Consumer complaint received 2022-08-30
Company: SUNCOAST CREDIT UNION
State: FL
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Other transaction problem

Complaint:
I submitted a money transfer of {$24.00} from SunCoast Credit Union to XXXX XXXX  on XX/XX/XXXX. 
I was given a confirmation that {$24.00} would be withdrawn on XX/XX/XXXX from SunCoast CU and would be deposited into my XXXX account on XX/XX/XXXX. 
On XX/XX/XXXX I received a text stating the {$24.00} withdrawn from SunCoast CU had been delivered to my XXXX XXXX  account. 
On XX/XX/XXXX the money was gone from my SunCoast CU account. 
On XX/XX/XXXX {$24.00} was WITHDRAWN by SunCoast CU from my XXXX XXXX  account. 
A withdraw was NOT AUTHORIZED. 
I authorized a DEPOSIT. 
I was now missing the original {$24.00} withdrawn from my SunCoast CU account, AS WELL AS now missing an additional {$24.00} from the UNAUTHORIZED withdrawal from XXXX XXXX, where the money was to be DEPOSITED. 
SunCoast CU now has {$48.00} of my money, that I no longer have access to ; {$24.00} withdrawn from SunCoast CU to deposit in XXXX XXXX, and {$24.00} UNAUTHORIZED withdrawal from XXXX XXXX  to SunCoast CU. 

I spent over an hour trying to get this resolved with SunCoast CU.

I was initially told by SunCoast there was nothing they could do to return the stolen money to me, that it was a software problem that they were working on. 
I explained that losing access to {$48.00} of my money due to their software problem, I was in dire financial distress- I am across the country on a road trip and now have no funds to purchase gasoline or food and have {$69.00} worth of outstanding checks ( 8 checks ), they may try to clear but will now overdraw my account if the post today due to Suncoasts software problem. 
Not only am I stranded, but I could be looking at exorbitant overdraft fees due to SunCoast doing an unauthorized withdrawal from my XXXX account. 
I was told they could return the {$24.00} to my SunCoast account, but would not back out the unauthorized withdrawal and they would not compensate me for the unauthorized withdrawal. 
They also would not do any type of transfer ( instant deposit or wire transfer ) to get the money they stole from my XXXX XXXX  account. 
They told me it was up to my XXXX XXXX  to refund the money. 
I had already spent 22 minutes prior to calling SunCoast CU, talking to XXXX as was told by them it was SunCoast CUs error and that SunCoast CU would have to correct it. 
I asked SunCoast CU to speak to someone who COULD help me and was told first that there was no one above the Relationship Specialist that I was speaking to, and then told that nothing could be done anyway, but I could be put on a callback list so that someone higher up could tell me they wont help me. 

When I asked to hold, the representative told me he would not allow that and would be terminating the phone call- and he did. 

This is over {$24.00}, and now {$48.00}. 
Does not seem like a lot of money to most people, but I am permanently XXXX ( for ANXIETY ) and receive very little income from Social Security every month. 
I had to make this transfer because catastrophic car repairs have depleted all of my resources this month and I do not receive my next XXXX payment until XX/XX/XXXX. 
I NEED this money TODAY because I am out of food, gasoline, and am now stranded XXXX miles from home with no other resources. 

I was disconnected by XXXX, the Relationship XXXX at SunCoast CU after I asked for the information on the agency that governs Credit Unions in the United States. 

I spent another 18 minutes begging XXXX to help me, even though this was not their mistake and after they told me again, that it was up to SunCoast to back-out the transaction. 
XXXX eventually cancelled the withdrawal and allowed me access to the money SunCoast took from that account without authorization. 
They also waived the {$36.00} fee to do that. 

I would like to know if there are any laws that prevent financial institutions ( SunCoast ) from withdrawing funds from another institution ( XXXX ) with absolutely no authorization to do so. 
Are there any consequences or ramifications for doing so? 
It is currently XXXX. I have been dealing with this for almost 4 hours this morning- my first call was at XXXX. 
This has also ruined my plans for the day which were to buy food. It is now too late for me to do that today with the heat. 
I will also lose all of the food in my ice chest because I didnt have the money to buy more because of this fiasco. 

I have also lost TIME. Four hours at this point. 
And at the expense of my mental health.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation