Consumer complaint received 2018-03-14
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: KS
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I made my monthly payment online to Bank of America for my credit card in the amount of {$150.00}. After making my payment, I noticed that it was trying to pull from my bank account twice. I called Bank of America Credit Card customer service and they told me that there was nothing they could do and I would have to call my financial institution to dispute the charge. I called my bank to dispute the charge and one of the payments was credited back to my checking account. 

When I did this, Bank of America locked out my credit card so I could not use it or make my monthly payments on my outstanding balance and charged me a {$27.00} returned check fee. I tried making my monthly payment for XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, but the online system would not let me because my account was locked out. It would give me a message that I needed to call them to have my account unlocked. I did not feel that I should have to call because my account should have never been unlocked in the first place. There was a reason that I pay my bill online, so I do not have to talk to their customer service. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted their customer service and spoke with a gentleman who did not speak very good English and was hard to understand and I told him that I needed to pay my payments and I would be making a payment of {$1000.00}. I also told him that my account had been locked and it should have never been locked and I wanted my late fees erased from the previous two months. He told me that he would put in a request for that and of course it was denied. I also had him transfer me to technical support so I could get my account unlocked and he transferred me and the phone just rang and rang and no one answered. So now my account is still locked and I had made the large payment to cover the last two months of payments and pay my card down so I could use it on an upcoming family vacation. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called customer service again and made another payment in the amount of {$400.00} to be used towards paying down my card for our family vacation and at this time they were able to unlock my card. They told me that I needed to wait 3 to 4 days for it to process and I would be able to use my card again. On XX/XX/XXXX, I tried to use my card at a local retailer and it was declined. I thought this was strange since in the last three weeks I had paid {$1400.00} on my card. I returned home to call to see why my card had been declined. When I called I got a recording that told me my account had been closed. I was transferred to a customer service rep who told me that he would have to transfer me to their collections department. After being transferred to collections I was transferred again to another person who was finally able to tell me why my account had been closed. 

They stated that my account had been closed on XX/XX/XXXX, which was conveniently enough the same day that I had paid them {$1000.00}. I asked her why they did not tell me at that time my account was closed because I sure would have not made such a large payment on a card that I could not use. She informed me that only certain people can only see certain things in the system. So, a customer service representative who is the first point of contact for a customer, can not see if a customers account is being closed. I asked her why on XX/XX/XXXX, clearly after the date my account had been closed that they again took my payment and told m everything was fine, because again I would not have made a large payment at that time if I knew my account was closed. She gave me the same answer of only certain people can see certain things on a customers account. This is clearly deceptive business practices! 

At this point I am out {$1400.00} an to figure out how to explain to my family that our vacation plans have to be cancelled because all of our money is gone. I asked why my card that I have had with them for 14 years had been canceled? I was told because of multiple late payments. I explained to them that my monthly payment was due on the XXXX of every month may have not been paid on the XXXX, but was paid every month and I had never missed a payment. I explained to them that I had been with them for 14 years and they cancelled my card without warning. 

It was explained to me that it as in the terms in conditions of my card when I got the card. So, I am supposed to remember the fine print from 14 years ago? I asked to have my card turned back on and the told me that they would put in a request for that and of course it was denied. I asked to talk to a manager and was transferred to XXXX the Customer Service Resolution Manager, and I explained everything to him and what the money was going to be used for and the best answer he could give was, that will be a hard conversation to have with your family. He basically told me that the best he could do was have me apply for another card which I thou0gjt was completely absurd. He also had confirmed that there had never been any correspondence whether it be a phone call, email or through the postal service, telling me that my account was being closed. 

A few days later, U posted on their XXXX page asking for contact information for someone at the corporate level, preferably someone ne with a VP in their title. They had completely ignored my post and did not answer me. The did however answer the people who posted before and after me. On XX/XX/XXXX, I posted in their help app and again asking the same question and told them that I had already spoken to a customer service resolution manager and my next step would be filing a complaint with the Banking Commission. They responded with giving me a mailing address, or I could give them my information and they would call me. I explained to them there is nothing they could do for me and writing a letter would be a waste of time because no one would read it anyways. 

After having no success with anyone from Bank of America, I filled a compliant with the state banking commission and they forwarded my complaint to the Office of the Comptroller of Currency. I explained to OCC that I wanted my money back minus the monthly payments that were due during this process. There was no success with this either. I did not realize that they would let Bank of America self-investigate the issue. I assumed the OCC was a non-biased third party that would conduct the investigation. They forwarded my complaint onto Bank of Americas Regulatory department which was a joke at best. The regulator XXXX called me only to explain the process and did not ask any further investigatory questions. I have worked 100s of criminal investigations in my 17-year career as a XXXX XXXX XXXX and can tell you this was a joke. During the process, I had tried multiple times to call XXXX and he never answered his phone, it was at the point I asked for a new regulator because of this and he finally called me back. 

It was either in the end of XX/XX/XXXX or XXXX I received the findings from BOA and of course they stated they did no wrong. They stated I owed the money and they declined to return it. They did credit back the check return fee they charged me when I disputed the extra payment they were trying to take. In XXXX of XXXX, I filed an appeal with the OCC to which again they sided with BOA. I explained to them that anyone who is able to self-investigate it is reasonable to say they would find in favor of themselves. I told them that I could not trust the findings of the regulators because Bank of America has been in trouble multiple times for fraud. Most recently with the FDIC who is suing them for fraudulent practices. They have been in trouble with your organization for fraud and were fined several million dollars because of it. So clearly their regulatory department can not do their job if BOA keeps getting in trouble for fraud. I told them that what BOA has done to me is fraud as well. I made the large payments to them under false pretenses. This is fraud! On XX/XX/XXXX, I made my monthly payment online to Bank of America for my credit card in the amount of {$150.00}. After making my payment, I noticed that it was trying to pull from my bank account twice. I called Bank of America Credit Card customer service and they told me that there was nothing they could do and I would have to call my financial institution to dispute the charge. I called my bank to dispute the charge and one of the payments was credited back to my checking account. 

