Complaint Review: Bank Of America - Nashville Tennessee

Cory, A suggestion for you, and to anyone else who have been ripped off in the past by customers giving you checks that come back NSF, you may want to tell them that from now on you will ONLY accept Cashiers Checks, Money Orders, something that has quaranteed funds or Cash. And that that's the ONLY way that you will do business with them. You may lose a customer or two because of them not wanting to do it. But the honest ones should understand. Hope this might help.

Well "D" you assumed. Regardless it is food for thought for businesses to consider that practice. As far as your other assumption that I must be doing someting under the table is a laughable attack on my person. Personal attacks are the weakest form of arguement. You as a banker of all people should know people receive checks for any number of reasons that does not involve an established business. Whether it be personal (paying off a personal debt or loan etc...). They are not customers per se but were involved in some kind of monetary transaction. For me to have to explain this to you seems rather ludicrous. I will let you try and guess what my bank is, most likely if you look out your window at work it might be right across the street from you. It is a major bank, and for all others intersted it should not take many calls to major banks to find out which one it is... do you need another hint? As far as your last statement that you are proud your bank charges $5 to cash a check--- well I don't think I need to respond to that one. Good bye

All those people who are implying that the only reason a person would cash a check, are full of it. I got the same line of BS when I went to bank one. The argument didn't hold water then and it doesn't now. One reason to cash a check is to MAKE SURE a person gets his/her money. Another reason is to find out if the check is any good. When time is a factor, that is THE ONLY WAY to find out for sure. I have a business and before I release goods to a customer, I need to know if the check is good. Calling the bank does no good. You get the standard"The check is good AT THIS TIME" I know of some crooks who deposited $6,000 into an account and wrote 3 $6,000 checks. The first company at the bank collected their money, the other two were out of luck. I'm sure all three called the bank and got the "the check is good at this time." bank one tried to tell me about tax evasion. I told them fine. Issue me a cashier's check payable to my company name, not me. Wouldn't do it. They had the gall to tell me "deposit it into your account and wait and see if it comes back NSF." That really helps alot. BOA's charging $5 to cash a check. One time I received a check from a customer. I needed to verify it. Called the 800 number. They asked if I was a customer of the bank. said no. They said there was a $4 service charge, TO VERIFY THE CHECK. Are they INSANE. I could put it on my Visa or MC. I called the customer up and told him his check was no good. Let him screw with his bank. I'm not going to deal with it. I don't take bank one checks, if BOA starts that crap, they'll be on the list too. I liked the comment about all the other guys are doing, just because they are, does that make it right? My granddaughter tries that same argument. Banks, you do what you have to do and we'll do what we have to do.

Carlos, I thought that you had some kind of business when you stated "When taking a check from a Bank of America customer I always insist they add an extra $5 to the amount. The reason I is I expect to collect the full amount that is owed to me when getting paid". Your statment suggests that you are doing something that you will be PAID for. Unless you are doing something, shall we say "under the table". And most people usually you don't get "PAID" from friends. And if your bank doesn't charge ANYONE to cash a check drawn on them, if they don't have an account with them, then they must not be one of the 10 largest banks in the country. And I am PROUD to say that I DO WORK for one of the top 10 banks in the country and that we do charge non account holders to cash their paychecks. Have a nice day.

In response to Robert. I am not sure what rebuttal you were reading but it was not mines. Nowhere in my statements did I claim to own a business. My bank does not charge payees to cash my issued checks, that is nice to know, you see because it is the principle of the thing, yes Principles, which apparently BOA does not have. There are various reason why someone would cash a check from the bank it is drawn from, perhaps you did not read the other peoples statements. As for your incinuations on said "business" you do not realize how you are contradicting yourself by saying they don't usually take checks, yet this entire topic is about taking checks. I wonder if you would have written that if I were John from Omaha, NE. Robert, you claim to have a business but I really wonder what it is. As for D, you sound like a BOA employee using scare tactics. You seem frightened by my suggestion. It is not a matter of trust it is a matter of fact that the payee will be be charged. Additionally, if every business did it they could state to the customer "most businesses are doing it" just like BOA might say. And by the way I would rather deal in cash than be a BOA customer. Have a nice day.

