Mike Chambers

As promised in my last post, here is another story of why I hate Bank of America.  At the time of this story, I had never been a customer of Bank of America.  Today I wouldn't be a customer of Bank of America, except that they bought Countrywide Home Loans, and thus my mortgage.

A couple of months after my wife and I moved into our current house (and two years before Bank of America bought our mortgage), I got a phone call from Mike Chambers, who left a message on our answering machine.  Mike Chambers identified himself as working for the law office of Frederick G. Hanna and Associates in Georgia.  He said he was calling about a debt that I owed to Bank of America.  Since we weren't customers of Bank of America, and since we had just moved into our home and had a new phone number, we assumed that Mike Chambers (like so many others) was trying to call the former owner of our phone number.  Or, since I have a fairly common last name, we thought that probably he was calling the wrong Justin.  So we ignored the message and deleted it.

A few days later, on a Saturday morning, Mike Chambers called again.  This time we were home, so I answered.  He abrasively introduced himself and told me that he was calling about a debt that I owed to Bank of America.  I told him he had the wrong number, since I didn't have any sort of account at Bank of America.  He asked if I was Justin, and I said yes.  He then said that he didn't have the wrong number and I needed to pay the debt or go to court.  I again told him that I wasn't the one he was looking for, that he had the wrong number.  I ended the phone call and thought that was the end of it.

A couple of days later, this persistent jerk called again.  I again told him that he had the wrong Justin.  I asked him what the Social Security Number was of the person he was looking for.  He told it to me, and I told him that the number he had was definitely not mine, and that he should keep looking.  Again, the phone call ended and I thought it was done.

A couple of weeks went by.  Then I got a phone call at about 7:00 on a Sunday morning.  It was Mike Chambers again.  This is what he said after I said hello: "This is Mr. Mike Chambers from the law office of Frederick G. Hanna and Associates.  Based on my research, you ARE the Justin [fairly common last name] I am looking for, and if you do not pay this debt in 30 days, we will take you to court."  Then he hung up on me.  Hung up.  Didn't offer me the courtesy of saying anything back to him.

I immediately called back the number on the caller ID.  I got a receptionist, and I told her that I had just received an extremely rude phone call and hang up from Mike Chambers, and I asked her for his supervisor.  I was directed to Mike Chambers' voice mail.  All of a sudden Mike Chambers was not in the office.  I know... weird.  So I left a message.  I told him that he had just called me and then rudely hung up on me.  I told him that I though it was odd that I had his voice mail since I had just spoken with him seconds ago.  I then told him in no uncertain terms that he definitely had the wrong Justin [fairly common last name].  I explained that I had told him this fact numerous times before and now this was harassment.  I stated that he needed to cease and desist this harassment.  I told him that if he did choose to take me to court, then the judge would see that my SSN was not the same as the person he was looking for, and the case would be thrown out.  Finally, I told him that there are many Justin [fairly common last names] in the state of Utah, and he should try one of the other ones and leave me alone.

That was the last time I spoke with Mike Chambers from that shady law firm.  After 30 days, I started to expect a summons or a law suit or something to come in the mail.  Nothing ever came.

So that's that.  Mike Chambers is a huge idiot because he had the wrong guy and continued to bother me without getting his facts straight.  I hate Bank of America because they hired this guy.  As soon as I can refinance my loan away from Bank of America, I will... and I will never be one of their customers again.