I HATE banks - so fed up right now /rant
 

I came in from a great day of doing a little shopping and getting Lilly groomed and paying a few bills. I had an e-mail awaiting me (I get notified in my e-mail of my current bank balance when it changes) saying that my balance was WAY different than what it should've been! I was so scared, I thought the worst. I'm VERY good with writing everything we spend down so we don't ever have to deal with fees and so on so forth.

So, I started writing EVERYTHING down that has went through and noticed there was another check payment for 277$ for my boyfriend's loan on his truck. I was like, wait a minute that's already went through. Sure enough I scroll up and there it is again! Same check number and everything! I was frustrated so I called my bank and the woman at first tried saying we didn't have the money to cover it the first time so it went through again. Huh?! First off, I KNOW the money was in there (it was right in front of my face) and second off, I never recall when a check goes through they charge you TWICE for the amount. She finally understood what I was saying and was completely confused herself so she took my number and she's supposed to call me either today or tomorrow. I will be so insanely upset if our bank account goes negative because of this. I'm pretty sure it won't if we don't spend anything else until it's all straightened out and we know what's going on! :mad::rolleyes:

/rant

Has anything like this or sort of similar ever happened to you?

Btw - The new groomer was so nice and sweet, I'm having to get used to Lilly's hair though, she's still cute - just a lot different from what I'm used to! Pictures later!

Some of these banks are rediculous. I love it when they talk to you like your an idiot and can't balance a checkbook or know what you have.

Oh, I know!!! She was like "Are you even looking at your account online right now?" I was like.... uh, ya but really was thinking "no, I just have visions of my bank account". How else would I have known what I was talking about?!

If the bank caused the problem, they will be responsible for any other checks that don't go through because of it.

If this happens, I would go to the bank in person, speak only to someone in a higher position (like an officer) and have thme issue a letter of culpability and apology to whomever a check might have bounced to.

Sometimes this can be a pretty big battle and you just have to stick to your guns. Sometimes, they take care of it with no further hassles.

Hope you get a quick resolution!

I hate banks too! They charged me 4 overdraft fees of $30 each for going over by like $2, last time i checked it said i had money in my card so i used it to buy little metrocards here and there, well each time i used it they charged me and i had to pay them $120. :mad:

Yeah, we had our time of that at our old bank! It's so stupid, their a bank for crying out loud and they charge a $30 fee for going over even a dollar, it's quite stupid. I'm very adamant now about writing ANYTHING and EVERYTHING down so I know EXACTLY how much is in there.

We had a similar situation happen recently and we were fortunate that since we had our proof our bank gave us back what they attempted to overdraft us. We knew our money was there. Banks can be sneaky!

Another "bank" issue to be aware of regarding debit cards.......in the newspaper I read that alot of gas stations are "holding" amounts larger than your gasoline purchase since gas is so high.
Therefore, if checks or other debits try to come thru your account they may not clear due to the "hold" that has not dropped off. This could create NSF or overdraft charges if the account balance is not large enough to cover the "hold" amount and the checks or
debits.

This is confusing me, what do you mean by "holding" amounts larger than your gas purchase? Sorry, I'm a little loopy in the brain!

I hear you. I just changed banks due to poor customer service. I went with a smaller, local bank and could not be happier. I am treated like gold. From day one when I go into the branch, they remember me by name! And, I don't get charged extra for not using the ATM! I don't get charged for my checking account or online banking either. I know I am sounding old fashioned, but I really appreciate some old fashioned customer service.

I know, isn't it crazy how you're charged money for your money (if that makes sense!) haha. We pay an $8 maintenance fee a month because we supposedly have perks (Elite checking) but I've yet to see the perks. I think one of the perks is having online banking which is sooo lame! The bank I used to have back at my hometown was awesome, I wasn't charged anything except like $13 for my checks at the beginning and I had EVERYTHING (online banking, savings account, debit card, tons of checks) :(!

Emily, what bank do you have?

I used to have Bank of America but the closest one to us in York, PA is in Lancaster, PA. Then we got PNC Bank, but their overdraft fees were crazy. So then we found Commerce Bank, and so far so good. I haven't seen any overdraft fees yet. Mike has over drawn our bank account twice so far since we've had it due to his paypal stuff, but we haven't had any overdraft fees and if we did it was so tiny I didn't even notice.

First Federal Savings Bank, not sure if they're everywhere - we live in a VERY small town.

Oh okay, I've never heard of them before.

I feel you pain! I hate my bank too! I plan on changing to a different one in the VERY near future.
Not long ago I screwed up and entered a check in my register as a deposit...I overdrew my account, but caught it very quickly when the first payment ran through. I went into the branch and asked for my current balance so that I could make a deposit to cover the negative balance, PLUS 2 other transactions I'd made w/ my check card. They gave me the balance, I made the deposit thinking 'problem solved.' WRONG! The next day, the 2 outstanding payments posted WITH 33.00 OD fees attached to them.:eyebrow2: I went back to the bank for an explanation...how could these have not been covered when I made a deposit BEFORE they posted? I was then told that they had actually already run through before I made the deposit(!) OK, then WHY didn't you include them when I asked for my total yesterday!? :angry: Then they told me...get this...'It's not our job to nor do we have the ability to give you an accurate balance on your account!?" :questione WTH...yes, that is your JOB as the BANK! Idiots.

Oh, I know what you mean, it's really ridiculous. They have their ways of working to cheat you out of lots of money with their stupid fees.

They did call me this morning and apologize and say it was their fault and that they processed the transaction to many times! Definitely keep an eye on your bank accounts people, I don't want the same thing happening to you and it going not noticed!!

I hate this about banks:

They process your checks from any given day, not in the check number order, but in the order of largest to smallest. That way, if you are overdrawn, you will bounce more checks and they will be able to charge more fees.

They say they do this so that "your most important expenses will be processed first." Thanks a lot.

Yup! Wachovia got me on 3 nonsufficient funds charges by doing that w/ my debit card. The thing was I purchased things at two different places w/ my debit card on a Thursday. Then I made my car payment on Friday and the money from paypal didn't go in til after that. But somehow all 3 charges went through at the same time and even though I had money to cover the two I made first, they charged me $100 in overdraft fees.

Once I get the account back in the black and make my next car payment I'm seriously considering closing the account and either doing a cash only system, or moving my acct. to a smaller local bank that actually care about their customers and dont' try to rip them off.

When you use your debit card the merchant can place a hold for a larger amount until their debit has time to clear. Gas stations are notorius for doing this. When another item trys to pay it could cause you problems because the money may be in your account balance, but unavailable for you to spend due to the hold. If you have online banking notice that you have a current balance and then you may have items that are
processing (usually these are things you have purchase since the previous days cutoff time or over a weekend). I worked for Wachovia for 39 years and I agree, banks can be sneaky when they pay a large item and send back several small items and charge NSF fees. Usually we would refund all or part of the charges if it was the a first occurrence. The bank takes the position that the customer should keep their check register balance current and not depend on the "current balance" from calling or from the atm, since its impossible for them to know what's out there waiting to be paid. One other thing, when the bank looks at possibly giving refunds, the first thing they look at is how many NSFs and overdrafts a customer has had and how old the account is. In that respect, changing banks may not always be in your best interest. Most all banks have the same guidelines that they follow. Often if helps to become acquainted with a service rep at your bank who will work with you to understand "THE RULES!!. Hope this helps a little by way of explanation......P.S. I'm glad I retired !!!!