Consumer complaint received 2018-08-03
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: MA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Funds not handled or disbursed as instructed

Complaint:
Hello, My name is XXXX XXXX XXXX. I have a checking account with Bank Of America and  have had this account for over 20 years. 
On XX/XX/2018 I went on to my online banking and noticed my account stated it was negative by {$40.00}. I wasn't sure why as I had done my banking early this month, made payments to accounts I needed to then cancelled any scheduled payments that I had previously set up in automatic recurring payments. I do do this often as it gives me a sense of security if for some reason I may become unable to manually make payment myself. It has worked for me & I have had my account set up like this for years! 
The transaction that was throwing my account into the negative was a {$150.00} payment to XXXX XXXX XXXX, this transactions status stated ... .processing. I was upset as I know for a fact this payment was deleted for the month earlier that month when I decided to make my payments at a different time. I had made 3 prior payments to XXXX XXXX earlier that month. At this time I went to my bill pay page to see if I could figure out what had happened, it was there that I noticed there was also a payment for {$240.00} scheduled to go out of my account the following day to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX On this payment however it was not in the processing mode yet, and it still offered the option to cancel the payment. So I did. Thank goodness I thought as I am having financial difficulties at the moment and my account is to the penny. As I stated I had made my payments for the month, and had cancelled any further scheduled to go out. The only activity my account should have seen was a couple of small payments that come in from outside companies to retrieve it. 
I then called Customer Service to express my concern regarding these payments that had been canceled and to find out what I could do. At the time I did not have any concern about the {$240.00} payment to XXXX XXXX as it was confirmed to me by a customer service representitive that the payment had been cancelled. This customer service reresentitive " XXXX '' went into length about why I have recurring payments if I go ahead and cancell them all the time, etc. etc ... basicly to appease him I let him cancell the reacurring payment to XXXX XXXX as I had not used this method of Payment in over 6 months. I told him I did not authorize the payment that went out to XXXX XXXX either ... ..Told him it said it was processing and asked if there was anything he could do. XXXX was the third customer service representitive I had to speak with that afternoon. 2 hours after initiating the call " XXXX '' told me he had stpped the XXXX XXXX payment as well and that my account would be in the correct status after midnight that evening. 
This is not what happened, when I woke up I had an email from Bank of America stating I had 4 messages in my inbox. When I opened them 2 where conformation of my cancellation of the XXXX XXXX payment. I assumed one was from my manually canceling and one from when " XXXX '' cancelled the recouring payment. I then looked at my account and instead of it being corrected it now showed a negative balance over around {$300.00} ... ..There have been so many crazy changes with fees and return of fees I'm sorry that I can not be more exact, all I know is that The XXXX XXXX Payment went through but stated there was insufficant funds for payment and also the XXXX XXXX went through causing a {$35.00} fee that was reversed but unlike I had been told the day prior the payment to XXXX XXXX was not stopped. At the same time I had a {$98.00} transaction come through from my Insurance co and I told them it is imperitive this be payed ... It was ... I was also told the XXXX XXXX fee could not be reversed but the charge for insuffiant funds would be reversed. I spent the entire day XX/XX/XXXX on the phone and was transfered around to at least 10 different customer service representitives. After being able to achieve nothing I went into my local branch and this is where the actions spoken of above, corrections took place. All I know is that I had available {$140.00} or so on Friday afternoon and I was told to take the money out by customer service, just incase. The reason she told me this is because she stated that the XXXX XXXX Payment of {$240.00} was showing that it was scheduled to go back through my account on XXXX XXXX. I asked her why is this going to go through again when it was never authorized to make payment to begin with, but also because I had canceled the payment, came to the branch, spoke to at least 12 representitves does not someone have the ability to stop a transaction that was not authorized? She said no, but not to worry because the setting on my account had been changed, and that if the XXXX XXXX payment did come back through on the XX/XX/XXXX it would not go through and would not be paid, but it would generate a {$35.00} fee, at which time she would reverse if that was the case. This all seemed very ridiculous to me and unnecassary but at this point I had just had it with BOA! Well my account did not show that it was effected by anymore attempts at payment so I assumed this problem had been put to rest until XX/XX/XXXX, when I looked at my email and noticed my account was now overdrawn yet again and that this payment, that I had deleted at the begininng of the month, was scheduled again somehow without my authority, was manually recancelled again, reported to numerous agents on the phone and in person a week ago, to which I was told would not be allowed to process through my account even if an attempt was maid, still somehow has managed to go through my account yet again, was not kicked out as I was told, paid to the merchant without authority. 
I am disgusted, frustrated, and have never been more agrivated before! I noticed these issues early on in my account, " I '' maid every attempt to correct, fix, and prevent further issues from snowballing due to this problem yet I was failed by each and every customer service person who I spoke with! I also will add that some where respectful and kind just did not take care of issue but others where down right rude, condecending, arrogant, and tryed to think they could tell me what I had done! It was an insult to my inteligence to assume that I was the problem and that I sent these recuring payments up therfor it is just too bad " Mam ''! No, this was not an issue " I '' created, nor and issue that XXXX XXXX or XXXX XXXX created, this is a " BOA '' issue! The last 2 customer Representatives where so extreamly rude to me One name was XXXX XXXX in the Bill Pay Department, this person does not have the capacity to be working with the public and should never be in a customer service position, she was rude, and had no manners what so ever. She spoke over every word I said, would not allow me to speak, she tryed to put word in my mouth and I am appaled at the way she treated me! The other customer service rep was XXXX in Bill Pay Fraud, she told me she would not allow me to file a claim, " she was not going to allow it '' was respectful at first when I called but stayed on the line while the other rep and I spoke and after when she spoke again her tone had completley changed ... ... I have been with BOA for over 20 years back when it was XXXX  XXXX XXXX and I never in all my years of banking have EVER been treated with such accusational tones, aggresive behavoir, sarcasim, etc ... .. 
I sat down to write this after My umpteenth call this am and that it what I got! Enough!

I am on a very limited & tight budget at the moment and maybe they can afford to have money go out of their accounts unscheduled or without their authority or permission, but I can not! Regardless of what has happened here honestly should really not even matter! No one should Ever have to be treated this way. NO one!

FYI- I have two receits of cancellation & I never recieved my 6 day, or my 2 day update to these payments going out either ... .. My account is a mess now not only financially but apparently some of these customer servcie representitives have taken it upon themselves to change many of my setting & apparently think they know better how to manage my bill pay account because half of my accounts I had listed are now gone!!!!

I hope this is handled properly as my initial call should have been ... I am disgusted! 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

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