Complaint Review: First Convenience Bank - Division Of First National Bank Texas - Killeen Texas

Hi, just wanted to say thanks for your support.  Lol @ employees becoming used car salesmen at the coin counter...  Anyway, I was just going to let it go, but had to go to WalMart about something else, and saw no line at the First Convenience Bank, and my irritation got the better of me.  Just thought I'd let you know what they did.  Immediately, I was told that it was a clerical error on their part - they had entered my SSN in wrong, so it didn't validate, appologized profusely and offered to open me a new account and give back the $25.00 for the early closing.  (This was a woman I'd not seen before).  Then the guy I'd originally opened it with told me that he had tried to call me about the SSN before they knew that they had entered it wrong and I'd not answered.  I said that I don't answer unless I know who is calling or if they leave a message, I'd have called back.  They both jumped to tell me that they are not allowed to leave messages or voice mails.  I thought that odd.  The woman then gave me their phone number so I would know who it was if they ever called in the future, at the same time promising this would never happen again.  I said I'd think about it.. while she was preparing new papers anyway.. as she did so, I was going through all the missed calls for the last month (at least 2 weeks before I ever opened the account.  Not a single call from the number she gave me.  I told her as much and said that I did not feel comfortable openinng a new account with them.  Another mad dash to "prove" they had called me.. a piece of paper with my phone number hand written and a handwritten date next to it.. "See! See!  I did too try to call!"  I'd forgotten by then what difference it even made if they had tried to call or not - other than the mere fact that they were not being honest for whatever reason, because my phone would have shown the record. Anyway, I ended up getting back $95.00 of my $100.00 - so, all in all, it was a good thing I'd complained.. a bad experience with a first bank account.  However, I now have a checking and savings with Bank of America and so far.. so good.  Thanks for your comment.

Let me set this straight with FCB.  They do not run through checksystems so they will not close your account based on what checksystems says.  However if they have reaosn to believe the account holder has a past involving stolen identity or the account holder owes the bank money from a past relationship they could say that they will not keep the account open.  But here is what baffles me the rip off here is not that they wont keep the account open, I mean seriously who cares there are better banks out there I am sure that will accept you, but that they charged you a fee for not maintaining a relationship for 90 days.  I mean that was not even your choice!  Also that they charged you a fee to cash the cashiers check that was sent to you...Huh?  Just go open another account at another bank and I am sure they will cash a 40 dollar check for you.  But this story from the OP sounds bizarre in how they handled the closing of the account.  However it sounds right on in how the company forces there staff to become car salesmen in the middle of the grocery store aisles and coin counting machines.   Good luck OP hope it works out for you! 

Some banks close accounts because they find out ( after the account was opened) the person who opened it was listed in Check Systems ( wrong spelling, sorry). Is it any way possible this could be it? I believe you said you never had an account before but did some one open one in your name or did you sign as a cosigner for someone? You could possibly have a huge problem on your hands if that is the case. Good luck!

I need to make sure I understand 100% what happened.

It seems some eager young man convinced you to open an account. You opened the account with a cash deposit.

You have a receipt stating the funds would be cleared by the 6th.

You used the card on the 7th and it was approved and the transaction completed.

However the account was closed on the 6th..but you had not yet received notification from the bank that the account was closed, so you had no possible way of knowing.

Now correct as Robert stated..you won't receive the money back that was used at the grocery..but since the situation clearly was not your fault, I do not see how the bank can legally charge you any fees if this was a free checking account. However the purchase may have brought the account down below the minimum amount required to qualify for free checking..but the account was closed regardless.

Kind of a sticky situation but I do not feel you should be charged any overdraft or ACH fees since you would have had NO WAY of knowing the account was closed..UNLESS, the transaction was declined at the point of sale.

The only thing you did was trust the bank in good faith..they let you down so this is 100% their fault no matter how you slice it. As far as recourse..you may just have to keep on top of this bank..keep asking for supervisors and managers and explain your story. Do not be rude..but be firm. Let them know if they do not be reasonable with you that you will be reporting them to...

1)Rip-off report

2)Sending a letter to:

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Division of Consumer and Community Affairs
Mail Stop 801
20th and C Streets NW
Washington, DC 20551

3) Contacting the OCC (comptroller)

 OCC CAG

• Toll Free: 1-800-613-6743
• TDD Number 713-658-0340
• FAX: 713-336-4301
• Hours: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., Eastern, Monday-Friday
• Mail: Customer Assistance Group,
  1301 McKinney Street, Suite 3450
  Houston, TX 77010

http://www.occ.treas.gov/customer.htm


Should get the ball rolling..worth a shot at least. Take names.

