I was harassed, and have never even been their customer!
Written: May 02 '01
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Pros: None that I can identify.
Cons: They use aggressive and illegal collection tactics.
The Bottom Line: Given my experience with this bank as someone with which they have no business relationship, I would certainly not want to be in the position of actually owing them money.
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| tizzo's Full Review: Cross Country Bank |
My experience with Cross Country Bank, I suspect, is unique, as I was never even been their customer. Shortly after moving to FL, I began receiving automated phone calls, from an unidentified caller, demanding that I call them at an out of state telephone number. The calls came roughly weekly, until finally I looked up the area code, found that it was a legal number in the continental US, and called them. The number turned out to be Cross Country Bank, and they were trying to reach the person who had last had my telephone number. I told them that this person was no longer the owner of the number they were calling, and asked them to stop calling. They agreed, and I thought that was that.
Starting shortly thereafter, I started receiving the automated phone call more frequently, about once per day. Even if I answered the phone, no one was on the other end, just a recording, making it impossible to speak with anyone without paying for a long distance phone call. Finally, my wife called them back, requesting again that they stop calling. This time, the person at Cross Country Bank refused to remove our number from their list unless we sent them a letter with both our full names and social security numbers. Since a SSN is technically a private piece of information, which a company may not legally demand unless they are responsible for reporting your income to the federal government, my wife indicated that we were unwilling to provide the information, and this time insisted that Cross Country remove our number from their delinquent account list, lest we contact the governing authorities. This was greeted by laughter, and a threat to go after us through our phone bill.
Curious as to how this was even possible, I did some research and learned that, at least in Florida, a strange combination of legal loopholes allows a creditor to essentially enlist the services of the telephone company as a collections agent. Other people I've heard from, including a coworker I spoke to personally, recounted how the phone company had included payments for the debts of a previous customer on their telephone bill, with an implicit threat to suspend telephone service if the bill was not paid in full. After paying the bill, my coworker was able to get the charges reversed, with some effort. However, I had not way of knowing how much money was involved. Cross Country Bank had suddenly become a very real threat to my spotless credit rating, and hence my financial security.
At this point I began aggressively seeking outside help in dealing with this company. It took telephone calls to Cross Country Bank from both the local Sheriff's department, and the Better Business Bureau, to get the telephone calls and threats to stop. But no apology was ever offered, nor was any restitution made, not even compensation for the long distance telephone calls I was forced to make. To the company's defenders, I would have to say that, although providing credit to people with spotty histories is a service that some may find valuable, and those who benefit from it should be prepared to pay their debts or endure pursuit, it is also true that this company *chooses* to engage in an inherently risky business, and must be prepared to bear the risks involved in their chosen line of work. And most importantly, I did not even have a business relationship with them, nor did I owe them any money.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
tizzo
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Location: Melbourne, FL, USA
Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 28 members
About Me:
I'm a Software Engineer from NJ, now living in Melbourne, FL.
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