Welcome to the Triple-X...uh, Short Sale Department

I've been working on one particular short-sale since June.  I've filed the same documents via fax several times and been through all kinds of really crazy phone antics, but the call I just had wins the prize!

As this sale has progressed, I've spoken to bank employees on the East coast, the West coast and all points in between.  I've been given top secret phone numbers which didn't work.  Phone codes which sometimes did, and been transferred all over the place.  Nevertheless, I've been making progress.  Now the bank has changed the loan number and adopted an online system which seems to be helping with the work-flow.

I've completed all of my assigned tasks in the online system, which mostly consisted of uploading documents I'd faxed in months before.  This morning I called in to check the status of the sale.  I reached a very helpful woman in the bank's short-sale department who stated that there were a couple of tasks she had to finish on her side.  She did these and then stated that there was one final task which she couldn't do.  She told me that there was a special department which was responsible for uploading the borrower's pay-stubs and she then transferred me to that department.

After a brief pause, I was connected to...A PHONE SEX line!!! The recording told me some things I wasn't prepared to hear which almost caused me to choke on my coffee. Then it informed me that I'd be charged $7.95 for the first minute and $3.99 per additional minute.  By then I figured out that I wasn't talking to the short-sale department any longer, so I hung up.  I know the banks are trying to make up for loosing money on bad mortgages, but this is a service I didn't know they offered.

I called the short-sale department again and was disconnected when they tried to transfer me.  Then, on the next call, I was connected to a woman who routed me to the foreclosure department after assuring me that they could help.  The foreclosure department told me I had to call the short-sale department.  I called them and was disconnected again.

At this point, I'm wondering if maybe the phone sex line wasn't a better option after all.  Too bad I wasn't actually given the number.