DON'T LET FIRST UNION STEAL YOUR HARD EARNED DOLLARS
MY NAME IS TIFFANY ALSTON AND ON 11/27/00 I WENT TO THE LOCAL FIRST UNION BANK TO HAVE MY ACCOUNT CLOSED. I WAS TOLD THAT MY ACCOUNT COULD NOT BE CLOSED UNTIL I PAID THE $90.00 DOLLARS THAT MY ACCOUNT WAS OVERDRAWN. I PAID THE $90.00 AND MY ACCOUNT WAS CLOSED. I WAS HANDED THE CONFIRMATION LETTER FROM FIRST UNION THAT MY ACCOUNT WAS CLOSED.
I THEN ASKED THE BANK REP. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SOMEONE TRIED TO PRESENT A CHECK TO BE CASHED IN MY CLOSED ACCOUNT. I WAS TOLD THAT THE CECK WOULD BE RETURNED TO THE SENDER. WELL ABOUT A MONTH LATER FIRST UNION BEGAN SENDING ME LETTERS SO I WENT TO THE BANK TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS.
I WAS TOLD MY ACCOUNT WAS AGAIN IN THE NEGATIVE BT THIS TIME BY $160.00. I ASKED THE DRIVE UP TELLER HOW DID THIS HAPPEN SHE DID'NT KNOW AND TOLD ME TO RETURN THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY TO TALK WITH SOMEONE IN THE OFFICE. WELL I COULD'NT WAIT THAT LONG SO I WENT STRAIT HOME AND CALLED THE 1-800 NUMBER ON MY OLD BANK CARD.I ASKED SHERRIE HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? SHE EXPLAINED THAT BECAUSE SOMEONE HAD PRESENTED A CHECK TO MY CLOSED ACCOUNT, TO CASH IT MY ACCOUNT HAD TO BE REOPENED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. MY ACCOUNT BEING CLOSED HAD NO MONEY IN IT,SO THEY PAID THE 50.00 TO THE PRESENTER OF THE CHECK. THEN THEY CHARGED ME THE $50.00, A $30.00 BOUNCED CHECK FEE, $17.00 FOR HAVING AN OPENED ACCOUNT,AND $6.00 ONLINE BANKING FEE.
I OFFERED TO PAY THE MONEY SO THAT I COULD CLOSE MY ACCOUNT. I WAS TOLD THAT THE DEPARTMENT THAT TOOK THE MONEY HAD GONE HOME AND I WOULD HAVE TO CALL BACK AT A LATER DATE TO PAY. AND I MUST PAY BEFORE THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO CLOSE MY ACCOUNT. I CALLED BACK THE NEXT DAY TO FIND OUT THAT THEY HAD SENT MY ACCOUNT TO THE FIRST UNION RECOVERY DEPARTMENT. BECAUSE THEY HAD TO SEND MY ACCOUNT TO THE RECOVERY DEPARTMENT THEY WERE ADDING AN ADDITIONAL $30.00 TO THE ACCOUNT THAT THEY REOPENED FOR ME. STEPHANIE DUNKAN SAID THAT THEY WERE GOING TO REFUND ME $154.00 AND FOR ME TO PAY THEM $38.58. STILL UPSET I WENT TO THE BANK TO PAY THIS AMOUNT.
I CALLED FIRST UNION BACK TO TELL THEM THAT I PAID THE AGREED AMOUNT AND CLOSE MY ACCOUNT AND FAX ME PROOF OF THE CLOSING. LAURA SAID THEY HAD'NT DEDUCTED ANYTHING AND THEY WANTED ME TO PAY THEM $190.00. BECAUSE SHERRIE,AUINTANA AND LISA ALL THREATEND TO RUIN MY CREDIT I PAID THEM THE 35.00 DOLLAR AND THEN 190.00 SO THAT MY ACCOUNT WOULD NOT GO TO A COLLECTION AGENCY.
MY HUSBAND AND I ARE TRYING TO SECURE A LOAN FROM SOME LENDERS TO PURCHASE OUR FIRST HOME SO I COULD'NT LET FIRST UNION DESTROY OUR DREAMS. DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU. BUT I AM GETTING A LAWYER AND I PLAN TO TAKE THEM TO COURT. I ALSO PLAN TO GET A PERMIT AND PICKET IN FRONT OF THAT FIRST UNION AND WHAT EVER ELSE I CAN THINK OF.
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6 Updates & Rebuttals
Anthony
Columbia,Maryland,
U.S.A.
