In april i went to a branch of national city bank to open a checking and savings account. When i was signing up for the account, they advised me that i was on check systems (turned out i had an old overdrafted checking account from when i was in college) and would have to pay the amount owed on checksystems before i could open an account with them. Fair enough. I sent a money order to that bank and they sent me a receipt and notified check-systems that i was payed off.
I went back to national city bank and they were able to open a checking and savings account for me. At the time, i deposited a travel-expense-reimbursement check from my company in the amount of $703. They charged me $21 for checks, (and strangely enough they didnt ever give me the advertised $50 for starting a new acct.), and almost immediately sent me a visa check-card (debit card linked to my chcking acct.) a week later, i deposited my entire paycheck of $2360... $1000 into savings, $1360 into checking. The next day, i leave for my much overdue vacation in pawley's island, SC. While i was down in SC... 800 MILES from home, national city took it upon themselves to CANCEL my VISA CARD!!! I called immediately and asked what happened. They informed me that "loss prevention" said that i shouldnt have access to a debit card because i had once been on CHECK SYSTEMS!!! (the logic behind that one escapes me).
I explained to the rather rude customer service agent that i was $800 miles from home and they had just cut off my only source of access to my money.in other words... That card was how i was planning on getting HOME!!!
The lady COULD NOT HAVE CARED LESS!!! Her idea of helping me was to recommend that i "ask somebody in my family to wire some money" unbelievable.
LUCKILY, i did have somebody in my family who was willing to help me out. If i hadnt, i would have been SEVERELY SCREWED. (how would i have made it the 800 miles back home? Would i make it back to work on time? Would i lose my job? They didnt case one bit.)
I finally got back home, and, walking in the door, i checked the mail. A couple letters from old nat. City. Hmmm.
They were "insufficient funds" notices for checks i had written for utilities. Several of them. I immediately called the 800 #, but it was "after normal business hours".
I called back the next day.
I also got more "insufficient funds" notices that day.
I was told that for new customers, they had a policy of "holding" any checks you deposit, for SEVEN BUSINESS DAYS before they credited your account!!!
No one ever bothered to tell me this!!!
If i had known about that little policy, i could have simply went to the bank my company uses, LIKE I ALWAYS HAD BEFORE, and just cashed it there and deposited the CASH. My company uses "united" bank, which is LITERALLY RIGHT NEXT DOOR to national city. If i had know about their stupid little 7-business-day-hold... I CERTAINLY would have just cashed the check next door and deposited the cash.
I watched helplessly as i received more and more bounced checks coming in my mail. These were checks that had more... Way more... Than enough money in the account to cover them.
Not once did i ever write a check for money that wasnt already deposited in the account.
But national city bank bounced every single check i ever wrote.
My rent check bounced.
My car payment check bounced.
My electricity was turned off.
My gas was turned off and i had to take cold showers in the dark.
I had no money to eat on, and literally lived on the free donuts they had at work.
After my 4th or 5th letter from them with more bounced checks, i started to noticed something strange... Some checks were bouncing more than once!!!
I had had ENOUGH, and went down to the branch to close my account.
The "office manager" got INCREDIBLY, UNBELIEVABLY RUDE to me. I explained the situation calmly to her and told her why i wanted to close the account.
She ACTUALLY ACCUSED ME of LYING when i told her that i was NEVER informed of the 7-business-day-hold on all deposits.
She said: "i know robert (whatever the guys name that opened the account for me), and i KNOW he would have told you about that policy"
the simple fact was... He HADNT.
Otherwise, i would have cashed it first next door and deposited cash. Duh.
"no", i said, "noone ever told me"
"oh yes, he told you"
"were you there?"
"no, but i know robert. I know he would have told you"
"he didn't"
"look... I'm SURE he did"
she is calling me a liar to my face.
Her attitude is bizzarely bitter, patronising, and contemptuous.
I don't know why i'm being treated like this.
Finally, i tell her that i just want to close my account, get whatever money back thats left after theyre done picking through it with their phony fees.
Thats when the really funny stuff starts.
The lady tells me that my account has been CLOSED ALREADY by "loss prevention" and that I CANT HAVE ANY OF MY MONEY BACK THAT DAY!!! THEY WILL MAIL IT ME!!!
"when?" i ask. Reasonable question, i thought.
"i really don't know for sure"
"why?" i ask.
"because 'loss prevention' says that you cant have an account here if you were on check systems within the last 5 years"
"but you guys knew i was on check systems before i opened my account... It was you guys who told me i was on there in the first place. Then i payed it off, and you aopened my account.
"yeah."
"so... You open an account for me, knowing i was on check systems within the last 5 years, and then you close my account, after you bounce all my check and charge me hundreds of dollars in fees, because i was on check systems within the last 5 years?"
"well, we're very sorry if youre not satisfied with your service" she said with (i swear) the most EVIL grin i've ever seen... As if ive done something to offend her personally, as if she hates me intensely for some unknown reason. Its just surreal.
So now the situation is this:
Its been 3 weeks and i still havent gotten a "refund check" for whatever's left of my money.
I only ever wrote 8 checks.
They bounced ALL of them
NONE of the people i wrote checks to have gotten their money"
I have not seen a DIME of the $3000.00 since i deposited it.
"loss prevention" WILL NOT TELL ME WHEN I'LL GET ANY OF MY MONEY BACK... But last i spoke with them, they tell me that theyre only going to refund me $830.!!!
The rest went to "various fees and fines"
Now i have discovered what is happening... Their computers are apparently CONTINUING TO ATTEMPT TO RE-PROCESS MY CHECKS... Even while the account is "deactivated" by "loss-prevention"... So they can never clear... But each times they try to re-process them, EACH ATTEMPT IS COSTING ME $36!!! THATS $36 DOLLARS EACH TIME FOR EACH OF THE 8 CHECKS I WROTE!!!
This is effectively constantly DRAINING my bank accounts, my "frozen" accounts that i cannot touch or recover ANY money from.
AT THIS RATE, ALL OF THE $3000 that i deposited will be GONE in another week or two...
Help!??!?!?!
What can i do?
I dont have alot of money (any money right now) to pay a lawyer.
Help? Please??? Any suggestions would be very appreciated.
I truly can NOT BE-LIEVE this is happening in this country!!! I am literally be ROBBED, by some huge, faceless corporation... Robbed... Just plain stolen from... They are stealing my money right out in the open and apparently nothing can be done about this?!?!?!?!
how is this possible!?!?!?!?!?!?!
thanks.
-c
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