Complaint Review: Citizens Bank - Philadelphia Pennsylvania

I was the first to respond to this "complaint", and while I am glad you have found happiness elsewhere, Rosemary, I feel I should correct you on your assumption that I am an "idiot", or "bank teller trying to feel important". I am just someone who doesn't overdraft because I spend responsibly. I know when I'm broke, know when I have money, and there is no in-between. To borrow from your own quote, I'd be the "day" to your "night". Thus, I think your calling me an "idiot" is hilarious, but I'll go no further on that point. I stopped name-calling in high school. Nor have I ever been a teller, since I don't think I'd have the patience to deal with immature actions like this (you know--complaining when you're at fault, then insulting the intelligence of the person you're upset with at the moment--or whoever disagrees with you, behavior much like you displayed in your follow-ups.) I am also a former customer of Citizens myself. You talk about how their policy affects "real people". What you, amazingly, still fail to own up to is that the policy won't affect anybody WHEN IT IS FOLLOWED. Please stop painting yourself as a helpless person taken advantage of, and claim responsibility for yourself. And stop insulting others who don't sympathize. Has anybody here called you out of your name? I just don't get it. One works hard, tries to live below their means so that rainy days don't hit too hard...that's tough enough. But then to see someone who obviously doesn't put that effort in complain when the rules don't bend for her because she--I'm sorry, what was your excuse?--unacceptable, Rosemary. Unacceptable. I'm glad to know you're happier not being a customer of Citizens. You have to know, though, that your type of business is the kind they'd surely be glad to do without. Seeing as how you can't even respond to a disagreement on the internet without getting personal, I don't even have to ask how you handled yourself in person at the bank. I hope they helped you out the door as fast as they could, paid for your gas fare home to boot, and are glad you are now someone else's problem. Kudos to them. And good luck to you.

Just wanted all out there to know that banking with Commerce thus far has been a absolute pleasure! Definitly night and day. Yes, I have gotten an ATM Card and have had no additional problems. Yes, I've taken a better look at managing that check book. having had the horrible/horrific expeience with Citizens Bank has taught me to take a more proactive stance. Seriously, never in all of my years banking had I ever experienced this kind of problem before. The rebuttials seem to be full of people trying to defend a position that either I could not bank properly or should have read some fine print. while not really taking a look at the issue at hand which was this specific banks policy and procedures and how it ultimatly effects real people. (Bank teller's wanting to feel important.) Also, can not forsee any issues. (When using the card they seem to take automatic withdraw from aviable funds and printing the "live" actual balance in each reciept! (While not letting you withdraw funds that are not in your account.) Fantastic! What a novel idea! Did I mention they are open seven days a week and can issue a lost, stolen, or broken card the same day at their location. Woo h*o.

Just wanted all out there to know that banking with Commerce thus far has been a absoulte pleasure! Definitly night and day. Yes, I have gotten an ATM Card and have had no additional problems. Yes, I've taken a better look at managing that check book. having had the horrible/horrific expeience with Citizens Bank has taught me to take a more proactive stance. Seriously, never in all of my years banking had I ever experienced this kind of problem before. The rebuttials seem to be full of people trying to defend a position that either I could not bank properly or should have read some fine print. while not really taking a look at the issue at hand which was this specific banks policy and procedures and how it ultimatly effects real people. (Bank teller's wanting to feel important.) Also, can not forsee any issues. (When using the card they seem to take automatic withdraw from aviable funds and printing the "live" actual balance in each reciept! (While not letting you withdraw funds that are not in your account.) Fantastic! What a novel idea! Did I mention they are open seven days a week and can issue a lost, stolen, or broken card the same day at their location. Woo h*o.

Rosemary, if you know how to balance your checkbook, and you DO balance your checkbook, how do you ever swipe your card without there being funds available? Why are you using your debit card when you should KNOW you don't have the funds available, and that the bank is going to charge overdraft fees if you use the card IN SPITE of knowing you don't have sufficient cash in the account? You must do this somewhat regularly if the bank has received "upwards of a minimum of a thousand dollars on perhaps a succession of five to ten dollar withdraws totaling no more than a hundred dollars." In fact, most banks WILL let you do this. If you have found one that actually deactivates this for you, it'd be great to know what bank that is. Many, many people who read these reports would appreciate a bank that DOESN'T allow a customer to overdraft "as a courtesy". It sounds like you'd be better off not getting a new debit card at whatever bank you're with, if you intend to use it when you KNOW you don't have the funds available, because you balance your checkbook. It wasn't right for a bank employee to laugh at a customer, but if you have both done this, to the extent of a thousand dollars or more in overdraft fees, they were probably laughing because they couldn't believe the customer could be surprised about it!

