Consumer complaint received 2023-02-24
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: VA
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Foreign currency exchange
Issue: Problem with customer service

Complaint:
To Whom It May Concern : Ive had a number of serious problems with Bank of America over the past 10 years and thought it was time I brought them to your attention : Approximately seven years ago I rolled over an IRA from XXXX to Bank of America. The BOA employee at my local branch ( XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, VA XXXX ) claimed I would not have to pay tax on this transaction. I was later audited and made to pay a steep penalty by the IRS because I actually did owe taxes. I went back to the bank and met with several managers. I was told that the banker had rolled over the money into the wrong type of IRA, not the one I had asked for. She had made a serious mistake. However, they refused to reimburse me for this mistake. Im not sure which is more troubling here, their incompetence or their unwillingness to take responsibility for their actions. 

This has happened several times. We sat down with a banker and asked to change our checking or savings account from one type of account to another, or open a new account, and then we later discovered that BOA gave us the wrong information about that account and its benefits, or they opened the wrong type of account for us. Again, they never made any attempt to reimburse us for moniesin this case, interestor time lost because of their errors. 

My wife and I took a great deal of money out of our BOA accounts as a result of this. Approximately {$700000.00} over a period of perhaps five years. 

A second problem lies with purchasing foreign currency. About five years ago I ordered some Euros to be delivered to my home. I conducted the transaction online and, during the process, was told in very clear language that I had to be at home in order to collect the money. They were not allowed to leave it in a mailbox or anywhere else. It must be hand-delivered. Of course, this is common sense so I expected as much. Leaving currency lying around outside is not secure, intelligent or reasonable. On the delivery date, I received an email saying that the currency had been delivered, but it hadnt been. The next day I found it in my backyard in the garden, inside a bush. It had simply been tossed over the brick wall surrounding my property. Why, I have no idea. 

I ordered more foreign currency recently, about {$1000.00} in Japanese Yen, and the same thing happened. The delivery did not come but I received a message saying it had. The next day I found it in my front garden, about 15 feet from the door. No one handed it to me. No one knocked on the door. It could have easily been slipped through the mail slot or even put between the doors. But instead it was left outside for anyone to steal. This is so incredibly stupid Im having trouble believing its actually happened, again. 

I complained to BOA and was eventually contacted by XXXX XXXX, Client Care Executive Response Team. He asked me to call him. I explained by email that I have a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX. He could reach me by email if he had follow-up questions regarding my complaint. As I told him, if he had security concerns about communicating by email, there was no need to discuss account numbers or any other vulnerable information, so it would be fine. XXXX XXXX did not reply and I have not heard from this person again. I guess he was unwilling to communicate by email, perhaps because he does not want a paper trail about BOAs continuous and serious incompetencies. Nor did he suggest an alternative method of communication. He has shown a total unwillingness to accommodate my medical issue. Shockingly unprofessional and unethical behavior, but its also what Ive come to expect from BOA. 

I thought you would want to know this. Please take the relevant actions and/or pass this on to someone who can. Thanks for listening.

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