Consumer complaint received 2019-12-20
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: FL
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Sub-issue: Money was taken from your account on the wrong day or for the wrong amount

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX I went to a festival downtown in XXXX, FL. Like any festival, it had random food stands where you could purchase food and drinks. I purchased a drink and some food from three different tent stands. The transactions went through on XX/XX/XXXX. Most small businesses/food vendors at events nowadays use the " XXXX '' card readers, as it is convenient. One of the food vendors I purchased through was indeed using the XXXX card reader through XXXX. The vendor was registered through XXXX as " XXXX XXXX XXXX. '' Their stand was offering three spring rolls for {$5.00}. So, I purchased three spring rolls for {$5.00}. The lady ringing me up didn't speak much English, she just passed me the XXXX for me to sign on a line. We didn't communicate as there was the language barrier as well as a very long line behind me that she was trying to get through. I was never offered a receipt. I finished checking out and got my three spring rolls. On XX/XX/XXXX I checked my bank account to see that the charge for that purchase had become {$58.00}. The total should have been {$5.00} plus 6.5 % sales tax, making the accurate total {$5.00}. 

I immediately called my bank, Bank of America, to rectify the situation. I initiated a dispute to get the overcharged amount ( {$53.00} ) back, not the entire amount. They later sent a message asking for a receipt and gave me barely 24 hours to send it before they closed the dispute saying I hadn't provided enough evidence. The next day, I went into my Bank of America branch to speak to someone directly. She advised me to open a new dispute under my partner 's name, not mine, as it's a joint account and it was their debit card that we used that day. The banker also called the research department to get contact info and ask what exactly they needed. 

I then went home and searched for my receipt on XXXX 's website. I found my receipt and printed it to send the Research Department. The receipt showed that a custom amount of {$55.00} had been punched in. Clearly, the woman performing my transaction had accidentally double-tapped the number key for " 5. '' Since I had ordered 3 spring rolls for {$5.00}. Once that tax was added to this amount, it made it {$58.00}. The receipt showed this very clearly. 

I called Bank of America and started a new dispute for the issue. I returned back to Bank of America and the banker faxed the receipt and dispute info to the Research Department at the number they listed. This was on or around XX/XX/XXXX. 

We heard nothing for days. The day after XXXX, the Bank sent a message to the online message center saying they needed us to send a receipt, which we already had. The following afternoon they had already closed the dispute saying we didn't provide the info they requested. Even though we had, with their own banker. 

They gave us hardly any time to call or anything over the XXXX holiday when they know people are busy with holidays. I was out of state until XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX I called Bank of America once again asking them to reopen my dispute as I had indeed sent the receipt they asked for. The customer service rep couldn't even find the new claim. Bank of America had taken it upon themselves to go ahead and use the old claim number without informing us, even though the banker had told us to do it this way with the new claim number. I asked the woman on the phone exactly what I needed to do to get this reopened so that I could once again resend the receipt so that someone actually looks at it. She told me to fax the receipt, a written story, and all my info and signature to a fax number. This fax number was different than the fax number the agent had given to my banker the first time. 

So, I wrote down everything and printed a new receipt. I sent this a few days later to the number she had provided me on XX/XX/XXXX or XXXX. The following week, around XX/XX/XXXX, I still had heard nothing and wanted to check-in with what was happening and confirm they received it. The new agent I spoke with said they hadn't received anything yet but that it takes a few business days for them to sort out and deliver all their faxes. She gave me her manager 's fax number to re-fax everything directly to her manager to ensure they would get it quickly and gave us a direct number to call after faxing to confirm they got it. On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX we sent the fax to the manager 's number. I called the number immediately that she provided. I got a new agent who knew nothing about it and said they'd call me back. Around XXXX someone called me back saying they hadn't received anything. I said to check the manager 's fax and she asked for the number we sent it to. Once it was confirmed, she checked her manager 's fax apparently, but then told me the same thing that it would take 2 business days for them to sort faxes and get it. She told me she would put a note on my account for them to call me as soon as they received the fax. 

I never got a call saying they had received my information but the very next day on XX/XX/XXXX in the early morning at XXXX XXXX. they sent a message again through the online message center saying they received information but they were closing the claim as it was not enough proof. Even though the woman specifically said they would not even receive the information for another 2 business days and they would specifically call me once they received it. So, in less than 24 hours from that phone call they had closed the claim without any further contact. I sent all the information but no one ever said they received anything. I find it hard to believe that the Research Department did anything at all, as no one can confirm that my information was ever even looked at. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I closed the account with Bank of America as they had been extremely unhelpful and unprofessional. Every time that I spoke to someone, everyone said something different and no one ever knew any details or information with what was happening with my claim. No one ever directly tried to contact me. They only sent random online message center messages in the middle of the night, and would hardly give me 24 hours to respond or send anything once I received them.

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