Don’t take it personally if you can’t reach Bank of America to renegotiate your mortgage payments. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) tried calling the bank on behalf of two constituents, only to be “repeatedly put on hold for long stretches, disconnected, transferred to extensions that did not work, and ultimately switched to a recording which directed her to the bank’s website.”

The Congresswoman wanted to help her constituents negotiate a better deal on their mortgage. Because they hadn’t yet missed a payment, Bank of America wasn’t sure which of their myriad departments could help the Congresswoman.

On her fourth try, Waters was directed to yet another department, and then transferred to hardship assistance. But when she explained the Beards’ situation to the agent in that department, she was told that because they hadn’t yet missed a payment, she needed to call the refinancing department.

Almost two hours after her first attempt to reach a loan officer, Waters was finally transferred to the refinancing department — where she was greeted with a recording and then cut off.

“Oh my goodness,” Waters remarked. “Well, what they [the recording] just said is go to your computer and fill out info to see if you qualify. They don’t check to see if you have a computer and they don’t come back on line.”

The Bank of America says it does a good job and is almost always quick to respond to calls.

Maxine Waters isn’t just a rank-and-file Congresswoman, either. She’s a member of the powerful House Financial Services Committee and the Chair of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity—pretty much the last person Bank of America wants to put on hold for two hours.

So can you get better service than a Congresswoman? Possibly! You can try sending a well-written letter to Bank of America’s CEO, reaching out to their Twitter-based support team, and if all else fails—including calling your Congressional representatives—try launching the mighty and fearsome Executive Email Carpet Bomb.

On Hold: Even Congresswoman Gets the Runaround on Bank Help Lines [ABC]
(Photo: matthewnstoller)

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