I am a first year school teacher and my life has been very hectic and this year as I have not paid as much attention as I've liked to in the past regarding my finances. But, recently I had the luxury to spend some time looking over my Bank of America checking account and I was simply repulsed! The bank has charged me nearly $1000 in NSF fees and Returned Item Fees, this year alone. Granted, I am solely responsible for some poor choices I've made this year, but that is not what I am disputing. It is the fact that their customer service agents are unwilling to help reverse some of these charges. I believe I definitely should pay a price for my mistakes, but the question is: How much is fair? And, how much is too much? I make a very modest living, and a $1000 for me is my rent, utilities, food and gas for an entire month.
I recently made an attempt to try to speak to a Bank Manager at the El Monte, CA location and the manager wouldn't even let me withdraw funds from my account, (I did not have too forms of Identification. I had misplaced my Bank of America) let alone speak my outcry. It really felt humiliating and degrading to be treated like this.
I recently read a report that the national average for NSF fees and and reurned item fees is somewhere in the neighborhood of $26.90. Bank of America is nearly $10 higher, and in addition, I also read an investigative report stating that banks use a sneaky strategy of charging the larger amounts of a transaction first that come in on any single day, to help their own individual benefit of causing a persons bank account to go into the negative. Thus, causing all items to be charged the $35 fee instead of one or two.
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