My bank was bought out by BB&T so I was automatically set up with a BB&T account. Because I am only earning a small disability check my previous bank had me set up with FREE checking and FREE checks. After I was sent a BB&T debit card in the mail, I called to find out the closest branch office and ask a few questions.
When I asked if I still had Free checking and checks I was told "Oh no, you have a monthly fee of about $30 a month and 35 cent fee per check." When I asked if I could get Free checking I was put on hold for over 30 minutes, I'm sure they expected me to hang up and forget about it but I held on and finally a man came on and said he would switch me to Free checking and then just hung up on me.
Living on less than $600 a month is hell and every single dime is very important to me. I don't bounce checks because I simply can't afford the NSF fees, well I didn't bounce any checks until I started banking with BB&T.in Feb my account opened and I bought several things online for my new home in this new town. When using a debit card, the compnies will automatically notify your bank for conformation that your purchase is good. You are not actually charged until your purchased item is shipped.
BB&T puts thes transactions in a "PENDING TRANSACTIONS FILE" and you can view them online. If you cancel your purchases then the charge is never moved to the "Posted" column, it simply just drops off after a few days. Since your purchase was cancelled you are not charged for the items... NOT SO WITH BB&T!!!
If your account can be made overdrawn and accumilate NSF fees, BB&T will go ahead and in advance charge you for your Pending charges, create the NSF fees and then at the end of the accounting deduct your pending charge back out.in other words try to cover their *ss.
Example: I had a balance of $74.88
I had 2 items in my PENDING FILE
$49.25
$9.27
I had 2 items to post to my account that day
$29.98
$12.58
I should have had just the 2 posted items deducted from my account but no they had to go ahead and post in advance my pending charges and when all was said and done I was $131.00 overdrawn. The $49.25 was never going to post because it was a cancelled purchase but BB&T decided to go ahead and deduct for it. Then they had the balls to now deduct the $49.25 off the end of this mess so it wouldn't show up as been processed.
The ironic thing is just last month, the very same thing happened that caused me to be $250 overdrawn when I shouldn't have been overdrawn at all. I corresponded back and forth with one of the bank asst. Managers and I told her that they were legally stealing my money and getting away with it. Any other business in town that did this would have the Sheriff show up and take them to jail.
Well, I received an email blasting me for accusing BB&T for doing such a thing and swearing in all caps, which we all know is yelling, that BB&T does not deduct pending charges until they are posted by the business. Since I had a evidence today in writing by a BB&T Customer Service Rep that they did infact do that to my account I contacted this manager back again and sent it to her asking for a refund of all my NSF charges they have charged me, approx $500 since Feb. I have cried for hours over this being done because I have so little money as it is.
Her reply was "I am sorry you feel you are mislead" and no charges will be refunded.
How can they get away with this? They are legally stealing our money and I'm sure most people don't even catch it if they have a very active account. I don't have an active account that's why it was so easy to see what the heck was going on.
I sure hope someone can help us get our money back and put a stop to BB&T doing this to innocent victims.
Disabled and very hurt
Madison, N.C.
Madison, North Carolina
U.S.A.
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