Same as all of the others...
We went to the store an hour after depositing a check on October 8th. Our account showed an available balance, the next day, but stated that the account had been over-drafted. No charges were assessed on the ninth. On the tenth, two overdraft charges, for $33.00 each, had made their way to our on-line statement.
I called 5/3 customer service line and negotiated passed its circular logic by hitting zero in order to talk to an actual agent. He informed me that he could remove a charge, then, but that if I wanted all of it removed my best bet was to speak with someone at our local branch. He then connected me with someone who informed me that I would need to come in to the branch.
I went into the branch and had to wait while the branch manager dealt with two customers ahead of me. When I was called into the office, I stated that I wanted both charges removed. She explained to me, that their policy was to only float 100 dollars for checks deposited in the account.
I asked how come we were allowed to make a debit purchase with the card if the account didn't have enough money in it. Her explanation was simply, "Look, accounts fall out of balance, all the time." Really?
Our negotiations continued with me making logical, rational, if not occasionally impassioned, appeals that the charges ought to be removed, and her replying with logical fallacy (e.G. That's just the way it's always been - appeal to tradition).
She proceeded to inform me about several options for overdraft protection that the bank offered (none of which is feasible of has any real benefit, for us). She let out a string of "I'm sorry's" and I managed to brow-beat her down to offering to take one of the charges off. I then asked to speak to her manager. As soon as I did this, she sank in her chair with a cross between bewilderment and terror on her face. She agreed to provide me with contact information but then told me that I wasn't going to get any better results.
(I always love it when this happens because it really means, 'Look, I am at a complete loss as to how this conversation went so completely awry. What you're proposing isn't supposed to even be happening right now. Perhaps you'll be dissuaded to pursue this if I assert you'll get nowhere because if you don't I'm in deep, deep sh*.')
Then she told me that he was on medical leave but offered to give me his cell-phone number. Deciding that asking someone on medical leave was completely inappropriate - I'm not going to browbeat someone who's just had heart surgery over any amount of money - I asked to speak to her manager's manager. Again, more protests simply stating that I wouldn't get anywhere and while I have no reason not to believe her, the fact that her poker-face evaporated let me know that I was on the right path.
Understand that I fully intend to contact her supervisor, but as soon as I got back home I started researching 5/3 bank and found this website, along with many others and discovered that I wasn't the only person hacked off by 5/3. I'm going to call him after I have made sure I have done all I can do to make sure that remaining $33.00 overdraft fee is more than eclipsed by as much bad publicity as I can possibly generate. I'm posting a more detailed description of what happened on my blog.
Just Google, Fifth Third Bank Evil and mine should be the second entry on the first page. ;p
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