*RANT* Bank of America is EVIL

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

Okay, so I live on a very limited budget. I deposit my paycheck. I get the receipt back telling me what funds are available. I do some shopping. Apparently, those funds were not available. Bank of America charges me a $150 overcharge for items totaling about $30. I had no idea about this.

I then went over by $8 (having no idea that they took $150 out of my account) and was assessed $90 in overage fees. I got both of the notices about this when I got home today. $240 in fees for $38 worth of stuff.

I've been really dissatisfied with them since they took over Fleet, but this is the last straw. I'm switching banks.

I'm definitely going to call them and raise some hell.

[progmom]

1. If this is the first time this has happened to you...

...they will prolly drop most of the fees.

[Chicago Democrat]

2. They will reverse all fees

just call them... \


Dont do it again.

[Deja Q]

5. I had a similar situation once; with Wells Fargo...

they reversed only half of them.

Dunno why I'm still with them.

They're all the same in the end...

And with all banks increasingly networked, this $30 fee shit is inexuseable.

[DawgHouse]

3. They will reverse the fees

But after they do, you should change banks.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

7. I plan on switching to sovereign

I've had to deal with them because they're the bank my employer uses. I prefer the people there much better anyway. Anyway, I doubt I'd have this same problem with them.

[Not_Giving_Up]

4. Several years ago

I banked with them. I lived in one state, my parents in another. I was short on money to pay some bills (like the lights), so my parents went to a branch in their state, filled out an out of state deposit slip, and deposited cash. The website confirmed that the money was there, and I paid my bills. Bing! Overdraft charges hit me! I called, and it was explained to me that because the money came from out of state, they had to put a hold on it. A hold on CASH? They dropped the fees, and explained it all out to me so I wouldn't do this again. So, a little later, I get a job with a company whose home office was out of state. They put seven day holds on my PAYCHECK because it was an out of state check. The only way to stop it was to get direct deposit.

Needless to say, I don't bank with them anymore either.

[MissB]

6. Credit union. (nt)

[liberalhistorian]

24. Definitely! Credit unions

are MUCH better than banks, in every way.

[gristy]

8. Definitely change banks

B of A : Worst.Bank.Ever. Absolutely terrible.

[liberalhistorian]

27. National City Bank is also

right up there for worst bank. I was robbed at gunpoint last year; the fucker was furious that I only had four bucks cash on me and managed to get my ATM card and my PIN by moving the gun from my ribs to my neck and claiming he was going to get in the car with me and drive with me to the ATM.

The police station was only a few blocks away, so it only took a few minutes for me to get there once I'd calmed down enough to drive (this happened while I was sitting in my car). The first thing I did, before I even gave the policeman my statement, was to call the bank, explain what happened, and have a block put on the card. They told me to call in the morning to see if anything had been withdrawn, so I did. Lo and behold, the fucker had withdrawn $700 in three transactions within three minutes. And he'd done it FIVE HOURS AFTER I called the fucking bank! I was spitting nails, needless to say, and no one could tell me what had happened other than the fact that I had apparently been transferred to the international VISA line and that the block had been put on the VISA and not the debit part of the card. So, now I had to go to the damned bank and fill out a whole bunch of bullshit paperwork just to get my OWN money back that never should have been withdrawn in the first place and was only withdrawn due to a mistake by the bank itself. Well, it turned out that NO block had been put on my card AT ALL, which really frosted my cookies, as you can imagine.

They treated me like I was the criminal instead of the fucker who'd helped himself to my money thanks to the banks incompetence and indifference, and I had to jump through all kinds of hoops. They even asked why I'd given him the actual PIN. Oh, well, gee, I don't know, maybe having a fucking gun shoved in your neck might have had something to do with it! It took five weeks and daily calls from my boss, an attorney, before I finally got my fucking money back, money I badly needed. And THEN they wouldn't re-issue my ATM card because they said there was "fraud" on the account!!!!! THAT had to get straightened out, too; by then I told them to fuck off and not to bother replacing the card, because I'd had it! From what I hear, that's not an unusual experience with that bank.

[loudestchick]

9. I work for them. They aren't the MOST evil. But almost all banks are a

bit evil. Nations Bank was worse.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. Yes, Nations was lots worse

And thank you. I use your bank, (read my post below) and I am very pleased with their service.

[huellewig]

10. My B of A horror story.

I was at work and deposited my paycheck in the ATM across the street like I did every two weeks. I was slightly distracted and put the check stub in the envelope instead of the check. So I redid my deposit with the paycheck. Right after that I went on vacation to SF. That night after arriving in SF I went to check into the hotel and my card was rejected. I called the bank and was told my card was turned off due to depositing a blank envelope. I explained what happened and they told me to go to the branch I started my account at to have the card reactivated. Not very helpful since I was a thousand miles away. They would not do it over the phone. The shitty thing is that I had 4 times the amount of the check in the account so they could see I wasn't pulling a scam. Luckily the lady told me I could still access my account from the branch closest to me. Awesome, I thought. To bad it was one in the morning. So I had a long night at a coffee shop until I could go to a branch in the morning and close my account.

Now I use a credit union.

[bikebloke]

11. I've seen their evil from the inside.

A survival job. They offer employees a hundred dollar bounty fee for thinking of ways to fleece customers. The suggestions are usually service fees that grow all the more ridiculous as legitimate angles are implemented. Though one chap snagged a century for suggesting they turn off the onerous Muzak dirge on their side of the floor.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. That is terrible

My checkbook (and identity) was stolen 6 months ago and Bank of America has been wonderful. They immediately recredited my account with the balance I had when I discovered the theft. My co-worker went through the same thing and it took her bank 10 days to get her money back to her. B of A has also kept in touch with me regarding the criminal investigation. And they gave me great advice for dealing with creditors, etc. It has really been a nightmare but I cannot criticize anything B of A has done. They have definitely earned my loyalty. I am sorry to hear they screwed up your account.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

14. "Walk All Over Ya" sucks major assage.

Thankfully, I was able to join a credit union.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. I am in a credit union too

I have a savings account there. I was thinking of switching all my banking to the credit union but I am so pleased with the way my checkbook theft was handled I am sticking with BofA.

[LeftyMom]

15. Something similar happened to us once

They were not reasonable or even polite in explaining what happened and refused are reverses the charges. BofA blows.

We're very happy with our credit union.

[loudestchick]

17. Ok. I have to defend them a little bit. Does anyone use online banking?

BoA was THE pioneer in online banking. Anyone have access to images of their checks online? BoA, again. BoA was also a major force in small business loans for targeted low-income areas. They offer employees 8 weeks paid maternity AND paternity leaves. They match contributions made by their employees to charities. They have a program which allows employess to volunteer time during their work day at schools and community orginizations while still being paid. They have tuition reimbursement of 2000/yr for undergrad and 4000/yr for graduate work in ANY discipline.

I can understand dissatisfaction in the change from Fleet to BoA...transitions are hard...I've been thru 4 in the last 14yrs.

Call BoA...they'll refund the charges.

[qnr]

18. Just out of curiousity, when did they pioneer it? I had online banking

using a 300 baud accoustically coupled modem and an 8-bit computer back in NYC in at least 1981, and possibly earlier.

[loudestchick]

19. I can't speak to what you were doing in 1981. But in 1990 Wells Fargo

launched the first online banking service, followed quickly by Bank of America.

[qnr]

20. Maybe in your area, but we had it in NYC way earlier. It used dedicated

software though, not like hooking up with a browser.

[loudestchick]

21. There in lies the difference--Bank of America was at the forefront of

making internet banking services available w/o being tied to a particular terminal which required dedicated software. The entire system has matured as the internet has become intertwined w/ our lives. Now, you can even access your accounts from a web enabled cell phone...you couldn't do that in '81.

[qnr]

22. But "Internet Banking" does not equal "Online Banking" n/t

[loudestchick]

23. You are a pain in the ass, aren't you? My husband is the same way

it must be the whole programmer need for precision. LOL.:evilgrin:

[qnr]

25. Probably :) also, the fact that I grew up with Atari computers, and

have to listen to how Atari only made game consoles -- that I'm retired Coast Guard, and 98% of the time, when someone mentions the military, they talk about the "four branches" -- hehehe. I really wasn't trying to be a PITA, was just curious about when they started, knowing that they were a west coast bank, I figured they had the same sort of software that places like Citibank and Chase did on the east coast.

[DS1]

26. My latest bad experience with them

Using examples because I don't remember the exact amounts:

I had three checks out, let's say one for 110, one for 100, and another 50. I also deposited a check for 300 earlier that day. I had a starting balance of 90.

First, they put in the check for 110, which bounced by 20 dollars because they didn't put in the check for 300 first. They charged me 25 dollars for the bounced check, which left me with a balance of 65, then they tried the check for 100, which also bounced so that left me with 40 after the fee. Then they tried the 50, which naturally bounced because their charges hit first, so that left me with 15. Then they put in the check for 300. So my balance is now 315. Then they applied the checks and left me with 55, when if THEY HAD ANY FUCKING SOUL would've been 130!

Bastards.

[sundog]

28. All banks are evil

There is nothing inherently good about any of them.

[qnr]

31. Peoples (*) is somewhat less evil than many though.

*: That would be Peoples Heritage, from Maine

[sundog]

33. bankers are greedy fucks

trace who is on the board of your local bank, and I'm sure the trail will lead to some asshole...

The system requires us to use them. Another subtle way for the wealthy to rob the poor.

[qnr]

34. Not disputing that, just saying there are levels of evilness. n/t

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

29. Wow...this is my most popular thread

I am able to join a credit union through my school. Maybe I'll do that.

[qnr]

30. Sounds like a plan :) n/t

[Radical Activist]

32. The Bank of America Building is the tallest building

in three cities I have lived in. One bank having that much power and influence in so many cities kind of bothers me.