Follow up. we closed our account with Citizen's Bank. Suprisingly, even after signing a slip that said "account closed" and liquided all funds they continued to allow a direct deposit (my employer was unable to delay the deposit and had assumed that the check would bounce back to their account and in the mean time activated a "live" check) go thru to the account two weeks after the fact, as well as several bill payments that were on automatic withdraw. yes, yes, these companyies were contacted as well. Have never had the experience of closing an account with a bank, then having the continuation of service regardless. Again, we called. the account was closed on the date we signed according to their records. more fee's, more time invested in getting the money, to where it actually need to be, more stress. Another "added value service" or part of "policy" that I obviously negelected to read as according to the rebuttal? Which by the way I think has some merit: "According to this idiot: we should all be responsible adults, able to balance check books. The policy is or should be limitless funds able to be withdraw using check/debit cards from large finacial instutions...everything at our descression and at our desposial. Wouldn't want to go on a trip and not be able to spend...or fill up a gas tank (who cares about the price) without having the horrific event of having a card taken away. Worse yet, out at a fancy dinner and have to wash dishes to pay for the meal. wow I change my mind EVERYONE RUN OUT TO CITIZEN'S THEY WON'T LEAVE YA IN A BIND as long as you don't mind the fees later on.

When you open a checking or savings account, all the bank policies are clearly listed. In order to open an account, you have to verify that you've received and understand that information. Therefore you would have seen that in order to prevent their customers from being humiliated in pressing situations, like when out to dinner, stuck in a bind while travelling, etc., some banks have a policy to allow spending beyond the checking account limits. And if this is a feature you were not comfortable with, you should have requested an account type more fitting to your spending habits, or at least one with overdraft protection. In your last paragraph you stated you know how to balance a check book. Then in the next line you did a 180 and said if you are able to swipe your card you assume the money is yours. Well, which is it? Do you know how to balance your book, or do you not bother and just swipe? Since you can't overdraft if you know how to and **actually** balance your checkbook, your knowledge of how to do so is irrelevant. The fact is you didn't, and it's nobody's fault but yours. So why blame the bank for penalizing you when you clearly were at fault? Nor can you call yourself unwitting if you've overdrafted by careless swiping not once but twice. All this shows is that you failed to take responsibility for your funds on more than one occasion and the bank supplied the service it said would be supplied. (Again, remember that policy statement you didn't read?) Would you rather have been stuck at the pump with no gas in the middle of a trip? Made to roll up your sleeves at a restaurant kitchen when you couldn't pay? Made to turn over your groceries at the front of a long line when your card got rejected? The fact is, Rosemary, that you would have been more upset to have your card seized. Then you'd be on the phone screaming about your humiliation. But that scenario didn't play out. You were kept from that type of emergency, but that came at a cost. Any time you spend beyond your means, it costs, be it from checking accounts or credit cards. For that reason, this complaint is laughable at best. If you want to do something about overdraft fees, take out your check register and use it.

