Consumer complaint received 2021-10-04
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem accessing account

Complaint:
I have had my checking account with Bank of America for 27 years. 

Over the years, they have changed their " security '' measures that add nothing to make a customer ( me ) feel more secure. 

First, they required me to choose a picture to associate with my account to access it through online banking. 

Then they took away the choice of having a picture, and required me to give them three challenge questions and the answers to them, and they would present one of these questions when logging in. 

Then they took the challenge questions away, and instead required me to let them send me a code by text message, which I would have to enter the screen to gain access. 

Now they require me to call XXXX to get a code to gain access to my account. At that number, the robot gives options to tell them what you are calling about. NONE of the choices are " I need a code ''. Because I can't tell them why I'm calling, they say that I will have to wait extra long because I'm not telling them why I am calling. 

On Friday, after staying on hold for an hour, " XXXX XXXX '', associate XXXX gathered from me my credit card information, ATM card information, driver 's license, and still couldn't verify my identity. He began throwing outrageous questions at me -- irrelevant questions that couldn't be answered by ANYONE, let alone someone after two hours of being grilled, not having eaten a thing all day, and now under a microscope at BofA to try to gain access to MY MONEY. He would not give me access to my account because I couldn't answer questions that aren't even in my wheelhouse. 

This is not security, this is customer harassment. 

Later I spoke to someone else and we spent two hours trying to find out what in the system has changed that makes me unable to gain access to my account. I'm using the same laptop, the same browser, and though I have changed email addresses and phone numbers, it shouldn't take WEEKS to implement those changes in the system. 

I want access to my account for the entire month of XXXX without assistance because I am going to be closing the account, but need access in order to stop the bill pays, sort out the credit card mess of credits that are being applied to my account, and change my direct deposit information. 

On Friday after being on the phone for yet another 3 hours with a supervisor named " XXXX '' associate # XXXX he reassured me he had fixed it, and that I would be able to log in using a code delivered by text message within 24 hours. The complaint number for this last 3 hour debacle is complaint id XXXX. 


Naturally I haven't regained access without calling them. It's now 72 hours later and I STILL CAN NOT GET INTO MY ACCOUNT. This is beyond harassment. I don't have two hours to stay on the phone today, or on ANY OTHER DAYS in the future, for these numbskulls. 

I won't be changing any of my profile information with them for the next month. I believe their system is screwed up because it is a day ahead of time. That's an issue for their technical department to figure out. They've lost me as a customer. I just want in to my account so I can get my money out of it and be gone from them forever.

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