Company Name = BANK OF AMERICA
Company Contact = CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE DEPARTMENT
Company Address = PO BOX 15726
City = WILMINGTON
State/Prov = DE
Zip2 = 19886-5726
Country = United States
Company phone = 800-339-6262
Incident = In May i recieved a letter that my credit card payment would increase to $132.00 in June 07. I called the bank asked why. I was told that a couple of payments had been made after the due date. I replied that I had made my payments a few times on the day it was due but called in a direct transfer to a customer service person that said my payment would not be late. None the less I could not afford a increase as i was in financial hardship. I am a single father of 2 and was not working and I only received a V.A. Check for $115.00 a month. That was the amount I put toward my credit payment. I had no other income. I asked If something could be done to lower my payment or the intrest so I could continue paying $115.00 a month. Before the next payment with increase was due. I was told no? I asked why and was told there was nothing they could do. I then decided to go online and submit the request to customer service to lower my payment by $17.00 or my interest. I could not afford the higher payment. On june 6,07 I made a payment of $115.00. On 16 June i got a letter from the bank stating a payment oversite. I called again to explain my situation and that i had tried to make some arrangements 30 days prior to the payment increase in good faith. Again I was told nothing could be done and now I was being charged late fees. I called and e mailed the bank again with no results.in July I called and asked for the late fees to be removed and my payment lowered. Again the answer was no. I said I would not make the payment until someone worked with me because now my payments would be paying fees for the remaining $17.00 and late fees even though I had tried to work with the bank.in late July a lady called me from the bank about late fees and missed payment totaling $230.00 I explained how I had tried since May to work something out with my payments and my situation this person greed to try and help me. She said a program was available but i needed $100.00 available to start.
I was told to call card services when i had the money. I asked the lady why this information was not given to me over the last 2 months? She had no answer herself. On 7 August I called Card Services in reference to the program as I had the $100.00. At that time iI was told I would be on a Hardship Payment Program and my payments would be $90.00 a month and my intrest was 2%. This program required payments be automatically withdrawn from my account monthly. I was told my late fees etc. Were some $500. I disagreed with the details that led up to the day. The lady on the line said she would try and work with me and I agreed. What was worked out my payments would be $90 a month for my credit card and an additional $10 towards late fees of $230.00 and my payment would be taken from my checking monthly on the 4th starting September 4th
2007. I would be on the program and I needed to pay $100 dollars towards the program that day. I agreed and the $100 was withdrawn from my checking 7 august. I was told that I shopuld receive a letter of acceptence to the program soon. On September 4th according to my statment my payment was taken from my account. On September 12 I received a letter from Card Services that I was 3 payments past due and my credit history may be adversly affected. I needed to contact the bank also a variety of programs were available to help me? I must call by the end of the month to accept an offer? I have these letters. I called the # given to Customer Assistance Dept. I told them that i was already on a program and I had made 2 payments since 7 August 07. I was placed on hold and when the operator returned I was told that there had been some mix up and the paper work on me had not been turned in for the program? I said that was not my concern that I was told I was on the program and I have had 2 payments taken from my account to prove it. Again on hold when the lady returned she said she was going to get it worked out but asked if i could make a payment of $48.00 to bring my acct to good standing by the end of September? I informed her that I had no means of coming up with the money and explained my situation. I was asked to try. I said I did not understand why I needed to pay more when I have already paid my payments? Again this lady said just try if possible and ended the call. On 17 September I received the acceptence letter to the Special Repayment Program explaining my monthly payment of $90.00 and my 2% interest rate for new and existing balences, my late fees would be $0.00 In addition to the temporary change described above, overlimit fees are waived until further notice. The program lasts 60 months. Having received this letter I was releived that my payments were all setup and my account would be in decent shape. I called the next month and my payment had been deducted per the automated computer. November i received a letter about my payment being late I called and a operator said my payment was taken out. I didnt check again.in febuary 2008 I got a letter of no payments? I called to see what the problem was. At that time the bank said my account was overdrawn? I said no I should have a positive balance of at least $100.00 I had not used my checking since Semptember 07 and the purchase was $8.00 the only activity was my V.A. Deposit each month and my $100.00 payment for the last 5 months. I went to the bank and got print outs of my account. The problem was on 10-01-07 $48.00 withdrawn from my account? I told the bank I did not use any such amount. I was told there was an authorized withdrawl for $48.00 I wanted to know how this money was taken? I had not used my ATM card and that is how I used this account I did not posess any checks or had I withdrawn the cash. I was told it was a department transfer to Credit Services. That is when I remembered this lady asking if I could pay $48.00 I informed the bank I had not given any permission for a withdrawl. That money being taken from my account caused it to be overdrawn. When I called the bank in November 07 and the operator said my payment had been deducted but nothing about an overdraw led me to think my account was okay. I made several calls to Bank of America both to card services and checking customer service about this. Checking was told by Card Services that I authorized the with drawl so nothing would be done. I started receiving 2 calls a day for payments to my credit card and for the overdraft and penality charges on my checking account. I lost out on 6 months of payments and the balance of my V.A. Check that was supposed to in my checking account. On Febuary 27 08 I spoke to representative named Joey that listened to my version of this ongoing problem. He asked me to send copies of my statements and my acceptance letter to the program
. When he received them he would investigate. I did and Joey called me a couple days later. He tracked down and confirmed what I had been saying to be true. The mistake was not my fault and he was going to try and get all this straight and refund all monies back to my account I had been charged on the credit card end. He explained I would have to go to my local branch for charges received on my checking account. All i needed to do was show them the reversed charges on my credit card and the money that joey was going to credit back to my checking account for the unauthorized withdrawl of $48.00 and the initial overdrafts and fees. That would prove no error on my part. Then checking should credit back all the charges to my checking account for the previous 6 months, Joey estimated $352.00 I would receive from Card Services to my checking. I asked him what about the now six payments that had not been made to my credit card. Joey said though it was not my fault according to the computer records I was still behind but it would take a billing cycle or 2 to get straightened out. When i received all the credits due back I could pay the back payments but until then he would clear any late or penalty charges that accrued. I explained until my checking account was credited i had no other money to make payments. I asked if he could do something about the call I'd be getting that same afternoon. Joey told me I will keep being called it was computer generated. Within a week I would have the credit back from him for $352.00 Later the same day a lady named Antonette called and said she was a Supervisor of Joey and had read his remarks on the account and what had happened to date. Antonette had gone over the charges and confirmed the amount that I should be receiving was $352.00 and i should now refer to her about this. Her # was 714-233-8899 ext 31887 if I had any problems from then on she would help me and apoligized for my troubles to date. Two days later on 2-29-08 a Francisco called me and said there were some adjustments to the amount I would receive. The new figure was $278.00 it included the $48.00 taken from my account, but he had removed a new charge of $117.00 from my credit card that had been placed for fees. I should have the money that day or the next. March 1st my V. A check is in my account but the account is still overdrawn. What would be my 6th payment to the program is not made. 3-5-08 my checking account is credited with my $48.00 taken Sept 07 and $125.00 more? On that day if all this had not happened my checking balance should have been $108.87 and 6 payments made to the program. On 3-6-08 I was called about my payment? I replied to date i was minus $600.00 in payments through no fault of my own, i was told by 2 BofA employees i'd receive $352.00 credit to my account and my branch should then refund the past charges from them! Reguardless I should have 6 payments to my credit and a 108.87 in my account.instead I had $
223.75 bal. That included my $48.00 and was overdue 6 payments. All my branch did was remove Over Draft fees for the previous 90 days. That is how I had the $223.00 balance. My branch told me any other money i was out would have to come from Credit Services. I was still asked for payment I made a $90.00 payment on 3-6-08. On 3-7-08 A Cathleen Simmons called me and even though I lost out on the prior 6 months of my V.A. Check that wasnt my fault I needed to pay another $50.00 to be kept on the payment program. On 3-26-08 I was told i had to make another $90.00 payment. I made that payment. On 4-6-08 I made another $90.00 payment and Bank of America informed me I was still overdue $486.00 I cancelled my direct deposit from the V.A. The bank started charging me a service fee on my checking account that I hadnt written a check with since 2004. I cancelled my Checking account in April 08. I pay my account every month by the 7th. To date I have not been excused for the late payments to the program and considered 3 or 4 payments behind, the 6 V.A. Disability checks
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