# In which BofA steals $100 from me (aka: rant about your banks with me!) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 15, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023 "2013-03-15T17:41:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/61 "2013-03-16T12:51:30Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Are you kidding? You started this stupid hijack, you provide a cite. I did provide one. Now it’s up to you to provide a better one. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/62 "2013-03-16T12:56:24Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I know, right? It seems pretty simple and straightforward to you and me, and believe me, I went around that block with her at least a dozen times, then I asked to talk to the manager and did another dozen laps with him. > > Seems that they _closed_ that account, with a negative balance, so technically I didn’t have an account there that was capable of accepting deposits, but I still owed them the $350. I was there attempting to pay my debt, and they simply would not allow me to do it. Fucking tools. Oh, so they closed the negative account. Well that at least follows \*some \*form of logic, albeit very dumb. And don’t get me wrong, this is still very, very, stupid, but I was thinking your account was still active at the time. Anywho, you’d think a bank would be better at collecting money, and yet! “I’m sorry sir, we can’t accept the money that you owe us because you don’t have an account, and we won’t let you (re)open an account either because we are stupid.” ---
**Author:** ![drew870mitchell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drew870mitchell/32/3946_2.png) [@drew870mitchell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drew870mitchell)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/63 "2013-03-16T13:37:32Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Not quite as big a deal, but I “left” (I still keep it open and throw a bit of money into it every month to keep it active as a tertiary checking account) a bank around here recently. They’re actually not that bad a bank–locally owned, free checking, tiny amount (it was 0.20% when I opened the account and it’s dropped even lower since) of interest on checking of any size, lots of locations. However, they charge $2.50 for any POS PIN transaction. That’s not just using a different ATM, that’s if you go to the store and make a purchase running it through the debit interchange. That was just too much nickle-and-diming for me. This boggles the mind, considering that banks get a percentage cut from the card processor (who gets it from the store) whenever you run your card somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/64 "2013-03-16T13:41:57Z")
> [@drew870mitchell](#): > > This boggles the mind, considering that banks get a percentage cut from the card processor (who gets it from the store) whenever you run your card somewhere. Are you sure about that? I’ve never heard that. As for the $2.50 charge, the reasoning I heard for that, years ago (when using a debit/PIN at stores first started) is that you’re essentially using an ATM not affiliated with your bank, so you’ll get charged just like you’d get charged for using the ‘wrong’ ATM. ---
**Author:** ![drew870mitchell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drew870mitchell/32/3946_2.png) [@drew870mitchell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drew870mitchell)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/65 "2013-03-16T14:41:34Z")
(Warning: Flash/SWF file) [http://www.mastercard.com/us/merchant/swf/12111\_ver\_02.swf](http://www.mastercard.com/us/merchant/swf/12111_ver_02.swf) (Warning: PDF) > **[Mastercard - A Global Technology Company in The Payments Industry](https://www.mastercard.us/en-us.html)** > > We connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits people, businesses & governments worldwide by making transactions safe, simple & accessible. It’s a little opaque, but the part that’s relevant to your bank is the interchange fee. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/66 "2013-03-16T20:34:51Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I did provide one. Now it’s up to you to provide a better one. Your link is a discussion, it is not a cite. On top of that, many of the folks in that discussion disagree with you. Try again. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/67 "2013-03-16T21:17:17Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I wonder how much money the dope would have if they got a buck for every time someone posts against BofA or Wells Fargo? I’m betting we’d have enough to send Cecil on another world cruise. We did, but Bank of America stole it. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/68 "2013-03-16T21:17:32Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Your link is a discussion, it is not a cite. On top of that, many of the folks in that discussion disagree with you. Try again. I found a fun one. It’s interactive! [Linky](http://banking.about.com/library/bl_write_out_numbers.htm) [[QUOTE=banking.about.com](http://QUOTE=banking.about.com)] A Few Tips 1.Note the hyphen in “thirty-four” above. It is technically correct to hyphenate some numbers, but merchants don’t care when you’re writing a check. •Using a Hyphen **2.Do not use the word “and” after “hundred”** 3.Avoid informal ways of saying things. Write “one thousand two hundred” instead of “twelve hundred” 4.Only write the dollar amount in words. For less than a dollar, use a fraction. If your number is 1234.59, write "one thousand two hundred thirty-four and 59/100 [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/69 "2013-03-16T21:23:03Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Also, the corporate account was debited for $1980, not the $1880 that was put into my personal account. Since both accounts were BofA, it seems quite pig-headed of them not to make a prompt correction. When Citibank made an error against me, I began placing long-distance person-to-person calls to Walter Wriston, then their CEO. Naturally he never came to the phone, so I was never billed for any of these calls, but someone in his office had to answer to reject the call. When I persisted, she eventually realized cooperating with me would save her time. (I was complaining to another Citibank unit by mail as well; eventually the faulty debit was credited back to me … _TWICE !