Complaint Review: First Convenience Bank - Killeen Texas

Every bank does exactly the same thing. I've been with small community banks, large corporate banks and medium sized credit unions. An ATM card/Debit card is NOT a credit card. If you know you have X funds, and you withdraw XXXX funds, expect to get hammered with NSF fees, even if you have a paycheck coming to you in four days. My low point was getting $540 in NSF charges from Bank of America. My paycheck that week went all to the NSF fees, and part of the following weeks' check as well. Most banks offer basic courses in financial management, but the hardest lesson to learn is when to say when on spending. Banks are far more willing to bend over backwards for you as a client if you maintain a positive balance and do not overdraft your account. If you show a propensity to overdraft your account on a regular basis, and you call to complain about the hefty NSF charges, don't expect a positive outcome. If you show MONTHS of positive growth in your account, minimal charges and no NSF charges, and you get one or two, you may get those back, as they see you are not spending frivolously. As for the district managers response, they normally do that. If a complaint continues up to that level, some measure of refund will be given. Here's what it boils down to: 1. Actively monitor your account. If you have spent heavily over the past few days, wait until the bank catches up with those charges before you go and spend some more. If you don't have online access to your account, keep a check register with your ATM/Debit card at all times to log your beginning balance, then mark down all the charges, actively updating the balance in the account. 2. Keep in contact with your bank. If you make personal appearances and have a relationship with a banker in the building, and actively inquire about financial management courses, they are going to actively help toward that positive goal. Banks don't make their profit from NSF charges. They make their profit from increased subscriptions and accounts with larger balances. They WANT you to keep your money in the bank, it gives them the ability to lend more into the community. 3. Understand basic mathematics. If the total of the charges is greater than the AVAILABLE balance, you will incur a NSF charge (or however many are necessary). It's not because they hate you and are out to rip you off, they are responding to your irresponsibility with a measured response. The fees are purposefully high to keep you from doing it again. Unfortunately, people don't always learn. 4. Just as with life, banking is not fair; it is Just. There is no gray area with accounting principles. GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) require honesty when keeping the books, and banks fail when books are sloppy. Look around in the world right now and you'll see what I am talking about. I am not some snooty bank executive with a 800+ FICO score, I am some schmo with a 532 FICO score who has been through bankruptcy, repossession, credit card defaults, and crazy amounts of NSF charges. What has lead me to state all of the above is what I have learned over the past 6 years having gone through all of the garbage I have. If you talk with the bank and ask about how to manage your money, they will eagerly direct you to financial management courses. In fact, here is one: http://dallasfed.org/ca/wealth/index.cfm. That is a link that I found through the 1st National Bank of Texas 'Resources' tab. See? Banks are not out to get you. Just stick with the smaller ones...they have a human face.

Starting off with Lisa's comment.... Once of the very first things I read was that you made an ATM withdrawal knowing that you didn't have the funds to cover it? I know that this is something that some atm's will let you do, including W.F. but this in itself is risky. So it isn't something that you are encouraged to do. I've also had my situations with the rules of larger transactions clearing before smaller ones. I've had that as a customer as well as seen it happen to other customers that I help at my window. It is in the disclosures of EVERY bank, what order they run the transactions, and many if not all choose the "largest to smallest" method. Yes I know it sucks. Please don't think that because I work for a bank that it means that I'm not also a customer. We tellers and other bank staff also have times where we miss a transaction, or forget to record a check. Yes, bank employees also get overdrawn, I can verify that. But yeah, the rule isn't really the nicest, and overdrafts ARE a part of a banks profit, (not the biggest source of profit, mind you, but still yet it is part of a banks profit) As far as overdraft fees being reversed, at least you the customer can go into a branch to request one reversed. If a bank employee even ATTEMPTS to get a fee reversed from management within the bank, that is grounds for termination. So believe it or not, overdrawn bank employee versus overdrawn bank customer... you the customer has a better chance. This one is for Jodie's last comment. I can't agree that banks are out to NOT HELP in any way. As a teller I've tried to offer many ways for customers to avoid overdrafts, even if it didn't result in a sale for me. But in the other part where you said that banks are willing to bend over backwards for their largest depositors....yes, it's true. But it's the same with any business. Who will a fast food restaurant want to please more? The skinny blonde model that comes in once a week to have a salad? Or the person who buys mcdonalds breakfast, lunch, and dinner EVERY DAY? They will roll out the red carpet for the every day customer while the model just gets standard service. For example, i walked into a Hollister store this past week. Who do you think got better service, me buying one shirt? Or the guy behind me buying multiple shirts, pants, colognes and gift certificates? I know what it feels like. With the balance that I keep in my account, I don't get the special red carpet treatment. When the invitations for the Brokerage Investments dinner go out, do you think I get an invitation? On a teller's pay? heck no. Not that I'm complaining about tellers salary, I know it is the position of the bank that requires the least education and skill, so as such, the position that pays the least. But you get the idea.... When the bank is bending over backwards for large depositors, it is pleasing it's best customer, just like other businesses across the country do. I do like your recommendation about the cash only idea..'cause you can't spend more cash than you have. It's a smart idea!

