1 Jan, 2018 → by ClaimboUser305756
abusive overdraft fees

3

Normally I am not a formal complaint type of person, but this issue has burned me multiple times with my bank and they have never seen it as a “bank error.” So today, I will stand on my soapbox to spread the word. For the disparagement I have received due to my bank’s negligence cannot go without notice. This goes above and beyond my standard pontification to a real life entanglement with my bank and their utter lack of coherent business practices and policies. The issue has gone as far as to force me to be late on my mortgage payment due to no longer having sufficient funds and to live on a check-to-check basis for the past 5 months while I’m trying to recover from my financial hardship. The issue has to do with the way debits are processed at Charter One bank and how they assess non-sufficient funds based on arbitrary deductions from their accounts. In this instance, I had multiple debits on hold with the bank. Knowing I had these on hold, I checked my balance on their free online banking. I also know that this is just a tool and does not always reflect accurate balances as I have been told by the bank and may even be posted on the bottom of the page. However, like a good person, I checked my account and I had more than enough funds to cover a purchase I was going to be making even with the things that were on hold. After selecting my items from Kohl’s that I was going to purchase I went to be rung up, slid my card and was about to sign when I noticed that one item was what I thought to be incorrect. While waiting they canceled that transaction midstream without me signing for it this caused a $56.21 charge to my account. They then “refunded” the money to my account and rung me up with the corrected price on the item causing an additional $50.81 charge to my account. This second transaction then tipped me over my balance and this alone should have cause an NSF charge to my account. The next day (3-25-10) upon reviewing my bi-weekly pay deposit and balance, I noticed there was substantially less funds than there should have been from the overall balance of my account. At near the same time I received an alert on a text message stating there had been an NSF charge to my account and because I could not see it yet online I called to see what exactly caused the NSF charge. My bank informed me that it was three charges that posted for my account yesterday 3-24-10 that caused a $117.00 NSF charge to my account. However, these charges were already withdrawn from my account as they were already placed on hold in my account. Now somehow money that had already been withdrawn from my “Available Balance, ” the balance that subtracts all pending and on-hold charges from my line item balance was now causing me NSF fees due to the now canceled $56.21 charge from the 24th. But my line item balance never went negative, only my “Available Balance.” I was then told by the bank that they could not reverse these charges because they were not a bank error. I then asked for a supervisor because this is clearly a bank error. Once on with the supervisor I went through the same discussion as I did with the customer service representative. She too told me she could not reverse the charges due to it not being a bank error. So at this point they could not help me despite one of the transactions having never been authorized by my signature. She also stated they could not put a claim in for these on hold charges because they were still on hold and their system would not allow it to happen. It was at this point that I asked to speak to her supervisor. After playing phone tag with the next level of supervisor for 2 days I was finally able to speak to him. He however could not assist me in any way shape or form. All he could do was note the account, and tell me to call back and a customer service rep would open a claim for me with no issue. When I asked him why he could not he gave the excuse of “he could not verify my credentials because this was an outbound call and not secure.” I told him I would be willing to take his direct line and call back if that would help, but it was a losing argument. While I had him I also asked if it was going to be possible even if they were still on hold, he said yes, of course, they can open a claim on anything. I was about to give up complete hope on this issue at this point, and I would have, had I of known what was going to happen next. I could days later, maybe even a week; I called customer service back again to have them start a claim on these fees. I figured things would go smoothly based on my dealings with the previous gentleman and being armed with the notion that my account has been noted and that they can open a claim on any transaction even ones on hold. At this point, the person I was talking to refused to open a claim and refused to help me because again, it was not a bank error. I of course asked again for a supervisor because I had already been told this is what they would be able to help me with. The next supervisor also refused to open a claim for me as well citing again that it was not a bank error. When I told him that I had already been through all of this and a supervisor even above him said that they will be able to without an issue he continued to refuse. He then told me that in order for them to put a claim in that I would have to go to the store, and have them draft a letter stating it the charge of $56.21 was by mistake. Then and only then would they be able to open a claim. This was the only name I wrote down, it was Chuck Simpson –[protected] fax – [protected] DID. This is finally when I gave up and let the bank take my money. Despite knowing that it was the second time they had done this to me just this year. In all this year I’ve received a whopping $429 in NSF charges. Albeit, at least one of them possibly just, but certainly not the other $390 worth. And even the one, should be reviewed as that transaction never posted to my line item balance because Kohl’s happily refunded my $56.21. Today again, I have renewed strength in my disdain for Charter One bank because I again look at my account and see it in the red. However, this time I know it is not due to me as me on hold transactions total $697.64, with the caveat of an additional $13 in gas spent this morning making the total $710.64 with a line item balance of $721.94 and an available balance of -$15.70. Something just does not add up. So it’s my hopes that sending this to the Office of Thrift Supervision, my personal web site, and every other public outlet that I can find, that Charter One will receive what they have coming to them, a full customer revolt. These charges are not ok with me, these charges are not just, the bank and their reputation should pay for the financial hardship they have put me in for the last 5 and a half months. I just cannot wait to close my account with Charter One and switch to a bank that offers good customer service, and less fees.
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