So ... I took the advice of Ari Herzog and contacted BOA via Twitter.
This guy ... this David Knapp ... gave me the same old line of "you have to keep closer track of your bank account."
What, he thinks that I don't know how much money I have?
Later in the conversation, I tell him I have a receipt in front of me showing that I had $XX in my account and not only that, I had spoken to a BOA customer rep who confirmed that balance ... oh, he says, well we don't know what checks you've written ... (I tell him that I know what I'd spent, and I rattle it off to him) ... don't trust your ATM receipt or your customer service rep.
So ... my keeping track is flawed and their keeping track is flawed ... he suggested that I go to my local banking center (that's what they call branches, I gather) to get "educated" about the posting process.
OH NO, Mr. Bill! I'm just a dumb woman.
Why bother to give balances on ATM receipts at all, I have to ask myself?
They just confuse the feeble minded - you know, me. (Just for the record, I write about 3 checks/year. I'm a debit card person. My checks still have my Boston address on them and still say "Fleet.")
In all fairness, Mr. Knapp does vow to send my case to "the team," who will get right on it, on Monday. No promises.
And that is all he is prepared to say to me. He does not even say, "Goodbye, have a nice day!"
He is impatient with me and he insults my intelligence. I've only had a bank account for - let's see - at least 35 years ... what do I know?
I am now so angry that I am prepared on Monday to write to Rep. John Tierney (US Congress), senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry; State Rep. Michael Costello and State Sen. Stephen Baddour.
I'm spelling out all their names so that when their staff searches for their names on Monday, this post will pop up (although I know the staff of at least some of them already read this blog).
Who's the head of the (congressional) banking committee now? I'll write to him/her also.
Mr. Knapp was kind of enough to say, after I said I now realized it was legal for the bank to put me in overdraft through creative posting, "Well, I wouldn't say it's legal ..."
Awww, it's so I won't be embarrassed by them denying charges to my debit card when I had the money in there all along, or gave specific instructions (at least 3 times) not to pay anything when they think I don't have the funds to cover it.
Screw legality - Bank of America really, really cares about me.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
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3 comments:
While I haven't had any specific problems (I'm obsessive about keeping track of things), the only thing that keeps me at BofA is the fact that they have ATMs everywhere (including England, where they have a deal with Barclay's). I'd really rather be patronizing one of the local banks, but I hate to give up that advantage.
Gillian,
Do you have Overdraft Protection with BOA (Bank of As#h*les)? Are you being chaged a fee for using your ODP? Or is this the interest charged on the ODP process or a flat fee for using the ODP?
Move your accounts to a Credit Union (locally we use St. Jeans Credit Union at the Plaza) a feeless institution that acts just like a bank. Membership is a flat $25.00 in your savings account. All the conveinces of Big Banking.
Dan S
Dick, It is very convenient, but I don't travel so much anymore.
And Dan, I think they only charge interest on the ODP. I hated it because it encouraged me to go over ... That's a fault of mine, though ... and it was still the same problem with posting deposits after charges on the debit card.
I'm seriously considering going bank-less, but I will check out the credit union. I used one in Mich. before I moved out here and was really happy with it.
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