I HATE Bank of America.
And I'm now officially done with them - not by choice, but thank effin' GAWD. Here's my story:
So September is always an expensive month for me because the fair is in session. I generally spend every last dime I have buying supplies that the district doesn't cover (they don't have purchase orders accessible to me everywhere), I have to eat out many times because I don't always have time to rush home, etc. So officially? I'm completely broke. Not more than a few cents in my wallet...but, no worries, because today is pay day!
So I signed onto my bank account last night to see if my direct deposit had gone through yet...nope. No worries, because it typically doesn't come in until about 2:30am. So, I went to bed, eager for my pay check to hit my account so I can pay bills, book my plane ticket to Connecticut to see JJ later this month, and have money in my pocket again while I wait for reimbursement from the district for supplies. Money's not tight for me anymore - I have to be thrifty, but my bills are all handled and life is generally good. I have extra money in my pocket (except in September) and have no major financial issues.
I wake up this morning and start the ritual of checking my e-mail - yup, the e-mail from BofA is in there telling me that my direct deposit has been posted...so I head to BofA to verify the amount and then continue to pay my bills online.
As I log into BofA, which I had just done the night before, I am denied access to my account...what? I call the 800 number listed...they tell me that my account is pending closure by risk support?! After being connected to risk support, they tell me that risk support is a computer who analyzes customers and decides when they are no longer "good" customers. Apparently because of two bounced checks (one in August and one this month - BOTH of which I corrected immediately), the computer decided to close my account without notice to me. My account is NOT in the negative, but my account is pending closure. The only person who can assist me is a bank manager...or, at least, that's what I'm told. Apparently the bank manager can do a "cease closure override" and reopen my account. So, dude on the phone tells me that the banks around here open at 8am - which I never knew because I'm at work at that time. Frustrated, I call in sick to work, rush to school to leave some lesson plans for my substitute, and head to the bank.
I got there at 8am...to find that the bank doesn't open until 9am. SO - I sit in the parking lot for an hour, not wanting to waste gas and having nothing else to do, playing "Oregon Trail" on my cell phone (cool game!). The bank finally opens and I sit down with some big wig to figure out what's going on with my account...at this point, FUCK BofA, I just want my pay check. It only comes once a month and I need to pay bills! This lady contacts Risk Support, ACH, etc. and can't do anything for me. She tells me that the only person who can get BofA to open my account long enough for ACH to deposit my pay check and get me my money is a bank manager...and, of course, hers is on vacation. Lucky for me, the closest next branch is a few miles down the road...so off I go.
At this point, I'm almost in tears...where is my money? I'm a freakin' school teacher - all money I have in my savings account is frozen, I can't even GET my pay check which I need desperately...wtf!? The manager at the next branch makes a couple calls to find out where my money is. ACH tells her that the deposit to my account is pending, and hasn't "hard posted" to my account yet. It won't be until tomorrow that ACH can tell me if the money will be deposited in my now closed account (yeah, between the time I woke up and now my account went from "pending closure" to "closed") or if it will be kicked back to my employer. This manager can't do shit for me, and the only thing she offers is a "customer solutions" number. She didn't even offer to do a "cease closure" as I was promised on the phone earlier (fuck it - I don't want BofA anyway) and she can't get my money.
So I call "customer solutions" and they have nothing for me...I get transferred to Risk Support AGAIN and they claim to have sent me a letter regarding my account closure. Seriously? I CHECK and READ all of my mail. NOTHING has been sent to me - not being able to log in this morning was the first time I knew of ANY negative activity taken by my bank. All I can do now is wait until tomorrow and call BofA again to see what ACH did with my paycheck - if it went into the closed account? MAYBE the manager can get it for me...more than likely, ACH will kick back the payment to my employer. When I called my employer? They told me that if ACH kicks back the deposit, it will take "several days" for them to cut me a check and that I will receive a phone call when they do so that I can head to the district office to pick up my check.
