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This is the blog of Adam Kalsey. Unusual depth and complexity. Rich, full body with a hint of nutty earthiness.

US Bank: Annoying customers as a strategy

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My home mortgage is serviced by US Bank. The payment is due each month on the 1st, but no penalties are assessed until the 15th. I’ve always paid my mortgage as close to the 15th as I can arrange. I’ve never had a late payment.

Starting last summer, roughly coinciding with the start of the mortgage market decline, I started getting a call on the 6th or 7th of each month, asking about my payment. I tell them it will be there by the 15th, they say thanks, verify my home address, and that’s the end of the call.

Today’s call prompted me to ask them how to make these calls stop. I was told my only option is to send them a legal cease and desist demanding that they stop contacting me by phone at all. No matter what the problem is, I wouldn’t get a phone call. They’d send me a letter in the mail instead.

It’s all or nothing. Either I continue to get annoyed by a monthly phone call or I stop all calls—even important ones—from them.

I’ve always assumed they started the calls in response to rising missed mortgage payments as a result of the subprime mess. The customer service supervisor I spoke to said they added this "feature" after many customers asked to be notified before they were dinged with a late fee.

Unfortunately, you can’t really choose who services your mortgage. Otherwise I’d switch to someone who doesn’t use customer annoyance as a service strategy.

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