Tuesday. I always have a lot of fun with that and not just blogging about our gang. It's always fun to go around and read the other cat bloggers' entries!
2. I had the phone numbers for consumer credit counseling agencies. I thought they were for those drowning in unsecured debt. Wrong. Oops. We have an appointment to see a counselor. Maybe they can get us further and maybe all the way through Bank of America Hell/Purgatory.
3. A woman was giving away free 2x4s on Freecycle so TB and I went to pick it up. Well--she also had thick sheets of plywood and a door set out. Wooohoooo! The kids need shelves for the TV room upstairs and now TB can make them. Yay Freecycle!
4. Lost is on tonight. Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost!
5. Today was also Cats on Tuesday. I always have a lot of fun with that and not just blogging about our gang. It's always fun to go around and read the other cat bloggers' entries!
Monday, April 19
Mancat Monday & Navigating Bank of America Purgatory
Wow, here's someone I haven't seen on my desk in a looong time--Kosmo!
Kosmo sez, well, Ma, maybe it's cuz o'dat flashy ting! Now, go 'way!
Want more cat blogging and Man Cat Monday?
Be sure to check out Blogging Cat Noos for all the latest!
While I'm waiting for the Dave Ramsey talk show to come on, I thought I might share out adventures in Bank of Americaland, AKA Purgatory or even BOA-Hell.
It all started last year when we realized how difficult life was trying to manage the mortgage we had. It's way more than 30% of our new income now that TB is disabled and unable to work too. I called one month to let them know we were going to be very late and lo and behold! I find out we might qualify for a restructuring program.
We filled out the paperwork filled with hope and sent it back overnight mail. Then we waited to hear. It would take at least 45 business days. We were able to make our payment but after paying it, our gas and electric bill, vites/supplements/protein we require post surgery, water/sewer, telephone/cable and food/gas, we had nothing left over...not for haircuts or lunch out, never mind car repairs and emergencies. We sweat through Christmas and give home made gifts to the immediate family. We try (successfully) "Secret Santa" for the family.
In the meantime, a new issue crops up. See, our original mortgage holder was Taylor, Bean & Whittaker and we'd never had a problem with them. All of a sudden, though, our account (and everyone else's with this company it turns out) went to Bank of America Home Lending. I didn't learn until recently that Taylor, Bean & Whitaker actually folded. Anyway, our last mortgage payment was sent to them and was supposed to be forward to Bank of America...but apparently it wasn't. That started a back and forth you-didn't-pay-yes-we-did merry-go-round ride. That's another long story for another post.
In January, we still haven't heard anything so I begin calling. First of all, the call centers have been outsourced to countries outside of the United States. Fluency in English apparently is not a prerequisite for working in the call center. Not only is it hard to get someone to understand what I need, I'm put on hold for 20 minutes while someone new is fetched. One day I spent nearly two hours on the phone and spoke to 8 different people. I guess it was that day that I finally learned the truth because I refused to hang up or allow some phantom to call me back. Believe me, they sure tried to get me off the phone.
I finally got a supervisor with Person #8. First the supervisor told me we'd never sent in the paperwork and so our application had been denied on the basis of "lack of evidence". I had the receipt from overnight express however and after a long time on hold and many requests to call me back, he finally comes on and admits that yes, they did have the paperwork but that our application was turned down because we didn't qualify for that program. Further, the supervisor informed me, they knew when they received the paperwork that we wouldn't qualify for that program because we weren't three months delinquent. Incredulous, I wanted to know why they'd even bother trying to get us into that program and he goes, "I don't know."
Supposedly at that point, Bank of America dropped the call. I had to call again, run another gauntlet of people who don't speak English and finally talked to someone in a department with people at risk of default--which is where we should have been directed in the very first place! The man I talked to qualified us by phone and said he would transfer our paperwork to this new application but it would be another 45 days before we heard anything--March 25, he promised.
So when I call back a few days after March 25 (trying to give the SOBs the benefit of the doubt) and asked for this man, I was told (a) there was no such person and when I began to panic (b) we couldn't speak to the same person we originally called because there are call centers all over the place and God knows who's picking up the phone. Isn't that just reassuring? Anyway, I asked about our application and the woman tells me that everything is backed up because there are so many people needing help but she's going to put in a "rush" so that we hear in 5 business days.
She also says we're waiting to hear from "the investor" who's going to decide whether or not we will be backed and then there's a bunch of new forms to fill out. What investor? I ask. She says, I can't say.
Now, I haven't put down anyone's names but I have been collecting them and, trust me, it hasn't been easy. You want to talk about reluctant? It's like pulling teeth and especially from this bird.
