Complaint Review: Security Bank And Trust Company - Albany Georgia

On February 21st 2009 I made an $80 deposit to my checking account at the Security Bank and Trust Company on pine ave,Albany GA. I obtained a receipt stating that the $80 were available immediately. I went to Walmart and charged the $1.12 on my debit/visa card because I did not have enough cash to pay for what I was buying. I knew that the $80 were available as per the bank's receipt from the atm. I went back home and paid an ebay transactions using paypal for $2.79, which was automaically withdrawn from my checking acount. I went to check my checking account online, which showed my balanced reduced by those two trasanctions above. I also made two check after that for $41.07 and $31.73 on February 23rd. I had the bad luck of having two automic wthdrawals that cam earlier than I thought on February $23rd for $9 each. These are for a monthly membership. Whe I checked my account online yesterday February 24th. It showed all these smaller transactions coming before the two checks on February 23rd. When I checked on February 23rd only the walmart and paypal ones were showing...I don't know how on February 24th all these transactions(two checks and two automatic $9 ) backed up to February 23rd!!! The weirdest is that I also had fourt overdrafts instead of one as the account was showing. For anyone with basic maths abilities can figure out that $1.12 +$2.79 +9 +9 + $41.07 + 31.73 gives only one overdraft for the last transaction with balance of $80 and some cents...but not four overdrafts!!!! The statement that I printed showd the four small transactions showing first $1.12, $2.79 ,$9,$9 then comes the $41.07 and last the $31.73...and that there should be only one overdraft of $36!! Yes they charge $36!!! even though when I opened the account they stated on the terms and agreement that I signed that overdrafts fee was $29! Apparently they can change anything they want without informing you.

Coming back to the four overdrafts, I waited to call the bank on Wednesday morning,February 25. I got a hold a a certain lady called Jude which told me some unbelievable and complicated reasoning behind the overdrafts...I explained her that as it is showing on my online banking account that I printed there should be only one overdraft that I am willing to pay! But she kept telling I had three. This even on the $1.12 and the $2.79 that I charged on February 21 when the atm receipt stated that the funds were available!!! I asked her, how is that the bank is charging me for something that I charged when the money was there on February 21st after I made the deposit. If the bank receipt on that day said it was available, you cannot fool me after whne you postponed the transaction and charged me an overdraft. But she kept giving me these reasonings that did not make sense like we have to put the biggest amounts first. We post the transaction on the next business day...I said well then if that was the case you should not have let me charged the $1.12 and $2.79 on february 21st and gave me a receipt saying that the $80 was available. Apparently the statement they had on their screen at the bank showed the transaction in a different order from my online one...I printed it for prove...They have done that many time to us charging us exhorbitant amounts of overdrafts by manipuating the transactions on our account. We have paid thousands of overdrafts because of the suspicious way they operate. I talked about it to the new manager last year...He told me that the only way to refund the amounts would be for me to close the account. That was not fair since I need the amount for the direct deposit for my daughter's social security. Their assistant manager Pat Barnet is the one who I suspect manipulate the accounts, for each time we called her, she gave us the same bogus reasonings to charged us overdarfts...They always wait to put all the transactions on the same day to cause some to bounce...by putting the biggest amounts first....When I asked to talk to the manager today, Pat Barnet the account manager told me to speak with her I told her that I had the right to speak with the bank manager...She put me on hold for long then send me to some bogus voice mail...I called back and back and was finally able to leave a message on the right voice mail.

The worst with this bank is that they do not appreciate your honesty as a customer. On January 29th this year, I went to make a cash deposit at one of the other branch through the drive through. I made a deposit of $360 cash, put in the envelope and sent it to the cashier. I waited for my balance and she sent me back with my new balance of $360 and returned me the cash it with it! I was perplexed but knew that the cashier made a mistake, so I returned it to her...she did not even know what I was sending her the money back for, as I think the previous cashier moved away. I explained to her the mistake and she thanked me for my honesty. coz I could have well taken off with the cash and they would have never been able to get it back. But these are not my ways...I believe in honesty in life.

I was appalled to have this kind of treatment, four manipulated overdrafts this month in thanksgiving for my honesty. What a shame for a bank to treat customers like that. No wonder they closed one of their branches. Like this saying "what comes around goes around". I will report this bank to the proper authorities whic regulated them if that branch on pine ave is still stubborn about charging me with four overdrafts for the amount of $144 instead of $36. May be they need to look into their banking practices that is not included in the agreements to the customers and thus unknown to them. Seems like they have a of close door policies unknown to customers. Please anyone help. Thank you for your support of not letting some big bank cheating on hardworking poor people.

Mary

Albany, Georgia

U.S.A.