lost power of attorney

Since August, I have been handling the affairs of my cousin, who took sick while on vacation in NH. He was unable to sign a Power of Attorney (POA) until Sept 23rd. As soon as I received it, I called the customer service number of Chevy Chase Bank, where my cousin had his checking account, to ask what I should do in order to write checks. They told me to send a copy to a PO Box, the POA Dept. Off I went to the PO, and overnighted the POA. I was anxious to be able to sign checks because Frank�s rent would be due on Oct 1st.

About a week later, I received a letter from Chevy Chase with forms to fill out from the Home Loan Dept. What? He had no loans, and I already had a POA, executed in front of witnesses and prepared by a licensed attorney. Of course, I called Chevy Chase again, and was told, �Well, you sent the form to the wrong place.� Obviously. This time I was told me to send it to a street address, and also to have my signature notarized.

So, $5 to the notary and another $15.20 to the PO, and another copy was on its way. They received that copy on Tuesday, Oct 6th at 10:45, and I had the signature of the person who had actually accepted it.

Thursday, Oct 8th, I called Chevy Chase again. �You can�t prove we ever received it. It takes time to go through all the departments. You didn�t send it to a real branch. Call back again.� None of these comments represent customer service to me. I waited a few more hours.

I then went to the Chevy Chase website, only to find that the customer service page was blank. I called 411 and the number I got was a fax machine. I even went to the Capital One, NA (Chevy Chase is a part of the Capital One corporation) website and was unable to find a number for their customer service

When I called back again, I finally got someone who was willing to track what had happened with the POA. Yes, they had received it, but they couldn�t find it. They would call me back�in 2 business days.

Before the 2 days had past, I received a call from Massachusetts General Hospital. My cousin had died. The POA was no longer valid. Due to Chevy Chase�s gross inefficiency, inept processes, and poor customer service, handling his affairs is now much more difficult, and will take much more of my time.

Chevy Chase is a great example of all that�s wrong with the American banking system.

I will never do business with Chevy Chase; I will never recommend Chevy Chase to anyone; and I will do all can to convince people to run as fast as they can to another bank.