In response to Robert. I am not sure what rebuttal you were reading but it was not mines. Nowhere in my statements did I claim to own a business. My bank does not charge payees to cash my issued checks, that is nice to know, you see because it is the principle of the thing, yes Principles, which apparently BOA does not have. There are various reason why someone would cash a check from the bank it is drawn from, perhaps you did not read the other peoples statements. As for your incinuations on said "business" you do not realize how you are contradicting yourself by saying they don't usually take checks, yet this entire topic is about taking checks. I wonder if you would have written that if I were John from Omaha, NE. Robert, you claim to have a business but I really wonder what it is. As for D, you sound like a BOA employee using scare tactics. You seem frightened by my suggestion. It is not a matter of trust it is a matter of fact that the payee will be be charged. Additionally, if every business did it they could state to the customer "most businesses are doing it" just like BOA might say. And by the way I would rather deal in cash than be a BOA customer. Have a nice day.

In response to Robert. I am not sure what rebuttal you were reading but it was not mines. Nowhere in my statements did I claim to own a business. My bank does not charge payees to cash my issued checks, that is nice to know, you see because it is the principle of the thing, yes Principles, which apparently BOA does not have. There are various reason why someone would cash a check from the bank it is drawn from, perhaps you did not read the other peoples statements. As for your incinuations on said "business" you do not realize how you are contradicting yourself by saying they don't usually take checks, yet this entire topic is about taking checks. I wonder if you would have written that if I were John from Omaha, NE. Robert, you claim to have a business but I really wonder what it is. As for D, you sound like a BOA employee using scare tactics. You seem frightened by my suggestion. It is not a matter of trust it is a matter of fact that the payee will be be charged. Additionally, if every business did it they could state to the customer "most businesses are doing it" just like BOA might say. And by the way I would rather deal in cash than be a BOA customer. Have a nice day.

In response to Robert. I am not sure what rebuttal you were reading but it was not mines. Nowhere in my statements did I claim to own a business. My bank does not charge payees to cash my issued checks, that is nice to know, you see because it is the principle of the thing, yes Principles, which apparently BOA does not have. There are various reason why someone would cash a check from the bank it is drawn from, perhaps you did not read the other peoples statements. As for your incinuations on said "business" you do not realize how you are contradicting yourself by saying they don't usually take checks, yet this entire topic is about taking checks. I wonder if you would have written that if I were John from Omaha, NE. Robert, you claim to have a business but I really wonder what it is. As for D, you sound like a BOA employee using scare tactics. You seem frightened by my suggestion. It is not a matter of trust it is a matter of fact that the payee will be be charged. Additionally, if every business did it they could state to the customer "most businesses are doing it" just like BOA might say. And by the way I would rather deal in cash than be a BOA customer. Have a nice day.

I work at a very large Bank, not BOA, but another one just as large. We do not charge for this service, but we do have a policy that we can only cash checks drawn on us for non-customers for a certain amount. These policies are to protect the bank as well as the customer. With so much identity theft these days, some banks feel this is the only way to recover bad checks they may recieve. If you go into a bank to cash a check, the bank does not have a copy of every customers signature to make sure that person really wrote the check. People come in all the time with problems of people taking one check out thier supply and cashing it. People steal. We recieve e-mails every day about stolen checks. If you run out of a book of checks and grab the next book, only to find one is missing, should you be responsible? I personaly don't think so. Then you have the people making fake checks!!!(Not as easy as you think to catch with all the resources available today) Usually when a new fee is initiated, it is for a reason, to cover loss mostly. The chances of collecting money from someone who cashed a stolen or forged check is almost impossible. That is why a lot of banks require you to have an account even if it is a check drawn from that bank you want to cash it at,so they can collect it from the account if there is a problem. I am in no way defending BOA, I believe if you have a problem to a point you need to add fees, other policies need to be revised. I also don't totally blame BOA. I think it is more the fault of the people who cash bad checks, steal checks and otherwise rip people off. I understand your point of view, as my husband has had to cash checks instead of depositing so they wouldn't bounce, I just wanted to give you a different point of view.

Good idea Carlos. Many customers don't have any idea how bad banks and credit card companies treat merchants. They don't know about fees and such we put up with. In my opinion, bank one is the worst, then BOA. When we say "That will $5 extra" and they say "But why?" We can say "Because BOA charges us $5 to cash your check." I guarantee they aren't going to be unhappy with us, they're going to be unhappy with BOA.

I can only think of ONE "business" that would NOT wish to have a bank account with which to handle financial transactions. Being in Miami is not negating my point here. And I don't think too many of those involved with said "business" take checks at all. So, what kind of business are you in Carlos? I've never heard of a legitimate business that did not have a checking account. You can make all the deposits you want for free. Hell, I use BoA for my business and have free everything with them. I don't pay any fees for anything on any of my accounts...business checking, personal checking, savings, equity-line. I don't pay anything at Navy Federal Credit Union either. I suspect you guys don't know what you're doing.

