Beware of Banking Fees - Update

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ood Morning Everyone. Since my last posting "Beware of Banking Fees" a lot has happened that I wanted to update you on. As you remember the problem I was facing was with several overdraft fees on my personal account that was never overdrawn.  I had tried to rectify the problem with a call to the customer service 800 line, only to be told - there was nothing they could do. Now I would have to say with the challenges that I have experienced in my life over the past twenty years, minor things can weight just as heavily as major things that come up during day to day experiences. I would prefer to avoid confrontation, but if I feel like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, confrontation is almost guaranteed until I feel I am getting a complete and honest answer.

Now if you haven't had the pleasure of seeing me react when I find out I am being lied to or had been lied too it can't be a very intense moment that if my head could spin around and around - it would, but that is another blog post for another day as I don't want to shake up a perfectly good Thursday. On that note I'm going to move away from the lying  topic and get back to my this banking saga. I decided that I was going to once again get  a face to face meeting with someone from customer service to see what their answer would be this time. The next morning my day was anything but routine. The bus never came to pick up my kids so that meant I was their ride. I got myself together forgetting many important details, Hair, makeup, matching clothes, etc., etc., etc., and we headed out the door by 6:59am. As we headed on our way to take my oldest son to the High School and my younger son to the Vocational School to the next town, because at this point he had missed the shuttle from the High School to get him there for his 7:25 class, my cell phone began ringing. Immediately my heart started to pound with excitement - it's my sweetie, but his call was not one of speaking sweet nothings to me, he wanted me to bring him his other work boots as he was working with asphalt and didn't want to get tar and stuff on his new boots. By this point I had almost forgotten that I set into my mind that I was going over to the bank to address what I feel is a way banks try to scam people in this drowning economy.

I got the kids to school, when back home and got the boots, and now I am falling into a funk that I just want to go home and do nothing - remember I hold a Doctorate's in Procrastination. (smile). The traffic was getting backed up due to the morning rush and the gas tank was reading lower than I'd like, yet somehow I found the ability to get my mind back on track. I arrived at the bank two minutes before they opened, which gave me time to plan out what I was going to say rather than come off as some demanding ranging mother that didn't have time to do her hair or make-up. (I'm surprised I wasn't arrested for indecent exposure from the neck up - hahaha).

So there I stood in the lobby, oversized work out pants that were all stretched out, a jacket that looked like my pen had taken it upon its self to randomly write on it, my hair crazier than Reverend Jim on the 80's sitcom Taxi, and I was sporting a blank and very pale canvas color to my face that could have landed me a roll on the AMC series "Walking Dead", and this is NO LIE! I was a walking horror story. There wasn't one sign that this girl had been asked to pose for Playboy as Miss August. I still have my letter. There was only one customer in the bank that was standing at the teller window and took a look at me and then quickly looked away so that he wouldn't turn to stone. I'm telling you, I am one scary mother, no pun intended, in the morning that even I don't look into a mirror until at least after 7:30am.

 

I will have to say that the customer service lady met me with smile, but I can just envision what she was thinking.  She asked me to come into her cubical and we both looked over my account on her computer screen. Her screen was displaying the same information as mine - never been overdrawn.  her explanation was that the computer - I so love how people blame inanimate objects, saw the debits of the day and then the deposit on that same day so it believed that I didn't have the money when it implement the charges before the credit posted. It was all I go do to refrain from going into one of my sarcastic modes where I say - "AUH DUAH! HELLO! DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF! FUDGE!!!!!"

However I didn't say anything and just kind of shook my head in disbelief that I was even sitting there listening to this. When she looked up at me after typing on her keyboard, she said something that completely shocked me - I have reversed all but two charges Mrs. Bolin, and the reason for that is a check that was written to you for $150.00, was returned today and that is what produced the additional charges after the fees you have been trying to fix. But the fees you got today were not overdraft fees that were return check fees. With that, I was content. I was finally given a straight answer.

So as you have probably guessed by now, our account is now in good standing - knock on wood. Phew! I'm relieved that this drama is behind me and I have learned a lot. When all else fails and it is physically possibly, always try to resolve a problem in person. Never try to use e-mail or texting as you can't tell what a person is feeling through their words and unless they state what the emotion is one can jump to false assumptions. Calling on the phone is convenient, but can still lead to stress as the persons tone could be nothing like their body language and again you could take their tone in a negative way, but it just might be the way the person is. I'm glad I went with my instinct and chose to go back in. I am also happy to report that the maker of the bad check - they paid me in cash and paid for the fees. So what had started out as a morning without my routine, feel back into a regular schedule and I completed the rest of my tasks for the day without any problems.

Thanks so much for listening and remember, always be mindful of your money. Know where it is going, why it is going there and who is trying to get you to part with it. Have a wonderful day everyone and I'll blog you later.

 

P.S. My fictional mystery, suspense thriller titled "Deemed Crazy" is in it's final stages to be ready for print. I can't wait. I have really enjoyed stepping outside the box and write in a genre that year ago only read. Again, thanks for sticking with me and can't wait to share more blog stories on topics that people have sent in.