ever been hit with excessive overdraft bank fees

1. 76

   starme77posted 14 years ago

   or money that just kind of disappeared from your account and things just didn't add up?

   replyreport
   1. 63

      Lady_Eposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Kind of....
      
      A few years ago, my bank called my mobile to ask if I was using my Credit Card. It was a saturday and I assured them I was at home. They said it had just been used a few minutes ago for a transaction of about £400 in a Post Office and long story short, they cancelled the transaction and asked me to destroy my card. So, if they didn't call, that money would have disappeared from my account. Also, I'd have had to prove it wasn't me, even though the card was in my possession.
      
      Sometimes banks mistakenly take money for direct debits but you could always recall them and they will refund.

      replyreport
      1. 76

         starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         yeah at some banks but not the huge ones that just got bailed out - they're policies don't work like that - my bank prior was just fine - till this piece of crap large corporate one bought it up

         replyreport
         1. 0

            rednckwmnposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            im allowed a one time only refund. no matter what. they blink and say ..im sorry, theres nothing i can do....

            replyreport
   2. 61

      dutchman1951posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, lost almost a whole pay check because they did not release my auto deposit for Fri. Morning. I paid all my bills and they bounced every payment, then said oh well, sorry! and removed only 100.00 in fees. I was treadted like crap at the Bank took 4 months and a 450.00 lawyers fee to get the money back. They are theives.
      
      When we got close to the court date, (I could not sue the bank they were protected under a congressional bill that passed the senate), so I sued the Bank manager and Her boss directly.
      
      When we got to the date, the Bank CEO called my attorney and asked him if he returned all the monies would we cancel the suit against his Managers. In case you are woundering it was US Bank. They are crap.
      
      Jon

      replyreport
2. 63

   Gemsongposted 14 years ago

   I love how they charge me for money they know I don't have.

   replyreport
3. 61

   qbanmamiof2posted 14 years ago

   Once I was charges $175.00 in orverdraft fees.  Damn criminals, I stormed that bank and got it all refunded back.  I really despise those overdraft fees and fees that they make up out of thin air...grrr

   replyreport
4. 0

   rednckwmnposted 14 years ago

   omg i f....ing HATE HATE HATE my bank, literally thousands of dollars this year in OD fees....

   replyreport
   1. 0

      Ghost32posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thousands?  How the--?? (And why did you hang out there long enough to get to those numbers?  Just askin'!)
      
      Story of No Surprise:  When I lived in Anaconda, Montana (2002-2006), our bank would hit us for hefty OD fees but if we had a reasonable explanation (other than my usual brain out to lunch situation), they were really good about reversing the fees.  Until...
      
      In October of 2006, I left Montana and during the move messed up, miscalculated the register, ran a few bucks into the red, and they promptly hit me for more than $200 in fees.  The same bank manager who'd been quite helpful before suddenly couldn't care less.  Which I understood; I was gone from the state for good and could do their branch no more good, so....
      
      But their dirtiest trick was changing the rules on the debit VISA cards.  Used to be, no money = automatic declination.  For years  now, however, they'll cover the charge just like it was a credit (instead of debit) card and then rake in all those sweet OD fees.

      replyreport
5. 61

   DennisBarkerposted 14 years ago

   I was charged £500 last year in overdraft fees and charges, moved my bank account from the halifax to lloyds in protest. Then the loans crisis hit and the halifax - bank of scotland group went bust and was rescued by Lloyds so I'm back with the same bunch of cretious criminals despite leaving!
   
   This is a hot topic for me and I'd be quite prepared to make it my lifes work to bring down the banking system so that we can rebuild it in a more equitable way. Hierarchies and history are built into the one we have at the moment so the money only flows to the centre,never seems to flow in my direction so far.

   replyreport
6. 70

   AEvansposted 14 years ago

   I had my wallet stolen and in there was my debit card they tried to nail me for $1500.00 in OD fees needless to say after going through all of the read tape including the Police report they reversed them all. I believe they gouge millions of Americans which is absolutely ridiculous!

   replyreport
7. 0

   pgrundyposted 14 years ago

   I've written about this a lot. When I worked for the bank, I saw people who spent thousands on bank fees each year. I could see lots of stats on people when they called, and one was the total of bank fees charged for the current and previous years. The worst one I ever saw was a woman who paid over $7,000 in fees in the previous year and was up to about $3,000 when she called.
   
   I used to tell people to take their money out of the bank and they couldn't believe I was saying that to them. I worked with employees who did not have a bank account---they were BANK employees and refused to keep their money in the bank over what they'd seen and experienced.
   
   The worst was when somebody, through no fault of their own, would get double debited because a merchant made an error and the bank would NOT refund the fees, insisting it was the merchant's fault, not the bank's. True, but in the meantime eight or nine other checks bounce because of the double charge, and while the poor customer is going back and forth trying to get the merchant to pay the fees or the bank to remove them, the charges keep piling up. That happened ALL the time.
   