FUCK BofA. Seriously. FUCK THEM. Why wasn't I told about any of this? Why do they have to fuck me over on pay day - when I desperately need that money? I timed everything right...I spent my last few dollars in my wallet yesterday, I'm down to one cigarette now...bills are due tomorrow...everything would have been FINE had BofA not fucked me over. After getting off the phone for the last time, I threw myself on my bed and just BAWLED. What the hell am I going to do? My bills are going to be late now, and I've contacted them all to explain why my payments will be late - some are cutting me slack on late fees because I took the time to give them a heads up, but I know my rent will be late costing a $50 fee. I have not a DIME in my wallet - luckily I have 3/4 tank of gas and food at my house...but only one cigarette left...my roommate gets paid on Thursday, so at least he'll be paying me some rent money then. I'll have some cash for the trip to LA I have to make Thursday-Sunday for work. As for my pay check? I guess I just have to call BofA again tomorrow to find out where it landed...and then pray that ACH kicked it back to my employer and that "several days" means I can have a check by the end of the week...not that it matters much since I have to leave Thursday at lunch to go to Los Angeles. FUCKIN' A!
The ONLY saving grace here is that back in 2004, I opened an account at Navy Federal Credit Union through my stepdad's suggestion. I have never used the account and there is no money in it - but the account is active and I called today to get it all set up. Checks are ordered and on their way, my Visa Check Card is in the mail with my PIN already selected, and I got the routing number so I could get my direct deposit switched to that bank. While it's good that I'll be back in the banking business in 7-10 business days, the draw back is that the closest local branch is 90 miles away...not really an issue since I can withdraw money at various ATM's in town at no charge, the majority of my money is directly deposited to my account, and I can still pay bills online. Only difference is that I LIKE credit unions and I can't deposit money into my account in town...I have to either send it into the bank or drive 90 miles. I'm okay with that, and glad that I didn't have to fuss with opening a new bank account today - with the chaos of BofA, I doubt any one would give me an account anyway.
So here I am - a wasted day off work, no cash, smoking my last cigarette, and no idea where my pay check will land. Hey, at least I won $50 in Starbucks gift cards last night - I can have free coffee until my pay check or roommate comes through :)
So September is always an expensive month for me because the fair is in session. I generally spend every last dime I have buying supplies that the district doesn't cover (they don't have purchase orders accessible to me everywhere), I have to eat out many times because I don't always have time to rush home, etc. So officially? I'm completely broke. Not more than a few cents in my wallet...but, no worries, because today is pay day!
So I signed onto my bank account last night to see if my direct deposit had gone through yet...nope. No worries, because it typically doesn't come in until about 2:30am. So, I went to bed, eager for my pay check to hit my account so I can pay bills, book my plane ticket to Connecticut to see JJ later this month, and have money in my pocket again while I wait for reimbursement from the district for supplies. Money's not tight for me anymore - I have to be thrifty, but my bills are all handled and life is generally good. I have extra money in my pocket (except in September) and have no major financial issues.
I wake up this morning and start the ritual of checking my e-mail - yup, the e-mail from BofA is in there telling me that my direct deposit has been posted...so I head to BofA to verify the amount and then continue to pay my bills online.
As I log into BofA, which I had just done the night before, I am denied access to my account...what? I call the 800 number listed...they tell me that my account is pending closure by risk support?! After being connected to risk support, they tell me that risk support is a computer who analyzes customers and decides when they are no longer "good" customers. Apparently because of two bounced checks (one in August and one this month - BOTH of which I corrected immediately), the computer decided to close my account without notice to me. My account is NOT in the negative, but my account is pending closure. The only person who can assist me is a bank manager...or, at least, that's what I'm told. Apparently the bank manager can do a "cease closure override" and reopen my account. So, dude on the phone tells me that the banks around here open at 8am - which I never knew because I'm at work at that time. Frustrated, I call in sick to work, rush to school to leave some lesson plans for my substitute, and head to the bank.
I got there at 8am...to find that the bank doesn't open until 9am. SO - I sit in the parking lot for an hour, not wanting to waste gas and having nothing else to do, playing "Oregon Trail" on my cell phone (cool game!). The bank finally opens and I sit down with some big wig to figure out what's going on with my account...at this point, FUCK BofA, I just want my pay check. It only comes once a month and I need to pay bills! This lady contacts Risk Support, ACH, etc. and can't do anything for me. She tells me that the only person who can get BofA to open my account long enough for ACH to deposit my pay check and get me my money is a bank manager...and, of course, hers is on vacation. Lucky for me, the closest next branch is a few miles down the road...so off I go.
At this point, I'm almost in tears...where is my money? I'm a freakin' school teacher - all money I have in my savings account is frozen, I can't even GET my pay check which I need desperately...wtf!? The manager at the next branch makes a couple calls to find out where my money is. ACH tells her that the deposit to my account is pending, and hasn't "hard posted" to my account yet. It won't be until tomorrow that ACH can tell me if the money will be deposited in my now closed account (yeah, between the time I woke up and now my account went from "pending closure" to "closed") or if it will be kicked back to my employer. This manager can't do shit for me, and the only thing she offers is a "customer solutions" number. She didn't even offer to do a "cease closure" as I was promised on the phone earlier (fuck it - I don't want BofA anyway) and she can't get my money.
So I call "customer solutions" and they have nothing for me...I get transferred to Risk Support AGAIN and they claim to have sent me a letter regarding my account closure. Seriously? I CHECK and READ all of my mail. NOTHING has been sent to me - not being able to log in this morning was the first time I knew of ANY negative activity taken by my bank. All I can do now is wait until tomorrow and call BofA again to see what ACH did with my paycheck - if it went into the closed account? MAYBE the manager can get it for me...more than likely, ACH will kick back the payment to my employer. When I called my employer? They told me that if ACH kicks back the deposit, it will take "several days" for them to cut me a check and that I will receive a phone call when they do so that I can head to the district office to pick up my check.
FUCK BofA. Seriously. FUCK THEM. Why wasn't I told about any of this? Why do they have to fuck me over on pay day - when I desperately need that money? I timed everything right...I spent my last few dollars in my wallet yesterday, I'm down to one cigarette now...bills are due tomorrow...everything would have been FINE had BofA not fucked me over. After getting off the phone for the last time, I threw myself on my bed and just BAWLED. What the hell am I going to do? My bills are going to be late now, and I've contacted them all to explain why my payments will be late - some are cutting me slack on late fees because I took the time to give them a heads up, but I know my rent will be late costing a $50 fee. I have not a DIME in my wallet - luckily I have 3/4 tank of gas and food at my house...but only one cigarette left...my roommate gets paid on Thursday, so at least he'll be paying me some rent money then. I'll have some cash for the trip to LA I have to make Thursday-Sunday for work. As for my pay check? I guess I just have to call BofA again tomorrow to find out where it landed...and then pray that ACH kicked it back to my employer and that "several days" means I can have a check by the end of the week...not that it matters much since I have to leave Thursday at lunch to go to Los Angeles. FUCKIN' A!
The ONLY saving grace here is that back in 2004, I opened an account at Navy Federal Credit Union through my stepdad's suggestion. I have never used the account and there is no money in it - but the account is active and I called today to get it all set up. Checks are ordered and on their way, my Visa Check Card is in the mail with my PIN already selected, and I got the routing number so I could get my direct deposit switched to that bank. While it's good that I'll be back in the banking business in 7-10 business days, the draw back is that the closest local branch is 90 miles away...not really an issue since I can withdraw money at various ATM's in town at no charge, the majority of my money is directly deposited to my account, and I can still pay bills online. Only difference is that I LIKE credit unions and I can't deposit money into my account in town...I have to either send it into the bank or drive 90 miles. I'm okay with that, and glad that I didn't have to fuss with opening a new bank account today - with the chaos of BofA, I doubt any one would give me an account anyway.
So here I am - a wasted day off work, no cash, smoking my last cigarette, and no idea where my pay check will land. Hey, at least I won $50 in Starbucks gift cards last night - I can have free coffee until my pay check or roommate comes through :)