Consumer complaint received 2019-08-07
Company: BB&T CORPORATION
State: GA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem caused by your funds being low
Sub-issue: Overdrafts and overdraft fees

Complaint:
I have been a BB & T customer since 2010, when I opened a small business account for my main business, which is advertising. Since then, I added 2 more accounts. I am writing this because I feel you should be aware of the way they handled a situation regarding one of these accounts. 

I am a stickler about making sure the money is in my account before writing a check or paying a bill. On the evening of XX/XX/XXXX, prior to depositing a check into my account at a BB & T ATM, I checked the balance online, and it was {$880.00}. I proceeded to deposit a check in the amount of {$1300.00} into my account at BB & T. 

When you deposit a check at a BB & T ATM, the receipt shows the first {$100.00} as added to the accounts balance, with the remainder to clear on the next business day, or if the deposit is made after hours, the second business day. 

The BB & T receipt showed the first {$100.00} as added to the account balance ; the total balance reported on the receipt was {$980.00}. The remaining {$1200.00} was being held until the second business day. 

Having the assurance with the receipt that the account balance was now {$980.00}, I went home and wrote a check in the amount of {$900.00}, which I deposited into my personal checking account at a XXXX  XXXX XXXX ATM. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from BB & T saying the check had been returned for insufficient funds, which triggered a fee of {$36.00}. It also caused a fee of {$12.00} to my XXXX XXXX XXXX account. 

I called BB & Ts customer service number and was told the account had only {$880.00} in it when the {$900.00} check was written. I told them I had the receipt that showed BB & T had credited the first {$100.00} of my deposit, and according to the receipt, {$980.00} was in the account. I then told customer service that I would take the receipt to my local BB & T branch. 

When I took the receipt to the BB & T branch on XXXX XXXX in XXXX, GA, the only two employees in the bank were tellers. I explained what happened to one of the tellers and showed him the receipt. 

He said the balance on ATM receipts is effective the following business day. Nothing on the receipt said anything about the next business day. It showed the balance was {$980.00}, which included the first {$100.00} of the deposit. 

The teller said he would submit a request online for the {$36.00} fee to be credited. He then informed me that the request was denied. He said the only person who could push through the credit was the branch manager, XXXX XXXX, who would be in the bank around XXXX. 

On the way home I stopped at XXXX XXXX XXXX. I explained the situation to them and showed them the BB & T ATM receipt. They credited the {$12.00} immediately. 

I spoke with Ms. XXXX by telephone ; the teller had explained the situation to her. I found Ms. XXXX to be borderline rude during the entire call. She said there was nothing she could do at the branch since the system had rejected the request for a credit. At one point, I evidently interrupted her. She said, As I was about to say before I was interrupted, Ill put the request through to be reviewed by the bank, and theyll make a decision. 

Ms. XXXX then said the records showed I deposited the {$900.00} check from BB & T into my XXXX  XXXX XXXX account before I deposited the funds into my BB & T account. This was absolutely untrue, and I told Ms. XXXX that. I promised her that I would email the receipt from the deposit at XXXX  XXXX XXXX to prove the time, which was XXXX, was later than the deposit at BB & T, which was at XXXX. 

What was frankly stunning to me was Ms. XXXX refusal to resolve the situation in a way that I would expect from any employee in a customer service position. She knew what had happened and that it wasnt my fault. She could have said something like, For the future, just know that when the receipt shows {$100.00} credited to the balance, its effective the next morning. But I understand what happened, and Ill take care of it. I find it hard to believe that when the system refuses a request, there is no way around it. 

Before I emailed Ms. XXXX to send her the XXXX  XXXX XXXX receipt, I called BB & T customer service and asked to whom Ms. XXXX reported at the corporate office. I was given the name and email address of XXXX XXXX. I then emailed Ms. XXXX the receipt, proving her claim that I deposited the money into XXXX  XXXX XXXX before depositing the funds into BB & T was not true. 

In the email, I added that I was going to write to XXXX XXXX to let him know my level of dissatisfaction. About 5 minutes later, before I was able to email him, I received a call from Mr. XXXX. He said he happened to be in the branch that morning, and Ms. XXXX informed him of the situation. He said he had a question : The BB & T check that I had deposited into my XXXX   XXXX XXXX account was # XXXX. But the bottom of the XXXX  XXXX XXXX receipt that proved the deposit was made at XXXX showed a serial number of XXXX. To what did XXXX refer? 

I didnt know the answer but told Mr. XXXX that I would print the check from my XXXX  XXXX XXXX account in order to show him that the check deposited at XXXX was indeed BB & T check # XXXX. When I emailed him the check, I wrote that I was surprised he was making me jump through hoops over {$36.00}, especially since he knew what happened and that it was not my fault. 

Subsequently, I called XXXX  XXXX XXXX customer service and asked what the serial number of XXXX referred to. They said every ATM has a serial number, and XXXX was the serial number of the ATM in which I deposited the check. 

Mr. XXXX wrote back that he did not intend that I do additional work or jump through hoops ; that he was just trying to review the situation and determine what might have caused the fee. He said I would hear back from Ms. XXXX or himself by close of business the following day. 

While I appreciate Mr. XXXX meticulousness, I am still amazed that such an investigation was deemed necessary over {$36.00} ; that Ms. XXXX, aware of what happened, had not just cordially taken care of it immediately. 

I realize banks make billions in fees, but this was a case in which a long-time customer obviously was right based on the information he was given. It would have been so easy to apply basic customer service principles. 

Mr. XXXX email stated I would hear from either Ms. XXXX or him no later than close of business on XX/XX/XXXX. I never heard from either of them. 

If BB & Ts goal was to make {$36.00}, they were successful. But, they lost 3 accounts in the process.

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