YEAH! We’ve been approved for our home loan and it’s just in time. We are very excited to get this project moving. Work sort of came to a halt or crawl when we were denied our home loan. But now things are getting back on track and the plan is to take our roof off tomorrow. Which means…
I told Jojo we had to pack everything and I think he took me literally and tried to pack his brother.
We are moving out tomorrow!!! Are you wondering where we’re going to stay? Well as it turns out we are going to live with my Mom. Yes, Mom is welcoming me, my husband, two kids, and our dog back home. Yikes! This is going to be quite the adventure. So next on the agenda is packing.
I want to thank Richard Alashaian from NJ Lenders Corp. He has not only been a pleasure to work with but I really felt like he cared about us and wanted us to get the right type of loan and best interest rate possible. He is responsive and attentive to my needs and I appreciate his efforts. If anyone is looking into home finance then I highly recommend working with Richard.
This is the discussion that Saide and I had when choosing our partner for a home loan. He wanted to work with a mortgage broker and I wanted to work with our bank which happened to be Chase/ WAMU Bank. We contacted both to compare them. The mortgage broker could close in 30 days and offered a better rate. Chase Bank could close in 90 days with a slightly higher rate. I admit that when it comes to home finance that I’m not that knowledgeable but I felt that because we had an existing relationship with the bank and because it was a concrete place I could go that it was the right choice. So I forced him to go with the bank.
Boy, was I wrong. When our bank loan was denied and I realized our situation, I was almost in tears. A friend recommended her mortgage broker (Richard Alashaian) from NJ Lenders Corp. He listened to my situation and sought out the best possible home loan scenario for me. After having gone through this, I feel like he has my best interest at heart and he was responsive to our needs. In the end, it’s the mortgage broker who is making our home loan happen. Now, I’m just waiting for the “I told you so” from Saide!
The funny thing is that I don’t think I’m the only one who doesn’t initially trust mortgage brokers. The conversation has come up several times and the response I often hear is that the person would have also chosen the bank. What do you think, who would you trust more your bank or a mortgage broker?
So it only took 6 days, 3 emails to Chase customer service, 2 emails to Chase employees, a couple of phone calls, and a rant on Facebook BUT someone at Chase has taken their head out of their ass and managed to respond to me. Here is the response. <If I could insert a drumroll here I would. >
The email basically says that she thought we were going to submit another loan application so she didn’t process our refund. Umm, no- didn’t Ryan basically tell me to go find another bank. Then she says that it takes 30 days for the refund to be processed through the “Corporate Accounting Channel”. Do you think it took 30 days for them to take the initial fee? Then she passes the buck to some poor guy named Al to send my denial letter. Hey, Al it’s only been two months. I’m sure if you wait another eight, you could ask your summer intern to do it.
So in response to Sallie’s email, I just want to say “Thank You, Sallie!” It only took you 6 days to respond to my email. Great Job! Hey, if you’re as appreciative as I am for Sallie’s commendable customer service efforts feel free to send her an email at sallie.cusano@chase.com (she doesn’t do so well with voicemails).
It’s rare that an customer service experience is so bad that you feel compelled to tell everyone about it. But my experience with Chase/Wamu Bank has been so horrendous that I feel the need to share. This is my story…
The kids sit near the side door and watch the construction.