Next I call HUD (Housing & Urban Development) which is where the Making Homes Affordable program originates because I'm not trusting BOA anymore. She asks me if they sent me "a packet" and I say no, the woman told me we'd get the packet after "the investor" approves us. The HUD lady says that's not correct and I about died. She has me go to a website to download information and applications there. She said to get back with the bank in the five days to see what they say and, meantime, get this packet ready to go.
When I call back to BOA, of course I can't speak to the woman I'd talked to most recently and so I record yet another man's name and proceed. After being placed on hold for a long time, the man comes back and tells me our application has been denied due to lack of information. I feel like I'm about to have a nervous breakdown. The man says our application was turned down March 10th and I totally flip. Why didn't that woman tell me when I called on March 31? That should have been in our file! He says, I dunno. I go, why were we never notified by letter or email or phone call? He goes, I dunno. Then he offers helpfully (ha) to put in an emergency request to qualify us for this program and generate new paperwork...but it's going to take five days and oh, by the way, someone will call us to tell us if we can qualify.
Uh-uh. I don't believe them anymore. I don't trust them. He says okay, if you don't hear back in five days, just give us a call.
Right.
I ask to speak to someone over his head to complain about this entire situation and he says I could call "the office of the president" and someone will "take care of it" right away. He gives me the phone number but doesn't offer to transfer me.
I call the number and, of course, it's not the office of the president nor will they take a complaint because the representative didn't file it for me. The lady I speak to, though, does offer to help make sure the representative did the correct thing. Now ... here's why I haven't used anyone's names in this post. I give the woman his name--the guy I was just talking to--and she says, "oh, but that's not his real name."
Yaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!
Is it time to call Dave Ramsey yet? I think it is...
Sunday, April 18
GiST #115
The last several days have been pretty blue, such a dark blue that although I found a few things to GiST about, I just had no motivation to try and blog. Basically, it's the bank from hell--Bank of America--that brought on such a bout of despair and frustration. Now I can have some dark humor about that part of it so here goes:
1. Bank of America considers us "current" even though we're a month behind. This is because by the time they get around to actually helping their customers, those people are a minimum of three months behind and usually more. That is, if they haven't jumped off a top of the building yet from the frustration of dealing with this institution. Enough about THEM.
2. Yesterday was grandson Ryan's 14th birthday so TB and I called him. In the past, he's been shy about talking to us but yesterday he opened up and we talked and talked and talked. It was most definitely a high point in our day! Happy birthday again, Ryan!
3. We also got to have a nice conversation with granddaughter Taylor. The kids are so far away (Tennessee) and we miss them so much. There was a time when they were just a hop skip and a jump away and we saw them at least once a week. Oh well. Phones and internet are a wonderful thing.
4. Friday night I went with Bill to see Man of LaMancha at the community college. The actors were all good and although the actor singing "To Dream The Impossible Dream" was no Robert Goulet, he did a pretty good job. It was especially nice to go with my son. We rarely have any mother-son time.
5. I finally finished Moll Flanders. Actually, it was a good book. I just had to reread several passages a couple of times over because of the language. I'm glad I read it. My mind still boggles at the plot though. My next project is to blog about it on Bookaholic.
6. I lost another 4 pounds over the last month. I'm losing at just the right rate now.
7. I've been focusing more on my protein, vitamin and supplement intake. My levels fell a little bit but that's easily managed and I'm pretty good about following a schedule. I'm getting some advice about how much to tweak.
8. Although there's been some contention, I'd say the family therapy session went well in that we came up with goals and an "exit strategy".
9. I talked to my brother, even though just for a few minutes. I'm so glad we're in contact with each other and getting along well again.
10. The weather has been wonderful--the sun helped bring some brightness to my recent dark blue days.
1. Bank of America considers us "current" even though we're a month behind. This is because by the time they get around to actually helping their customers, those people are a minimum of three months behind and usually more. That is, if they haven't jumped off a top of the building yet from the frustration of dealing with this institution. Enough about THEM.
2. Yesterday was grandson Ryan's 14th birthday so TB and I called him. In the past, he's been shy about talking to us but yesterday he opened up and we talked and talked and talked. It was most definitely a high point in our day! Happy birthday again, Ryan!
3. We also got to have a nice conversation with granddaughter Taylor. The kids are so far away (Tennessee) and we miss them so much. There was a time when they were just a hop skip and a jump away and we saw them at least once a week. Oh well. Phones and internet are a wonderful thing.
4. Friday night I went with Bill to see Man of LaMancha at the community college. The actors were all good and although the actor singing "To Dream The Impossible Dream" was no Robert Goulet, he did a pretty good job. It was especially nice to go with my son. We rarely have any mother-son time.