If you do what Carlos has in mind, we will start to see your businesses with "going out of business" signs up. You will be telling you customers that you "DON'T TRUST THEM AS CUSTOMERS" AND they will start going to other places to do their business. And Carlos, you will probably ONLY deal with cash in the future. Have a nice day.

When taking a check from a Bank of America customer I always insist they add an extra $5to the amount. The reason I is I expect to collect the full amount that is owed to me when getting paid. I should not have to bear the burden of their choice of bank. If everybody starts doing this, BOA will start losing customers and they will get the message.

I too had to pay Bank of America $5.00 ea. week to cash my payroll checks, I had no choice. My employer banked with BofA and his checks had bounced so often that MY bank put a 4 day hold on ALL my payroll checks..if i needed my money right away, i HAD to cash them at BofA and pay their ridiculous fee for that "privilege" In my Opinion ..a $5 fee to cash THEIR checks, regardless of the circumstances,..is Greed with a capitol G. Its quite Obvious that money matters to Bank of America...NOT people ..and BofA is SOOO big..they don't have to care what the people think. ..that too is Obvious.

I didn't say it was right and I do think banks tend to take advantage of people. I handle payroll and I made a deal with the bank I decided to use that any of my employees could cash their check at the bank at no charge as long as they had the proper ID. I then advised my employees what form of ID would be required if they wished to cash a check. It worked out great, but if I had a huge payroll, the bank might not have agreed. I opened a payroll checking account and a money market account in order to get this type of deal. Banks are like any other type of service. Sometimes you need to shop around to get the right one.

I didn't say it was right and I do think banks tend to take advantage of people. I handle payroll and I made a deal with the bank I decided to use that any of my employees could cash their check at the bank at no charge as long as they had the proper ID. I then advised my employees what form of ID would be required if they wished to cash a check. It worked out great, but if I had a huge payroll, the bank might not have agreed. I opened a payroll checking account and a money market account in order to get this type of deal. Banks are like any other type of service. Sometimes you need to shop around to get the right one.

And a demand item is payable at any branch of the bank upon which it is drawn. You have heard of a little thing called the Uniform Commercial Code? The bank is already charging their "customer" on maintenance fees, etc. What gives them the right to "double dip", in clear violation of the UCC? I just left BOA after a four year banking relationship. Why? I went in to cash a check I received (drawn also on BOA), didn't have my Check Card with me that day, so they charged me (customer with checking, savings, and a $43,000 CD)$5.00 to cash this check. Not in another branch, but my regular branch. My CD matures on the 12th of January. It will be following me to my local credit union, which will pay me over 3% compared to BOA's paltry 1%. Best of all is the personalized service I receive from them, unlike BOA, who acts as if they are doing me a favor by allowing me to deposit money in their bank.

The banks are double dipping. They are charging their own customers to provide a service for that customer, which is what banks do, then they turn around and charge the customer's "client" for the same service. What it boils down to is charging twice for the same service. The way I got around it was to open a savings account with $5. That way I am a "customer" of the bank and don't have to pay any ripoff check cashing fees. Just another way for the banks to screw the public. It's interesting that the posts posted by the bank people see nothing wrong with the concept of trying to fleece people. What the public would never have stood for a few years ago is now an "acceptable banking pratice" because everyone is doing it. That doesn't make it right.

Unfortunately, some larger banks won't cash a check at all for you unless you personally have an account there. Even our small local bank does not cash checks unless you have an account at the bank. They send you off to your own bank. I realize it isn't fair and causes customers a lot of hassles, but it seems to be the norm these days.

It doesn't seem fair for them to charge to cash a check writen to you by one of their account holders but they are right, most banks are doing this. I had this problem myself not long ago with a check written to me on a BOA account. My bank, Union Planters, wanted to put a 2 day hold on the check. I needed the money quicker than that. At least BOA agreed to swap the check for a cashiers check for free and my bank took that check as a deposit with no hold time. It was a waste of my time to get it done. Whatever happened to a check being legal tender on the bank it is written on etc. etc. and all the other stuff checks are based on? I hate all the things banks do for extra fees now but seems nobody is stopping them and they all do it sooner or later. I tip toe through their system making sure I never let them win by charging me an extra fee. That's why I made 2 trips to the bank to get that money deposited immediatly in my Union Planters account. Most of the extra fees banks charge these days like the cascading overdraft fees or the ATM convenience fees don't bother me because I know what to do to avoid them. It's the "cash their own check fee" that bugs me. Maybe one of the bank employees can respond on why you don't have legal right to have that check converted into cash when it's written to you on their bank without paying a fee.