First they do have the right to close out an account and that by itself is not a RipOff.  It would be good if the OP would update us with what was the specific reason.  However, just based on what you wrote.  It sounds like it MIGHT be that this is your first account and they could not verify your identity, or that you did not make the required minimum deposit soon enough after opening the account.

But as for how much they are "keeping".  

Is the $34.97 the amount you used at the store. If so are you saying that the "ACH Cancellation" means that they denied the transaction to the store after the fact, to where the store now says you owe them the $34.97?  Because unless that is the case they did not steal that money, they applied it to the purchase you made.

This leaves the $25 Account Cancellation Fee.  If you did everything you could to keep the account open, you may have a justification to get that back.  You would have to read over the agreement to find out if there are specifics as to when they can assess the Account Cancellation Fee(and when they can't).

As for the Cashiers Check, that is Standard no matter what made up the deposits, it still would have been a Cashiers Check.  You may want to go into the branch soon to see if they might "head off" the check and still be able to give you cash.  If not, you also could use that check to open another checking account at another bank.  Since you would then be a customer they won't charge you to cash it. 

Hi, I wasn't sure how to get hold of you, but agreed fully - this definately need looking into.  Problem is, I don't know where to begin, or how to go about looking into it.  I see so many Ripoff Reports regarding the same bank, but no answers.

My question to you is:  Do you know how this can be further looked into?  If so, please let me know.  I will check this thread for your response - should you have one, it would be so very much appreciated!

As far as if my cash deposit had indeed cleared, I am in posession of the receipt that states that it would clear on November 6, 2009.  I used it at the grocery store on November 7, 2009.  Being that the letter I received stating that everything was closed was dated November 6, obviously it was still in transit while I was at the store, since the mail had not yet arrived the day of Nov. 7 before I went shopping and used the Debit Card.  The mail had come while I was gone and that is when I received the letter.

I suspect that the grocery store did not pre-authorize the Card which is why it was autojatically approved.  I have been a regular customer there for several months, and perhaps they saw no need to pre-authorize.  I understand that it is up to each individual business whether they actually run the card prior to approving it or not.  This is just a guess, but the only explaination I can think of as to why it was approved.

Also, the whole thing gets worse.  I have written an update since you wrote your comment after having contacted First Convenience Bank Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009.

Thank You.

Really sorry to hear how it worked out. I don't even know what to suggest because what I would do in your case..would most likely end up with a police escort out of the building.

I do not even think this is worth legal recourse unless a good lawyer was willing to take this case on principle..(ha)..so perhaps you should consider this 60 dollars as a bargain that it is all this bank has cost you to be done with them for good. It really could have been worse.

Just spread the word on what they did to you and maybe it will prevent someone else from being ripped off like that.

Since filing my original report as of yesterday, I have now found out that I will be charged a $25.00 "Account Closing Fee" because it has been closed within 90 days of it having been opened.  No matter that the closure was NOT of my choice, as well as the $34.97  "ACH Cancellation" also NOT of my choice (from having used my Debit MasterCard PRIOR to knowing that they had closed my account and cancelled my Debit Card)

So, out of the $100.00 that I deposited in Good Faith, I am supposed to be refunded a grand total of:  $40.05.  And to add insult to injury, it will be refunded to me by way of a Cashier's Check - no matter that I had deposited CASH.  And since I am no longer a Customer, they charge $5.00 to cash it!   I don't know if I could cash it any cheaper anywhere else, but even if I can't, I definately won't be giving that bank one more cent, and will cash it elsewhere!

Pretty good investment though on the part of the sleazy First Convenience Bank. They made approximately a $60.00 profit off of my opening of an account and having been gullible enough to have deposited $100.00 in order to satisfy one of the requirement choices in order to have no monthly fee.  I chose that one in order to not have to worry about the number of Debit Card purchases per month, and not having an employer, Direct Deposit was not an option for me. 

I can't help but wonder had I deposited $99.99, if they would have kept the account open in hopes that I would either fail to make the required 5 Debit Card purchases or if I did comply with that requirement, they would still be able to charge a Monthly Maintenace Fee of $11.97 for my having less than $100.00 in my account.

I can understand they have a right to cancel the account according to the contract. But if the account was closed at the time of the transaction..the card should have been declined. So I do not understand the grounds for charging YOU any fees at all if you had enough funds in the account to cover the transaction, and the bank approved it at the time of the swipe.

That may need some looking into. Now I have no idea why any bank needs to delay the use of a cash deposit, but either way..are you sure the cash deposit cleared and was available when you used the card? If not...they will probably collect the fee since they apparently do not even want you as a customer anyhow. Sickening what these banks to to people these days.