Consumer complaint received 2023-12-17
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Opening an account — Didn't receive terms that were advertised
Company: BMO Bank, N.A. (CO)

The bank lost {$1200.00} between the desk and the deposit upon opening a checking account. 

My name is _______, I was at the bank at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX from XXXX until XXXX PM the afternoon of XX/XX/2023 to open a personal checking by scheduled appointment at the desk of XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

I came in with the cash amount of {$18000.00} totaled from amounts in XXXX envelopes. The cash in each envelope had previously been verified/counted as the correct amounts written on them. XXXX XXXX asked for two forms of ID and entered information for the new account at his desk for quite some time while I sat with my envelopes. 

XXXX XXXX eventually came and went with papers for me to sign and after that stood up and indicated he was ready to take the envelopes/cash/money to deposit and apparently count it out elsewhere. This made me very uncomfortable and I am sure I showed this disappointment in my next two actions. Feeling pressure while he stood waiting I decided I should at least write down the amounts of each envelope before parting from them. This I did quickly on the other side of a notecard which had the original info of my deposit amount of {$18000.00}. This was still unsettling so I also quickly told him I wanted the empty envelopes returned please! I suppose it would be at least something. 

XXXX XXXX left and sent the manager XXXX XXXX XXXX to sit with me at the desk and speak with me about debt and money management which she did. When I indicated to her instead that I was concerned about the money being counted and where was it, XXXX XXXX said it has to be counted and continued to inundate me with her banking knowledge which was not helpful. 

XXXX XXXX finally returned, after what seemed a very long time, handing me a deposit slip showing an unexpected amount of {$17000.00} while saying the amount was a little less and then quickly rattling off the numbers of bills he said he counted. I turned the deposit slip over and asked him to repeat that as I jotted down what he said because it seemed he wanted me to know this as he had all of that it in his head all the way over here. 

I checked my notes, the difference was a shocking {$1200.00} less. I showed immediate confusion at the difference, and frowning said to him that it was pretty much impossible. XXXX XXXX shrugged and said " mistakes happen ''. 

Next I noticed he did not have the empty envelopes as I had requested him to return. Upon asking he down-played my input and offered no reason nor apology for not returning them. I said I wanted them, to my own embarrassment I was feeling like the problem again, and he acquiesced. He left the desk and returned a few minutes later, pushing one at me saying this one was inside another. I knew that and it didnt matter, it was inconsequential and felt like a diversion/distraction from the issue. XXXX XXXX came rushing up with a large envelope for XXXX XXXX to quickly put the others into and before I could have a look at them. 

I didnt know what to do and again expressed my doubt. XXXX said I can take you back there and show you the money. I sat there in disbelief! I knew my original amount was correct, this big of a difference really was impossible. In shock I got up and left feeling no other option. 

Later I wondered : Was I supposed to call the police and have everyone searched, or would they have only made a report anyways? 

Later I also noticed only one of the envelopes was ripped/torn open, as if in a hurry. All the other envelopes were carefully opened. 

It bothered me so much that on Sunday I tried to call the bank to leave a message for the branch manager but didnt realize at the time it was XXXX XXXX and could not get though anyways. So I left a voicemail message for the only contact I could find at the time, XXXX XXXX saying to please find the money from the envelopes and to call me. Had it fallen out I asked this so he could make it right and to give the benefit of the doubt. After all his eyes were crossed and looked damaged and he seemed a bit slow/odd. Maybe it fell in the shredder or trashcan? 

On Monday morning I learned the branch manager was XXXX XXXX and sent her an email at XXXX AM XXXX. She left a message for me a few seconds later also at XXXX AM, reactively saying she didnt know what I was talking about which was not proactive to helping me. I could not forsee her helping as she wasnt helpful before but part of the problem. I sent her another message saying I preferred to communicate in writing and have not heard back. I was going to file a small claim with the county but I'm concerned about doing it incorrectly and then being countersued. 

Questions noted : When XXXX XXXX asked XXXX XXXX to sit with me at the desk and speak with me about debt and money management. Was this a distraction so he could count the money " alone? ". 

Are there camera recordings to show XXXX XXXX counting properly and not taking any for himself? If so why did XXXX XXXX not respond immediately to my email and provide them to me? 

Who will pay for this carelessness? Is it now the customers responsibility to over-ride employee carelessness, incompetence and/or coerciveness and to have to insist on being included in any deposits with cash counting? If so should they now be expected to also give up all cash and wait anxiously in the foyer for all cash deposits? 

To recap what doesnt seem right : XXXX XXXX did not count the deposit in front of me at his desk. Nor I was I invited to " the counter '' to make the deposit with a competant employee who knows how to count money in front of a customer. Nor was I shown my money going through a counting machine to be also shown the digital number. Nor directed to the counter to make the deposit with someone who understands how important it is for the depositor to be able to observe the counting in proper bank practices as other banks typically do to my knowledge and have done for me in the past. 

XXXX XXXX was oddly insensitive to responding to the real needs of the customer. As avoiding the cues the customer was nervously scrambling to write down all the amounts from each envelope for some record of her money, and then used XXXX XXXX calculator to re-add up the total one more time, plus requesting the return of the envelope 's to verify. Instead he could have invited her to wherever he was heading with her money or counted it at the desk with her present. 

Do banks no longer set the standard in money-handling but are d'evolving and so customers must be assertive to guard ourselves in the future? 

Included documents : *Appointment with XXXX XXXX email confirmation *Envelopes stack image *Envelopes XXXX of them, XXXXrontside *Envelopes 14, backside *Large envelope XXXX XXXX brought to XXXX *close up of only ripped/hurriedly opened envelope, front *close up of only ripped/hurriedly opened envelope, back *Notecard with envelope amounts jotted down *Deposit slip, frontside *Deposit slip, backside *timestamp left bank, screenshot text *Called XXXX XXXX left a message to him, screenshot *email to XXXX XXXX branch manager, image *Transcription of voicemail to me from XXXX XXXX, image