Harrassment and threats from Washington Mutual

November 25, 2001

TO:
Kerry K Killinger, CEO
Washington Mutual Financial, Inc.
1201 3rd Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101-3029

FROM:
Christine Bortner
RR x Box xxxxxxx
Port Adventure Subdivision
Trinity, TX 75862
(xxx) xxx-xxxx
christinebortner@aol.com

RE: PLANETFEEDBACK REFERENCE NUMBER xxxxxx

Dear Mr. Killinger,

I recently had a problem with the overall experience at Washington Mutual Financial, Inc., and I wanted you to know about it.

My husband has been in and out of the VA hospital these past years with his heart. I too have to schedule my heart surgeries around that and keep my chemo therapies in between. For over a year Washington Mutual has charged us with late penalties, late fees, interest, penalities and whatever else you can think of. My loan # is xxxxxxxxxxxx. It is in my husband's name: Kenneth L. Bortner, Jr.

I no longer answer my phone without listening to the caller. Washington Mutual has what they call a "call service". These people call 4 or 5 times a day, leaving threatening messages if I am not here. If I try as I have this past year to talk to these "call service people", I end up with so many threats from them that my health and my husband's health worsens.

I recently found out that these "call services" do not have access to the same information on their computer as "customer service" does, but yet they threaten until I am so shook up that I want to just throw in the towel and quit.

My husband was in the VA hospital for 3 wks after another heart attack. I brought him home Wednesday morning, Thanksgiving Eve. When I opened my mail, I had a threatening letter from Washington Mutual saying they were going to foreclose on our home if I didn't send in $2058.00.

The problem is that I do make my monthly payments. Now I owe my November payment of $427 which I have sent off next day mail.

Through this past year, Washington Mutual has upped my payments to $600 for several months, several times during the twelve months. They say it's due to late charges, fees and whatever else they can think of. Forget the numerous calls and letters that I send to Washington Mutual and receive no respond. I have never been able to get through to Washington Mutual in less than an hour. When I do get through, it's to one of the "call services" which have no idea about what Washington Mutual is doing to their customers, '"but" these" call services" are there simply to harrass and threaten the Washington Mutual customers. I am sure Kip Killinger knows what is going on, but he is to busy to deal with the heartache and trouble his customers have with Washington Mutual. I'm sure he's one of those numerous CEO's that sat in their $2000 suits, in their big leather offices and simply attend luncheons and make themselves out to be the mastermind of these companies.

Nobody likes to pay late fees, but I hold them in particular contempt on my mortgage due to the fact that Washington Mutual is the most contemptable company that I have had to deal with in my 51 years. If our home loan payment gets there a few minutes past deadline, or a day later, you can beat on us being hit with a hefty charge. Yet when I am kept on the phone for over an hour trying to sort an error (which is impossible to do with Washington Mutual) the company has made, I don't even get an apology from these saints working at Washington Mutual.

In this economy, if your're a day late, you end up a lot more than a dollar short. I usually end up having our mortgage payments upped from $427 a month to $600 for three to four months. Then after paying the $600 (for which I have no idea why we are charged these ungodly fees), my payment goes back to $427 a month, "BUT" I end up with a threatening letter from Washington Mutual telling us we owe them $2058 that month plus the $427 mortgage payment.

The tardy are a reliable source of revenue for companies as Washington Mutual, which reap millions of dollars in late fees.

Washington Mutual has received numerous class action lawsuits (Dow Jones for one) alleging excessive late fees and penalites. Does this stop Washington Mutual from showing theirselves as God who can do no wrong. Not Washington Mutual, Kip Killinger and his crew "do" think of theirselves as gods who cannot due any wrong.

As myself with the health my husband and myself are in, it's been far more easy to pay all these late fees and penalties instead of having to go through all the stress from the threatening calls and letters we receive from Washington Mutual. Once a person gets over paying that late fee, it's more likely for them to do it again and again, so you don't have to worry about "Oh my God, what's going to happen to me if I don't. Is our home going to be forclosed because I'm not able to send all these late fees and penalties off?" Washington Mutual shows themselves as gods by threatening and harrassing the innocent. After a while we would rather get hit with the penalities than have to hassle with the details that are bogging us down.

