I just looked through my posts to see if I'd posted about this customer before, but it doesn't look like I have. I'm a little surprised, since I have a lot of stories about her.
Let's start with the current situation. "Brandy" has been out of work since before the stay-at-home order was issued. She called to request a deferral on her mortgage loan at the beginning of April. We explained to her that it would only save her about $50, since the bank is requesting that accrued interest and escrow be paid, even if we defer a payment. She said to forget it, she would just pay the whole payment.
Well, she didn't pay. Now she's past due for her April and May payments. I tried to call and got an automated message that the number wasn't available.* We sent letters.
Brandy finally called yesterday. Initially, she asked if she could make a year's worth of payments so she wouldn't have to make payments until next year. I explained that while she could do that, at the end of the year she'd have a large pool of accrued interest sitting there, and her next few payments would go only to interest.
I suggested she open a savings account, deposit the year's worth of payments, and then set up automatic payments out of the savings. She liked that idea. I asked how much she wanted to deposit - was it her monthly payment times 12? "No, I don't have that much." :facepalm: Ok, how much, then? She doesn't know. She'll have to figure that out and call me back.
I typed up the savings account documents and the automatic payment form, and I waited for her to call back. She hasn't. And she didn't answer her phone when I tried to call her this morning. Hopefully she'll check her voicemail. But she's claimed in the past that she hasn't received the voicemails I've left her. Maybe with a new phone it will be easier to find? I won't hold my breath.
*The phone thing is an ongoing thing with Brandy. Every 2-3 months, it seems, she gets a new phone and neglects to give us her new phone number.
Let's start with the current situation. "Brandy" has been out of work since before the stay-at-home order was issued. She called to request a deferral on her mortgage loan at the beginning of April. We explained to her that it would only save her about $50, since the bank is requesting that accrued interest and escrow be paid, even if we defer a payment. She said to forget it, she would just pay the whole payment.
Well, she didn't pay. Now she's past due for her April and May payments. I tried to call and got an automated message that the number wasn't available.* We sent letters.
Brandy finally called yesterday. Initially, she asked if she could make a year's worth of payments so she wouldn't have to make payments until next year. I explained that while she could do that, at the end of the year she'd have a large pool of accrued interest sitting there, and her next few payments would go only to interest.
I suggested she open a savings account, deposit the year's worth of payments, and then set up automatic payments out of the savings. She liked that idea. I asked how much she wanted to deposit - was it her monthly payment times 12? "No, I don't have that much." :facepalm: Ok, how much, then? She doesn't know. She'll have to figure that out and call me back.
I typed up the savings account documents and the automatic payment form, and I waited for her to call back. She hasn't. And she didn't answer her phone when I tried to call her this morning. Hopefully she'll check her voicemail. But she's claimed in the past that she hasn't received the voicemails I've left her. Maybe with a new phone it will be easier to find? I won't hold my breath.
*The phone thing is an ongoing thing with Brandy. Every 2-3 months, it seems, she gets a new phone and neglects to give us her new phone number.
Comment