This is for the bank employee. You said: would you rather have your light bill paid or your cigarettes? Well, the truth is: in most all cases, these items are NOT returned, especially if they are debit card items. If the banks interest is TRULY a concern of our welfare and well being, then explain how they justify paying things in highest to lowest order when NOTHING is being returned. It is quite obvious that this is where they make their money and they are not about to turn off the hemorrhage from our bank accounts for you, me or even the President of the United States. The people who can least afford it are the ones who pay your paycheck and let those bank managers drive their new Lexus every year. It's the most pathetic thing I have ever seen. The absolute, down to the bone truth of it all is: BANKS ARE NOT THERE TO GIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE NOR ARE THEY THERE TO HELP YOU IN ANY WAY. The only people they truly care about are their large depositors for whom they are willing to bend over backwards in order to keep their bottom line up and show their Board of Directors that they are earning the maximum interest they can on their depositor's assets. The funny part of that is that if you look at a balance sheet for ANY bank you will see that the interest earned is less than 3% of their entire income - the bulk of it comes from those folks who make the mistake of being so poor that they have to often use their hard earned money to buy such extravagances as FOOD and MEDICATION and can't keep their balance at a level that will guarantee their safety from these fees. If you truly want to put your bank in it's place, don't use them. CASH your paychecks (or) if you have direct deposit, immediately go to your bank and withdraw 80% of your check and use CASH and money orders to pay for your items. The MONEY BOX is the most honest banking institution I can think of. Cash a check with them and you can have as many money orders as you want for FREE! Even if you don't cash a check, you can get your money orders for 19 cents each. If we all put our banks in their place, then they would be FORCED to change and provide REAL CUSTOMER SERVICE.

I am not trying to be slick and think I know the exact order and time the items will post to my account. How would I? I do not know how the bank procedures work, since I have not worked at a bank. I count on the business that I deal with lets me know how things work. I do know if they go by the time and date, but if that is what banks do then the transaction from Monday night would have been the last activity on my card, it didn't show as paid until that Thursday, three days later! If I have $20.00 in my account and I go and make a purchase with my debit card for $5.00 and I call and check my balance and the balance is $15.00, then I go and make a debit for another $5.00 and I call and my balance is now $10.00. Then I go and purchase something that is $20.00 the other 3 purchases has "unlocked" and just because the $20.00 is bigger, the bank takes the money and locks it in so that the bank charges me $99.00 for three NSF fees instead of $33.00 for just one? Wow, this get complicated. Please explain to me why if that $100.00 was immediately "locked up" from my balance, why didn't it lock up on all my other debits? It must be because the bank sees that they can make 99.00 instead of $33.00 and can conveniently control what amount can be locked or unlocked so they can make more money off the consumer. What kind of logic is that? As a consumer, I don't see that this is the way to do business. Why do you or the bank think this is fair to the consumer? The logic to that is the bank should pay all the smaller transactions first since the money is already taken from the balance in the first place and then just charge a NSF fee for $33.00 instead of $99.00. I thought(I wonder how many other consumers out there thought)that once a debit has been done and the amount taken from your balance that it is reserved for that transaction. That tells the merchant that they will get their money and that is why it is authorized right then and there and taken from your balance. If all banks can take the largest amount out first and make money off of bouncing smaller amounts, they need to discuss policy and procedures with the consumer while opening up checking accounts. I still think this is unfair and it isn't right. I am just a little person and I am not rich by a long shot $231.00 in NSF fees just blows me away. P.S. I am not trying to trash this bank,(like they're worried about what I have to say).The customer service reps were rude, unprofessional and didn't have any problems telling me that I needed to learn how to add and then I wouldn't have anything bounce. By the way the general manager of my branch said that he would refund $66.00 out of courtsey and to this day, Nothing has been refunded.

