Abbey Mortgage and arrears and bad service given

maz1964

Hi all

Really would like guidance and any help and support on this please.

Today has been a horrible day, will try to get to the point quickly.

Have mortgage of around 98000 with Abbey with 2400 arrears plus now this months payment ontop making it about 3300. Had been paying 300 per week to pay the monthly payment and decrease the arrears.

Our 2 yr tracker comes to a close april 15 2008 and would revert to their SVR rate. So on 19.03.08 had a letter from Abbey advising this and to call their mortgage team to see what other products could offer me. Discussed and also alerted the girl who took my details that that were arrears on the account, she processed my details and i opted for a 3 yr fixed deal at 5.99 with 125.00 fee, and next day received their offer which
included the arrears and at that time came to 101370.00 for the remaining term of 12 yrs 11 months.

I rang them to alert was happy and they advised i could go to the branch locally and get them to fax directly to quicken the process.
Went to local branch explained what had been told to me and also offered them the weekly 300 pounds payment, she went to the back and came back informing me that had faxed all info and i would be contacted within the week. Didnt accept the money and didnt state that it was still imperative i paid it, i guess was perhaps naive of me but because id discussed and the paperwork we signed included the arrears i didnt think anymore of it.

However, today i get letters advising i had broken the payment agreement, rang abbey mortgage and asked them about the mortgage faxed information, they confirmed had only received part of pages and a letter been sent to me on 28.03.08 asking for the paper copy - letter not arrived.
Informed them that had received today letters from recovery team advising me of the arrears.
I was told then that the offer of the conversion to the fixed rate for 3yrs could not be processed due to the arrears. They informed that only the recovery team could assist me so after speaking with a lady = she informed me that the offer had been a mistake and that i wasnt to have been offered or given the 3yr deal as i had arrears, i was to pay them 248.00 today and continue with the 300.00 weekly and have to have at least 6 months of payments before they could look at offering me any other offers. These payments this week would stop legal action!

I was not happy, told her so and was so distraught, i advised i would look at what i could do with my bank funds and have to get back to them. (40 mins Call)

AFter a strong italian coffee, my gut feeling told me to call the mortgage team again to see whether the arrears could be included in with the capital and reflect on their computers this way - like it stated on the paperwork i had received. I finally got through to someone who actually listened, but was going to ask the arrears team if this could happen so that the offer could be given. Got passed around different people whilst holding on for the guy who was helping me, had to leave my telephone numbers for him to get back to me. 1 hr phone call.

Hadnt got back to me by 7 so rang the same team who had offered me the deal, spoke to another human she was very sympathetic, even after stating i was not happy with the information so far given and i felt like going to the papers , i guess that was just the last straw tonight, i was polite i must stress to this girl, and did apologise that i was not blaming her personally but felt the service and how i had been treated was not good. she apologised that she could not contact anyone for me that the team who authorised the mortgages had gone home.

The whole reason of the deal would help us get back on even track ensuring no further arrears and the payment of 940 was better than 1200 a month.
I had been upfront and been discussing my arrears and had come to this arrangement with them over the past few months. Only didnt pay the last payment when handed in the documents for faxing at branch.

Ive left it now that she is in at 12 tomorrow she will discuss with her manager and i m to call her at 12 and then she will try and resolve this for me. (30 mins call)

I just wanted to firstly alert others dont do what i did whilst in good faith, pls continue with your payment arrangements until you have any conversion finalised in writing.

Secondly, should i just carry on paying the 300 weekly and not persue this further, if i get rejected again tomorrow.

Or should i be a total rebel, nicely of course, and see what happens tomorrow, if i get the deal, great, dilemma resolved, if not then put in an official complaint ref service and hope some good comes from it and the deal gets overturned. Will anyone take notice if go to the media?

I just feel that sometimes we must make a stand against bad service, i would rather they had told me there and then i could not get any deals until my arrears had been cleared then having to deal with this today about 2 weeks later still not having been informed in any way the conversion was not going ahead.

