Consumer complaint received 2021-07-02
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
State: WA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem making or receiving payments

Complaint:
Compliant regards USAA online BillPay of our monthly mortgage payment for XX/XX/2021. We have both worked through COVID and do not have a financial hardship due to COVID. 

We pay our monthly mortgage through automatic payment from USAA to XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Have had no problems before/since XX/XX/2021 with payments. Bottom line - USAA failed to inform us in writing, by phone, verbally, or through any other correspondence that they were having problems with their provider XXXX ; a problem they knew they had in late XX/XX/2021 prior to our payment due date of XX/XX/2021. Through USAA failure both my wife 's and my credit scores have been adversely affected and despite multiple phone calls to USAA, representatives have either refused to assist or quite frankly lied to us. As a 30+ year member, I am insulted by their representatives failure and refusal to assist in a simple request of providing a Good Faith Letter to us and our mortgage company, XXXX XXXX 

I did not know that we had a problem with our XXXX mortgage payment until XX/XX/2021. I have never had a problem using USAA online BillPay previously so I would never expect to have one now. 

On XX/XX/2021 we received a letter from XXXX dated XX/XX/2021 stating our Mortgage " is in default. '' I called XXXX and was told this was an error and I should ignore. However, I immediately checked online to ensure the payment was made. According to USAA, online BillPay the payment was marked " complete '' with a date of XX/XX/2021. I also called USAA on XX/XX/2021 and told we were okay ; USAA made no acknowledgement in this call that there was an issue ; I was told payment was made. Therefore, my wife and I concluded we were okay. 

On XX/XX/2021 we received a priority mail dated XX/XX/2021 stating, " Notice of Pre-Foreclosure. '' On XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX we spent hours on the phone with both XXXX and USAA. I took time off work, at my expense, thinking I could get it resolved. I was told various versions and stories from multiple USAA representatives. Eventually, on XX/XX/XXXX, I was walked through the way USAA processed mortgage payments by a USAA resolution team representative. 

USAA stated they processed our XXXX payment through their partner XXXX to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX to XXXX on XX/XX/2021 and it should have been completed on XX/XX/2021. Initially USAA did this through an electronic transfer which was canceled by someone due to the computer software issue, and then USAA paid by an electronic check. Bank records should indicate that prior to my phone call on XX/XX/2021, the transfer was listed under " Delivery Method '' as " Paid Electronically '' and after that call on XX/XX/2021 someone at USAA changed the transfer " Delivery Method '' to " Paid By Mail. '' USAA did not inform us that the payment was changed from electronic transfer to a delivered check ( no other payments before/since have been done with an electronic check ). Nor did USAA inform us that the check was sent and no one could find it. Okay ; a bit of sarcasm here ; really? Sounds like a bad TV commercial. I could have figured this one out ; it's COVID. Minimal people working in buildings so who is looking at the mail in these companies? Regardless, the documents we were provided clearly show the transfer was sent, had a confirmation number, and was complete. Yet ; it was not. Even today, document online shows that " Bills '' to " XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX ( Home Mortgage ) '' from " Account/Method '' of " XXXX '' in " Amount '' of " {$3000.00} '' with " Arrival Date '' " XX/XX/2021 '' has a " Status '' of " Completed. '' This transaction never occurred but is clearly documented as complete. My banking records will clearly show that I had to cancel this transaction - a " Check '' on XX/XX/2021 when no one could find it and I authorized XXXX to pull the money from my account. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, finally after multiple calls and my insistence on having USAA representatives look at their own documentation, USAA acknowledged that the problem was actually reported to them by XXXX at the end of month XXXX, prior to our XXXX payment to XXXX ; a computer software problem with payments for many customers we were told. USAA representative stated that the problem was not ours and that USAA would send XXXX and us a " Letter of Good Faith '' explaining the problem. USAA assured me that this problem would not impact my credit, nor would we have any associated fees ; and if there were, because we were guaranteed under their XXXX agreement, USAA would handle and make right. I then authorized USAA to cancel the electronic check, which was now over a month old, and we paid XXXX directly on XX/XX/XXXX for the XXXX payment. 

We thought the issue was resolved. However, USAA again failed to meet their obligation and commitment as they did not send us a XXXX XXXX XXXX explaining the situation as they said they would, nor did they provide anything to our mortgage company XXXX. 

On XX/XX/2021 my spouse received an alert about her credit. On XX/XX/2021, my wife received multiple alerts from XXXX XXXX, and XXXX stating her credit score dropped. We were shocked. Each company dropped her credit by more than XXXX points ( i.e. XXXX  XXXX to XXXX XXXX. We immediately began making calls. 

Credit companies no help ; we get it - they always hear a story. XXXX no help - although we had documents and asked reps to review our account notes, we were outright blamed for the errors since we used USAA XXXX XXXX auto payment. Said best they could do was request a dispute review, but they had no documentation provided by USAA to them. Therefore, despite the emails we have and the printouts showing all payments made timely XXXX could not assist. We are disputing this with XXXX. USAA was even less helpful. I spent 3 hours, 2 minutes on phone on XX/XX/XXXX ; spoke with multiple people and on hold for 2 hours 38 minutes of that time. Each time I spoke with someone I had to retell our story and ask them to review notes, each time I asked to speak with a supervisor, was put on hold and then transferred to someone else who was not a supervisor and had to start all over. At the 2 hours and a half XXXX, I was promised a supervisor was on the line and would be with me in less than 5 minutes ; 20 minutes later XXXX identified himself with the resolution team ; he was not a supervisor and wanted me to retell the issue once again. I asked for a supervisor and he told me none was available and he could not assist me. Read the transcripts. No one in USAA attempted to just provide what we were promised in early XXXX - a letter that if provided, would have prevented our credit scores from dropping by over XXXX points for a banking error that USAA knew about and acknowledged was not our fault. 

I emailed the USAA CEO for Customer Relations, XXXX XXXX and asked for assistance. I have not heard back.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation