Ungrateful Bank! Don't Look A Gift Horse In The Mouth!

According to CNN, Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, thinks our recession has reached it's end (not that I agree, seeing as how we'll have to hold onto our current home until retirement in hopes of actually breaking even when we sell it!) Apparently, my car loan company wasn't paying attention when Bernanke was speaking.

(oh wait, not to change the subject or anything but I must seriously be getting old. I actually KNOW the name of the Federal Reserve chairman. When the hell did that happen?)

Kevin took over bill-paying recently (for which I am forever grateful, I hate bill-paying) and he set up some of our payments to be automatically deducted from our checking account on a recurring basis every month. He forgot to check the bank's "recurring payment" box when he got to my car loan in the online bill-pay center. So, all the bills went out and he received an email confirming our bills had been paid and figures everything has been taken care of. The next time he logs onto our bank account, he sees that my car payment was missed. No big deal, he thinks. The payment is one day late, he'll just click the "pay" button and manually send off the payment. Worst case scenario, we get a late fee. We've never been late on a car payment, after all.

Update: (Yesterday, Four Days After The Manual Payment)

Phone rings at 8:25 a.m. and I answer...

Me: Hello?

Caller: (automated message) Good Morning. Please hold for an important message regarding your ABCD Auto Loan. Please hold......................Please hold..................Please hold................please hold. Our next customer service representative will be with you, shortly. (sure)

I nearly hang up. How rude is it to call someone and then keep them on hold? Finally, I get a living, breathing human being...one who (in my opinion) has potentially the worst job on the planet at the moment.

Rep: Mrs. Black?

Me: Yes.

Rep: Hello, ma'am. My name is Garvin Redahl with ABCD Bank. I see that you recently made your car payment. Is that correct?

Me: Um. I don't know. My husband took over the bills, recently. Probably.

Rep: Well, we at ABCD Bank would like to thank you for making that payment.

(what the hell? People are defaulting on loans across the continent, and this guy is busy thanking people for making payments instead of looking for the people who didn't? What gives? Is it supposed to be some reverse-psychology for the consumer? If you pay your bill the company will give you a brownie button for being a good consumer? Do I get to be the line leader at lunchtime, too? How 'bout a special bumper sticker that says, "My Rep says I'm Consumer Of The Month at ABCD Bank.")

Me: Oh. Okay.

Rep: Now, ma-am. It appears that your payment was late. We have received it, of course, but have noted that it was late.

Me: But you did get it, right? Is there a problem with the payment?

Rep: It was late.

Me: Oh. Late? Did we miss one? Do you need me to bring the account current or something? I'll get my checkbook. Can I make payment by phone?

Rep: No. You didn't miss a payment. Your payment was received after the September 12 deadline. Can you give me some idea of why you were late?

Me: Its the 16th.

Rep: Yes, ma-am.

Me: The payment cleared, correct?

Rep: Yes, ma-am.

Me: So I'm not late, now, correct?

Rep: Correct.

Me: You are calling to harrass me because I MADE a payment?

Rep: I need to know why you were late.

Me: Not a clue. My husband pays the bills.

Rep: So you have no access to the household finances?

Me: What? Yes, of course I do.

Rep: Oh. Well, are you aware that your next payment is due October 13th?

Me: Next month's payment is due next month? Imagine that.

Rep: Excuse me?

Me: Nothing. Look, what do you need from me, exactly?

Rep: I need to enter your reason for the late payment into my system and let you know that late payments will, in the future, result in a $35 late fee.

Me: I don't have a reason for being late.

Rep: Are you currently employed? Perhaps we could discuss other payment options for you?

Me: Look! You got the payment. We were a little late. THAT'S IT. My employment status has not changed.

Rep: Okay, ma'am. Before ending this call, I would like to confirm your contact information.

Me: Okay.

Rep: Could you please tell me your current mailing address and phone number?

Me: No.

Rep: No? You can't tell me what your address is?

Me: NO. I do not give out personal information over the phone. You just called my phone number so clearly you have a current phone number and my address hasn't changed recently so you should have that information. If you would like to tell me what address you have in your computer, I'll let you know if it's correct.

Rep: You do not want ABCD Bank to have your current address on file?

Me: YOU HAVE IT. Period. Next, you'll want my account number.

Rep: No ma'am. I don't need your account number. Is there anything else I can do before we end the call?

Me: How 'bout if you call somebody who hasn't paid you? Wouldn't that be a better use of your time? Maybe justify to your superiors that your presence in their organization is actually MAKING them money? Just a though, you know.

Rep: Yes, ma'am. Thank you for your time.

I have now discovered the real reason the American economy is going to Hell in a handbasket, basic human stupidity.