It doesn't seem fair for them to charge to cash a check writen to you by one of their account holders but they are right, most banks are doing this. I had this problem myself not long ago with a check written to me on a BOA account. My bank, Union Planters, wanted to put a 2 day hold on the check. I needed the money quicker than that. At least BOA agreed to swap the check for a cashiers check for free and my bank took that check as a deposit with no hold time. It was a waste of my time to get it done. Whatever happened to a check being legal tender on the bank it is written on etc. etc. and all the other stuff checks are based on? I hate all the things banks do for extra fees now but seems nobody is stopping them and they all do it sooner or later. I tip toe through their system making sure I never let them win by charging me an extra fee. That's why I made 2 trips to the bank to get that money deposited immediatly in my Union Planters account. Most of the extra fees banks charge these days like the cascading overdraft fees or the ATM convenience fees don't bother me because I know what to do to avoid them. It's the "cash their own check fee" that bugs me. Maybe one of the bank employees can respond on why you don't have legal right to have that check converted into cash when it's written to you on their bank without paying a fee.

It doesn't seem fair for them to charge to cash a check writen to you by one of their account holders but they are right, most banks are doing this. I had this problem myself not long ago with a check written to me on a BOA account. My bank, Union Planters, wanted to put a 2 day hold on the check. I needed the money quicker than that. At least BOA agreed to swap the check for a cashiers check for free and my bank took that check as a deposit with no hold time. It was a waste of my time to get it done. Whatever happened to a check being legal tender on the bank it is written on etc. etc. and all the other stuff checks are based on? I hate all the things banks do for extra fees now but seems nobody is stopping them and they all do it sooner or later. I tip toe through their system making sure I never let them win by charging me an extra fee. That's why I made 2 trips to the bank to get that money deposited immediatly in my Union Planters account. Most of the extra fees banks charge these days like the cascading overdraft fees or the ATM convenience fees don't bother me because I know what to do to avoid them. It's the "cash their own check fee" that bugs me. Maybe one of the bank employees can respond on why you don't have legal right to have that check converted into cash when it's written to you on their bank without paying a fee.

It doesn't seem fair for them to charge to cash a check writen to you by one of their account holders but they are right, most banks are doing this. I had this problem myself not long ago with a check written to me on a BOA account. My bank, Union Planters, wanted to put a 2 day hold on the check. I needed the money quicker than that. At least BOA agreed to swap the check for a cashiers check for free and my bank took that check as a deposit with no hold time. It was a waste of my time to get it done. Whatever happened to a check being legal tender on the bank it is written on etc. etc. and all the other stuff checks are based on? I hate all the things banks do for extra fees now but seems nobody is stopping them and they all do it sooner or later. I tip toe through their system making sure I never let them win by charging me an extra fee. That's why I made 2 trips to the bank to get that money deposited immediatly in my Union Planters account. Most of the extra fees banks charge these days like the cascading overdraft fees or the ATM convenience fees don't bother me because I know what to do to avoid them. It's the "cash their own check fee" that bugs me. Maybe one of the bank employees can respond on why you don't have legal right to have that check converted into cash when it's written to you on their bank without paying a fee.

It sounds as if you were not a customer at BOA. So why should they cash a check for you for free? They are providing you a service and it is up to you whether to pay for that sevice or not. This is how the banks are making so much money - by charging these fees to non-customers and other fees to regular customers too in the form of higher minimums for 'free' checking, etc.

In responce to David of Naples, FL. I did walk out and take it to my bank. I live 56 miles from work and simply wanted to cash my check near work that day. You must be a teller or employee of BOA to ask such a question, you seem to have the same inpersonal attitude most tellers at BOA have. Your question is irrellevent and does nothing to address the actual problem. BOA and all of its sister banks are de-personalizing the banking business with the goal of simply making more money. While profit is paramount to all businesses, there is a difference between simply being sucessfull and down right greedy. And by the way, I just found out that BOAs canned answer "all the banks are doing it" is true, all of the banks BOA ownes under numerious corporate names are charging the same fee. The good news is, BOA does not own all the banks, not yet anyway. God help this country if someday they do own all the banks.

Why didn't you just walk out with the check and take it to your bank?