Consumer complaint received 2021-01-15
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: OR
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Can't close your account

Complaint:
XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX : I used Bank of America 's online bill pay system to pay off my current statement balance of {$4500.00}, which was due XXXX. I entered one number of my checking account number incorrectly, so the payment from my checking account was returned unpaid XX/XX/XXXX : I receive an email notifying me that my payment attempt was unsuccessful and instructed me to contact BofA immediately, which I did. At no point in the notification email did it say that my card had been locked. And nowhere on my account page on the BofA website did it state that my card had been frozen during this entire ordeal, even though they froze it for at least two weeks. 
XX/XX/XXXX : I paid the statement balance of {$4500.00} over the phone. I requested of the agent that the late fee and interest charge that would be coming despite my good-faith effort to pay on time be dropped ; she couldn't do that because my next statement hadn't come out yet ( hence I hadn't been charged the late fee and interest yet ), but " 90 % of the time that happens automatically. BofA did charge me a late fee and interest, although the third agent I spoke with was able to credit me those fees and charges. 
XXXX : BofA logs the returned payments ; despite the fact that I have an email dated XXXX notifying of the returned payment and a phone payment made on XXXX for the returned payments that, apparently, BofA hadn't recorded yet. 
XXXX : My BofA card begins to be declined. 
XX/XX/XXXX : I contact BofA customer service by phone. First agent says yes, my account has been frozen until XX/XX/XXXX, transfers me to the fraud department. After 20 minute hold, someone in the fraud department confirms the freeze until XX/XX/XXXX, then tells me that he can't unlock the card, and the department that can is only open XXXX M-F. 
XX/XX/XXXX : I contact BofA again. I tell the first agent what happened, she reviews the notes and says she knows where to send me. She sends me to the fraud department and after a 20 minute hold fraud tells me the same thing they told me the day before : they can't lift the hold, but they're going to send me to someone who can. After another 20 minute call another agent promises me that she can unlock my card, researches, puts me on hold, talks with her supervisor, comes back and tells me " I've never been able to unlock a card before. I don't know what to tell you. You're going to have to wait until the XXXX before you can use your card again. '' XX/XX/XXXX : I decide this whole thing is ridiculous and call BofA to cancel my card and account. After speaking with at least five different agents, being told that I have to pay off my current balance, then being told I can't pay off my balance because there's a freeze on my account, then being send BACK to the fraud department, 10+ - minute holds between each of these conversations ), only to be told that I indeed can not cancel my card because I can not pay off my balance until my account is unfrozen, which won't happen until the XXXX. 

I believe it is my right to pay off my card and close my account whenever I want to. I have to believe that BofA 's refusal to allow me to pay off and close my account has to violate some regulation. 

Also, I have spend at least four hours attempting to, first, get my card released when it was frozen -- for two weeks with no way to unfreeze it -- based on an honest mistake that I corrected as soon as I was notified ; then, trying to cancel my account, which BofA STILL has not allowed me to do.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief