Consumer complaint: BB&T Bank, check card, failure to inform. 6/28.
To whom it may concern:
With the advent of the "cashless" society and our move to check cards as a replacement, I, like many others, no longer carry cash on a daily basis.
I have been banking with the same bank (First Va. Bank) since 1980, 25 years. First Va. Bank merged with BB&T last year. I have had a check card with this bank for many years also.
Like everyone else, I occasionally make an error in my check register. At the beginning of June I did just that. I thought I had approx. $400.00 more in my account than I did.
According to what I can discern from my records and the bank records, I, while using my check card, overdrew my account on 6/7/05. I was not notified by any means until 6/11/05, by first class bulk sorted mail, 4 days later. My check card was still being honored although there was no money in my account. There was no notification at all.
On 6/11/05 I immediately stopped using my check card and ran to the bank and deposited enough money to cover my error and the overdraft fees that had accrued, approximately $400.00 in overdraft fees according to the notification I received.
This was not the end of it though. As I mentioned earlier, I used my check card for every purchase I would normally have used cash for. I use it, like many, to purchase coffee in the morning, gas at the gas station, lunch, misc. items, etc. I averaged about 5-7 transactions per day.
I continued to receive "overdraft" notices over the next 10 days. Remember, I had not used this account since being first notified on 6/11/05.
The last notice I received was on 6/17/05. I have not opened it as of this point; I will let a judge do that.
After contacting BB&T on 6/15/05, I found out I was being charged a total of $884.00 in fees.
Here is my complaint. When BB&T was First Va. Bank and this would happen, my check card would be declined. I would contact the bank and find out I had only a few overdraft fees. I would occasionally receive a phone call and be notified there was a problem with my account. A few days later I would receive the mailed notices. By the time I received the notices from FVB, I was already fully aware of the issue and had taken steps to resolve it.
BB&T, with all their technology, has seen fit to rely on the U.S. Mail to notify their customers. BB&T will keep accepting transactions on your check card even though there is no money in your account.
BB&T is relying on the delay of the U.S. Mail to profit unfairly.
I have since been able to negotiate a "fair settlement" on my accounts. I was only able to do this, or get them to talk to me, after I threatened to move my business account elsewhere. Note: my business accounts are sizeable by anyone's standards.
My concern is for all the others who do not have this type of clout. How would the average person, i.e., a college student, a family living paycheck to paycheck, young people, etc., be able to handle this type of financial devastation?
Who looks out for them?
In my own family my daughter has suffered this type of devastation. She has not been able to pay her college tuition and was asked to leave school. My daughter is, as most young adults of character, trying to be self reliant, and I was not made aware of her problems until I started to experience the same type of issues.
How many children will go to bed hungry tonight because BB&T wants to profit off the delay in the U.S. Mail?
Please help! My accounts are straight. I am sure many others are not. If you can help, please feel free to contact me.
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