A Closed Account is a Closed Account (500X)
#7Consumer Comment
Mon, March 10, 2003
Robin-
I agreed with the original contention (and yours) that the bank was absolutely 100% wrong in charging fees to a closed account.
The original poster gave us no details as to how a check came to be presented on her closed account. You have chosen to guess on her behalf and have produced some plausible explanations. That's fine. In the absence of definitive information, I am entitled to my suspicions.
Once again - THE BANK WAS WRONG!
Anthony
Columbia,Maryland,
U.S.A.
A Closed Account is a Closed Account (500X)
#7Consumer Comment
Mon, March 10, 2003
Robin-
I agreed with the original contention (and yours) that the bank was absolutely 100% wrong in charging fees to a closed account.
The original poster gave us no details as to how a check came to be presented on her closed account. You have chosen to guess on her behalf and have produced some plausible explanations. That's fine. In the absence of definitive information, I am entitled to my suspicions.
Once again - THE BANK WAS WRONG!
Anthony
Columbia,Maryland,
U.S.A.
A Closed Account is a Closed Account (500X)
#7Consumer Comment
Mon, March 10, 2003
Robin-
I agreed with the original contention (and yours) that the bank was absolutely 100% wrong in charging fees to a closed account.
The original poster gave us no details as to how a check came to be presented on her closed account. You have chosen to guess on her behalf and have produced some plausible explanations. That's fine. In the absence of definitive information, I am entitled to my suspicions.
Once again - THE BANK WAS WRONG!
Robin
Waldron,Arkansas,
U.S.A.
Advice for Anthony...
#7Consumer Comment
Fri, March 07, 2003
Anthony,
I am sick of all you skeptics who have nothing better to do than bash folks with problems. Tiffany did not specify why she had her account closed- perhaps she knew that someone had stolen some checks or that she had inadvertently thrown some checks out; perhaps she lost her checkbook. What difference does it make??!!!
In any of the above instances, she did exactly what she should have done: CLOSED THE ACCOUNT!! I am sure she told the bank what the trouble was (maybe she was sick of getting charged for everything in the world; fees, fees, fees). Who cares?
First Union closed the account and should have returned any checks presented against it UNPAID! A closed account is a CLOSED account.Big banks are notorious for this BS. A closed account makes them no money. But if they pay a check drawn against a closed account they can start drawing fees, which are the manna of life to them. It's easy money to them as they already had Tiffany's information and the ability to ruin her credit. If you think they will not find a way to get into your pocket at every opportunity (even after you kiss them off), you are seriously deluded.
What good would it do Tiffany to write a check against a closed account? The bank would do just what they are doing; come after HER.
You are guilty of not thinking before you accuse; your punishment will be to actually read all these reports concerning banks with your eyes open and repeat to yourself five hundred times: "A CLOSED ACCOUNT IS A CLOSED ACCOUNT" until you actually understand the meaning of the words you are repeating. And learn to read what you are preparing to post lest it make you sound
like an idiot!
Tiffany, see a lawyer!
Anthony
Columbia,Maryland,
U.S.A.
Do I detect a little deception?
#7Consumer Comment
Fri, March 07, 2003
Dunno, but it sounds fishy.
According to your report, you made a point of inquiring about what would happen if someone presented a check on the account after it was closed. Satisfied that such a check couldn't be honored, you closed the account. By some freaky coincidence, someone DID present a check on the closed account. THese are things that make one say, "Hmmmmm."
I certainly agree that they shouldn't be able to "reopen" an account and charge up a bunch of fees, but it seems to me that you were trying to pull a fast one yourself.
You apparently wrote a check, either before or after closing your account(doesn't matter which), that you had no intention of paying. Right?
Jason
Titusville,Florida,
U.S.A.
I have had a lot of unexplained fines and overdraft charges and "service fees" and whatever else they can dream up.
#7Consumer Comment
Thu, March 06, 2003
Since I opened my checking account with First Union/Wachovia 1 year ago, I have had a lot of unexplained fines and overdraft charges and "service fees" and whatever else they can dream up. The scam that they are pulling is that they can juggle numbers around so that it looks like your deposit didn't make it in time so they can start bouncing checks. A couple of times, I went to the branch manager and got the charges refunded because they couldn't explain the charges either. First Union is a terrible bank and they steal hard-earned money from working class people. Every statement I get has some type of "fee" or "charge" or "fine" for something that shouldn't be on there. What they are doing should be considered criminal.