5. I finally finished Moll Flanders. Actually, it was a good book. I just had to reread several passages a couple of times over because of the language. I'm glad I read it. My mind still boggles at the plot though. My next project is to blog about it on Bookaholic.
6. I lost another 4 pounds over the last month. I'm losing at just the right rate now.
7. I've been focusing more on my protein, vitamin and supplement intake. My levels fell a little bit but that's easily managed and I'm pretty good about following a schedule. I'm getting some advice about how much to tweak.
8. Although there's been some contention, I'd say the family therapy session went well in that we came up with goals and an "exit strategy".
9. I talked to my brother, even though just for a few minutes. I'm so glad we're in contact with each other and getting along well again.
10. The weather has been wonderful--the sun helped bring some brightness to my recent dark blue days.
Friday, April 16
I need "3 On Your Side"
Something like this is happening to us:
The rest of the article is here.
I feel like we're in the Twilight Zone with The Bank From Hell, Bank of America. I've been misled, put into the wrong mortgage program, run in circles, and been outright lied to since November. I don't believe a single word any of them say to me anymore, especially now that I've learned they give false names and false information to get you off the phone.
They say banks want to help. Don't believe it any more. I think this is just something they say and they're just as happy to foreclose on people. Why else would the situation be like this with so many run around in circles by the same bank. When we were dealing with the company before BOA (Taylor Bean Whittaker), everything was spit spot and on the ball. Unfortunately that company apparently got itself into trouble and sold all their accounts to BOA.
I think BOA would like to dump any of these customers, including us.
I contacted consumer reporter Jim Donovan, who has the "3 On Your Side" series. I mean, I left a message for him. He helped the lady in this article. Wouldn't that be awesome if he could help us?
Right now, I'm stressed and depressed. I feel pretty hopeless but I'm trying not to. I'm trying to see things could still work out.
The number of homeowners in the Obama administration's flagship foreclosure prevention program is growing, but it's not all good news. As 3-On Your Side's Jim Donovan reports, many applicants sit for months in limbo, awaiting final answers from their banks.
Adrienne Ervin has lived in her Drexel Hill home with her son and daughter for nine years. She tells us that she was working non-stop and had a great job with great pay until things suddenly changed in 2009. That's when Adrienne was laid off from her job. Unable to pay her mortgage, she reached out to her lender, Bank of America, for help.
After several months, the bank agreed to modify Adrienne's loan. They lowered her interest rate, gave her a new payment, and also gave her 60 days before she was to begin making payments.
But then, without warning, Adrienne says, "They took it back and said they approved me for the wrong kind of mortgage."
So it was back to square one.
Adrienne says, "I sent my pay stubs about 20 times, I've sent my utility bills, my bank account statements, everything they asked for."
Then one day the Sheriff came by to tell her that foreclosure proceedings had started.
The rest of the article is here.
I feel like we're in the Twilight Zone with The Bank From Hell, Bank of America. I've been misled, put into the wrong mortgage program, run in circles, and been outright lied to since November. I don't believe a single word any of them say to me anymore, especially now that I've learned they give false names and false information to get you off the phone.
They say banks want to help. Don't believe it any more. I think this is just something they say and they're just as happy to foreclose on people. Why else would the situation be like this with so many run around in circles by the same bank. When we were dealing with the company before BOA (Taylor Bean Whittaker), everything was spit spot and on the ball. Unfortunately that company apparently got itself into trouble and sold all their accounts to BOA.
I think BOA would like to dump any of these customers, including us.
I contacted consumer reporter Jim Donovan, who has the "3 On Your Side" series. I mean, I left a message for him. He helped the lady in this article. Wouldn't that be awesome if he could help us?
Right now, I'm stressed and depressed. I feel pretty hopeless but I'm trying not to. I'm trying to see things could still work out.
Sunday, February 14
Happy Valentine's Day!
Happy Valentine's Day from all of us to all of you!
Sunday Stealing: The Clown's Meme 1
1. How old will you be in five years?
60. Gasp!
2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today?
My beloved, TB
3. How tall are you?
5'4"
4. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks?
the arrival of spring!
5. What’s the last movie you saw?
Moscow on the Hudson with Robin Williams
6. Who was the last person you called?
Stupid frakkin Bank of America call center representative!
7. Who was the last person to call you?
daughter
8. What was the last text message you received?
my daughter was letting me know she was going out with friends
9. Who was the last person to leave you a voicemail?
URG...customer service representative from stupid frakkin Bank of America!
