This whole incident with Bank of America started 5 weeks ago when I had fraud on my checking account. I discovered fraud and immediately contacted Bank of America who in turn set up an investigation and put a hold on my account (but of course didn't tell me they put a hold on my account).
That same day I opened a new account with the intent to close my old one. I have alot of vendors who automatically debit from checking account every month and there were 2 vendors who were to debit from my account that Friday.
I called those vendors who advised me it was too late to stop them so I called Bank of America and they told me to go into my local bank and tell them which transactions they would be and they would clear them as long as I had funds in the account. They also assured me any deposit I make into the account will not be applied to any of the fraudulent activity. So, I went into the bank in Sunrise, FL and spoke to Eric.
I explained to him what happened and he told me the transactions will be accepted and everything was fine. Well, everything was not fine. The first transaction came through and the bank didn't pay it. They sent it back to the vendor and the vendor charged me a $30 fee. Also, my deposit I made to cover the items was applied to the fraudulent transaction even though I was assured it would not.
I went back to the bank the following Monday and Eric saw me there and asked if he could help me. I told him what he assured me would be ok and the items would be paid did not happen and that my deposit was applied to the fraudulent charges. He then of course denied ever saying that to me. He told me I should speak to the assistant manager Yvonne.
I told Yvonne what happened I explained to her I still have another transaction that hasn't come through yet and I know the same thing is going to happen. She told me it will be paid. Well it wasn't it was returned and I was charged a $25 fee from the vendor for a returned item.
Now I had 2 vendors not paid and charging me fees plus my money in that account that I couldn't get to because of fraud and a hold on my account. When Bank of America finally agreed that the activity was fraudulent and credited my account I then went to another Bank OF America to close out my account and finally get my money that was being held on the old account. I thought this was the end but I was wrong.
2 weeks after I closed my account I discovered the account had never been closed and more fraudulent acitivity had occured. Naturally the account had no money in it so the bank didn't pay the fraudulent activity but charged me $104 in overdraft fees.
At the same time this occurred I had also gotten my paycheck. Now normally I get my check directly deposited into my account but since I had to open a new account I had to redo my direct deposit and it takes 3 to 4 paychecks before it takes affect so I received a live check that day.
I went to the bank on 07/21 to deposit my check. I recieved my bank receipt everything looked normal so I went home and paid some bills online (11 bills to be exact) assuming everything was ok and my deposit was credited.
The next day I checked my account online to see which transactions had posted from the day before and noticed I had a negative balance on my account. I called the Bank of America toll free number and the representative told me there was a hold on my deposit.
I asked him why is there a hold and he told me becuase when you open a new account Bank of America holds deposits for the first 30 days the account is open. I told him first of all the account has been open now for 5 weeks and second of all this was an account I had to open to replace an old account which I have had for 17 years due to fraud. Also, I was never advised of any hold being placed on my deposit.
My deposit slip does not say anything about a hold nor did the teller advise me of such. He told me there was nothing he could do to help me and suggested I call the bank manager at the bank I made the deposit becuase the bank manager at the bank that I made the deposit would be the only one who could remove the hold. I took his advice and decided to call the bank manager assuming the bank manager would realize they made a mistake and would correct this. I was wrong.
I called the bank as soon as the bank opened at 9 am and asked to speak to the bank manager. I spoke to Elaine the bank manager at the bank in Sunrise, FL and asked her why they put a hold on my deposit and she told me the same thing the rep on the phone did about the 30 day hold policy with new accounts.
I advised her this isn't a new account and that I had to open it due to fraud on old account which I had for 17 years (have had an account since I was 18 before Bank of America was even Bank of America) and that in fact the new account was opened for 5 weeks now. She then decided to change the reason to the fact that my account was overdrawn.
I told her the account was overdrawn becuase the bank never closed my account when I requested it 2 weeks ago and allowed more fraudulent activity to come through. She refused to help. I told her this was not right and no one informed me at the bank the day before that my check would be held.
She then said to me that the teller didn't have to tell me anything that it is on my receipt that a hold is placed on the funds and a date that they will be released. I advised her that I was looking at my receipt and no where on my receipt did it say that. I told her I was at work and I couldn't bring it in and she told me that she was already looking at a copy of my receipt and it said there was a hold on my account and had writing on the back. This was impossible because my receipt said none of what she claims her copy said. She then became very irate and hung up on me.
Within in 15 seconds I had called back and gotten Eric on the phone (The same Eric from earlier) and he told me Elaine was with a customer. I told him that is impossible I just spoke with her 15 seconds ago and she hung up on me and I want to speak to here again and I want to know why she hung up on me. After he was done being rude and nasty to me and refused to put her on he put me on hold. I waited on hold for 20 minutes until someone picked up the phone and hung up on me.
I called back again and a women answered the phone. I didn't get her name and I wish I had but I'm sure I can find out who she is. I told her I wanted to speak to Elaine and told her how she hung up on me and how Eric put me on hold for 20 minutes and then hung up on me as well. She then said to me that she had to hang up on me. I said why are you hanging up on me. She replied that I was cursing at her and hung up the phone.
I never cursed at her or anyone at that bank so I was in shock at what she had just said and done to me. I couldn't believe it. Everyone at that bank was being extemely rude and unprofessional.
I called back again and got Yvonne. It seems like they were taking turns answering the phone over there. I asked to speak to Elaine and she told me Elaine wasn't in. I said that's impossible I just spoke to her. She the said Elaine had stepped out. I told her I know for a fact Elaine is there she is avoiding me because she hung up on me and so have 2 other employees at your bank. Yvonne then placed me on hold for another 20 minutes and just like with Eric picked up the phone and hung up on me again.
