Consumer complaint received 2019-03-29
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Other problem

Complaint:
***Bank of America is NOT helpful! *** This is a new complaint subsequent to a CFPB complaint number : XXXX dated XXXX which BANK OF AMERICA has still NOT resolved, hence am doing a fresh complaint. 

Attached : ( A ) Signed and completed Fraud Statement ( affidavit ) ( b ) Third Party Authorization Form ( c ) XXXX Forgery Police Report BACKGROUND : This case is regarding the repayment of my {$300.00} collateral on a secured visa credit card number ending XXXX. After closing down of the credit card on or around XX/XX/XXXX, Bank Of America alleges they sent to me by mail in XX/XX/XXXX a check for {$300.00} to my previous address, and the bank alleges this check was cashed via a mobile app. The bank did not courteously try to contact me by text message, via bank msg portal or email to advise they will be mailing out a collateral check. They just sent the check willy-nilly. 

LEGACY : I received from Bank of America a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX from a Mr. XXXX XXXX who is the resolution specialist at regulatory complaints. XXXX gave the following as his contact info : Tel # XXXX XXXX XXXX ext. XXXX. In his letter XXXX requested ( A ) I complete the " Third Party Authorization Form '' to allow my brother to deal on my behalf and ( B ) I complete and sign an Fraud Statement ( affidavit ) and then notarize it with an official notary, and ( C ) send back both ( A ) and ( B ) forms to him by fax to fax number ( XXXX ) XXXX XXXX. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I faxed back the completed and signed Third Party Authorization Form together with a copy of my passport and copies of the credit cards and debit cards I have Held with Bank of America ( see copy of these attached to this complaint ). 

On or about XX/XX/XXXX I called XXXX XXXX on his number and I kept receiving a voicemail message. I left a voicemail for XXXX and also called several times in the days and weeks thereafter, leaving him messages asking him to call me back on my XXXX XXXX number ending in XXXX. 

I asked XXXX to leave me a detailed message about ( D ) If he has received the Third Party Authorization Form by fax and ( E ) That seeming I am in the XXXX, hence the banks request for me to notarize the Fraud Statement puts me in a financial detriment ( out of pocket ). A notary service in the XXXX is extremely expensive. I am NOT willing to pay XXXX for a notary service in order to get my {$300.00} collateral money back. It makes no financial sense and the maths do not add up. 

If Bank Of America demands I notarize the Fraud Statement then bank needs to pay for the notarization. If Bank Of America refuses to send me my check because I can not notarize then this amounts to Duress, Entrapment and Blackmail because they are forcing me to pay out-of-pocket in order to get my money back. 

Despite leaving several messages on XXXX XXXX voicemail. XXXX has never ever had the courtesy or respect to call me back since XX/XX/XXXX to the date of this CFPB complaint. This conduct is unprofessional. 

On Friday XX/XX/XXXX I spoke with a lady named - XXXX XXXX - who is a Bank of America prer resolution manager in the Escalations Team - on telephone number XXXX. XXXX XXXX ASSURED me that she will be speaking to the escalation team dealing with this case and she agreed that I should not be out of pocket to pay for any notarization services. I advised XXXX XXXX that I have no further interest in dealing with XXXX XXXX because he is both unresponsive and unprofessional and I wanted the case to be transferred over to a different person, who is a senior supervisor that can take over the case and handle it professionally and courteously. XXXX XXXX promised that she will be contacting me on Monday, XX/XX/XXXX on my XXXX number ending in XXXX and she gave every confidence and faith that she will be responding on this day. 

Obviously this has never happened and I have not received any call from her or from anyone else ; as of today. Bank of America laugh just give me the runaround and give me false promises and hopes and try to deflate my frustration but they go away and do nothing about it and just leave everything hanging and pending without any resolution. It is up to the CFPB to act as proper ombudsman and assured that bank conduct is not detrimental to customers like myself. Bank Of America is incredibly discourteous and not helpful! 

As my brother - ( his initials are " XXXX '' ) is authorized to deal with the case ( per the signed authority form ) hence my brother went into XXXX station in XX/XX/XXXX and reported a forgery check and got the necessary police report number ( see attached ).

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