As you may know Saide and I decided to put a second floor on our home. We have bank accounts with Chase/Wamu so when it came time to get a home loan my first thought was to use them. We went to the WAMU located on 312 Forest Ave, Paramus, NJ to apply for a home loan in July 2009. We are fortunate that we are in a good place financially. We paid off the mortgage about a year ago so we own our property, we have a dual income household, and no debt. Perfect home loan candidate, right?Well we started working with Angelo Bartolomeo (201-519-9675) in July. My husband spoke to him at the end of August and was told that the loan was in underwriting but things were moving along nicely. On September 11th, I called to follow-up and I was told Angelo was on vacation and would be back after 9/17. The person who answered said they would follow-up regarding my loan and get back to me. I then called back again on 9/21 after a full week of not hearing from anyone. Rosa answered and again I was told that Angelo was on vacation. When I challenged this because I was told he would be back by 9/17, Rosa promised someone would call me right back. An hour later, she called back and told me Angelo Barolomeo had left the company. She told me to contact Sallie Cusano at 845-242-2090. I then called Sallie on 9/21, 9/22, 9/23, and 9/24. On 9/22 I called the local branch back and told them that Sallie was not returning my phone calls. Rosa told me to contact Ryan Gallagher (201-934-1436) because he worked for Sallie. I then called Ryan on 9/22, 9/23, and 9/24. Finally, I called the branch and Rosa answers (dear Rosa). I asked to speak to a manager. I was told Fiorella was busy with someone else but that they promised someone would call me back about my loan. That day I received two voicemails. The first was from Ryan at 11:57am saying he had gotten my messages and that he was looking into the status of my loan. He said he did not have access to Angelo’s files and he had to go the long way to get any information. He said he would ”reach back” to me. The second from Sallie at 12:05pm saying she was returning my phone. So after hearing that Ryan is looking into it, I wait. On Monday, September 28th (three days later) I call them back to find out the status. Again no one returns my phone calls. So on 9/29, I try to call again and this time I leave a message asking if I should be speaking to another bank because I’m obviously not a valued Chase/Wamu customer since no one returns my phone calls. I finally get Sallie on the phone and she tells me that the loan was denied in August and I should have received a denial letter. I told her we never received a denial letter and she said a copy would be re-sent. She also said we would receive a partial application fee refund. After speaking to Sallie, Ryan calls me back and basically told me I should try working with one of the smaller banks and there’s nothing that Chase can do for me. I tell him that I never received our denial letter and to please make sure that we are sent a copy.
So here I am on November 2nd and I have not received the denial letter or the refund for the application fee. In fact, I’ve written several letters to Chase customer services and I have yet to receive a reply. I also left Ryan a voicemail on Tuesday and of course he did not call back. I also sent him an email and I did receive a nasty reply in which he said I should speak to Sallie about my refund and letter. No surprise that Sallie has yet to return my phone call.
This fiasco has had a severe implications on our family- we were naive and believed that we were ideal loan candidates so we began the construction on 9/14. Because the home is under construction there isn’t a bank in the country that will give us a loan. I’m not blaming the bank for my stupidity here. I admit we were wrong for having started construction without finalizing the loan. What I am mad about is the complete lack of customer service.
What has happened to the thing called customer service, Chase? Why did it take almost a month to find out we had been denied? If someone would have returned our phone calls in early September we could have avoided this situation by seeking additional loan options. Could they not have had the decency to return my phone calls?At this point Saide and I have found a financial alternative to our situation (although not ideal). What do I hope to gain from sharing this? Well I hope I can prevent someone from working with Chase/Wamu Bank since they completely lack professionalism and customer service. I’d also like to get my money back.
So feel free to share my story or feel free to give Sallie a call (845-242-2090) and ask for my refund
Trick or Treating had a whole new meaning this year. It was the first year that Jojo really understood what was going on… and he loved it! We dressed them up as Pirates- my Mom made the costumes and she did an amazing job. They looked adorable. We did some trick or treating throughout the neighborhood. Thank goodness Halloween is only once a year because I was exhausted by the end!
Van Saun Zoo has this thing called Zoo Boo every year. Through out the zoo they have candy stations set up and they also have spooky scenes for the kids.
We went pumpkin picking at DePiero’s Farm in Montvale NJ. I like this place because you take a hayride out to a pumpkin patch then you pick your pumpkin and take a hayride back. This year they also had a maze and petting zoo. It’s a really cute experience for the kids and they have great apple cider doughnuts!
I have Climbers. I feel guilty for admitting this. I always hear people talking about Mother’s of Climbers as if they are a category that DIFUS patrols. It’s not like I don’t watch my kids, I do, I swear! They just climb onto everything. And as I’m grabbing one the other one is climbing (and laughing). Here is my one year attempting to climb our coffee table.
We took Matthew to the David Allen Kids Salon in Paramus. He got to sit in a little taxi car while the guy cut his hair. After we got a certificate for his 1st haircut.
