Consumer complaint received 2020-02-15
Company: Specialized Loan Servicing Holdings LLC
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
I am providing feedback to an earlier complaint. I received a response from the mortgage company ( Specialized Loan Servicing - SLS ) but wanted to wait for the refund check and deposit it before responding. I received the refund check XX/XX/XXXX and cleared on XX/XX/XXXX. I did not have time to respond within the given time period as my mother then passed away in XXXX and I only now have had time to respond. 
This should be attached as feedback to SLS 's response to COMPLAINT ID XXXX-XXXX  SUBMITTED ON XX/XX/XXXX. Please process this as you would normally do with feedback received on company responses. I realize this is late so if you can not process this, please feel free to do what you wish with this information - I just felt compelled to let you know that I feel SLS 's response had some confusing statements. 

COMPLAINT ID XXXX-XXXX  SUBMITTED ON XX/XX/XXXX PRODUCT Mortgage ISSUE Trouble during payment process The response from SLS is misleading given what really happened over the period of XX/XX/XXXX-to XX/XX/XXXX. Therefore, I feel compelled to provide feedback with additional detail and comments in response to SLSs statements. My only hope is that this will motivate SLS to implement an effective customer issue escalation process and ensure that this lack of timely and adequate response to customer issues does not happen to other SLS clients. 

The payment to refund the unauthorized withdrawal was received XX/XX/XXXX. This payment should have been couriered to me given the delay. Even after this complaint was received from CFPB, SLS made no attempt to reach out to me, apologize and coordinate courier of the check. They did not even acknowledge or show any remorse that they inappropriately took money form my brother 's estate ( taken from his XXXX young daughters beneficiaries of the estate ) because the " left hand did not know what the right hand was doing '' - i.e.. they coordinated both a full payout effective XX/XX/XXXX and additional UNAUTHORIZED payment effective XX/XX/XXXX both of which transacted XX/XX/XXXX. 
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Below are confusing statements included in SLSs response noted below in quotes along with my response/comments : SLS comment : " At that time, the account was due for the XX/XX/XXXX contractual monthly payment. " Response : Im not sure what this has to do with anything related to this issue. All payments were up to date both prior to transfer from XXXX XXXX and subsequent to the transfer. SLS made a mistake in the information transferred over and did not get my contact information from XXXX XXXX so I had to send executor documents again. I was the one who was proactive in contacting SLS to set up auto payments - they were confused on who I was because they did not transfer the account properly. 

SLS comment : As you indicated you had not received this refund, on XX/XX/XXXX the payment was stopped and, on XX/XX/XXXX, the refund was reissued. 
Response : This is a very misleading comment. The first request for a refund of the unauthorized withdrawal ( {$1000.00} higher than previously authorized interest only payments ) by SLS was XX/XX/XXXX not XX/XX/XXXX. Also, their comment does not acknowledge all the errors made and lack of process by XXXX since XX/XX/XXXX that contributed to the issue remaining unresolved until XX/XX/XXXX. The front-line staff were all professional and polite but left unable to do anything as SLS is significantly deficient in their customer service escalation process. I called and/or sent written requests on XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX - why did it take until XX/XX/XXXX to stop the payment and send a new check? 

SLS comment : Please note that our records indicate multiple attempts to reach you by telephone in XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX and several instances of speaking with you. 
Response : Their comment is at best stretching the truth. In their response, they did not provide the dates of when they attempted to call to respond or provide the dates when they spoke to me as I am sure those would be the dates that I called SLS. After 7 calls ( that I made to SLS ) and 2 written complaints over a time period of XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX, I requested in writing that SLS respond via my email on file if they had issues reaching me by phone. Please note that SLS did not respond to any of my written requests/complaints ( made on XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX ). In no conversation did front line staff know the process or of what was being done to refund the money - they were all just guessing at the process and timeframe and no one ( that they had escalated the issue to ) ever got back to me. It seems SLS 's escalation process is for customers to complain to government authorities ( i.e. CFPB and Washington State Office of the Attorney General ) in order to receive a timely response. Please note how quickly SLS responded to this complaint via CFPB ( and Attorney General ) in writing yet could not adequately respond with an appropriate solution to any of my verbal or written requests/complaints prior to this. 

SLS comment : On XX/XX/XXXX, after receiving all required information needed to update the mailing address, this change was made. 
Response : This is a very misleading comment. SLS received the change of address request well before XX/XX/XXXX and failed to act on it. SLS was informed of a change of address to the estate account on XX/XX/XXXX the was sent in writing ( as requested by the customer service rep ) via the support email address -- this request was attached to my file but never processed by SLS. As a result, SLS would have sent the check to the wrong address ( please note that SLS left that fact out in their response ) an error made by SLS for which they took no responsibility for. It was not until XX/XX/XXXX when I called that SLS then told me I had to then send the change of address request again to a different address and it had to be mailed to the PO box . ( This was mailed and sent via customer service email on XX/XX/XXXX. ) This was yet another delay on the part of SLS.

Overall : It seems odd to me that SLS would want to take the time to rephrase events and make comments that are misleading to put themselves in the best light rather than simply apologize for the delay and resolve the issue.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation