Bank Of America
Dishonest practices illegal charges overdraft fees ripoff

This is my first time ever complaining about an organization. I usually can handle most situations so everyone comes out fairly. However, in dealing with the Bank of America I have never been so flabergasted by the lack of customer service, the way of doing business and the attitude of the management.

Here is my situation. I moved to Florida about a year ago. I drive quite alot for business and decided to open an account at the local branch of Bank of America. I was pleased with their internet services and many locations. With my job (I am a sales rep for a very large local builder) I do not like to carry cash and am given checks that I like to put into the bank pretty quickly. I am paid every two weeks and sometimes my payroll checks are large amounts. My payroll checks are drawn off a local bank and my builder is listed as one of the top five builders reputation wise with Bank Of America.

The first situation when I opened the account was the second month they put a hold on my paycheck. Without notifying me of a ten day hold they bounced 5 ATM charges. It was not until I went online and saw the charges that I realized they had put a hold on the check. I called the bank and after much arguing they credited the NSF fees back and cleared the check on the 7th day.

About three months later they put another hold on a check for 7 days. I caught this right away and went into the branch and the manger told me that Bank of America did this because my paycheck was not the normal "amount" that they usually see on a payroll check. Okay so I make more money than average. Does that mean I should be penalized? Then he told me that because of the fradulant checks that Bank of America receives they sometimes put holds on larger checks until they clear. Okay, if it was a three day hold that would be acceptable but 10 days?

Then he said it was because the account was less than a year old. Come one. Okay, it's a check I deposit every two weeks, from a local bank, a local company. And this kicker is he began to tell me then that I should carry a higher balance in my checking account and then the check would not be flagged and put on hold. At the same time telling me that my account was in good standing and never had a NSF charge. He then cleared 1/2 the amount manually and said the rest would clear in 4 days. He assured me that this would not happen again because I had established a pattern with the deposits. Okay I am thinking great, situation resolved.

Now at this time I have opened two more accounts with Bank of America. Basic accounts for my son in Iraq to carry a debit card and the same for my teenage daughter. I then can transfer money over the internet to them both when needed. So I have a total of 3 accounts with them.

This week (11 months after my account was opened) I deposit my payroll check. Now granted this is again a large check over $10,000. I deposit the check through an ATM because I am not by my branch. The ATM tells me that $458 dollars of the check was credited to my account. I am thinking that okay there is probably a three to five day hold, no problem. We are getting ready to leave on vacation so I go out and start taking care of plans to leave.

Not only do I spend the money that they credited me but a couple hundred of my own. Pay bills, etc. For two days the check shows on the internet a credited/pending. On the third morning I get up and the ENTIRE amount of the check has been withdrwan from my account and I have been charged NSF fees and my account is overdrawn. And money has been withdrawn from my savings to cover the bogus NSF charges.

My first thought was the check bounced from my company and I head to the bank. The bank manager (who by the way recognizes me and calls me by name from other transactions) begins to tell me that someone in security flagged my check. And put a 10 day hold on it. Why? Because of the amount. Second because my account is 30 days from being a year. Third because I had five overdrafts at the beginning of the year.

I go through that the overdrafts were credited back and shouldn't be showing on the account. He says well they are. Then starts to go through my account item by item and very rudely starts telling me about my charges. And even makes the comment about me shopping at two different grocery stores in two days.

It is a payroll check. Again that doesn't matter he tells me. Bank of America can choose to hold any checks for any amount of time. And then says again to me "I all due respect you make more money than most payrolls we see." What is up with that? It's the second time I have heard that statement in a year. So at this point he tells me I will be recieving a letter about the hold and any NSF charges I want to dispute I can bring in the letter and he will go line by line with me and adjust any charges he feels were not fair.

Then he has the nerve to say to me. Well in another 30 days you will have established a pattern with us and I can assure you that this will never happen again. I assured him that this will never happen again with Bank of America because I am going to start a new account with another bank. His response. Well you'll have to pay all the NSF fees if you close the account they won't be credited. So they are going to charge me $300 dollars to close my accounts

And understand it's not the hold that really bothers me. I could understand if it was consistent. I could work around that. It's the lack of consistency on the holds that bother me. I feel as if there is someone making a decision to use my money for ten days to the advantage of Bank of America and they expect me to pay fees for what they feel are fair practices.

Now because of this mess we have had to postpone our vacation for two weeks. Notify all our bills not to submit for payment (because I do this over the internet with e-bill through Bank of America it can't be canceled once it's being processed), my husbands car is sitting in a shop becuse we can't pay the bill, my daughters birthday party was postponed.

I know that this may make some people feel so what; what are you companing about you make good money. But whether you make $100,000 a year or $10,000 a year when a bank starts messing with your money and holding up checks we all have the same issues. Basics of groceries, bills, and just living a normal life are affected.

Diane
Oldsmar, Florida
U.S.A.

Company: Bank Of America
Country: USA
State: Florida
City: Oldsmar
Address: 3400 East Lake Road

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