10. Do you prefer to call or text?
Call
11. What were you doing at 12am last night?
LOL, easy--sleeping!
12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced?
My mother is widowed
13. When is the last time you saw your mom?
November
14. What color are your eyes?
Brown
15. What time did you wake up today?
6:00 a.m. or thereabouts
16. What are you wearing right now?
Irish Grandma sweatshirt with my grandkids' names on them, sweat pants, sneakers, socks, underwear
17. What is your favorite christmas song?
Christmas Canon by The Trans Siberian Orchestra
18. Where is your favorite place to be?
Ocean City, MD
19. Where is your least favorite place to be?
stuck in traffic
20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere?
Hawaii
21. Where do you think you’ll be in 10 years?
in a mobile home somewhere ;)
22. Do you tan or burn?
Tan
23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child?
the wolf in my closet
24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh?
a power point presentation a friend emailed me with animals and kids
25. How many TVs do you have in your house?
3
26. How big is your bed?
king
27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer?
desktop
29. What color are your sheets?
gold
30. How many pillows do you sleep with?
3
31. What is your favorite season?
fall
32. What do you like about Autumn?
the beautiful leaves when they change colors
33. What do you like about winter?
Christmas
Friday, February 12
I don't trust Bank of America
How can I continue to leave my money in the care of Bank of America (BOA) when I don't trust them? Answer: I can't! As soon as I can, I'm bailing out of this horrible bank.
I used to do my banking with Fleet and then they were absorbed by BOA. At first, we just had to put up with the inconveniences of marginal customer service. The wait time is ridiculous, both inside the bank and outside, through the drive through. The fees are punitive. Still, we'd developed a good rapport with a couple of the tellers and one of the customer service reps so we stuck it out.
Then ... our mortgage was sold to BOA. That began the irreversible slide to my total mistrust of BOA today. We applied for a mortgage restructure in November--we qualified for one of the many programs available to struggling home owners. After a nightmarish 90 minute long ordeal of trying to get through to someone who (a) spoke good English and (b) knew what they were talking about, we finally spoke to a person who said we'd fit into President Obama's newest initiative. Great!
We received all the necessary paperwork, filled it out and sent it by overnight. Luckily. I kept all the receipts. And then we waited. And waited. Finally, we got a letter that said our file had been closed because we hadn't returned any paperwork. I called and spent 2 hours on the phone. The first hour was spent getting through the "outsourced" personnel who are the ones who answer the calls first. I have no idea which country they're from and I suppose BOA doesn't care that the first contact their customers have are with people that cannot speak English well.
The second hour was spent trying to get a straight story from someone. In that hour I was told:
don't worry, the letter says we're still processing your paperwork (I had the letter; that's NOT what it said--it said the file was CLOSED)
you didn't provide your financial information (I did and had copies of what I'd provided)
you didn't return the packet to us in time (I did and had a copy of the overnight receipt from the post office)
Finally I got a supervisor that said the truth was, we'd been declined because we didn't meet the requirements of that program. We were still current with our mortgage, not 90 days behind. Further, they knew we didn't meet the criteria when we applied.
I talked with the person in charge of the HUD programs. There is another program we should have been plugged in to -- one for at-risk-of-defaulting homeowners. He said he could use the information we'd submitted and go for that program, no problem.
What could I do? I felt I had to trust him.
The other day, there was a message on my machine from BOA. The return number provided was the one from hell, the one where the representative speaks broken English. So I called and explained I need to speak to Mr. Smith (not his name). The representative, of course, couldn't just put my call in. He looks at my account and tells me there's nothing to indicate that we have a pending application for a restructure.
I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown right there and then. I hung up. I went online and sent an email to my bank asking for help. I contacted BOA Home Lending to tell them from now on, we'd communicate in writing only.
I have no trust in them.
Now, to make matters worse, I no longer trust the branch where we do our checking. We'd had several small savings accounts--one of them linked with our checking. We were dealing with heavy fees because we didn't maintain $300 in each account so it seemed better to close them. The one that was linked though ... I remember clearly that TB asked the customer rep if it was linked to our checking account, provided overdraft protection and was free from the monthly maintenance fee? The woman said yes and so TB said, okay, good, that's the one we want to keep.
The other day, the company we deal with for vitamins and supplements made a mistake and put a hold on our account for $200. They thought they were supposed to ship a supply of stuff but they weren't. While the money was on hold, other things "bounced". TB said it wasn't a problem because, for a $10 fee, the bank would just automatically move the money over from savings until the mistake was cleared up ... but they didn't.
I tried to deal with them first and was just put off. I'd already had such a bad experience the other day with Home Lending that I said I wanted out of BOA, wanted PNC and nothing more to do with BOA. So TB called them back yesterday and from what I heard, things didn't go well at all.
