The Check is in the Mail

Yesterday we finally received our escrow check from Regions Bank over two months after closing on the sale of our house. And thankfully I will never ever have to deal with that bank again.

If you work for Region's Bank, you may want to not to read on any more because they rank at the bottom of my list in terms of customer service. Maybe you bank with them and don't have the same issues but they are nothing like the bank we use for checking/savings - Wells Fargo.

Almost five years ago we refinanced our town home. Initially the mortgage was through another nondescript bank but that merged with Region's in a corporate take-over. That was the day my angst began and didn't end until yesterday. If I ever had to call them about something I would get some rude, unhelpful person on the end of the line. Surely they imported these people because the bank is located in the South. No one they hire for customer service is nice. I would have rather talked to someone in India.

And everything comes with a fee. Classic! If you call and are on hold (when Have I ever called and not been on hold) you hear this thick Southern accent 'For only $8, Region's mortgage will let you pay on-line.' For only $8? Are you crazy!?! It's free to bill-pay through Wells Fargo were we bank. (In fact that's what I did for almost 5 years.) It's free with Taylor and Bean - our new mortgage company. To fax my pay-off amount when I sold it was going to cost $20. $20 for a fax!?! Where do they think I am... Singapore? Of course it was free to attach it in an email but they don't tell you that. They wouldn't get your $20.

There were other times dealing with them were I was filled with anghst. But the escrow check was the cou de-grau. When we closed we had over $1300 in escrow. After weeks with no check despite knowing that i would talk to a grumpy person, I called customer service. Snippingly I was told it was mailed and just to wait. I tried to update my address as now we had bought our house since the check was mailed but she said there was no need. I waited ...no check.

I called again. I had to ask for a supervisor as the first lady would not help me at all. The supervisor said, "Oh I see the check was returned". (Now why couldn't the first lady determine that?) Now just so you know - all of our mail was being forwarded. Even a tax refund from Region's bank was forwarded. They also had my phone number on file but never called to say the check was returned. UGH.

So I updated my address and she tells me the check was in the mail. Weeks we by. No check.


I called again. I finally get them to agree to cancel the 2nd check and send it via fed ex. She says she will call me next day with tracking number. Next day (day before yesterday) same lady calls with tracking number. I have her repeat it - twice reading back the number. She said it was sent the day before and would arrive that day.

No check! I went on-line to fedex.com and the tracking number didn't work. Yesterday I called again. This time a guy is my customer service rep and he tracks it and its in Colorado. I asked him to give me the tracking number. The lady the day before had two numbers wrong... not one, but two!!! And twice!!! Also both this guy and the tracking shows it left Regions Bank right before she called me. Not only did she have the tracking wrong, she either lied about when it went out or was so incompetent that she didn't know. Where do they find these people?

So yesterday the check arrived. In the envelope is the original check. One the check, the address of our old property was not our complete address. That's why it wasn't forwarded! They have it on file! They owned it! But they typed the address wrong!

They wrote the check wrong. They never called me to say it was returned. Were they hoping I would never call? They keep telling me to wait. I had to keep calling them. I wished they had gioven me two months interest but yeah. right. I am surpised they didn't charge me for the fed ex letter. How in the world does this bank stay in business? I am glad I will never have to call them again.