Consumer complaint received 2020-03-07
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: IN
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Banking errors

Complaint:
Fee refund reference # XXXX Bank of America sent a letter w/check saying they had charged excessive fees and were refunding them. Check made out to my Mother-in-Law, instead of the Trust for which I was the Trustee. She passed away in XX/XX/XXXX, account closed in XX/XX/XXXX. I contacted the number on the letter with check. XX/XX/XXXX Spoke with XXXX w/XXXX XXXX. He said BOA had not filed the paperwork properly and that is why it was in her name. I can not cash the check and distribute to beneficiaries. He referred me to XXXX in Estate Svc Oper in Del. She toiled on it awhile and then turned me over to XXXX in Checking and Savings in Texas who said to call the number on the letter. I told her that I was now full circle and I wanted to talk to her supervisor. She put me through to XXXX, who said he was the floor supv. He said he could not help me, but would contact someone who could. After about 2 hours and 21 minutes on hold, I spoke w/XXXX   in Estate Svc Op in XXXX. He said he could not fix it, but that someone would get in touch with me in 24 to 48 hours. No call on XX/XX/XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX, so on XX/XX/XXXX I called Estate Svc Op, spoke with XXXX in XXXX. On hold for 27 minutes to speak to her then she worked on it for another 21. She said she was turning me over to the Escalation Dept and I spoke with a XXXX XXXX in California. It was towards the end of the day and he said he would be off on XX/XX/XXXX, but would be back in touch on following Mon with answers. He is the only person who has done what he said he would do. On XX/XX/XXXX he called back and said a new check had been issued. I would get it in 7 to 10 business days. Received new check on XXXX, made out wrong, exactly like first check. I called XXXX back and he said that yet another check would be issued made out so I could cash it. I am awaiting the new check. I told him that up until that time I had spent well over 5 hours on this issue, trying to take care of BOA 's screw ups and that I should be compensated for my time. He said he did not have any jurisdiction in this area and he would have a manager call me by end of day. He called back and said he found out that mgr was out and that I would be contacted on XXXX. XXXX I was contacted by XXXX XXXX, Mgr in Estate Svc Op in AZ. She stated that BOA would not compensate me for my time, now close to 6 hours. Spent 33 minutes on phone with her. She advised me to seek legal advice on how to compel the company to reimburse me for the time they caused me to use to get them to do their job correctly. She refused to put the information she was giving to me in writing, she also refused to let me speak to her supervisor because I was not satisfied with the advice she had given me. She claimed that the head of the Estate Svc Op is XXXX XXXX, but refused to tell me where she was located so I could contact her. I feel that since BOA had screwed up in charging the fees initially, had screwed up issuing the first check, had screwed up passing me around to multiple people in order to get it reissued, had screwed up reissuing it incorrectly and wasted my time talking to someone who refused to either approve my request or refer it to someone who could, I should be financially compensated. I am seeking {$300.00}. I stated that the money does not have to come to me, I would be more than happy to have it donated to a charity of my choice, but that BOA needs to be held financially accountable for their treatment of my mother-in-law for charging her excessive fees, and me for getting such a protracted run around by BOA. It is also my opinion that BOA was compelled by some government entity to refund the excessive fees. By issuing reimbursement checks incorrectly, they are counting on people not having in excess of 6 hours to get the checks done right and they will keep the money. {$15.00} times a million wrongfully charged people equals over {$15.00} million saved by the company. How many others are there?

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 explanation