Need quick help from bank experts!

klmno

Active Member
OK, 4 1/2 mos ago I moved and opened a new checking acct at a different bank. I had left about $25 in my old checking account but wasn't using it and had not had fees on the account before so didn't worry about getting to that bank to close the account. Now I am reapplying for a security clearance so I reviewed all accounts and finally opened what appeared to be a typical bank statement from that old account that had arrived a few weeks ago.

Apparently, since I filed for BK and gave up all CCs, the bank decided I was no longer qualified to get the no-fee checking acct. They never sent me anything saying that so I had no idea. But check this out- they KNOW there has been NO activity on that account in 4 mos but took out $20/mo for 4 mos until it left a negative balance of about $52, then deposited $90 in the acct themselves, then took out $40 from the acct to pay themselves to close the acct, then turned over a overdraft of $92 to their collections dept.

So I call and am trying to get someone on the phone to dispute this but the customer rep only wants to put me thru to the collections dept- and I seriously don't think they can change the charges. How do I get thru to a person- manager, supervisor, whatever, in a different dept who can discuss dropping them or at least lowering them and where I can go on record as disputing this?

It sure isn't going to help this clearance app if I can't get this resolved ASAP.

Obviously, if I'd known they were charging 20/mo since Sept, I would have closed the acct- I haven't used it at all and no longer needed it.
 
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HaoZi

Guest
Aren't they by law required to provide notice on fee changes? If nothing else, go to the BBB site and look up the company and how to get in touch with the CEO directly.
 

klmno

Active Member
They are claiming that has always been their policy but that I had qualified for the no-fee acct until CCs closed- fine- but no, I never got a notice that since the CCs were dropped, I would now be charged b./c this same acct (with- same acct #) would now be charged monthly. Somehow I can't imagine being able to get a hold of a CEO within 24 hours. I have to go on record as disputing it prior to getting my security app in, and boss wants it in within a day or two.
 
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HaoZi

Guest
If you go straight to the CEO (their direct contact info will be listed on the BBB site) things happen.
 

klmno

Active Member
OK, I checked BBB and found CEO's name, headquarters address and the phone number listed is the same one I have been calling. Would it help if I call that number, don't give bank acct # or go into issue but just asked to be transferred to dept that handles formal complaints?
 
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Mamaof5

Guest
Yes, ask for the complaints dept. Or ask for a manager 3 times and they are required by policy to do so. Say nothing else but "I want a manager" no matter what they say just keep saying "I want a manager".
 
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HaoZi

Guest
Also look for a corporate switchboard number and ask for the CEO by name if you go that route (or their email addy).
 

klmno

Active Member
well after another 20 mins listening to music, being bounced from one wrong dept to another, I called back AGAIN, demanded 3 times right away to speak to a manager and had to leave a message on her VM. I hate the way large corporations do things anymore.
 

Suz

(the future) MRS. GERE
Or ask for a manager 3 times and they are required by policy to do so.

I've never heard of this before. Is that a law in Canada? I've certainly tried to ask for supervisors over and over and not been transferred. Maybe it's new? I will be very interested to hear if that works for KLMNO.

KLMNO, I was a bank manager for a couple of decades. Did you receive monthly statements? I'm thinking that if you received monthly statements from the bank, the statement would have shown the charge and you might not have a leg to stand on. If that happens, beg for mercy. Managers have the ability to waive or refund charges. I hope you get a sympathetic decision-maker.

Suz
 

klmno

Active Member
Honestly, I could pay it and I'd settle for only having to pay whatever I didn't have in there to cover 4 mos worth of fees before they closed the acct. But I have a BIG problem having to pay them additional money to close the acct under these circumstances.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
This is why I hate banks...lol. I like credit unions. You are part owner in a credit union so they tend to like you. Or at least mine is fairly nice to me and I am a really little fish.
 

klmno

Active Member
Well the manager didn't call back tonight. Boss is getting hyper over getting these apps in for the clearance so I'll just submit it tomorrow. He has a "thing" against me for whatever reason- my instinct and red flags are telling me it's because he prefers caniving (sp) people working with him. I doubt my clearance will get approved- why? because I have sat here and gone thru tons of paperwork to update all info regarding credit and BK and have been honest. He and his underlings have never been caught up in anything- like drug usage- so they will just lie. He, so far, has gotten past the rule that everyone will take a drug test- now why would he go to that effort?
 