   Well, this is turning into a hub... sorry.

   replyreport
8. 61

   Lisa HWposted 14 years ago

   Not long ago there was a thing on the news about how banks "re-order" what they pay, in order to get several fees, rather than just one, for an overdraft item.  Apparently, there will be a Bill before Congress over this particular trick.

   replyreport
   1. 0

      rednckwmnposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      this has happend to me sooo many times. long story but right now im stuck with my bank. will be switching to money orders and cash asap!!!!!!

      replyreport
9. 60

   Davinagirl3posted 14 years ago

   DON'T GET ME STARTED!  I hate my bank.  I have had them put 7 day holds on deposits, so that they could use MY money interest free and, during this time, they still took overdraft fees.  THEY TOOK OVERDRAFT FEES WHEN I HAD THE MONEY IN MY ACCOUNT.

   replyreport
   1. 61

      qbanmamiof2posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I also hate how they approve transaction on the debit card when you have less money than what you have in the bank...grrr.

      replyreport
   2. 0

      pgrundyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yes and they often don't tell you there's a hold because the turnover for tellers is so bad. I mean it is worse than a fast food job, trust me. They throw these poor kids in there with hardly any training. THEY don't even know what the bank's policies are and they work there--and then when someone gets a bazillion OD fees because of a hold, they never back the customer. The customer is supposed to just figure it out somehow.
      
      Asking if there is hold doesn't even necessarily protect you, since you can be assured there is no hold and then an automatic hold is placed because the teller doesn't understand. And you're screwed.

      replyreport
10. 0

    pgrundyposted 14 years ago

    BTW certain companies were notorious for double charges. Ameritech and Direct TV were two of the worst, but there were others.
    
    Banks are actually charging more fees now, not less. The worst is holding deposits for up to 5 days even when it's a payroll check drawn off another major bank and written from a major corporation. Customer deposits the paycheck Friday after work, goes to the grocery store Saturday, uses a debit card, bounces a gazillion items because technically the money isn't availabe until Tuesday by the bank's rules.
    
    I've seen people get hit with more than the entire paycheck in fees over money that was absolutely good, and no way would the bank remove a single fee.

    replyreport
    1. 0

       rednckwmnposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       been there. and it was a check drawn from MY bank!!! i cried and said can i make payments instead of all at once and she said... no. but what we will do, is every 5 days the account is overdrawn, we will assess a 35 dollar fee...this was on payday, and it was a BANK ERROR to begin with.

       replyreport
       1. 0

          pgrundyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Right. They actually want you to get the fees. They told us in meetings about new 'fee generation' strategies. It's like a game of mother-may-I only with your money.
          
          What frosts me is they'll tell you there's 'nothing they can do' about these holds, but there is something very simple they can do. They can call the bank issuing the check and make sure the money is there, then clear your deposit. Takes about 20 seconds, and half the time they don't even have to talk to a person to do it. In your case, they could have just checked right in their own system without even making a call.
          
          They CAN do this, but they won't do it. It's a big game.

          replyreport
       2. 76

          starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

          yep - they keep your payroll check - so you can take it to the bank its drawn on to cash it  - and guess what? They carge 5 bucks to cash a check written on their bank unless you have an account - what kinda crap is that?

          replyreport
11. 0

    pgrundyposted 14 years ago

    BTW (I promise I'll stop soon) many places like public utilities and so forth now run your paper check electronically, SHRED the check, and then have no way to show you really sent it. They can take it out twice saying you never sent the check and you can't prove a thing. I saw that a lot too.

    replyreport
    1. 61

       qbanmamiof2posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       OMG, really, you should write a hub about it, I am interested in learning more about this but from a banker's point of view.  Gosh, now it makes me mad that they do all this to hardworking people that mostly don't have a lot of money in the bank praise the ones that have lots of 0's in it and they still need a BAILOUT!!!  Come on

       replyreport
    2. 76

       starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I actually wrote a hub in it today and am getting comments there  also and appreciate it - I will write another hub on this issure tomorrow - it took me a long....long time to figure out how the banks make money kida just dissapear but I have actally figured out several ways they do it - one is on my hub today and another - I'll put up tomorrow- It sure is sad how American taxpayers who did not want to bail out the banks - had to anyway and now we're getting ripped off more than ever!

       replyreport
       1. 0

          pgrundyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          I agree. They screw us and screw us, and then, when they are in trouble, they get a big bail out on our dime. When we are in trouble, to hell with us. It's messed up big time.

          replyreport
12. 78

    bgpappaposted 14 years ago

    yep,
    
    Somebody hacked into my account at Bank of America about two years ago (and a bunch of other people's)  got a paycheck.  Bank told me they fixed the problem.  They got in two more times.  Bank charged all kind of fees.  Once everything was figured out, they refused to refund the fees saying that they wanted to negotiate them. 
    
    I walked in the bank and withdrew $9000 in cash and told them to go to hell.  Left one dollar in the account so they can't say I closed the account.

    replyreport
    1. 0

       pgrundyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       What's bad is, they can put you on Chexsystems when something like that happens so you can't open another bank account or credit union account anywhere until you clear that problem. Basically they blacklist you and blackmail the money out of you. You were lucky you were able to open another account. Usually you can't once a dispute over fees starts.
       
       That's why you see all these people using these awful check cashing places instead of banks. They're in Chexsystems over some fee dispute. They can't use a bank. So they go to the check cashing place (which are all owned by the big banks) and pay even more.
       
       It's disgusting. It needs to end. I can't believe it is still going on.

       replyreport
       1. 78

          bgpappaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          That would be true except for the fact and the account is still open, they took the fees out of the money I had in there (about 3 grand).  They were pissed when I withdrew the cash (cash reserves per branch is how bank managers get bonuses) but they can't do anyting about my credit.  Oh, I am suing them for the fees in small claims court.  They keep trying to settle by offereing me half back, etc.  I say no, I want my money and my time (I bill out at $250 per hour)  They can go to hell and I will have a small claims judge tell me who is right or wrong

          replyreport
          1. 0

             rednckwmnposted 14 years agoin reply to this

             good for you!!!!!

             replyreport
          2. 0

             pgrundyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

             Awesome! They count on people not taking it to that level. That's how they get away with it. I admire you for keeping at them.
             
             They figure they can't lose. If you can make them feel some hurt, good on you. It doesn't happen often though. People who get shut out, they still get their money back from them at the check cashing places--Citi and BOA own most of them.

             replyreport
       2. 68

          ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          So go to Wal-Mart, $3.00 to cash your check.  Oh wait, Wal-Mart is bad.  Sorry.  Don't expect banks to change the way they do business.  40% of their profit comes from fees now.  With things going the way they are, you can expect more fees in the future.  Not depositing money in banks won't help because they can always run to the Fed for more money.  If you really want to force the banks to play nice, you have to shut down the fed and not deposit your money.  That'll turn them around right quick and focus them on the customer, which is exactly what they should be focused on.

          replyreport
13. 78

    bgpappaposted 14 years ago

    At some point, banks began seeing fees as a profit making center.  That is when everything became fee based.  From seeing a teller, atm fees, and overdraft fees, they are all part of the bottom line and will not be leaving anytime soon.

    replyreport
14. 76

    starme77posted 14 years ago

    Wow alot of people are just as pissed as me - I'm going to go with cash - not direct deposits and atm debits and all that crap -

    replyreport
    1. 0

       rednckwmnposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       as soon as i can get some stuff switched around, me too!

       replyreport
15. 61

    qbanmamiof2posted 14 years ago

    WOW!! Power to you. I really hope that you win, some one needs to show them that shouldn't do this. So many people are afraid of big institutions but it's OUR MONEY!!!

    replyreport
16. 80

    Uninvited Writerposted 14 years ago

    My bank once took a regular payment off a day early. before I got paid. I was charged $10 by the people I owed the money too and the bank charged me $35 for an overdraft. The whole bill was for $91. So I ended up paying half again. Made me very angry.

    replyreport
17. 64

    jrcemailposted 14 years ago

    Change in the air:
    
    Hey all, I've got my own horror stories but check this out.
    
    Looks like Chase and Bank of America are changing the way they do things.  Must be A SEA OF PISSED OFF PEOPLE have complained and now they're actually DOING SOMETHING about it!!
    
    http://www.reuters.com/article/ousivMol … 9Z20090923

    replyreport
18. 81

    dohn121posted 14 years ago

    Everything was so much easier when I was paying all my bills via money order!  Those NEVER bounce

    replyreport
19. 59

    zadrobiposted 14 years ago

    My favorite is from high school-- when I never had any money-- sometimes I would forget to cash my paycheck and use my debit card to buy lunch or dinner and go over by a couple cents-- most expensive cheeseburger ever!

    replyreport
20. 57

    Cheri Schultzposted 14 years ago

    I am not sure if you realize this - but ALL bank fees can be negotiated!!  Don't every settle for what they charge.  Call the bank tell them your situation and I know they will drop the fees to half or if you are real persuasive they will drop them all together.  It can't hurt to try!  I was in this industry and we do it everyday... Good Luck

    replyreport
21. 76

    starme77posted 14 years ago

    yep the banks are changing the way they do things saw it today on the ny times - I did write a hub about it - just because banks are changing their  ways in no way does it mean they will stop stealing hello..... wake up people they will never stop stealing your money - they will just get better at it - don't let this fee change thing fool you - thats what the banks want - so people who took their money out will put their money back in so...they can use a better stratagy to steal it

    replyreport
22. 59

    zadrobiposted 14 years ago

    Someone in my hometown took a truck and rammed an ATM machine... they made off scott-free with all the money. Stick it to the man!

    replyreport
23. 76

    starme77posted 14 years ago

    Ha Ha Ha I love it! One guy robbed a bank in my town - but the dummy left his wallet behind

    replyreport