Consumer complaint received 2023-01-08
Company: BANK OF THE WEST
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Fee problem

Complaint:
Bank of the West sent out a notice that it was removing overdraft fees on all personal and non personal accounts on XXXX. '' Bank of the Wests Returned Item fee was previously charged when a check, recurring debit card payment or automatic payment was presented against a customers account with insufficient available funds. The Banks Extended Overdraft fee was applied when a customers account remained overdrawn by {$15.00} or more for five days. Customers will no longer incur NSF fees or Extended Overdraft fees on their accounts. " XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX Bank of the West not only continued to charge ME overdraft fees on these kinds of transactions they misrepresented what my balance was and kept approving transactions collecting a mountain of overdraft fees and ignoring my communications about it. What they communicated my balance was in official correspondence often differed from what was in the online dashboard. I was repeatedly charged for unauthrorized and duplicate transactions as well AND charged overdraft fees for those transactions too. 

On XX/XX/XXXX i received a {$35.00} fee for a {$4.00} transaction. The notification said that my balance was negative {$47.00}. On XXXX my balance was {$67.00} and at the start of XXXX after a deposit it was XXXX. An item for {$110.00} came in and left me with a XXXX balance then Bank of the West Charged me {$35.00}. The {$4.00} charge they claim overdrafted me was an unauthorized recurring charge that I alerted to the bank to back in XXXX of XXXX which they had refunded before but NEVER blocked after I told them multiple times. This charge has repeatedly appeared on my account and I have been charged fees multiple times because of it. 

On XXXX, XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX I was charged 4 times for overdraft fees for recurring items which in direct conflict with the banks new policy issued on XX/XX/XXXX. We're now up to {$210.00} in fees. On XX/XX/XXXX I wrote to customer service explaining the policy including the link and online teller XXXX XXXX responded by refunding me {$35.00} and not addressing the policy and the Bank of The West mistake. We're back to {$170.00} in fees I had deposits that cleared up the negative without being reimbursed and I was charged fees for recurring transactions again on XX/XX/XXXX for XXXX from XXXX twice, one of which was a duplicate charge. {$70.00} in OD fees- now we're up to {$240.00} + $ XXXX XXXX dollars I had additional deposit come in and used my card for {$5.00} and I had another duplicate charge and Bank of the West issued {$70.00} in overdraft fees. Now we're up {$320.00} Then I was charged again by XXXX {$8.00}, another unauthorized {$4.00} washingpost charge came thru AGAIN and a {$10.00} XXXX ransportation charge. Bank of the West approved and paid all of these transactions and charged me {$100.00} - Now we're up to XXXX XXXX XXXX in overdraft fees plus XXXX XXXX XXXX in duplicate/unauthorized charges = {$430.00} This is just pure greed on the amount of Bank of The West. I repeatedly wrote to them via email and told them that I opted out of overdraft last XXXX and reminded them of their own policy from XXXX of this year. There's zero reason I should have incurred these fees NOR should they have continued to post unauthorized transactions to my account after they'd been made aware. Charging me multiple times for the same transaction and multiple OD fees for that transaction is predatory ESPECIALLY when you sent out an entire press release that you weren't charging OD fees anymore. 

Bank of the West should return my {$430.00} and get better data practices.

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