My husband is on cumadon for three months, a blood thinner from the big clot he received from a defective IV clamp in the VA hospital. The next three months or more, my husband and myself have enough to worry about the blood clot in his arm breaking lose and going to his lungs and heart and killing him instantly. Here I get him home from weeks in the VA hospital and then I sat down going over our mail and come across that threatening letter from Washington Mutual saying they are going to foreclose on our home if we don't send the $2058, plus our monthly mortgage payment of $427.00. This doesn't include all the numerous threats that I had to listen to on my answering machine that we received from Washington Mutual.

I am totally wore out from Washington Mutual and the effect they have had on our health has reached an end. After I have had my bypass on December 5th, and recover, I am going to get in contact with an attorney who will handle our case and stop this continueous threathening that Kip Killinger allows in his company.

Christine Bortner
RR 5 Box xxxxxx
Trinity, Tx 75862
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


The letter I have from Washington Mutual dated Nov. 10, 2001 states as follow:

Dear Borrower:

We have been unable to contact you by phone. Please be advised that we are commencing with collection activity in connection with this loan.

Not only may additional costs be involved, but foreclosure proceedings may result in acceleration of the loan obligation and sale of your property at public auction.

Should you wish to reinstate this loan and/or discuss various repayment options to protect your interest, please call the number below.

Washington Mutual
Collection Department
(iii) 852-1745

This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information provided by you will be used for that purpose.

SP721-003-ATT

We have our home owners insurance with Foremost since Farmers Insurance no longer carries it. I would think that Foremost had done their job in getting a copy of the policy to Washington Mutual whether than I having to take care of another problem.

I know I will no longer do business with Washington Mutual in the future. I certainly won't recommend your company to people I know. I know this is no loss to your gigantic corporation, but I am sick of your company's harrassment and threats.

Here's what I'd like to see happen: STOP the "threatening and harrassing". Take my payment each month of $427.

Washington Mutual has caused numerous health problems that have grown worse due to all their harrassing and threats. No matter how bad my health is, I am through calling Washington Mutual and having to hang up because of their threats to my husband and myself. If I receive one more threatening letter or phone call, I will file charges and then after my surgery on the 5th, I will find a lawyer who will give 100% to our case. I have worked for two lawyers in the past and a credit bureau for 4 years. I know that this constant harrassment and threats are not allowed from Washington Mutual

In a court of law, I may or may not win, but as I stated above, I am through with Washington Mutuals harrassment and threats.

I hope to hear from you soon, and I hope this can be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, but I am 99% sure your company will not attempt to clear up this matter.

Sincerely,
christinebortner@aol.com

CC:
Jim Turner
Phil Gramm
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Henry Cuellar

Why don't you just set up your account so that it makes an automatic withdrawl from your checking account on the same day each month?
You won't get any late fees and the company knows its getting the money.
You are getting contacted by the company, because to them you are shirking your duty to pay back your loan.
You are using your inavailability to do your chores as an excuse not to repay an obligation you are required to pay back.
Just because you are sick does not mean the loan should be forgiven.
You can save time, hassle and money by just allowing them to do an automatic transfer of your monthly payment.
You don't have to worry about them taking all your money. They can only take what you say they can take. Nothing else.
Try it.

sounds like you need to take advantage of some free credit counseling

Creditors calling customers four or five times a day is considered harassment, according to the law. You should send a letter to Washington Mutual and also the Federal Trade Commission. Be sure to document all calls you received from Washington Mutual with as much information as you can, who called, the date, time, nature of conversation, AND, whether or not you asked them not to call you anymore. If your spouse is sick, tell them and note it in your journal. There are laws to protect consumers against harassment, even if they owe money.

But, remember, the one thing you do not want taken from you is your home. Set your mortgage payments up on automatic payment. That way they will never be late. You don't have to worry about writing checks and getting them in the mail in time so you will not have any more late charges. Late charges eat into the money you need for everyday living. You can have it set up so that the payments are not paid until the day before you would have a late charge assessed. But, you must stop paying those late charges. Otherwise, you will always be a nervous wreck, just as you are now. Quit doing this to yourself. And, YOU are doing it to YOURSELF. Only YOU can stop this situation from continuing.

Good luck.:(

FYI,
I too am a victim of WaMu's illegal and unethical business practices. After much research I found the agency responsible for monitoring financial institutions is the Office of Thrift Supervision, a component of the Department of Treasury. This link will take you to their website: www.ots.treas.gov
There are regional offices that you must contact in order to file a formal complaint.
If anyone is interested in filing a class action lawsuit against WaMu, please contact me. I will be all too happy to join the cause. The tyranny must end!!
:mad:

On October 17, 2007 I filed a dispute with a Washington Mutual customer service representative for a fraudulent charge placed on my account in the amount of $592.00.

I was informed that I would have to wait until the dispute was resolved before I could file a claim to recover any over draft charges incurred due to this fraudulent charge.

On October 23, 2007 the merchant posted a “credit” in the amount of $592 to my account. I incurred 9 over draft fees totaling $313.00 as a direct result of this fraudulent charge. The same day, I contacted a Washington Mutual customer service representative to inquire on the status of my original dispute and to file an additional claim to recover the over draft fees I incurred. I was informed there was no record of a dispute. And to make matters worse, the representative informed me the merchant “credited” my account for the original amount charged, so it was no longer considered a dispute – the merchant was simply “correcting” their mistake. Therefore, Washington Mutual was not responsible for the over draft charges. I was told to recover the fees from the merchant since it was their error.

On November 2, 2007 Washington Mutual posted a debit card provisional credit in the amount of $592.00 to my account. I contacted a Washington Mutual customer representative on November 3, 2007 to inquire about this credit. I was informed the credit was a result of the dispute I filed on October 17, 2007. I asked the representative if there was a documented dispute for this transaction and she said yes.

I informed her that I would like to file a claim to recover the $313.00 in over draft charges I incurred due to the fraudulent charge placed on my account on October 17, 2007. She informed me I was unable to file a claim to recover the over draft charges because the original dispute had been closed and could not be re-opened. Conveniently, the call was “disconnected”.

The Washington Mutual website features The Washington Mutual Difference:

“You’ll know it right away: We’re really not like other banks. In fact, we believe no one else focuses on consumers, small business and commercial customers like we do. We listen to our customers and give them what they value--yet at the same time we make banking simple and enjoyable.”

I have followed every recommended step Washington Mutual has proposed and as a “reward” for being a customer, I have been met with nothing but opposition and have been punished.

Where is the consumer protected? Washington Mutual has failed miserably from start to finish. In fact, Washington Mutual has perpetuated the situation, causing it to go from bad to down right ugly.

I am requesting two action items:

1) Remove the debit card provisional credit in the amount of $592.00 from my account.
2) Correctly credit my account in the amount of $313.00 for the over draft fees I incurred from the fraudulent charge.

I am giving Washington Mutual one last opportunity to rectify this situation and to prove they stand behind the mantra they so boldly claim: “We listen to our customers and give them what they value--yet at the same time we make banking simple and enjoyable.”

Kristin Wall

Banks and thrifts are regulated by a government entity. You can tell your story to their regulator the same as you have here, and their regulator will investigate the issue for you and if they have done anything unethical or unlawful, their regulator will get it straightened out for you. "National" banks are regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and "savings and loans or thrifts" are regulated by the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS). I suggest you contact these agencies (in writing) and file a complaint, copying WaMu. I believe that WaMu is a thrift. Good luck.

there should be a way to retire/close threads after a while. this thread is over 6 years old.

A moderator/administrator could delete the original post, which would destroy the entire thread. I have done so in certain cases (spam, etc.), but this one actually has sparked ongoing discussion in regards to WaMu's policies and practices (although it originally seemed to have been more or less a deliberate petition)