Consumer complaint received 2019-08-01
Company: ARVEST BANK GROUP, INC.
State: MI
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
I recently refinanced in XX/XX/XXXX with my then current lender ( XXXX ), with a first payment scheduled for XX/XX/XXXX. Mid-XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter about my new loan being sold to XXXX XXXX, With Servicing done by Arvest Central Mortgage.

In that time, I received one letter from XXXX explaining the transfer, and one letter from XXXX XXXX.

Today is my first payment, and after sorting through who to pay, I was able to create an account with Arvest on their website.

Mind you. I have not received a statement, nor a coupon book from Arvest.

My only option for payment of the mortgage included a XXXX fee. Upon attempting to set up automatic payments for future transaction, which was fully available with XXXX, their website fails to set up the transaction.

I attempted calling customer service and said their website was down. They told me that IT was aware of the problem and was working on it.

Further research on the Internet further shows, however, that this has been the case for at least 10 MONTHS. With the exception of a couple 5 star reviews, nearly every Arvest review is ONE STAR, with a complaint about the 5-10 $ charges for online and phone payments, plus the website being broken for the establishment of recurring payments.

I spoke with the XXXX agent and they said there was little they could do at this point other than not sell to that vendor. I contacted XXXX XXXX and was told that a reassignment of servicer couldn't be initiated by a consumer. When I explained my situation and asked for arvest to be investigated for predatory practices ( gouging on fees and making things difficult to set up auto payment most likely to increase payment fees and late fees ), my case was escalated, where I was told there was nothing they could do during the escalation, that credit companies are supervised by the CFPB ( you ).

I also called Arvest back and requested speaking to a supervisor. He acted like he didn't know the website was broken, and lied straight to my face about it. I told him he must either be new or that he's lying, because I had read the past 10 months of reviews online in places like XXXX. He insisted, again, that he had worked there for 4 years, and that he needed my information to verify his website was broken.

I am certain, with one look at places like XXXX  or other online reviewing agencies, no consumer in their right mind would ever pick Arvest. Further, with reviews mentioning the random account fees, the bad cust service, the always broken website, and the extreme hassle, no sane consumer would STICK with Arvest central.

I am lodging a complaint first at Arvest, because they are out there ONLY to gouge people. They never sent me a statement. Never sent a coupon book. This is my first payment with them, and I am gouged XXXX $ to make a payment online or on phone ( and I am not alone ). Next, they obviously don't meet the qualifications for a XXXX XXXX lender, or, the XXXX XXXX regulations are so dated as to be worthless. If they can not maintain a website far enough to allow a form to enter account information to actually take automated payments, they are obviously more interested in collecting the fees from late and non-payment that their system provides.

But, further, I am lodging my complaint at the inability to change servicers on request. Not only is Arvest, in the words of one XXXX  review, the " worst of the worst '', I was forced Into this servicer with absolutely zero choice, foreknowledge, nor resolution. Arvest is piece of garbage, business wise, and everything from their customer service to their website shows it clearly. The ONLy reason they are still in business is that consumers, the people that the CFPB is supposed to be protecting, hasn't audited them, allows them to continue business, and because XXXX XXXX solicits their service.

In a free market, they would have been shut down years ago. With bad reviews going back at LEAST to XX/XX/XXXX. No other busineds in a free economy allows consumers, like me and the many others like those on XXXX, exists where consumers buy a product from one vendor, and then are sold to another, inferior, garbage racket that likes straight to you, charges exorbitant fees simply to line the pockets, and gives the consumer literally zero recourse. It is ridiculous.

It is criminal that this company is allowed to exist and simply rob from people who bought legitimate mortgages from legitimate vendors who actually care about their customers. It is doubly so that I, as a consumer, have zero recourse when it comes to this. If they wanted to charge a XXXX $ transaction fee, then what? XXXX  $? I would have to pay it, because I bought a mortgage?

And, the first time i caught a company lying to me straight away, let alone twice in a day, it wohld be the end of it. And whose interest is it in that I can't change it? Theirs. They don't have to provide a single service, fix a single website, or do anything else, because they know I can't request a change?

Please.. investigate Arvest Central Mortgage, and don't listen to their lies about " we don't know '' or " were working on it ''. They're not. XXXX proves they haven't fixed a thing in at least 10 months. And ... fire them. Because, as the current mortgage laws go, I can't. And, I would have by now, and it's only my first day.

It is ridiculous to think that this company should be afforded any protection at all, because I, as the consumer in good faith, embarking on a 30 year transaction, certainly don't have ANY when It.comes to who services my loan.

Thank you and have a good day.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation