I had a an account with Wachovia Bank but had not had any activity in it for a few months; due to of course low balance fees I had an overdraft. I deposited 3 payroll checks into the account on a Friday afternoon on my way out of town-using the drop box because I was in a hurry. Over the weekend while I was away the bank called my house and said that they had closed the account and I could not deposit the checks and that I would have to come in an open a new account.
I am only in the area of this particular bank once a week I said I would be in the following week to pick up the checks. However a family emergency came up and I didn't get to the bank for a few weeks. Thinking they would put the checks in the mail to me if I didn't pick them up I never went back.
After a few more weeks went by and I never heard from the bank in any form after the first week, I went to the bank where I was told they shredded my checks! I was furious, I went home and called the 800 number on the website-apparently somewhere in India! I was told that bank policy was to mail the checks back and if they were shredded they were to have copies of them and I could ask the manager for that copy.
Next day I go back to the bank, driving 40 minutes out of my way, where I was greeted rudely by a young punk who told me after I didn't return any phone calls he destroyed the checks. When I asked him why he didn't mail them his response was that he wasn't sure I lived at that address anymore since I didn't return any calls. When I asked him for proof that the checks were shredded he asked if I was calling him a thief.
When I asked him for the copies of the checks he said he didn't have any and why would he make copies of confidential material if he was destroying it. When I told him I was told my the customer service at the 800 number that was bank policy he said he knew of no such policy and that I shouldn't have left the checks at the bank for such a long period of time (4 weeks) and when I replied it was due to a family emergency and I was out of town a lot he just shrugged his shoulders, waved his hand and walked away.
When I asked him why I wasn't sent a letter telling me they had destroyed the checks and just shrugged his shoulders!
I asked to speak to the manager who was convientantly out to lunch and that I could call him when he returned. I took his card and called the manager within 30 minutes of leaving the bank.
Again I was treated by a rude young man who told me that it was my fault the checks were destroyed and that they had no policy of making copies and when I told him I was told it was bank policy he told me that I was given wrong information and that he could do what ever he wanted at that bank.
When I got off the phone I called the 800 number again, and again I was told that they should mailed the checks to me and they should have made copies!!! No wonder they were bought out by Wells Fargo-Wachovia can't even afford a 42 cent stamp!!! Isn't shredding documents without prior notification or copies illegal?
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