Consumer complaint received 2020-08-12
Company: SANTANDER BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: PA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
My husband and I are divorced and I decided to do a loan assumption since the house is mine alone. The process was fairly painful because I was given incorrect information every time that I had to call the customer service number with questions at XXXX. I survived the process and the assumption was approved. I received a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX stating that the assumption was approved and that I needed to submit the application to enroll in automatic payments again. 

Since I did not complete the automatic payment application immediately, I continued to drive to the bank every two weeks to make my payment. Finally, on XX/XX/XXXX I submitted my application for automatic payments via fax. The application did not provide an option to select bi-weekly auto-drafts so I wrote this in since my mortgage is a bi-weekly mortgage. 

While in the drive through line to submit my payment on XX/XX/XXXX, I began to worry that the auto drafts would start before I got my letter of confirmation so I decided to call the same customer service number. I spoke with a representative who advised that my application for automatic payments had been received and that I was scheduled for auto drafts starting XX/XX/XXXX. I questioned it because I had payments due on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX and found the date of XX/XX/XXXX a little odd. She advised me to make my payments on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX because my auto payments would not start until after XX/XX/XXXX. I hung up and called back because I did not believe the representative was correct. If my loan assumption experience taught me anything, it was that the representatives in the Customer Service department answer the phones and just provide answers, not necessarily the correct ones. The next representative advised me basically the same information as the previous rep. This surprised me and left me feeling a little more confident in the information I received. Never did I think that I would be given the same wrong information by two representatives on two different calls on the same day but I was. I made my payment of XX/XX/XXXX and your organization also did an auto-draft for the same amount. I called customer service again and was advised that I could request a refund. I submitted an emailed request for a refund to which I never received the courtesy of an acknowledgement or answer. I have attached the letter I received dated XX/XX/XXXX stating my auto-drafts were set up and scheduled not to even start until XX/XX/XXXX. 

As my XX/XX/XXXX payment due date came closer, I called again on XX/XX/XXXX for the status of my refund. I was told that I needed to provide my bank statement reflecting the payment cleared my account even though your organization drafted it from my account and it cleared my account and you had my money. That said, during the conversation with the representative, she advised that my next payment was not due until XX/XX/XXXX. I asked if the draft that XXXX did on XX/XX/XXXX was applied towards my XX/XX/XXXX payment. She advised that it appeared so since no payment was due until XX/XX/XXXX. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, just to be sure the previous representative knew what she was talking about, I called to confirm I did not have a payment due for XX/XX/XXXX since I did not want my account to fall behind. I spoke with XXXX who advised me that my next payment was not due until XX/XX/XXXX, that I was set up for the XX/XX/XXXX payment to be an automatic draft payment and that I was set up for MONTHLY auto-drafts and not bi-weekly! I requested to speak with a supervisor and spoke with XXXX. XXXX seemed to be understanding of my situation and said he was sending a lengthy email to the drafting department advising of the situation. He told me that he would not be able to call me back with any type of update because the call center is inbound only. I too supervise an inbound call center and I am aware that he could have followed up but I let it go since he seemed to understand my dilemma. XXXX told me to call back in on the following Tuesday for an update. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, while away on my vacation, I called again and was advised that XXXX had documented that he received a response from the drafting department and that the issue was resolved and that my auto-draft payments would resume on XX/XX/XXXX on a bi-weekly basis. For a very brief moment, I thought that I had actually spoken to the one person that can get things right. Unfortunately, on XX/XX/XXXX I kept checking my bank account for a pending auto-payment which never appeared. Once again, I was shocked but not sure why since this should have been expected since no one has ever gotten anything right for me at Santander. 

Again, on XX/XX/XXXX, I found myself calling customer service to make sure the draft was going through. I spoke with XXXX who advised me that no automatic payment was scheduled and that my account was not set up for automatic payments in the future. I asked for a supervisor, was put on an extended hold, and transferred the survey for my customer service experience. After responding to the survey which I am sure will not mean anything, I called again. This time, XXXX answered and transferred me to a supervisor, XXXX. I went through the saga of my story with XXXX who confirmed that for some reason the automatic payments were cancelled again. She advised me not to make my payment of XX/XX/XXXX because she was looking to get the issue resolved and the draft pulled from my account. She took my phone number and advised me that she should have an answer by Monday XX/XX/XXXX or Tuesday XX/XX/XXXX at the latest and that she would call me. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, since I had not heard back from XXXX and I still needed my payment drafted which was due on XX/XX/XXXX, I called customer service again only to find out that XXXX was not working even though she was supposed to provide me with an update per our last conversation. Since XXXX was off, I was forced to repeat my story to yet another so-called supervisor named XXXX. XXXX tried telling me that my loan assumption had just processed on XX/XX/XXXX and this cancelled out my auto draft that was scheduled for the same day. She advised that I now needed to submit a new application. XXXX demonstrated no customer service skills as she did not even entertain what I was explaining to her, that my loan assumption was completed in XX/XX/XXXX and not on XX/XX/XXXX. She just argued her point that my assumption was completed on XX/XX/XXXX and because of this, I would need to submit a new application for automatic payments. I once again became frustrated and asked to speak with someone else. 

A supervisor, named XXXX, now got on the line. XXXX simply repeated the same information that XXXX had stated and did not offer any solution to my problems. She again advised that I needed to submit a new application. She would not even consider the idea that Santander had made any type of error. I became so frustrated since I felt like I was talking to a wall and hung up on her. 

All this said, my problem remains unsolved. Someone needs to be held accountable. I am sure that I am not the only person that Santander Bank has wronged.

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