Bank Of America Blocked my Debit Card on Christmas Eve! Had $243.00 balance Buffalo New York

I have had my card blocked for transactions that I make every day. One was 2 dollars for coffee in the morning, the same exact charge I had been making every day for years.  Then 2 weeks ago, it was a purchase at Whole foods, which I do 3 or 4 times each month.

Today, I tried to purchase software onlie for 74 dollars and the card was blocked again.....

2 weeks ago, I tried to make a 171 transaction in the mall, but had to use cash because my card with over 1,000 dollars on it was declined......no reason to decline it, they just thought it was suspicious and they don't care if I have to spend 45 minutes on the phone to say yes, thaat was my attempt to use my money.

3 weeks ago, I tried to make a purchase oline and the charge was declined with plenty of money in the account.

Again, I call the number on the card and 20 minutes later, I answer all the questions and the computer says ok, but I should wait an hour or so to use it again...20 minutes later, a fraud specialist calls me an asks me the same questions I just told the computer for another 45 minutes on the phone.

If you think that this is good customer service, you need to have your head examined

Howard,

If you have read as many of my rebuttals to BofA alleged rip off reports as you say, than you would already have the answer.

I have stated several times that I do not now, nor have I ever worked in a retail banking institution. I am a customer of BofA for over 15 years with multiple accounts and have never had a problem, and have never paid an NSF fee.

By my calculation, these alleged ripoffs are probably more than 99% customer negligence. Poor account management on the part of the customer is almost always the culprit in NSF fees.

This comes from not using an account register, living on the float and/or not understanding the funds availability rules, etc.

Banks spend millions of dollars on sophisticated software to run their business, as well as paying huge salaries for accountants and other compliance personnel. They are a tightly regulated business, and simply could not do the things being reported here.

It simply does not happen.

People just like to find someone else to blame for their own mistakes and lack of book keeeping skills.

Did you change your name to Ken?

I think Bank Of America is a good bank. They have always been good to me. Their customer service is always excellent. I have 3 accounts with them. Every employee I've delt with has been friendly and helpful to me. Either on the phone or in person. Most debit cards do have a spending limit of $500 a day. Identity theft
teft is out of control right now! I'd rather have someone looking out for my money than letting it get away. I work hard for my money. I can't just give it away. I am glad Bank Of America is looking out for their customers.

Look for your local credit union. Generally you will find them to be far more accomodating, and friendly, and it's sure easier to get a real person to talk to.

That being said, make sure you take the time to have them explain to you clearly how accounts work. From several of your past postings it is clear that you don't have a good grasp of the system and the way that items are processed. You might consider putting some money in a savings account at the CU. They (as a rule) will automatically transfer funds to checking if you overdraw, and charge you only a small fee. (like $3)

As for BoA, they are no better nor any worse than the other commercial banks. They are a highly regulated, for-profit business. If you make an assumption that 1 customer in 10,000 at ANY financial institution will get mad enough about something to post a complaint, the fact that BoA has millions and millions of customers is going to explain why there are 500 complaints.
If you divide the number of complaints by the number of customers, it could turn out that they actually have higher customer satisfaction than other banks. I don't know this to be the case, I am just saying that you have to do the math.

Steve from Florida, How are you connected to B of A. I have seen your responses on almost 500 complaints about this institution. I have one question. I am looking around for a good financial intitution to use for my checking needs. I see B of A has over 500 complaints. If you were me, would you use B of A?

It doesn't excuse the slipshod service you received but yes, it was for your protection. I would suggest you keep checks on hand. You might never need them, but they are good forever unless the bank changes names or closes. I have checks from the 1980s that are still good.

I agree that that was terrible service. This should've been taken care of instantly, even while you were still in the store. The companies can send a "declined, but call the bank" code to the cashier and verify your identity right at the store.

You probably could've withdrawn cash at an ATM or used the card as "debit" with the PIN at a store. When you use the PIN they're more certain it is really you and not fraud. (The dark side of that is that banks make it almost impossible to reverse PIN debit even when it really is fraud.)

The number on the back of the card is usually the best one to use for any card-related issues.

I can't believe it! I called today to remove the block put on my debit card and was told: "The customer Service Rep could have gotten you over to the correct dept. on that day, and the block would have been removed!?! He had "no idea" why she didn't take care of it. He also gave me a different customer service number to call for the "NEXT" time this happens 877-833-5617". TOO LATE! I ended up serving a makeshift leftover Christmas dinner to company since I didn't finish my shopping! Yes of course "I" would call the bank if I saw unauthorized activity on my account! and Yes, I use the card for all my purchases, isn't that what it's for? My card is tied into a feature which deposits into my savings acct for each purchase that I make. If this is a bank policy -at least be available to give the neccessary customer service, esp. on the most important holiday of the year. This was not done "for my own protection" anyone with common sense knows that this tactic is for the Bank's protection ONLY! Bottom line, deplorable ""customer"" service! Steve must be sick & tired of the endless rebuttals he is submitting for Bank of America.

Some debit cards have a policy of 'holding' your account if you exceed $500 in activity in any one day. This is a protection for your account in case of fraudulent activity (at least thats what they told me when I called concerning the same issue, although it was a different financial institution). If this is the case, you have to request that this protection be REMOVED from your account. In some cases the amount is as low as $300, so it might be worth checking into.

Just a thought.

Keep us updated!

Marjorie,

First of all, they never said you were in the red. They said there was irregular activity, and suspected fraud. They assumed someone stole your card.

There are several reasons this may happen. I know it was aggravating, but it was for your protection. Believe it or not. Here's what happened.

Several patterns in the use of the card ocurred that were outside the regular way you use the card. This is why they flagged it for fraud.

Is your account less than a year old? If it is, it is still a probationary account.

Were you using your PIN# for the purchases or swiping it as credit? This makes a big difference.

Do you use that card on a daily/regular basis? If you do, is it used for multiple purchases per day?

I had this experience many years ago. It only took 10 minutes on the phone and a few questions to verify my identity and that the card was not stolen. Very simple. Not the end of the world.

As far as the CA attitude, I don't like it either. But I have never seen a hold on a direct deposit. I have 3 different direct deposits into my BofA account and they are always available immediately.

Keep in mind that the holiday season is a huge time for fraud. maybe instead of taking it personally and getting an attitude, you should have thanked them for looking out for you.

Just food for thought.

Marjorie,

First of all, they never said you were in the red. They said there was irregular activity, and suspected fraud. They assumed someone stole your card.

There are several reasons this may happen. I know it was aggravating, but it was for your protection. Believe it or not. Here's what happened.

Several patterns in the use of the card ocurred that were outside the regular way you use the card. This is why they flagged it for fraud.

Is your account less than a year old? If it is, it is still a probationary account.

Were you using your PIN# for the purchases or swiping it as credit? This makes a big difference.

Do you use that card on a daily/regular basis? If you do, is it used for multiple purchases per day?

I had this experience many years ago. It only took 10 minutes on the phone and a few questions to verify my identity and that the card was not stolen. Very simple. Not the end of the world.

As far as the CA attitude, I don't like it either. But I have never seen a hold on a direct deposit. I have 3 different direct deposits into my BofA account and they are always available immediately.

Keep in mind that the holiday season is a huge time for fraud. maybe instead of taking it personally and getting an attitude, you should have thanked them for looking out for you.

Just food for thought.