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Ok this is a long story but I will try to shorten it up. Opened a checking and savings with bank of america 2 weeks later savings account was in the red with NSF fees $35.00 each, took three days to clear things up and what had happened is they put my savings account numbers on my checks so the checks were coming through the wrong account. They fixed this with a sorry but not without a fight at first, was really a pain in the ass! Then more fees started comming through and they didnt know what they were for but it was Bank of america taking them out. Sooo they fixed it and opened me another checking and savings. Giving me a box of checks for free because of their mistake. ok so thought everything was good till I got online the other day and seen that I am $500 in the hole with about 10 $35.00 NSF fees charged to my account. BECAUSE they charged me $12.00 for a box of checks that they said was free and it bounced my $100.00 check I had written because they had taken the $12.00 fee out...ok so here is where it started. Unaware of my account being over drawn I was still using my debit card and writing checks putting the money in to cover what I had been using. Well they take the big amounts off first and it was just a domino effect of everything after that with them taking $35.00 each time for NSF fees! I had $3.00 debits bounce and them charge me $35.00 for it!!! Pissed off I tried for 2 hours on the phone and in person to get if fixed but there is nothing they can do! I have to pay! Any advice? Now another question, I still have my work check direct deposited into my OLD checking with them...it has not switched over yet. Can they take my money out of the old checking to cover their fees and mess up? Leaving me with nothing?????? I hate this bank!!!
Seriously go to another bank and open an account. When Lasalle here got switched to Bank Of America, it was FEES after FEE...I closed mine and went to another bank. The people who worked there were nice. What was scary is I closed account and they kept sending me overdraw notices, for fees they took out, it took 3 trips to close the account, fortunately the local people were NICE and UNDERSTANDING!
my son has a very large amount of money there too, I am conservator and it was time to do my yearly accounting for him....such a mess to even do that so the courts advised me and said they have advised others to pull their money and deposit into another bank. Nothing but problems with Bank of America. We have 2 here in town and the people at both of them seem shady. The branch manager IS the one that screwed up my personal account to begin with BOTH times....she is no help I think she is trying to cover her ass. Maybe she has had to many screw ups. I am just hoping I can get my paycheck out of there this week without them taking it all, until this all gets worked out.
Wow, what a mess. It's not all the bank's fault though. The first thing you're supposed to do when you get checks is to verify the account number. The bank let you off the hook on this and did the right thing since they had to have screwed up the account number on your order.
The second time though is more your fault. Sure, they said the checks would be free but come on -- don't draw your account down to nothing and have no margin for error. Deposits aren't necessarily available for withdrawal immediately so you could have been in trouble even without the $12 bank error regarding the checks. I personally would never let my balance go below $100 for fear of some bank error really screwing up my life. It's not the NSF fees that would be bothering me but what might happen regarding bills not getting paid on time due to a bad check.
I currently have a checking account with Bank of America because it was free and had no minimum balance requirement but may end up closing it because the company's business practices stink. They took the gov't bailout money to basically buy Merrill Lynch, they're still in bad financial shape, and the executives are still flying around in their corporate jets for personal use. The company also uses H1B workers where it can rather than Americans which is a pet peeve of mine. And then there are stories like yours where the bank is either incompetent or intentionally out to get people. I think there are better banks.
You also have to be aware that if you deposit money and then use your debit card or write a check, is that many banks will take the debits or checks off first before crediting your account with your deposit.
I was at Charter one and made a few small purchases with debit card and then a larger purchase a few days later. They didn't take the small purchases off first. They took off the big one and then I was charged $38 for each small purchase I had made.
This how many of the banks have their programming set up, to do exactly that. Screw the customer. Watched program on that a few months ago and they said banks are worse than loan sharks.
I also use my debit card as a credit card because the bank charges me a fee every time I punch in my code.
the first time around the checks were not ordered by me they were "starter checks" from the bank manager the day I opened my account. THE person who set up my account compared them to my account right in front of me but because I cannot see their screen I had no idea she was looking at the wrong account when she compared numbers. Second of all, I live paycheck to paycheck and have 3 children...its hard to keep $100 balance in my account all the time.
i would keep trying, even driving to another branch in another city if you have to. i have had difficulties with banks and it seems that if you get the right person, you can get your way. sometimes it takes a few tries to get that right person. just try not to lose your cool as hard as it may be.
i use chase and also have a credit card from them. when i accidentally went over my account they just took enough money from my credit card and charged me like $12.00 (fee). that's reasonable, and i didn't even know i had that, it was automatic. i believe they give you free checking with direct deposit too.
sorry about what happened, you just have to be vigilant until you get your way, don't give up! these people have enough money, they don't need yours, especially with 3 kids. if they shut you down ask for someone else, ask for a manager, tell them that you will not stop calling and coming in until this is fixed. and then do what you say.
I would switch to a credit union, put bills like house payments and utilities on auto-pay and use cash for everything else.
Great idea! Credit unions are much more friendly anyway.
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