Consumer complaint received 2023-12-07
Company: OPTUM BANK, INC.
State: NJ
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Other banking product or service
Issue: Closing an account
Sub-issue: Fees charged for closing account

Complaint:
After many years of holding an XXXX with Optum Bank, I decided to switch XXXX  from Optum to my new ( employer-sponsored ) bank, XXXX. Before making the switch, I wanted to move the remaining {$49.00} out of my Optum Bank XXXX. I called Optum on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX ( Optum Call reference # XXXX ) and was walked through the process by a phone agent, who suggested I should simply do the transfer online. I was notified about expected processing times for the transfer, but I was never notified about any bank transfer fees that would be incurred as a result of such a transfer. I only realized that I had been charged a ridiculous {$20.00} transfer fee out of that {$49.00} ( XXXX 40 % ) when I checked my XXXX XXXX account activity for XXXX and saw that only {$29.00} had been transferred. Confused, I called Optum and was told by an agent and then supervisorthat I had been charged {$20.00} for the transfer. When I challenged them about the hidden fee, I was told that the fee disclosure could be found on Optums website online and, since my account had already been closed, nothing more could be done. To make sure I hadnt missed something so important and obvious during this transfer process, I XXXX Optum Bank XXXX transfer ( like any reasonable person would ). The following websites/ forms displayed as the top search results : Managing a health savings account ( HSA ) ( optumbank.com ) XXXX ( optumbank.com ) As you can see from the websites, there is absolutely no mention whatsoever of any transfer fees. I logged into my Optum Bank account and checked for possible tabs or links that I may have missed within my account dashboard, but again I couldnt find any. I called Optum Bank several more times over the next few weeks and was essentially strung along, wasting countless hours with no meaningful resolution. Several agents and supervisors told me completely different things, supposedly submitted multiple complaints on my behalf, and supposedly escalated the issue. I was later told by subsequent agents that some of these supervisors were, in fact, NOT supervisors. I must have made at least a dozen phone calls to Optum between XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. All these calls should be recorded ( as any registered bank should keep such phone records for auditing purposes ), but I dont know if Optum Bank keeps such records. It seemed that the most valuable, effective, and efficient phone call was the second-to-last one I had on XXXX XXXX at XXXX where the agent finally directed me to email XXXX rather than wasting any more of my time with the ineffective customer service. I received an email this morning from their customer care to click on a link, create an account, and then have access to the message- which seems like an extremely cumbersome and risky ( in terms of cybersecurity ) way to communicate with their customers. They don't even have a secure message center when you log into your online account, which pretty much every single bank has nowadays. I read the email, which stated " Due to the nature of your question, it would be best to assist with your request over the phone. Please call our Customer Care line at XXXX and a representative will be happy to assist. The reference number for this request is XXXX. '' I tried that number, and it was the same old Optum customer service number that I had called at least a dozen times over the previous XXXX months - and just another agent with no clue about my case other than stating, " there is nothing we can do because your account is closed. '' The bank had given me the run-around, this time via email, for the last time. It is clear that they have absolutely no intention on adequately addressing or resolving my case and lack any sort of competent management that should - but couldn't - even handle any of my numerous phone calls or email. For a bank that has no physical branches anywhere - and hence relies solely on phone and email communication for service - this should be completely inexcusable. 

Therefore, I would like to formally list the following complaints against Optum Bank and request reimbursement for the {$20.00} hidden fee as well as a written apology from this bank for wasting my countless hours, blatantly lying to me, and essentially stringing me along for XXXX months with no adequate resolution over what should have been a simple issue so that this NEVER happens to any other customer : XXXX. Complete failure to disclose an XXXX transfer fee by their phone agent on XX/XX/XXXX when I asked about doing an XXXX transfer over the phone. By comparison, when I recently transferred retirement savings b/w XXXX other accounts, I was notified right away by the customer service agent via phone that a {$25.00} fee would be incurred. No such notification from Optum Bank, which is beyond unprofessional. It seems to violate bank transparency law. 

XXXX. Related to the above, the website and account management both do an inadequate job of notifying customers about this XXXX transfer fee as well. I couldn't find it. 
Unrelated but also important, some of the basic online banking functions, account deposit and withdrawal, were both inadequate and malfunctioning at important times late in XXXX which should be unacceptable for an institution with no physical branches that relies solely on online banking. I detailed exactly what transpired in XXXX during one of my phone calls with them and I hope they possess that phone record b/c it's just too much info for this complaint and a bit out of scope - but still important to note. 

XXXX. Optum customer service has been completely abysmal. Totally unreliable and the worst bank customer service I've ever experienced in my life. I would argue that it's virtually non-existent, with no chance of the customer being able to reach Optum supervisors or management to resolve an issue. Ever since I was erroneously charged a monthly account maintenance fee of {$2.00} late last year, even though I met the minimum balance requirement to avoid such a fee at the time ( again I dont wish to spend any more time on the matter here but it should be on several phone call records I had with them late last year as well ), I have been given so many explanations by so many different agents for so many issuesthat I cant trust anything that Optum customer service tells me anymore. They would rather waste the customer 's valuable personal time by giving him/her the run-around rather than coming to an efficient and effective resolution to a matter that should be intuitively obvious. Total lack of supervision / management at this bank. 

The bank clearly has not trained its staff about disclosing hidden fees, does not adequately document such fees on its website, and now it wants to avoid accountability for the egregious lack of transparency. And based on all the online reviews/complaints about this bank, it looks like I'm FAR from alone! I hope this Division can research this matter a bit and take my complaint and notes into consideration. This XXXX transfer fee was such a hidden fee, and I feel I was basically robbed of some of my money while subsequently enduring an inexcusable lengthy process- with no adequate resolution.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation