I am going to lose it soon

[Ree]

About a month before my husband died, we had renewed a loan with a finance company. Part of that renewal was an insurance policy for both of us on the loan.
I had filled out all the paperwork and given a void cheque so the payments would come out automatically.
The first payment was scheduled for June 30.

About a week after that date, I got a call from the finance company. They had forgotten to set up the auto-payments with the bank, and they needed me to send them the payment immediately, as I was now showing as overdue on my payment.
This really upset me. It was the last thing I needed.

She told me they were going to make an application for the insurance to pay off the loan, but she couldn't guarantee anything since it was all so new.

I called them later in July and asked if they needed a payment again, since it was getting close to the end of the month and I had heard nothing about the insurance.
I was told that they didn't need a payment from me at that time.

I got a call 2 weeks later telling me my account was overdue again and I needed to get payment to them ASAP. I was told they only needed a half payment, just to have something on the books, as they were waiting on the insurance company.

Unfortunately, I was not really doing so well emotionally and I forgot about it until they called again. When I asked them to give me the total again, this time it was for the full amount, which I again paid.

I got a call from the finance company a couple of weeks ago, and it was just a voicemail telling me to call them. I called 3 times and was never able to connect with the agent handling my account, so I left a message each time asking her to call me. She never did. I finally called and got really upset with them. An agent called me back asking me what I needed from them. I said, "Uh...you guys called me!"
She looked in her file and she had no idea why they had called me so she told me to forget it.

On Wednesday of this week, I got a letter from them, addressed to my husband.
It was a "First Notice" regarding overdue insurance premiums.
I called and left a message on the company's voicemail, and nobody returned my call. I called again last night, only to be told they were about to close, so someone would get back to me today.
I got a call at work about 3:00 today.
Apparently, I now owe over $100 because they have not been sending money to the insurance company on my behalf.
When I made the first payment, she applied the whole amount to the account. When they gave me the other totals, they forgot to include an insurance payment as well.

I just got another bill from them today saying that I am now 2 loan payments behind, as well.

I am really pissed. If they had set up the auto payments as I had arranged, I wouldn't have had to worry about getting any payments to them at all, and everything would have been looked after. I would not be in arrears for either the loan or the insurance.

Tomorrow, my husband will be dead 4 months, and this crap is still going on and things are still in a mess.

I think what makes me angriest is that my husband is the one who arranged the refinancing. I did not want any part of it.
I wanted to pay them off and be done with them.

Now he's gone and I have to deal with it.

I was trying very hard not to lose it today when I talked to the girl, but I am really at the end of my rope with this company.
I really hope the insurance pays out, because I never want to deal with them again after this.

[blas]

I am so sorry, Ree. Not only because a situation like this doesn't help the grieving process whatsoever, but because incompetence from companies like this is just unexcusable.

If it makes you feel any better, I am being harrassed right now by the financial services for the hospital and clinics that I go to, they are claiming I am not paying enough every month, then the next call they claimed I hadn't paid since June, they sent me a letter a few weeks ago threatening to take me to collections, so I printed off all my monthly bank statements from May until now, highlighting where I paid. I had my dad fax it to them and thankfully, the dropped that collections bullshit. Granted, my medical bills are over $1,000, and their "policy" is that they "require" 10% payment every month, but since I am paying every month and making more than an attempt....ugh. So I was forced to sign up for a line of credit to pay off my bills.

I hope you can get this mess sorted out. Sounds like no one but idiots work there.

[marasbaras]

Go ahead and lose it, Ree. They have it coming.

And, you could use the vent.

[bainsidhe]

All the best to you and good luck. Sounds like a difficult situation.

[Evil Queen]

Vent. get mad. Do whatever you think it will take to help you feel better.

Then hand the situation off to a daughter or son. I don't want to sound mean but I think you might be still hurting too much to deal with this properly at this current time. Hell, when my grandfather passed away, it took me over a year to move on and deal with things.

If all else fails, lawyer up. The company didn't do what they agreed to do. If this was a contract case, I would mention this as breech of contract.

[marty]

As I've just found, things are never, never that easy when a loved one passes. My mom is going to have to go to battle over my stepdad's life insurance because none of the places seemed to be able to tell her whether or not she was on any of the policies.

Hang in there.

[One-Fang]

I would suggest doing all that you can to do down to the office and see someone in person. Trying to sort this kind of thing out over various phone calls with different agents and call centre reps just leads to trouble. Get down there, see one person, make them fix it entirely before you leave.

And by fix it I mean switch companies. Get a final figure. Pay it. Go somewhere else if you still need that loan/insurance.

This makes me very glad to have my broker. He's a free service, but he steps in for this kind of crap. It's very cool.

[tollbaby]

Ree, it took my aunt nearly two years to get all my uncle's estate stuff dealt with. It's a nightmare, but that doesn't mean you have to take it lying down. *HUG* Courage, mon amie, and give'em what for

[Misanthropical]

I say lose it on them, Ree. After all their screw ups they deserve it.

[morgana]

I say lose it on them, Ree. After all their screw ups they deserve it.

Absolutely. Find the highest-level person they'll let you get to, and give 'em both barrels. Their incompetence is the bottom line in all this, they need to fix it.

I'd also suggest a nice letter to their CEO. Polite, of course. But with both barrels.

[zzapp the witch]

My husband's been dead for over 6 years now. Ford Motor Credit is still after me for a car I never owned....to the tune of a $14k judgement against me on a $4k car. They even emptied my bank and savings accounts one month, taking over $4k. I'm still trying to figure out how they connected me to the car, since I had nothing to ever do with it. The lawyers I've talked to say that I should just pay it, since they already have the judgement against me. (Why didn't anyone ever tell me I was being taken to court?)

I have bank accounts in mine and my husband's name that won't pay out what's in there even though I've sent them all the paperwork they requested, AND I have a life insurance company that won't pay out on a policy that my husband took out on himself while we were in the military.

All my best wishes and condolences to you, Ree. Scream as loud as you like, nothing is ever easy.

[Jack7957]

Any TV stations in your area have those 'consumer reporters'? They love stories about the big mean company beating up on the poor helpless Joe Consumer.