I called back a 4th time and someone named Lenox answers and again I ask to speak to Elaine. At this point Elaine realizes that I am going to keep calling back until she speaks to me and not have her employees hang up on me so she gets on the phone and without giving me a chance to speak she tells me if I do not stop calling she is going to call the police on me and hung up.
What kind of bank treats their customers this way. I could understand if I was cursing at them and being abusive towards them but I wasn't. I just wanted their error corrected and they were refusing to help me.
What I didn't know at the time is that they were trying to cover up a document that that they had altered. I thought she was lieing to me about what she was looking at but I come to find out later what really happened. I guess when they realized that hanging up on me wasn't going to work they decided to threaten me in hopes I would stop calling and give up so they could cover up what they did.
I figured I wasn't going to get anywhere with them and I wasn't about to go into the bank becuase for all I know they might call the police and say I was threatening them or something. So I decided I would call there corporate offices.
I was originally at work but I was so upset over the way I had been treated I decided I would leave work and go home to call the corporate offices. Rene picked up the phone and I proceeded to tell her what happened. She seemed to care at first and said she would have to call the bank and get their side of it and call me back. She also gave me the number to the regional manager Darla Moll and suggested I call her and complain.
While I was waiting for Rene to call me back I called Darla Moll's office and spoke to Emily. She told me Darla was out but she could help me. I explained everything that had happened and she said she too would have to call the bank and speak with Elaine and would call me back. So I waited.
Rene called me back within 20 minutes. She told me she spoke to Elaine and Elaine told her I was being abusive and that's why everyone hung up on me and that she was sticking by the bank manager and refused to remove the hold. She also said that she believed that I was being abusive to them because how I was talking to her.
I asked her in what way was I being abusive to her and she told me I was being arguementive with her. I said being arguementive isn't abusive and of course I am going to argue with you now because you are siding with your bank manager and accusing me of lieing and refusing to help me when I know you are wrong.
I told her what the bank manager said was not true I explained to her that I made those calls from where I work and all the phone lines where I work are FCC regulated and monitored and in no way would I act like that especially at work. I told her I could get in alot of trouble if I did something like that why would I risk my job and my freedom.
She insisted I was a lier and said I was lieing about my receipt because Elaine had faxed her a copy of my receipt which said my deposit was on hold until 07/27 and was also printed on back of receipt as well. I told her that was impossible that I have a copy and no where does it have what she is telling me on it.
She asked me to fax a copy of my receipt to her I told her I don't have a fax but I will go to Kinko's and pay $. 50 to prove it to her. She actually had the nerve to say to me that she didn't want me to have to pay $. 50. I said I would rather pay $. 50 to fax this to her instead of paying over $300 nsf fees due to your bank error. How ironic was that.
At least at this time she had straightened out the old account by cancelling it and crediting back the fees on that one however she told me she was doing me a favor by crediting the nsf fees on the other account since it wasn't the banks fault. I said how is it not the banks fault? I went into the bank 2 weeks ago to cancel it.
I read her the name of the person who cancelled off of my receipt I received when they cancelled it. I told her she is not doing me a favor it is her responsibility to take care of that and if she doesn't believe me that I cancelled it I will fax her that receipt too. I finally ended that call with her and was at least happy I settled the old account but still needed to resolve the issue of the hold on my pay check.
I was driving to Kinko's with my husband and 7 year old son to fax the recipt to Rene and my husband told me not to go to Kinko's to go to the bank that is by my house in Tamrac, Fl and show them the receipt and have them fax it to her.
I went into the bank I spoke to a very nice woman named Liz and explained to her what had happened. She looked at my receipt and said this receipt does not show any holds being placed on my deposit and removed it right away. I was extremely grateful.
She gave me her card and said if I have any further trouble to call her and she will take care of it for me.
Apparently the rap I got about how only the bank manager at the bank that I made the deposit at is the only one who can remove the hold is not true. I'm glad I know this now. I was very happy now that my money was now posted and my vendors will be paid with no nsf charges but there was still the issue of Rene and all the other employees who treated me badly and as if I was a criminal when in fact they are the criminals.
I called Rene back as soon as I left the bank and told her I decided to go to another bank closer to me for them to fax the receipt to you but when they took a look at it they said there was no need and they removed the hold right away.
I gave her the persons name who took care of it and the bank and number they were located at so she could verify this. It was now at this time Rene started to believe what I was saying was true and began to apologize and say how she understand now why I was so upset and arguing with her.
Just 30 minutes before I was a lier and being accused of being abusive. I told her it looks like the bank manager Elaine is the lier and the criminal and an investigation should be done because she falsified a document by altering it. She told me an investigation would be done but just incase she doesn't follow through I will be reporting the incident to my local congress.
To end this all I believed that an apology was in order from the bank manager and the 3 other employees who had treated me so badly. I still hadn't heard back from Emily from the district manager's office so I decided to call back at around 4pm.
I actually got the district manager on the phone herself Darla Moll who told me Emily had left for the day. Conviently she left and didn't follow through on what she said she would do.
I explained to Darla all that had happened and how I believe I deserve an apology for the way I was treated and the false accusations. She apologized on behalf and I said I want an apology from the bank manager Elaine and the other 3 employees. She said that I would be recieving a call by 5pm from them with apologies and that if I wasn't satisfied after that to call someone named gus.
Well I didn't recieve a call until 5:50pm and by that time I had left because it was my husbands birthday and we were out celebrating. Hopefully on Monday I will get my apologies and I will not stop until I get them.
I cannot believe they would make an error like this and then go to such an extent to cover it up and not correct it. Nothing but criminals. I have an account with a credit union and I think I will be using them instead of Bank of America.
They just assume everyone is an idiot there and think they get away with ripping people off. Anyone who is considering opening an account with them may want to reconsider because you could possibly be their next victim.
Harriet
tamarac, Florida
U.S.A.
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