Ameriquest Mortgage - www.ameriquestmortgage.com - poor second mortgage experience

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on February 21, 2003:

From: Stephanie Schubert [Email User]

RE: Ameriquest Mortgage - www.ameriquestmortgage.com - poor second mortgage experience

Last July my husband and I applied for a second mortgage using the Internet for competitive interest rates. Ameriquest came in with the lowest interest rate. Having recently charged our credit cards up remodeling our entire home, we wanted to be able to deduct the interest on taxes, due to our extensive home improvements! Well we closed and they sent me the checks and I paid off my creditors and then I heard and received nothing. After several vigilant attempts to contact customer service I notified my loan officer that they could not reference my account at all.

Finally she notified me that they had apparently sold the loan immediately and that this company, ARISTAR would be contacting me. So I wait, and wait, until at @ 5:30 PM MST on 10/30/02 when I receive the rudest collection call. Oh, did I get mean and nasty having already gone above and beyond the duty of any consumer with Ameriquest, and having never had any contact with this company until that very moment, and they are demanding immediate payment including late charges and penalties. Come to find out all along that this company had the wrong property address, wrong social security numbers, wrong contact numbers. I must have given them the proper information 10 times.

They continually harassed us with collection calls even though I was making electronic payments through my bank, I received two statements from this company both in December but they wanted to charge me late fees and penalties every single time. I finally told them that I had made payments to them in good faith when I had received nothing from them that indicated an account number, a due date, a payment office address, none of the standard billing information. I had a verbal account number and that's it. I told the manager that they needed to stop harassing me with their collection calls, they were calling all day and up to 10pm at night. The manager stated at that time that although I may have been making payments, and although they had cleared my bank account, the payments were not posting to my account with them, so until that happened I was on the collection call list.

Also, that any effort to remove me would be only temporary until I corrected this issue. I CORRECTED THIS ISSUE!!! Unbelievable, they had the gall to ask me to fax my bank statement to them, yeah like they need that information! I called my bank and advised them that this company would contact them and they were only to share pertinent information in regards to that account. No problem they said, the funds had cleared properly and the error was not on the banking side, but imagine this, on the creditor's side! The next thing that happened is I that received notification from ARISTAR stating they had sold my loan back to Ameriquest and this is why my payments were not posted properly.

They advised me that Ameriquest would be contacting me. This came directly after my threat to press charges for consumer harassment without cause. So I have this letter ARISTAR sent and I am waiting for Ameriquest to contact me. I assume through the mail, because ARISTAR eventually got everything correct and started sending me mail like every other billing company does. However, by late January Ameriquest had yet to send me ANYTHING!!!! Until I am the recipient of a very rude and prissy collection call from an agent named Marcy, she says she is calling to notify me of intent to foreclose. FORECLOSE??????? For $790.00??????? On a second mortgage???????? Well, if ARISTAR thought I was mean and nasty Ameriquest has yet to see anything. Of course I spoke to a manager, and I made a payment with her right then through a check by phone after demanding all fees and penalties be waived. At which point I verified all the information, again, wrong address (postal code & city) wrong social security numbers. She assured me this would be taken care of and she apologized and could understand why I was upset. Really???

Really do you I'm curious because now, today, just merely moments ago*****. I received a collection call AT WORK!!!! Guess what????? They have not corrected my information, and I have yet, to receive anything notifying me of the very pertinent billing information. Marcy wanted to assess me late fees and penalties AGAIN!!!!! It's funny too, because just yesterday out of pure consumer duty I scheduled a payment on-line through my bank. Does this company really expect that I have ESP?? That I should magically remember what my payment is; what the due date is; who I send it to; when they have failed to notify me outside of rude collection contact?

Even then it is only a verbal account number that I have been given. I work full time, go to school full-time and have a kindergarten age child to take care of. I do not have the time or the inclination to commit to memory this type of information. Wells Fargo seems to be able to handle this as our first mortgage holder. I will meet my obligation, you send me something in writing. After all, I had to sign documents to borrow the money, so you should commit to writing, the outstanding debt monthly. In addition they have advised me that I have to call customer service and notify them of an address change, I haven't moved, I gave them the correct information in the first place, I have the documentation to prove it (closing documents)!!!

When I hear Ameriquest commercials on the radio I want to scream. This is of course my own opinion, because I have all the closing papers from Ameriquest and we provided them with clear and accurate information. I truly feel I am experiencing consumer harassment when I have never done anything but try to fulfill my duty of debt as a consumer! It is and continues to be utterly ridiculous dealing with these two companies! This has been the biggest financial fiasco of my life, and believe me managing money is not easy for anyone so this only makes it all the more stressful! Thank you for hearing my story! :)

Stephanie Schubert