Consumer complaint received 2017-04-05
Company: PNC Bank N.A.
State: IL
Product: Bank account or service
Sub-product: Other bank product/service
Issue: Problems caused by my funds being low

Complaint:
I opted to receive an account threshold notification through PNC 's alert system to help me monitor my account as advertised ( see attached ). Whenever my balance falls below {$10.00}, I 'm supposed to receive an alert. Since I opened my account with PNC, I have always received the alert the same day my account balance fell below that threshold. However, XX/XX/2017, was an exception. While making a deposit at a branch, I inquired about not receiving the alert and was advised to contact customer service for online banking. According to the customer service representative I spoke to today, the transfer was processed on the weekend and this caused the alert not to send. However, per the transaction history on the account as well as the email they sent ( see attached ), at the close of business, the transaction that caused the overdraft posted and cleared on a weekday, Monday XX/XX/XXXX. I requested that the {$36.00} overdraft fee be waived since I did not receive an alert as usual on the day of, and the fact that no where in the advertisement, at sign up, or in the terms and conditions do they disclose or warn customers that there are times when alerts may not be sent and could result in a fee. To my dismay, I was told that the fee could not be refunded because " it 's still the customers responsibility to manage their account. '' I can not disagree with the fact that I have a responsibility to monitor and manage my account ... these alerts are supposed to help me do that, but if I do n't receive an alert when I should, then it 's not doing what they claim. I believe PNC has a responsibility to send the alerts that they promise, and if the are unable to always do so, then they should disclose to their customers that using the features they claim will help monitor your account are not 100 % guaranteed and that fees may occur in certain situations ... maybe also providing a few examples. There is even a section ( see attached ) for " important legal disclosures and information '' on the page that advertises the alerts. That would be a great place to put that kind of information, and if not there, at least in the terms and conditions that can be accessed from that section. The email I mentioned earlier even states : " to help avoid this in the future, you can register for a PNC Alert to be notified when your account balance goes below an amount you specify ... '' The irony is ridiculous, given that I am signed up, and it did me no good in this case. I take full responsibility for times when I neglect to properly manage my account and I pay my fees without complaint, however this is a time where I really believe that PNC is not taking responsibility on their end. In my situation, had the information I was told today been previously disclosed, then I would have nothing to argue, even if it was hidden in the " fine print '' of the terms and conditions. I would simply accept the fact that I did n't take the additional necessary measures to avoid such fees and pay what was due without complaint. I do n't take the time to file complaints unless I genuinely believe the institution is in error. There is often a certain deception or lack of disclosure around how some processes or features work across many financial institutions, but I think a lot of complaints can easily be eliminated if this information was disclosed. This is one of those situations.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation