Consumer complaint received 2020-04-26
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem accessing account
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. (NY)

I OPENED A NEW ACCOUNT WITH CHASE IN EARLY XXXX - ONLINE - REMOTELY. I DEPOSITED MONEY ASAP AND HAD IT CONNECTED TO MY DIRECT DEPOSIT. I'VE BEEN USING THIS ACCOUNT FOR MANY PERSONAL MATTERS. I NEEDED TO PAY FOR MY XXXX PROPERTY, WHILE HIDING OUT IN ANOTHER STATE DUE TO COVID-19. 
ONE AFTERNOON, MY ONLINE ACCOUNT LOCKED. I'M IN XXXX FOR LITERALLY 4 DAYS TO COLLECT MY PETS AND GET THINGS IN ORDER AND THIS IS MAIN ACCOUNT I HAVE TO USE WHILE IM HERE. I CALLED AND WAS TOLD THAT MY PHONE # COULDN'T BE VERIFIED THEREFORE THE REP HAD ZERO ACCESS TO MY ACCOUNT, EVEN THOUGH I HAD MY SS # AND ACCT # AND ROUTING # - THE CELL # I GAVE WHEN I OPENED THE ACCOUNT WAS VERIFIED BY CHASE TO OPEN MY ACCOUNT. I WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO GO INTO A BRANCH WITH BANKERS TO VERIFY MY IDENTITY. THAT'S HARD RIGHT NOW - BUT GIVEN I HAD NO CHOICE, I VISITED A BRANCH IN MY AREA - I WAS SENT AWAY BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE AN APPT. I CAME BACK THE NEXT DAY AT XXXX AS TOLD. FINALLY - A MANAGER TOOK ME ASIDE AND TRIED TO FIX THE ISSUE - I BROUGHT MY PASSPORT, EVERYTHING. SHE TOLD ME TO WAIT AND THEN THE BANK MANGER CAME TO SPEAK TO ME. HE INFORMED ME THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO UNLOCK MY ACCOUNT AT THAT BRANCH - BUT THEY COULD HELP ME ON ANOTHER DAY ( THEY WERE CLOSING AT XXXX ) AND THAT I NEEDED TO SIT DOWN WITH A BANKER - CALL CORPORATE - CONFERENCE CALL WITH THEM, MYSELF, AND THE BANKER TO VERIFY MY IDENTITY. IT WOULD TAKE OVER AN HOUR DUE TO THE HIGH RATE OF CALL VOLUME. 
NOW - I WORK IN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND I GET THAT CORPORATE CAN AT TIMES MAKE THINGS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT, BUT NOT BEING ABLE TO SIMPLY CHECK MY BANK STATEMENT ON MY OWN SHOULD BE MADE ILLEGAL. 
HE DID, HOWEVER, GIVE ME THE OPTION TO TAKE OUT SOME CASH FROM THE TELLER IF THAT WOULD HELP? NO - THE OPTIONS GIVEN ARE 100 % UNACCEPTABLE FOR A BANK OF THIS MAGNITUDE ESPECIALLY DURING A CRISIS OF THIS MAGNITUDE. VIRUS OR NOT - I WOULD STILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS TO SIMPLY UNLOCK MY ONLINE VIEWING AND PAYMENT ABILITY - I AM NOT ABLE TO USE MY DEBIT CARD OR ANY ONLINE METHOD OF PAYMENT - CURRENTLY. I'M COMPLETELY PARALYZED BY CHASE AND HAVE NO ACCESS TO MY FUNDS, AT ALL. I REMOVED A LARGE AMOUNT OF CASH AND REDEPOSITED IT INTO ANOTHER ACCOUNTFOR THE TIME BEING, EVEN THOUGH I STILL HAVE PAYMENTS COMING INTO THAT ACCOUNT THAT I WILL NOT HAVE ACCESS TO AGAIN - UNLESS I RETURN TO A CHASE BANK AND GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS ALL OVER AGAIN. 

SO, I'M ABLE TO REMOVE CASH IN FRONT OF A TELLER, BUT I CAN'T PAY MY ELECTRIC BILL OR VIEW MY OWN ACCOUNT ONLINE? NOT TO MENTION - GOING TO THE LOCATION TWICE ON TWO SEPARATE DAYS DURING A CRISIS AND EXPOSING MYSELF IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. I'M LIVID AND WILL NEVER BANK WITH CHASE AGAIN. I WAS TREATED LIKE A PEST EVEN THOUGH I WAS THE ONE WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN MOST ANNOYED. ALSO - WOULDN'T IT BE NICE IF FOR ONCE A BANK ACTUALLY GAVE A XXXX AND REIMBURSED CLIENTS FOR TIME WHO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS KIND OF STUPIDITY? THIS IS A COMPLETE FAILURE ON THEIR PART WITHIN THEIR SYSTEM AND NEEDS TO CHANGE. WHAT HAPPENED IS SO MINUTE IN COMPARISON TO MOST THINGS, BUT IT BECAME THIS ENERGY CONSUMING EPISODE THAT ABSORBED HOURS OUT OF MY DAY - FROM WAITING ON HOLD IN THE BEGINNING TO DAYS OF HAVING TO TRANSFER FUNDS TO OTHER ACCOUNTS TO PAY SIMPLE BILLS BECAUSE WHAT I PLANNED FOR COULDN'T BE TRUSTED. NO ONE SHOULD EVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS. BANKS SHOULD MAKE IT THEIR PRIORITY TO HELP YOU FEEL SECURE AND BED OVER BACKWARDS TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR CLIENTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO AREN'T MILLIONAIRES. I APPRECIATE FRAUD FLAGGING, BUT MY ACCOUNT WAS NEW AND OBVIOUSLY MAKING ' NEW ELECTRONIC CHARGES ' NOT EVERYONE 'S ACCOUNT SHOULD BE CUT OFF ASAP BECAUSE OF A NON-HUMAN COMPUTER ALGORITHM. IVE NEVER BEEN UPSET ENOUGH TO FILE AN ACTUAL COMPLAINT AGAINST ANY BANK - BUT HERE IT IS.