_ 🆒 ) ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/70 "2013-03-17T00:22:19Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Oh! And after she told me there likely wouldn’t be a resolution and I started getting mad, she said, “Well, actually, the LIKELY thing to happen will be that they’ll give a $100 credit to your corporate account.”\*\* Ma’am, that doesn’t fix the issue at hand, now does it?\*\* I mean, it sort of does-- at least you didn’t steal $100 from BOTH of my accounts in that scenario. (bolding added) It actually does solve the issue at hand though, doesn’t it? One account credited $1880, the other account debited $1880. Once they have done that, what more could they do? Your issue is then with the blind armless person who wrote that check with a pen clenched in his teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/71 "2013-03-17T01:31:11Z")
No, the OP says that the business account was debited $1980. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/72 "2013-03-17T01:41:55Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > It actually does solve the issue at hand though, doesn’t it? One account credited $1880, the other account debited $1880. Once they have done that, what more could they do? That erases the bank’s theft, but they still haven’t completed the original transaction their customer requested, which their phone rep was able to read correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/73 "2013-03-17T02:21:07Z")
One the debits and credits are good, the bank won’t care. They have two customers here, and they want to protect the business account also. Even if the business checks are written by drunk monkeys. edit: Hell, _especially_ if the business checks are written by drunk monkeys. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/74 "2013-03-17T02:37:06Z")
The business customer is the one they’re failing. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/75 "2013-03-17T02:48:47Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > **Diosa** , question about that method of depositing checks: What happens to the physical check? Do you rip it up? Write VOID on it? Keep depositing it at other banks around town and become rich? I don’t know about BoA, but Wells Fargo also has a similar app that lets you deposit checks just by snapping a picture of them and sending them the image. Their instructions are, once they’ve confirmed that they have received the picture of the check, is to write “Mobile Deposit” and the date across the face of the check and hold onto it for five business days. After that, you’re free to do what you want with it. Keep it in your records, shred it, whatever. They usually do credit your deposit right away, usually by the next morning, but they do suggest you hold onto it for five days, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/76 "2013-03-17T04:01:14Z")
Shakes, I agree with you. I was always taught that the “and” in a written check amount goes after the last whole dollar amount and before the ##/100 part for the cents. Also… I’m so sorry so many people have had such terrible experiences with BoA. I’ve been with them since the day I turned 18 and they have always been extremely nice and helpful and convenient for me in every way I could possibly want. I think I may be one of the only happy BoA customers in existence (although RNATB seems to be happy enough with them too). But yeah this is an egregious mistake and it’s ridiculous it is such a hassle for you. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/77 "2013-03-17T08:45:52Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > The business customer is the one they’re failing. If it’s not clear, I’m the business customer here, too. Well, I didn’t write the check (another signer on the account did), but that’s my account, too. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/78 "2013-03-17T08:53:27Z")
I understand. What I’m saying is that the account any check is written _on_ is the “customer” for a particular transaction. The bank’s customer has requested thus-and-such transaction. Refunding back to the drawn-on account means that transaction still isn’t accomplished. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/79 "2013-03-17T12:50:55Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I found a fun one. It’s interactive! [Linky](http://banking.about.com/library/bl_write_out_numbers.htm) Wow, what a cite. It says nothing about grammar, doesnt claim to be an authority on grammar, and is primarily giving advice on how to avoid confusion on a check. Give it up already. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023/80 "2013-03-17T14:08:46Z")
[Use of “and”.](http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/02/decimal-point.html) [Again](http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/writing-dates.aspx) [Again](http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=20071008&id=ib88AAAAIBAJ&sjid=Ci4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=1280,1830683) [Again](http://www.wordcourt.com/archives.php?show=2007-09-26) Now, perhaps we can get back to the topic at hand: why BofA sucks so hard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-bofa-steals-100-from-me-aka-rant-about-your-banks-with-me/653023.md?page=5)