Consumer complaint received 2019-03-13
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Fee problem

Complaint:
This letter alleges a number of wrongdoings and inappropriate activities by Bank of America in the servicing and maintenance of my Checking and Savings account with the institution. It appears that : 1 ) The fee structure for my account changed without notification, resulting in numerous fees being assessed against my account without my knowledge or awareness 2 ) That there were multiple fee structure options that Bank of America could have changed my account to when it made the modification, but it knowingly placed the account into a higher fee structure bracket that was not suitable to my account or circumstance This actions above resulted in direct harm, including the following fees assessed over time : - XX/XX/XXXX fee in the amount of {$25.00} titled Monthly Maintenance Fee - XX/XX/XXXX - {$25.00} fee titled Monthly Maintenance Fee - XX/XX/XXXX - {$25.00} fee titled Monthly Maintenance Fee - XX/XX/XXXX - {$25.00} fee titled Monthly Maintenance Fee I called to complain about the funds on XX/XX/XXXX after noticing the fee posted to my account on XX/XX/XXXX. I spoke with an agent who informed me : - That this fee had actually been assessed multiple times in the past ( something that I was not aware of ) - The agent noted that they would refund the most recent fee as well as the one prior as a customer service gesture. When reviewing my account on XX/XX/XXXX only one of the fees was refunded, making it suggest to that a false promise was made to me during our discussion - When I requested information on when I was notified of the fee structure change the agent was unable to comply with my request, stating only that it would have been sent in the ordinary course of business. Bank of America would later ship me two packages with printouts of the last 7 years of my bank statements. I reviewed these and was unable to identify the notification, as I assume the agent was as well. 
- When asking why I was not placed in a lower fee structure account when the fee structure was changed ( as there were multiple options with lower account threshold balances that can be maintained without penalty ), Bank of America provided numerous benefits that were not applicable to my situation. This would lead one to believe that if there was a selection process  when making these determinations, that it was made in the benefit of Bank of America and potential fee revenue rather than in the best interest of the customer. 
o The most prevalent benefit I was provided was that under the plan Bank of America had enrolled me under, I would only have to pay the {$25.00} fee once if I had up to 7 different accounts with the banking institution. As I have only ever had a checking and savings account this is clearly not a value add for my situation. 
- Bank of America refused to refund any past additional fees at my request and when I voiced my displeasure that I had been enrolled in an account that was not suitable to my position without clear communication In summary, it would appear that Bank of America   has knowingly placed me in a position where fees are more likely to be obtained by the institution ( similar to the XXXX XXXX case ). It is also likely that this same situation has occurred to other consumers. 
I am requesting a refund of the fees ( direct harm of {$100.00} ) on my account and an explanation for why my account was not placed in a more appropriate fee structure when multiple ones were available. 
Please reach out to me with any questions that could help with the situation.

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