Contributing to my headache

You've already heard about this. To add to the joy and frivolity, I've called my mortgage holders today looking for a payoff figure. The house being up for sale and all...

Brent at Aurora Loan Services advised me (after confirming that I am in fact the borrower) that he cannot give a verbal payoff. Now, I'd already listened to the automated menu tell me about the automated faxed payoff statement.

"How fast does that turnaround," I ask.

"There's a five-to-seven day turnaround via fax."

Killing me. "There's no way you can just tell me what the payoff figure is?"

"No sir, I can't give a verbal payoff."

Killing me again. Well, gotta get the information.

Before I can speak again, Brent asks if he should mail or fax the statement. Imagining that they'd be hard-pressed to do worse than a 5-7 day turnaround, I figured I'd go with the mailed version. No doubt, I'll be wrong on that assessment; it's just that kind of day.

As the call is ending, Brent wishes me a good day. Yeah, little late for that, but thanks anyway.

I didn't even bother trying to track down a human being over at Countrywide. Soon as I heard something about a mailed- or faxed-request I hung up. What's the point after all?

The poor slob on the other end of the phone isn't personally responsible for my travails, so why subject them to the cathartic outpouring of all my frustrations? It just wouldn't be nice.

If anybody wants to start a mortgage company that is actually lender-friendly, they'll make millions. And they'll get my business from here to the end of time.