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Mamaof5

Guest
I've never heard of this before. Is that a law in Canada? I've certainly tried to ask for supervisors over and over and not been transferred. Maybe it's new? I will be very interested to hear if that works for KLMNO.

KLMNO, I was a bank manager for a couple of decades. Did you receive monthly statements? I'm thinking that if you received monthly statements from the bank, the statement would have shown the charge and you might not have a leg to stand on. If that happens, beg for mercy. Managers have the ability to waive or refund charges. I hope you get a sympathetic decision-maker.

Suz

10 years of inbound and outbound customer service representative work and then some. It's a Canadian thing. Our companies take on this policy, it's not law per say just an unspoken policy most if not all companies take on here in Canada. Particularly Ontario. The Consumer Protection Act does require disclosures that are pretty strict but doesn't out right say you have to. However, most companies do do this to avoid being investigated by the CPA board for bad business ethic.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
Policy may be that if you ask for a supervisor 3 times they have to do it, but VERY FEW call centers will do this. Most, esp for banks for collection issues, track which reps send calls to supervisors and they can get penalized for this (been there done that in a bank job). So you may have to be VERY insistent.

A MUCH better way to handle this is to look up the bank online to get the CEO info - just plug the bank name and Headquarters or CEO into google and you should be able to find it. then call their office and let them help you. Don't fart around with the reps - tell them that you spoke to reps and they were RUDE - you were told it was a free account and did NOT know and want the charges taken care of. Usually it is worth the $80 or whatever they want from you to avoid you telling all your online friends how awful they were to you. Don't threaten this first - give them time. You won't get the CEO, but you will get an assistant in his office and will have a far better chance of getting something done.

I hope this helps.
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
I actually agree with Suz - the bank has been sending you statements and the original paperwork when you opened the account listed this policy. They would not be required to notify you of the changed status since you would have received notification via the pamphlet when the account was opened. Additionally, monthly statements (for four months) would have reflected this change and your acceptance of it would have been assumed since you didn't call until now.

But, that doesn't mean that the bank manager is not understanding and will wipe out the debt or allow you to pay it without a "mark". Again, like Suz I hope you get a manager that is willing to waive all this. Good luck. I hope you get this cleared up really fast.

Sharon
 

klmno

Active Member
No manager ever returned a call. So at this point I have NO idea how to actually speak to anyone other then the typical person answering phones. I sent the clearance app in anyway.

I see the point Suz and LDM but honestly, do people remember all the terms of a checking acct after 4 years? I'm not involved in the bank industry but what got to me the most was them depositing money into the acct themselves then withdrawing it to pay some fee then billing me a charge for taking the time to do that- oh- they called it a service charge for managing and closing the acct or something like that.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Something similar did happen to me once but I caught it fast. My oldest had a checking account with my credit union that was joined to mine through my share (savings) account. You have to have a share account in order to have a checking account but if you are a parent and want to allow one of your kids or say a spouse to connect to your share account so they can open an account that is allowed. Well, Billy was doing great with his account and was totally responsible with it. Then he moved to VA to live with Jamie and Billie. He left like $10 in the account just to leave it open. Well, he had a phone at my house that he had called to have canceled but they took a month more than he thought they did. And they charged his debit card for it which caused a bad check charge against his checking account so it closed out his account. Then...because the phone company attempted to send the charge through again, the bad check charge doubled so they took it away from my savings account and I had to put more into savings to keep my account open. His account was completely closed.

Funny thing was that the phone company never sent a bill. I never found out any of this was happening until I noticed my savings account was wiped out!
 

Suz

(the future) MRS. GERE
do people remember all the terms of a checking acct after 4 years?

Probably not, but the hard truth is, no doubt you signed a document when you opened the account that said you understood the terms of the account and had received a disclosure form with all of the terms. No doubt the bank has sent you inserts in your statements about any changes to the accounts and/or account terms, too. No one reads them either but it covers their backsides. Add in the fact that they probably sent you monthly statements that showed the transactions and ....frankly....you probably have little going for you at this point.

I'm sorry that you had an account with a bank where no one in authority has had the decency to return your calls. I can assure you that I never left the office without all calls returned every single day and I'm sure I'm not the only one- you just didn't luck out with this bank.

For $92.00 I'd pay it off so that your collection debt shows that it's paid. Then I'd contact the credit bureaus and file a statement for your credit report to reflect the explanation.

Suz
 
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