Compass Bank provides a Customer Service Department and phone number, but the individuals that staff those departments do not have the power to trouble-shoot and resolve banking problems. When asked to speak with a Vice-President of Client Services their response is that they don't have one —and if they did the client is not permitted to speak with them. The central Customer Service office for Austin, TX is in Houston, but the facility does not allow incoming phone calls —only outgoing, so they are inaccessable.
When a problem is presented for resolution, service reps reserve a 24hr response time... And each time I contacted them, the response did not return to me until 23hr: 45min from the request. Expediacy was deliberately ignored, and they knew time was money in my situation.
Most people experience NSF charges at one point or another in their lifetime. If you've avoided it, congratulations... But wait until you experience 2 kids in college, 2 parents living with you, and a government that grants tax-payer subsidies to the rich and powerful. After 21 years of handling my families bank accounts, I've had one human error and one misunderstanding occur, to my credit. These resulted in NSF charges from Compass Bank, for which they judged me mercilessly. So be it. To their shame, they culminated in over $1000 dollars in NSF charges for 6 checks that totaled $600 dollars. The first occurance, I accepted responsibility for my error. I called Compass Bank, in good faith, to ask for assistance. I talked to some nice people who merely shrugged and told me they didn't have the power to provide me with any kind of assistance. I regreted that my ernest attempt to forestall a problem was denied. The structure of the Client Service program in not set up to provide service for the client. The money was taken from my account.
The second occurance involved a stock transaction that went through E-Trade but did not get deposited into my account. I was only notified of the transaction failure one week later —during which I had written $600 in 6 checks. Neither the branch manager, the customer-service telephone rep., her manager, nor the central office in Houston had any power to resolve the problem beyond quoting policy. I deposited hundreds of dollars, which would have more than covered the overdrawn checks, but the NSF fees were increasing faster than I could deposit cash. The credit card check I deposited was rendered a '5 day hold' which Customer Service said they were mandated by Federal Regulations to do. Meanwhile, these 6 checks were being resubmitted and resubmitted for payment, and so acrueing $36 dollar fees for each attempt. The final tally was $900 in NSF fees which the bank would not stop, even though I had reviewed the problem with them, deposited cash and check deposits and had a history of salary automatic deposits every other Friday in the amount exceeding $3000 dollars. Compass Bank Client Service representatives could and would not work together with me to establish a solution. They saw the promised cash and allowed my account to be depleted with charges just the same.
So... I am planning to file suit in Small Claims to plead with Justice for reimbursement of fees charged without services rendered; the deliberate attempt to evade the client in order to provide "non-resolution" to a situation that was clearly benefiting them financially. AND to make the point that Compass Bank conducting business in an unethical and dishonest manner for usurious gain.
0 comments