When you open a checking or savings account, all the bank policies are clearly listed. In order to open an account, you have to verify that you've received and understand that information. Therefore you would have seen that in order to prevent their customers from being humiliated in pressing situations, like when out to dinner, stuck in a bind while travelling, etc., some banks have a policy to allow spending beyond the checking account limits. And if this is a feature you were not comfortable with, you should have requested an account type more fitting to your spending habits, or at least one with overdraft protection. In your last paragraph you stated you know how to balance a check book. Then in the next line you did a 180 and said if you are able to swipe your card you assume the money is yours. Well, which is it? Do you know how to balance your book, or do you not bother and just swipe? Since you can't overdraft if you know how to and **actually** balance your checkbook, your knowledge of how to do so is irrelevant. The fact is you didn't, and it's nobody's fault but yours. So why blame the bank for penalizing you when you clearly were at fault? Nor can you call yourself unwitting if you've overdrafted by careless swiping not once but twice. All this shows is that you failed to take responsibility for your funds on more than one occasion and the bank supplied the service it said would be supplied. (Again, remember that policy statement you didn't read?) Would you rather have been stuck at the pump with no gas in the middle of a trip? Made to roll up your sleeves at a restaurant kitchen when you couldn't pay? Made to turn over your groceries at the front of a long line when your card got rejected? The fact is, Rosemary, that you would have been more upset to have your card seized. Then you'd be on the phone screaming about your humiliation. But that scenario didn't play out. You were kept from that type of emergency, but that came at a cost. Any time you spend beyond your means, it costs, be it from checking accounts or credit cards. For that reason, this complaint is laughable at best. If you want to do something about overdraft fees, take out your check register and use it.

When you open a checking or savings account, all the bank policies are clearly listed. In order to open an account, you have to verify that you've received and understand that information. Therefore you would have seen that in order to prevent their customers from being humiliated in pressing situations, like when out to dinner, stuck in a bind while travelling, etc., some banks have a policy to allow spending beyond the checking account limits. And if this is a feature you were not comfortable with, you should have requested an account type more fitting to your spending habits, or at least one with overdraft protection. In your last paragraph you stated you know how to balance a check book. Then in the next line you did a 180 and said if you are able to swipe your card you assume the money is yours. Well, which is it? Do you know how to balance your book, or do you not bother and just swipe? Since you can't overdraft if you know how to and **actually** balance your checkbook, your knowledge of how to do so is irrelevant. The fact is you didn't, and it's nobody's fault but yours. So why blame the bank for penalizing you when you clearly were at fault? Nor can you call yourself unwitting if you've overdrafted by careless swiping not once but twice. All this shows is that you failed to take responsibility for your funds on more than one occasion and the bank supplied the service it said would be supplied. (Again, remember that policy statement you didn't read?) Would you rather have been stuck at the pump with no gas in the middle of a trip? Made to roll up your sleeves at a restaurant kitchen when you couldn't pay? Made to turn over your groceries at the front of a long line when your card got rejected? The fact is, Rosemary, that you would have been more upset to have your card seized. Then you'd be on the phone screaming about your humiliation. But that scenario didn't play out. You were kept from that type of emergency, but that came at a cost. Any time you spend beyond your means, it costs, be it from checking accounts or credit cards. For that reason, this complaint is laughable at best. If you want to do something about overdraft fees, take out your check register and use it.

When you open a checking or savings account, all the bank policies are clearly listed. In order to open an account, you have to verify that you've received and understand that information. Therefore you would have seen that in order to prevent their customers from being humiliated in pressing situations, like when out to dinner, stuck in a bind while travelling, etc., some banks have a policy to allow spending beyond the checking account limits. And if this is a feature you were not comfortable with, you should have requested an account type more fitting to your spending habits, or at least one with overdraft protection. In your last paragraph you stated you know how to balance a check book. Then in the next line you did a 180 and said if you are able to swipe your card you assume the money is yours. Well, which is it? Do you know how to balance your book, or do you not bother and just swipe? Since you can't overdraft if you know how to and **actually** balance your checkbook, your knowledge of how to do so is irrelevant. The fact is you didn't, and it's nobody's fault but yours. So why blame the bank for penalizing you when you clearly were at fault? Nor can you call yourself unwitting if you've overdrafted by careless swiping not once but twice. All this shows is that you failed to take responsibility for your funds on more than one occasion and the bank supplied the service it said would be supplied. (Again, remember that policy statement you didn't read?) Would you rather have been stuck at the pump with no gas in the middle of a trip? Made to roll up your sleeves at a restaurant kitchen when you couldn't pay? Made to turn over your groceries at the front of a long line when your card got rejected? The fact is, Rosemary, that you would have been more upset to have your card seized. Then you'd be on the phone screaming about your humiliation. But that scenario didn't play out. You were kept from that type of emergency, but that came at a cost. Any time you spend beyond your means, it costs, be it from checking accounts or credit cards. For that reason, this complaint is laughable at best. If you want to do something about overdraft fees, take out your check register and use it.