When I did this, Bank of America locked out my credit card so I could not use it or make my monthly payments on my outstanding balance and charged me a {$27.00} returned check fee. I tried making my monthly payment for XXXX and XXXX, but the online system would not let me because my account was locked out. It would give me a message that I needed to call them to have my account unlocked. I did not feel that I should have to call because my account should have never been unlocked in the first place. There was a reason that I pay my bill online, so I do not have to talk to their customer service. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted their customer service and spoke with a gentleman who did not speak very good English and was hard to understand and I told him that I needed to pay my payments and I would be making a payment of {$1000.00}. I also told him that my account had been locked and it should have never been locked and I wanted my late fees erased from the previous two months. He told me that he would put in a request for that and of course it was denied. I also had him transfer me to technical support so I could get my account unlocked and he transferred me and the phone just rang and rang and no one answered. So now my account is still locked and I had made the large payment to cover the last two months of payments and pay my card down so I could use it on an upcoming family vacation. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called customer service again and made another payment in the amount of {$400.00} to be used towards paying down my card for our family vacation and at this time they were able to unlock my card. They told me that I needed to wait 3 to  4 days for it to process and I would be able to use my card again. On XX/XX/XXXX, I tried to use my card at a local retailer and it was declined. I thought this was strange since in the last three weeks I had paid {$1400.00} on my card. I returned home to call to see why my card had been declined. When I called I got a recording that told me my account had been closed. I was transferred to a customer service rep who told me that he would have to transfer me to their collections department. After being transferred to collections I was transferred again to another person who was finally able to tell me why my account had been closed. 

They stated that my account had been closed on XX/XX/XXXX, which was conveniently enough the same day that I had paid them {$1000.00}. I asked her why they did not tell me at that time my account was closed because I sure would have not made such a large payment on a card that I could not use. She informed me that only certain people can only see certain things in the system. So, a customer service representative who is the first point of contact for a customer, can not see if a customers account is being closed. I asked her why on XX/XX/XXXX, clearly after the date my account had been closed that they again took my payment and told m everything was fine, because again I would not have made a large payment at that time if I knew my account was closed. She gave me the same answer of only certain people can see certain things on a customers account. This is clearly deceptive business practices! 

At this point I am out {$1400.00} an to figure out how to explain to my family that our vacation plans have to be cancelled because all of our money is gone. I asked why my card that I have had with them for 14 years had been canceled? I was told because of multiple late payments. I explained to them that my monthly payment was due on the XXXX of every month may have not been paid on the XXXX, but was paid every month and I had never missed a payment. I explained to them that I had been with them for 14 years and they cancelled my card without warning. 

It was explained to me that it as in the terms in conditions of my card when I got the card. So, I am supposed to remember the fine print from 14 years ago? I asked to have my card turned back on and the told me that they would put in a request for that and of course it was denied. I asked to talk to a manager and was transferred to XXXX the Customer Service Resolution Manager, and I explained everything to him and what the money was going to be used for and the best answer he could give was, that will be a hard conversation to have with your family. He basically told me that the best he could do was have me apply for another card which I thou0gjt was completely absurd. He also had confirmed that there had never been any correspondence whether it be a phone call, email or through the postal service, telling me that my account was being closed. 

A few days later, U posted on their XXXX page asking for contact information for someone at the corporate level, preferably someone ne with a VP in their title. They had completely ignored my post and did not answer me. The did however answer the people who posted before and after me. On XX/XX/XXXX, I posted in their help app and again asking the same question and told them that I had already spoken to a customer service resolution manager and my next step would be filing a complaint with the Banking Commission. They responded with giving me a mailing address, or I could give them my information and they would call me. I explained to them there is nothing they could do for me and writing a letter would be a waste of time because no one would read it anyways. 

After having no success with anyone from Bank of America, I filled a compliant with the state banking commission and they forwarded my complaint to the Office of the Comptroller of Currency. I explained to OCC that I wanted my money back minus the monthly payments that were due during this process. There was no success with this either. I did not realize that they would let Bank of America self-investigate the issue. I assumed the OCC was a non-biased third party that would conduct the investigation. They forwarded my complaint onto Bank of Americas Regulatory department which was a joke at best. The regulator XXXX called me only to explain the process and did not ask any further investigatory questions. I have worked 100s of criminal investigations in my 17-year career as a XXXX XXXX XXXX and can tell you this was a joke. During the process, I had tried multiple times to call XXXX and he never answered his phone, it was at the point I asked for a new regulator because of this and he finally called me back. 

It was either in the end of XX/XX/XXXX or XXXX I received the findings from BOA and of course they stated they did no wrong. They stated I owed the money and they declined to return it. They did credit back the check return fee they charged me when I disputed the extra payment they were trying to take. In XXXX of XXXX, I filed an appeal with the OCC to which again they sided with BOA. I explained to them that anyone who is able to self-investigate it is reasonable to say they would find in favor of themselves. I told them that I could not trust the findings of the regulators because Bank of America has been in trouble multiple times for fraud. Most recently with the FDIC who is suing them for fraudulent practices. They have been in trouble with your organization for fraud and were fined several million dollars because of it. So clearly their regulatory department can not do their job if BOA keeps getting in trouble for fraud. I told them that what BOA has done to me is fraud as well. I made the large payments to them under false pretenses. This is fraud! Charging me a returned check fee for me stopping a payment per their policy is fraud as well and I wonder how many others have been charged wrongfully as well.

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