Sorry to hear about your situation, I know I've been there also. I work for this bank and I deal with these issues on a daily basis. Also, I do bank with other banks and there is nothing FCB does to anyone that hasn't been done to me by other banks. 1) They ALL charge the big items first. Would you rather have your light bill paid, or your pack of cigarettes? There's no big secret, we ALL do it that way. 2) Don't try and be slick and think you know the exact order and time the items will post to your account. When you took the $100 from your account, it immediately locked up that amount from your available balance. On monday, all of the items from the weekend (and earlier sometimes) post to your account beacause nothing processes over the weekend. Because you took out that $100, whatever you had left is what you have to pay the items that are posting. Never assume when it comes to your own money. 3)Before you trash a company in front of millions of viewers, please do your homework and find out if you have a valid point. What you did was a mistake on your part and the bank had every right to charge you. Consider yourself lucky you got $66 in refunds. I've been in the same boat with Bank of America (but a lot worse) and they gave me the finger.

I live in Arlington Texas and bank at the 1st Convenience bank. I have been charged $330.00 in overdraft fees. The bank took out a higher debit amount and charged me$231.00 in overdraft fees on 7 debits that I had done over the week-end of 4/28/06. I had a positive balance of $95.32. I went thru the week-end and kept my positive balance. By Sunday May 30th, my account still had a positive balance. I actually had a positive balance down to one penny. On Monday May 1st, about 7:30 PM, I went to the ATM and made a withdrawal even though I didn't have the funds to cover it. I knew I would only owe the 33.00 and the money that I had withdrawn on Monday night. I would get paid the following Friday and my company would direct deposit my check, no problem. I knew that since I was pulling that money out of ATM late that evening, the debits I had done over the week-end would clear because I had enough money in my bank account to take care of all the debits that I had done during that week-end. Well, when I went on line to look at my account on May 1st, I had a negative balance of 231.00. The bank, took the 100.00 that I withdrew on Monday night(I remind you that I did this after 7:30pm)and they bounced all 7 of the debits I had done over that passed week-end. I couldn't believe that they did that. How can they be able to take out a larger amount first and bounce 7 smaller items just to make money off me? Then the money that I took out of the Atm that Monday night,they didn't even post to my account until 48 hours later. Why did they bounce all those items,when they new it would cause 7 transactions to bounce. I called the bank and spoke to a representative there that was so rude, I got angry. She told me that there is nothing they can do and that I need to pay the balance immediately. I explained to her that the ATM wasn't even taken out of my account for 2 days and she said that they didn't cause the error, so they are not responsible. She told me they always take the higher amount first. I spoke with what they call a supervisor and was just as unprofessional as the first lady I spoke with. She did not want to help and just kept telling me that there's nothing she could do. She said go to the branch and speak with a manager. So I did, I handed her my print out from online banking and showed her where the money was reserved for the debits I had done that weekend. She said that she would talk to the district manager and have him call me because she is just a fill in for the regular manager. About Wednesday, I received a call from the District Manager, he told me that he would refund $66.00 as a courtesy, but he would not refund anything more. If they can't refund Nsf fees unless it was a "bank error" why was he so willing to refund $66.00? Well, that courtesy refund, it never happened, imagine that. First convenience Bank has done this to me before, cleared a higher amount and bounced all the little amounts, and when I called them, they refunded my money. I do not know who is over this bank but I hope someone does. IF YOU ARE THINKING OF OPENING AN ACCOUNT WITH 1ST CONVENEINCE, I HOPE YOU ARE A RICH PERSON. YOU WILL NEED ALL THE MONEY TO BANK HERE. THEY SAY "FREE CHECKING" WELL NOTHING FREE ABOUT IT.