No, this won't be Yet Another article about skullduggery and malfeasance in the financial industry (motto: "Enabling assholes since the very concept of money was invented") because like cancer and reality shows, the world already has plenty-if-not-too-much of them.
In fact, this episode of Why We're Doomed will be a quick one because I want to get right to the stupefyingly tone-deaf punchline as soon as I can.
I mean yes, what follows is a prime example of a stupid and unnecessary mistake, leading to years of torment for an innocent man who ultimately keeled over dead in court while fighting a faceless bureaucracy which was defending a meaningless typo with taxpayer-funded armies of soulless, money-grubbing misanthropes.
But this is 2013, so that's not much worse than par for the course, sadly.
No, the really interesting part of this story is - once again - the spokesperson for the firm in question, who's actually performed an amazing trick never before seen in public. Unlike the money-grubbing misanthropes I described above as "soulless", meaning they posses zero soul, this woman actually manages to posses even less than that amount - a negative value, once thought mathematically impossible!
To summarize the tale in exciting bullet-point format:
One day, the good folks at Wells Fargo decided that Larry was a tax cheat, to the tune of over $13,000, and thus badly needed his mortgage payment doubled. So they cheerfully provided this service to him as a matter of courtesy.
Larry was 60 at the time and suffering from a liver disorder known as Budd-Chiari syndrome. Although he was actually six months ahead on his taxes, he could not pay the new mortgage as it was considerably more than his pension. So he began falling behind on his payments, as a matter of mathematics.
After retaining an attorney and spending a leisurely several months wading through paperwork, they discover the mix-up in addresses that had caused the whole problem. Wells Fargo was quick to admit their error - in writing - and then duly foreclosed on Larry's condo, as a form of apology.
Although the bank did their darn'dest to help him, according to a statement from their VP of PR Tom Goyda, they just couldn't find a way to let him go back to his original payment schedule. They would require a large "reinstatement fee" first, and for his convenience, they refused to tell him the amount of the fee.
Larry, not entirely incapacitated by gratitude over this experience, continued pursuing his new courtroom hobby against Wells Fargo. Sadly, last December, he passed away shortly before the judge was about to rule in the bank's favor.
Now I admit my description of this article being "a quick one" is no longer really apt, but the part of the story that turns this from a tragedy into a real sign that we as a species may not have a bright future is this quotation from the Wells Fargo spokeswoman Vickee J. Adams, who expressed her sympathy thus:
Yes, Vickee, the one truly unfortunate element in this whole sordid tale is that someone wheeled him into court on that final day.
I dare to hope whoever that was is devastated with regret over their pivotal role in this tragedy. Oh, and also that the panniculus in a suit who is responsible for the behavior of the company you work for rots in hell.
In fact, this episode of Why We're Doomed will be a quick one because I want to get right to the stupefyingly tone-deaf punchline as soon as I can.
I mean yes, what follows is a prime example of a stupid and unnecessary mistake, leading to years of torment for an innocent man who ultimately keeled over dead in court while fighting a faceless bureaucracy which was defending a meaningless typo with taxpayer-funded armies of soulless, money-grubbing misanthropes.
But this is 2013, so that's not much worse than par for the course, sadly.
No, the really interesting part of this story is - once again - the spokesperson for the firm in question, who's actually performed an amazing trick never before seen in public. Unlike the money-grubbing misanthropes I described above as "soulless", meaning they posses zero soul, this woman actually manages to posses even less than that amount - a negative value, once thought mathematically impossible!
To summarize the tale in exciting bullet-point format:
- Victim: the late Larry Delassus
- Residence: Hermosa Beach, California
- Occupation: retired, Navy veteran
- Paid his bills: on time
- Lived near a guy who: did not...
One day, the good folks at Wells Fargo decided that Larry was a tax cheat, to the tune of over $13,000, and thus badly needed his mortgage payment doubled. So they cheerfully provided this service to him as a matter of courtesy.
Larry was 60 at the time and suffering from a liver disorder known as Budd-Chiari syndrome. Although he was actually six months ahead on his taxes, he could not pay the new mortgage as it was considerably more than his pension. So he began falling behind on his payments, as a matter of mathematics.
After retaining an attorney and spending a leisurely several months wading through paperwork, they discover the mix-up in addresses that had caused the whole problem. Wells Fargo was quick to admit their error - in writing - and then duly foreclosed on Larry's condo, as a form of apology.
Although the bank did their darn'dest to help him, according to a statement from their VP of PR Tom Goyda, they just couldn't find a way to let him go back to his original payment schedule. They would require a large "reinstatement fee" first, and for his convenience, they refused to tell him the amount of the fee.
Larry, not entirely incapacitated by gratitude over this experience, continued pursuing his new courtroom hobby against Wells Fargo. Sadly, last December, he passed away shortly before the judge was about to rule in the bank's favor.
Now I admit my description of this article being "a quick one" is no longer really apt, but the part of the story that turns this from a tragedy into a real sign that we as a species may not have a bright future is this quotation from the Wells Fargo spokeswoman Vickee J. Adams, who expressed her sympathy thus:
"Given that there was no testimony or evidence to be presented at that hearing, there was no reason for Mr. Delassus to attend, and it is truly unfortunate that he was brought there."
Yes, Vickee, the one truly unfortunate element in this whole sordid tale is that someone wheeled him into court on that final day.
I dare to hope whoever that was is devastated with regret over their pivotal role in this tragedy. Oh, and also that the panniculus in a suit who is responsible for the behavior of the company you work for rots in hell.
By the way, for the latest on this story check out http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2013/03/wells_fargo_larry_delassus_wrongful_death.php
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