Consumer complaint received 2018-01-26
Company: Ditech Financial LLC
State: TX
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
My grandfather, XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX my grandmother, his spouse, asked me to call the mortgage company ( Ditech Financial LLC ) on her behalf and make a payment of {$660.00}. She explained she and my grandfather had fallen behind on their mortgage and she did n't have the energy to handle speaking with the mortgage company due to how they have spoken to her in the past. I agreed without hesitation to help her by calling the company and agreed to make the payment using her checking account information as she requested. 

Upon speaking with a representative named " XXXX, '' I was greeted with a normal customer service interaction. She said I would need permission of my grandmother before I could discuss any account information or make a payment. I handed the phone to my grandmother who authorized me to act on her behalf for the phone call and payment. She also indicated that her husband, had recently XXXX XXXX, and that she was not feeling well enough to handle finances. She designated me as her " helper '' and gave the customer service representative authorization. 

XXXX, the customer service rep began explaining to me how behind the account had fallen, how much was owed, etc. This information was not new to me. My grandmother already explained the account had fallen behind. She showed me letters in which she had received, and I read them. 

I also watched as my grandfather XXXX in XXXX and was XXXX at home for months before his XXXX. His XXXX was traumatic and affected all of us deeply. He XXXX XXXX   and XXXX, and when my grandmother explained to me that they had fallen behind on payments, I did not feel it appropriate to dig into the exact reasons why, what their money was spent on, and before speaking to her I had no idea they had even fallen behind. 

XXXX, the customer service rep refused to take the payment my grandmother authorized me to make. My grandmother asked me to pay {$660.00}. She first told me she could only take a payment for the full balance due of over {$4000.00}. I knew for a fact that my grandmother could not afford to pay the full balance, and she did not authorize me to pay anything more than {$660.00}. 

XXXX began asking inappropriate questions attempting to emotionally abuse me and harass me. My grandfather, my grandmother, and my mother had told me stories of how this mortgage company had harassed them in the past, even reducing my mother to tears at one point. I called the company with a clean-slate attitude and decided to be professional. 

XXXX 's inappropriate questions were, " What happened to the money? '' " Why did n't they pay? '' " If you spend part of your time living there, why have n't you contributed to helping your grandparents? '' " Are you aware that we can foreclose on this house? '' Unfortunately, as I began answering many of her inappropriate lines of questions, she attempted to continue badgering me with additional questions and attempted to talk over me. I XXXX XXXX XXXX for five years, and I am a XXXX XXXX for an XXXX XXXX. This is the kind of behavior I have seen from adolescent teenagers. It was ridiculous, over-the-top, and quite frankly horribly insensitive given the fact that we had just XXXX our grandfather, of which, XXXX did not even acknowledge until the end of the call. 

Unfortunately, I had to explain to XXXX that I do contribute to my grandparents and help them in every way that I can. Anything about what I do for my grandparents, however, was none of her business, and she had no right asking me why I did not help as if to use the XXXX  of my grandfather to guilt me into feeling as though I did not help. She failed to do that, but the fact that she attempted to do it was disgusting. 

Asking me what happened to the money? That was not my business, nor was I in any position to answer because I do not know. 

Asking me why payments were not made? That was not my business, nor was I in any position to answer because I do not know. 

I do know that my grandfather was XXXX, in XXXX, XXXX, and my grandmother was his chosen caregiver who had to XXXX him, XXXX XXXX XXXX, provide him with whatever he needed, spent months watching him XXXX until he XXXX XXXX and XXXX   with several family members happening to be present on that sad and terrible day. She was mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. She was traumatized by his tragic XXXX, and quite frankly, I am extremely glad that my grandmother did not have to face the line of questioning from XXXX with Ditech Financial LLC. 

Although I was disturbed at what kind of person would have the audacity to treat me in this way after just having lost my grandfather with the worst excuse for customer service I have ever experienced, I am wondering how she still works there, and quite frankly, if it is even legal to harass someone who simply granted a request from a grandparent to call and make a payment on her behalf because she was not feeling up to the task due to XXXX   her husband of over 50 years. 

Let me explain something to you about this " mortgage. '' My grandparents were simple people. My grandfather was a XXXX, and my grandmother worked at a XXXX XXXX. That was their jobs for most of their lives. Before that they XXXX XXXX in the fields. They were poor. The house which they were able to obtain was in terrible condition when they bought it. Walls in almost every room had the electrical wiring ripped out of every wall and socket, and the drywall had huge strips missing where two by fours and insulation could be seen. The foundation was poor leaving cracks all throughout the house. The roof leaks every time it rains. The plumbing is horrible. There are holes in the ceiling in which you can see the sky, half the electrical sockets and outlets do n't work. The house was crumbling and falling apart, and many family members have volunteered over the years to make as many repairs as possible to make the house something they could call a home. It was overpriced, crumbling, had an extremely high interest rate, but it was all they qualified for, and as they entered their retirement years, they felt it was their only choice. 

For a house so dilapidated, for a shady mortgage, for a life XXXX, and for a family grieving, to have XXXX  talk to me this way was downright deplorable. 

Did I lose my temper when speaking with her, yes. Did I harass or abuse her as she did me, no I did not. As a matter of fact, I tried to collect myself so as not to anger her into taking retaliatory action and foreclosing on my grandmother 's house and forcing her to move after having XXXX my grandfather, her husband, of over 50 years. 

XXXX offered a way to help alleviate the passed due mortgage payments, and add them to the end of the loan to bring the account current. She also spoke of applying for a loan modification. Although this was helpful, this does not in any way whatsoever excuse her horrendous an inappropriate, harassing behavior. 

I have had all kinds of customer service experiences over the years. I used to work in XXXX for a major company myself, and worked in XXXX XXXX. Never have I witnessed the tactics I experienced from XXXX. 

This customer service representative needs to be investigated and fired. The company 's collection practices need to be investigated. Ditech has a recording of this phone call because the phone call began with a recorded message saying the call was being recorded. 

While doing your investigation, be careful not to rely on XXXX 's notes regarding the interaction. I could hear her typing furiously as I spoke to her. I asked her to make specific notes on the account. I told her to please note that I was attempting to make a payment of {$660.00} as my grandmother had asked me to do, but that she was refusing the payment. She proceeded to tell me that no, she would not note that on the account. I pressed mute on my phone to discuss the interchange with my mother who was listening to my side of the conversation as she sat next to me, and I put it on speaker phone. As I explained to my mother what transpired, all you could hear for minutes was the sound of keystrokes by XXXX, no doubt, putting detailed notes into the account of things I have no idea in which she was stating. Most likely putting in negative remarks that would portray her efforts in a positive light while leaving out her horrendous line of questioning, her aggressive, and her inhumane collection tactics. 

Please investigate this customer service representative. Please investigate this company, and please follow up to ensure that they do not retaliate and evict my grandmother. We are trying to put our resources together as a family to help her get caught up on her mortgage, but she should never have to face the kind of tactics that I had to face when all I simply wanted to do was call in and make a payment. 

For further reference, the account representative assigned to this specific mortgage account, I was told, is name is XXXX. Her extension I was told is XXXX. 

This phone call took place on the afternoon of XX/XX/XXXX. A payment was made as authorized by my grandmother of {$790.00}.

Company public response: Company believes complaint represents an opportunity for improvement to better serve consumers
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation