Bank of America Wrongly Charging Fees
Date: Thu, 09/24/2009 - 13:31
Hi Everyone!
So, here's the deal. A couple weeks ago, Moneygram accidentally put a hold on two transactions on my Bank of America checking account when they should have only put a hold on one. The second hold caused my account to temporarily go negative, but I still had a positive balance, due to the fact that it was a hold and not a debit. As soon as I saw the mistake, I immediately contacted Moneygram about the issue. They told me it would fall off within the next few days. All of this occurred on 9/11/2009.
On 9/14/2009 ONE transaction cleared my bank account. I had sufficient funds to clear this transaction. On 9/15/2009 the second hold disappeared from my bank account entirely.. as though it never existed. Still, I had sufficient funds for all other transactions in my account. At the same time on 9/15/2009 the first transaction that had already cleared my bank account was returned by my bank and I was charged a $35 returned check fee. Due to the fact that I only periodically check my bank account online and didn't take the $35 returned check fee into account until I saw it days later, I continued under the balance I had on record and made other transactions. The $35 caused my account to go negative after a few more transactions and I found myself with $140 additional fees for overdraft charges. I want to note that if you subtract the $175 in fees and my account balance I have a positive balance in my checking account. As a result I am negative a significant amount of money.
I spoke with their online customer service, in which they were unable to help me. On 9/21/2009 (Monday) I went to my local branch and spoke with the branch manager. He told me I needed verification from Moneygram stating only one transaction was supposed to go through, which I don't understand because one transaction cleared, the other disappeared. That is an issue between Moneygram and me, not my bank and me. Moneygram hasn't been able to give me any verification I only owed one amount, because they only have standardized letters and beyond a standardized letter must be approved through their legal department.
I have contacted a lawyer and they are willing to talk with the branch manager on my behalf to get the fees that were wrongly taken out refunded. I shouldn't be held responsible for Moneygram or Bank of America's mistakes. Basically, if my attorney is unable to get anywhere with Bank of America, or he agrees o terms I am not comfortable with, what should my next step be? Who can I go to in order to apply more pressure to Bank of America? Is small claims a possibility? My attorney is working pro bono and I do not want to bother him more than I have to because he is a very busy man. Any advice would be greatly appreciated :) Thanks!
So, here's the deal. A couple weeks ago, Moneygram accidentally put a hold on two transactions on my Bank of America checking account when they should have only put a hold on one. The second hold caused my account to temporarily go negative, but I still had a positive balance, due to the fact that it was a hold and not a debit. As soon as I saw the mistake, I immediately contacted Moneygram about the issue. They told me it would fall off within the next few days. All of this occurred on 9/11/2009.
On 9/14/2009 ONE transaction cleared my bank account. I had sufficient funds to clear this transaction. On 9/15/2009 the second hold disappeared from my bank account entirely.. as though it never existed. Still, I had sufficient funds for all other transactions in my account. At the same time on 9/15/2009 the first transaction that had already cleared my bank account was returned by my bank and I was charged a $35 returned check fee. Due to the fact that I only periodically check my bank account online and didn't take the $35 returned check fee into account until I saw it days later, I continued under the balance I had on record and made other transactions. The $35 caused my account to go negative after a few more transactions and I found myself with $140 additional fees for overdraft charges. I want to note that if you subtract the $175 in fees and my account balance I have a positive balance in my checking account. As a result I am negative a significant amount of money.
I spoke with their online customer service, in which they were unable to help me. On 9/21/2009 (Monday) I went to my local branch and spoke with the branch manager. He told me I needed verification from Moneygram stating only one transaction was supposed to go through, which I don't understand because one transaction cleared, the other disappeared. That is an issue between Moneygram and me, not my bank and me. Moneygram hasn't been able to give me any verification I only owed one amount, because they only have standardized letters and beyond a standardized letter must be approved through their legal department.
I have contacted a lawyer and they are willing to talk with the branch manager on my behalf to get the fees that were wrongly taken out refunded. I shouldn't be held responsible for Moneygram or Bank of America's mistakes. Basically, if my attorney is unable to get anywhere with Bank of America, or he agrees o terms I am not comfortable with, what should my next step be? Who can I go to in order to apply more pressure to Bank of America? Is small claims a possibility? My attorney is working pro bono and I do not want to bother him more than I have to because he is a very busy man. Any advice would be greatly appreciated :) Thanks!
Bank of America is not at fault....Monogram is. They should be
Bank of America is not at fault....Monogram is. They should be refunding you the fees, not BofA.
I'm sorry, but that is actually incorrect, because all Moneygram
I'm sorry, but that is actually incorrect, because all Moneygram had on the second transaction was a hold, not a debit. Bank of America's policy is when it is actually being drawn out, which never occurred. The transaction I had enough money to cover was the one that was returned.