- Report: #993113
Complaint Review: Wescom Credit Union - Internet
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Wescom Credit Union
In Albertsons, Firestone Blvd. 90240 Internet, United States of America
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www.wescom.com
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Wescom Credit Union Wescom Wescom held onto Debit Purchases Too Long To Collect Fees! Internet
This originally started out as a comment on another consumer complaint. But since this was a pretty bad rip off, I have decided to file my own. Wescom Credit Union is what I call the home of the $35 cup of coffee". What I mean by this is that they set me up for failure in my bank account so they could charge me tons of fees for holding on to small ( or even larger) debit card purchases for unreasonable amounts of time. It was very easy to forget how many times you had swiped your card, and since the bank encouraged it instead of using cash, the task of writing down every last one of your purchases was impossible. I had debit card purchases finally hit my account anywhere from 4-10 days after the purchases, hence the "$35 cup of Starbucks "term. I am more than convinced this bank knew exactly what they were doing, and since my experience with them, I have run into others who had similar experiences. At the time I was a customer at Wescom, I was disabled, with three kids and barely getting by with my rent and bills. Wescom buried me! By the time I would receive another direct deposit of make any kind of deposit to my account, I, in anguish would find out I was several hundred dollars sometimes, in the negative. I wrote a letter to the company, owning up to my part, that I should write down each time I swipe card. I was so confused because if you called on the tele banker or online banking for current balances, you also expect these to be accurate, which they were not. They most always reflected a higher do.lar amount then you actually had available in the bank. Trusting that a bank should be accurate with numbers, you would then use this money to find out you never had it in the first place . They preyed on the practice of confusing consumers, charging bank fees when your balance could then not possibly cover the transactions, especially when bank fees threw you in the negative, and then they sent me a letter stating I had 30 days before they locked me out of my account( because of their fraud). I tried to negotiate with them; they would take no responsibility whatsoever. When I couldn't come up with the money for the 10 th time around, for all these fees, they closed my account and reported me to a place called ChexSystems, which is on your record for 7 years, making it nearly impossible to open an account anywhere else. All because of bank fees from holding on to debit card purchases, not because I was deliberately writing bad checks! In a at and age where the computer is so sat that you can wire and transfer money in seconds, those coffee shop and other purchases would debit out of my account days, if not more than a week later, sometimes simultaneously to a rent check which would just cause a whole domino effect if you lived like I did at the time, with just the right amount to cover everything. Then anything that went thru after that.... Forget it. It was an easy way for them to come up a few hundred dollars in one shot, wham bam! I was in so much trouble with my finances after Wescom experience. I was so stressed. I tried to work it out, no sympathy or help at all. They just could not see their part whatsoever. The last thing they did was blame Starbucks or the other retailers, who had nothing to do with their deliberately slow debits from the account. And you know, it's funny.... When I finally did open up an account at Chase, that was the permanent end of any bank fee issues for me...not to mention immediate withdraws upon using my card, everywhere. And correct and accurate balance info at all times. There really should be something that an be done, I have heard of Wescom, B of A , and Bank of the West bilking the consumers like this and as a single parent of 3 kids on disability at the time, Wescom had, during my time as a banking customer, bilked thousands of dollars in fraudulent banking fees and I, the victim was forced to live with this and a derogatory record with ChexSystems.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
D.C.
Buena Park,California,
USA
Response
#2Author of original report
Sun, January 13, 2013
In response to some of the comments or pictures on here, I am not asking for sympathy. There have already been class action lawsuits against this bank for the very same reasons. I took responsibility for my mistakes. The bank did not. Maybe you work for this bank? I am not the only one that this has happened to. Thousands of people have been affected in the same or similar manner. This report is to warn those who may also be having issues with Wescom, or may be considering them as their banking institution.
In response to the consumer that said I would have problems at Chase too, well it has been over a year. My debit transactions come out of my account immediately. It doesnt matter where I go. It is not the merchant, it is the bank deliberately holding onto funds. Many customers of Wescom have had the same issues; there is a reason they are being sued or have been sued.
As for the pictures, with deragatory statements and shaming words like "stupid", I will not lower myself to even respond to that. If you were not able to walk in my shoes for a moment and think that this kind of stuff can happen to anyone (AND HAS), now that is what is a shame.
Hope you have a good day.
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Golden Meadow,United States of America
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Golden Meadow,United States of America
Robert
Irvine,California,
U.S.A.
Regardless
#5Consumer Comment
Tue, January 08, 2013
Regardless of how many excuses you come up with..in the end it is YOUR fault that you are getting these overdraft fees.
Excuse #1
It was very easy to forget how many times you had swiped your card, and since the bank encouraged it instead of using cash, the task of writing down every last one of your purchases was impossible.
- Not it is NOT impossible. This is probably the standard excuse of chronic over drafters. It is a very easy habit to get into to write your transaction down as soon as you do it in your register. At the very least...taking the receipt and at the first opportunity to transfer the receipt amount to your register. If you actually got into the habit of doing this you will find that you may actually save not only time but money. Because instead of having to check the on-line banking or phone banking several times a day you can take a look at your register in a few seconds. Not only that but how much time did you spend dealing with the actual overdrafts? So if this saves you even one overdraft fee..it is worth it.
Excuse # 2
I had debit card purchases finally hit my account anywhere from 4-10 days after the purchases,
- Banks do not just hold transactions in some magical black box. So if the transaction isn't even showing up as pending it is very likely(actually almost 100% likely) that Starbucks did not submit the debit for the 4-10 days. And unless you know something the rest of us don't banks are not mind readers and it is impossible for them to know you have spent the money until they get notice of it.
Excuse #3
At the time I was a customer at Wescom, I was disabled, with three kids and barely getting by with my rent and bills.
- Really? Then with all due respect what the heck were you do buying $3-$5 cups of coffee at Starbucks?
Excuse #4
All because of bank fees from holding on to debit card purchases, not because I was deliberately writing bad checks!
- Whether it is "bad checks" or over using your debit card you are still spending money you don't have. So it IS the same thing.
Famous "last words"
When I finally did open up an account at Chase, that was the permanent end of any bank fee issues for me...not to mention immediate withdraws upon using my card, everywhere. And correct and accurate balance info at all times
- If you have NOT changed your attitude and account management style you are still sitting on a "ticking time bomb". It may not happen this week or even in the next few months..but it will happen. Due to the nature of debit transactions you can never guarantee it will be 100% accurate. If you go to Chase they will tell you the exact same thing that Wescom did, and they will also tell you that keeping a register is the most accurate thing you can do. If you still don't want to believe just look at this site for reports on just about any major bank you can name..they may look very familiar to you.
So even though you will probably ignore this and continue doing what you are doing because you think that you are right. At least go to the bank to make sure you are opted out of Automatic Debt Card Overdraft protection. This will save you from yourself at least somewhat. Because if you attempt to spend more money than Chase shows you have available your debit card will be declined. But just be aware that this only applies for Debit Cards, it does not apply to ACH Transactions or Checks.
Jeanski
Buffalo,New York,
USA
comment
#6Consumer Comment
Tue, January 08, 2013
I'm afraid you won't find much sympathy here.
" the task of writing down every last one of your purchases was impossible" No, it's not. Put the receipt in your checkbook and write it down at night. Better yet, use cash for those small purchases. You can withdraw the cash for free, thus avoiding having to remember to write it down AND overspending.
The first moth this happened you should have realized that you can't count on the online or phone balance to be current, and that the timing of the switch from a pending debit to an actual one is partly dependent upon the merchant.
It's unfortunate this happened to you. Good luck with Chase!