The threat of legal team having to deal with my arrears now makes me feel totally overwhelmed and sick.

Sorry have gone on, didnt mean to but i do feel better venting - will appreciate any thoughts maybe im totally wrong in all of this, but in good faith was only trying to better our position and get back to some kind of stability and yes next will do my soa for your help on another thread, thanks.

Cheers will hang around for a bit more if anyone wants to post and pls feel free to give any constructive thoughts.

Ciao and thanks

MAZ

wymondham

This sounds very much like the sort of service I had with the Abbey - their left hand does not know what the right is doing! They often agreed things in branch, but that never seemed to get to head office, who produce the nice letters! In my experience, don't bother with the branch, but call, and keep calling head office as this seemed to get things done much quicker..

maz1964

Hello wymondham

Many thanks for your thoughts much appreciated.

Just feel like this could happen to anyone with 3000 ish arrears people could so easily have to deal with this possibly at court and lose their homes. I have learnt so much yesterday that I know have to resolve this but we must remain strong and positive.
If nothing else its given me the fight to get back to work and perhaps earn more moeny to become debt free even quicker.
I feel like Tony in the Sopranos, when he tells his shrink how his day went,,,,, lol.... that will be me soon. Yeah laughter and humour i think will help me get out of this its the only way, having had a sort of good sleep, ive reflected, and gosh hadnt realised how upset this had made me feel yesterday. Today is another day, and start the day more positive.

Have a good day ciao MAZ

jonathon_hart

Hi.

You might want to push this faster. I'm also re-mortgaging and I'm currently with Abbey (none of the problems you have thankfully) and their advisor told me this morning they are putting their rates up tomorrow.

Jonathon

maz1964

Hi Jonathan

Ive made another phone call to them today as arranged surprise the advisor was busy have given yet again my numbers and will wait until 3pm then call them again, am taking names logging times etc, also will call the arrears team and pay them the 300 today too to show im still wanting to clear the arrears.
Will hold on until this is sorted this afternoon, dont worry its a freephone number so am not shifting for no one,

will update later

ciao MAZ

UK007BullDog

In your case I would only converse with them via registered letter or email. When you do speak to them make sure you get their full names, where they work, date and time!!!! In the letter stress you want to be TREATED FAIRLY as per the FSA Treating Customers Fairly rules.

As far as I know you have to be up to date 6 months on your mortgage payments before they will consider putting you on a new deal.

Good Luck

maz1964

Hi UK007BullDog

Thanks, i havent had the phone calls even today as promised yesterday and after speaking with 3 different advisors today and was promised by 5pm this evening. So not really surprised. I paid this past weeks payment and will continue with my payments as agreed until i get something from them in writing.

However, i am going to draft them a complaint letter and will of course include a copy of the new conduct rules too, expressing to be treated fairly as you have also stated - also to be treated like a human being and to maintain their promises to customers, i feel i have lost 2 days over the worry and the contact ive made to them. Tomorrow i will send letter via registered mail and will ask them to investigate fully the mis selling and the manner ive been treated with their false promises and bad customer service.

I do hope they begin to treat customes in difficulty with a little more courtesy and the personal touch, i would be horrified to be the MD of such a large organisation in receiving my letter i intend on sending. Might draft him a personal copy too, hell, might as well go to the top of the pile too lol.
Dont worry ive got names times and how long on the line, and who they actually passed me to even to Current Accounts team and i dont hold an account with them!
My daughter just laughed at me all day today which took a bit of the stress away cos i was like a demented woman on that phone today, not a pretty sight but it made her smile, and me too eventually i just had to laugh but feel hugely dissappointed and if nothing else it has really taught me the martin lesson of all time "DO NOT BE LOYAL TO YOUR BANK OR FINANCE PROVIDER"
this has opened my eyes to really tackle my own perception on my loyalty to the service and products im receiving, if they are really the best deal for me and my family.

Will continue the fight and will let you know what the outcome is.

Ciao for now MAZ