Apparently, they told TB that he'd *insisted* on removing the link between the checking and savings accounts and that's why there was no transfer, no overdraft protection. They also refused to credit back the overdraft charges, even after the vitamin company removed the hold. When they did that, there WAS plenty of money in the account for the other things so ... WTF? The person talking to TB suggested he try to recover the overdraft fees from the vitamin company. At that point, TB hung up and shut down.
This, after he'd done business with that damn bank for well over 10 years. This, from people we thought we knew and trusted.
It's no wonder that BOA came in as #7 on the list of America's least trusted banks. Not that they care...
I used to do my banking with Fleet and then they were absorbed by BOA. At first, we just had to put up with the inconveniences of marginal customer service. The wait time is ridiculous, both inside the bank and outside, through the drive through. The fees are punitive. Still, we'd developed a good rapport with a couple of the tellers and one of the customer service reps so we stuck it out.
Then ... our mortgage was sold to BOA. That began the irreversible slide to my total mistrust of BOA today. We applied for a mortgage restructure in November--we qualified for one of the many programs available to struggling home owners. After a nightmarish 90 minute long ordeal of trying to get through to someone who (a) spoke good English and (b) knew what they were talking about, we finally spoke to a person who said we'd fit into President Obama's newest initiative. Great!
We received all the necessary paperwork, filled it out and sent it by overnight. Luckily. I kept all the receipts. And then we waited. And waited. Finally, we got a letter that said our file had been closed because we hadn't returned any paperwork. I called and spent 2 hours on the phone. The first hour was spent getting through the "outsourced" personnel who are the ones who answer the calls first. I have no idea which country they're from and I suppose BOA doesn't care that the first contact their customers have are with people that cannot speak English well.
The second hour was spent trying to get a straight story from someone. In that hour I was told:
don't worry, the letter says we're still processing your paperwork (I had the letter; that's NOT what it said--it said the file was CLOSED)
you didn't provide your financial information (I did and had copies of what I'd provided)
you didn't return the packet to us in time (I did and had a copy of the overnight receipt from the post office)
Finally I got a supervisor that said the truth was, we'd been declined because we didn't meet the requirements of that program. We were still current with our mortgage, not 90 days behind. Further, they knew we didn't meet the criteria when we applied.
I talked with the person in charge of the HUD programs. There is another program we should have been plugged in to -- one for at-risk-of-defaulting homeowners. He said he could use the information we'd submitted and go for that program, no problem.
What could I do? I felt I had to trust him.
The other day, there was a message on my machine from BOA. The return number provided was the one from hell, the one where the representative speaks broken English. So I called and explained I need to speak to Mr. Smith (not his name). The representative, of course, couldn't just put my call in. He looks at my account and tells me there's nothing to indicate that we have a pending application for a restructure.
I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown right there and then. I hung up. I went online and sent an email to my bank asking for help. I contacted BOA Home Lending to tell them from now on, we'd communicate in writing only.
I have no trust in them.
Now, to make matters worse, I no longer trust the branch where we do our checking. We'd had several small savings accounts--one of them linked with our checking. We were dealing with heavy fees because we didn't maintain $300 in each account so it seemed better to close them. The one that was linked though ... I remember clearly that TB asked the customer rep if it was linked to our checking account, provided overdraft protection and was free from the monthly maintenance fee? The woman said yes and so TB said, okay, good, that's the one we want to keep.
The other day, the company we deal with for vitamins and supplements made a mistake and put a hold on our account for $200. They thought they were supposed to ship a supply of stuff but they weren't. While the money was on hold, other things "bounced". TB said it wasn't a problem because, for a $10 fee, the bank would just automatically move the money over from savings until the mistake was cleared up ... but they didn't.
I tried to deal with them first and was just put off. I'd already had such a bad experience the other day with Home Lending that I said I wanted out of BOA, wanted PNC and nothing more to do with BOA. So TB called them back yesterday and from what I heard, things didn't go well at all.
Apparently, they told TB that he'd *insisted* on removing the link between the checking and savings accounts and that's why there was no transfer, no overdraft protection. They also refused to credit back the overdraft charges, even after the vitamin company removed the hold. When they did that, there WAS plenty of money in the account for the other things so ... WTF? The person talking to TB suggested he try to recover the overdraft fees from the vitamin company. At that point, TB hung up and shut down.
This, after he'd done business with that damn bank for well over 10 years. This, from people we thought we knew and trusted.
It's no wonder that BOA came in as #7 on the list of America's least trusted banks. Not that they care...
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