Consumer complaint received 2020-10-23
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Funds not handled or disbursed as instructed
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (MA)

Mon, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX  RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING EMAIL MESSAGE : This message is a reminder that we will execute the following transfer request in 3 business days :  ********************************************* Item : XXXX Amount : {$260.00} Send on Date : XX/XX/XXXX To : XXXX XXXX Fee : XXXX Service : 3 Business Days ********************************************* IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE BANK TO SPEAK WITH A GENTLEMAN TO EXPLAIN THAT THIS PAYMENT ( FROM ACCOUNT ENDING IN XXXX ) WAS FROM A RECURRING TRANSFER THAT WAS SET UP ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO. THE RECURRING TRANSFER WAS FINISHED IN XXXX OF XXXX. SINCE THEN, THE RECIPIENT RECORDS WERE DELETED. HE AND I BOTH WENT THROUGH MY ENTIRE RECORD AND COULD FIND NO REFERENCE TO THIS TRANSFER. HE ASSURED ME THAT IT WAS JUST AN EMAIL GLITCH AND THAT I SHOULD IGNORE IT. I EXPRESSED MY DISCOMFORT WITH LEAVING IT AT HIS WORD BUT HE REASSURED ME THAT THE TRANSFER WAS DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE HE COULD SEE NO RECORD OF IT. 

XXXX XXXX, THE FUNDS WERE TAKEN OUT OF MY ACCOUNT AND TRANSFERRED TO THE RECIPIENTS ACCOUNT JUST AS THE EMAIL SAID. THE {$3.00} FEE WAS ALSO TAKEN FROM MY ACCOUNT. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE BANK AGAIN. AFTER ANOTHER LONG TIME ON THE PHONE, THIS TIME WE WERE ABLE TO SEE THAT THE ENTIRE RECURRING TRANSFER TRANSACTIONS HAD BEEN RE-ACTIVATED. ALL FUTURE TRANSFERS WERE SET TO BE SENT TO THE RECIPIENT. WHILE ON THE PHONE, I CANCELLED THE RECURRING TRANFERS AND RECEIVED THE CONFIRMATION EMAIL TO THAT EFFECT. 

XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX  This message is to notify you that your request to cancel the following Recurring Transfer Plan XXXX has been executed : ******************************************************************* Item : XXXX Amount : {$260.00} To : XXXX XXXX Fee : XXXX Service : 3 Business Days ******************************************************************* I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE BANK AGAIN. AFTER ANOTHER VERY LONG PHONE CALL AND MANY TRANSFERS TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS, ETC., THE WOMAN SEEMED TO UNDERSTAND MY SITUATION. SHE INDICATED SHE WOULD SEND IT ON TO THE RECALL DEPARTMENT AND IT SHOULD BE BACK IN MY ACCOUNT WITHIN 7 10 DAYS, AT THE LATEST. THE {$3.00} TRANSFER FEE WAS REFUNDED  TO MY ACCOUNT FROM THIS PHONE CALL ON XXXX XXXX, XXXX THERE WERE 2 3 MORE PHONE CALLS, WHEN I WAS GIVEN THE # XXXX TO CALL TO FOLLOWUP, WITH CASE # XXXX. STILL NO RESOLUTION, THOUGH EVERYONE WAS VERY PLEASANT AND SAID IT WOULD BE RESOLVED VERY SOON. THEY EXPLAINED IT TAKES A LITTLE WHILE TO DO A RECALL FROM A DIFFERENT BANK ( XXXX ).

ANOTHER 2 PHONE CALLS WERE MADE LOVELY PEOPLE, BUT ABSOLUTELY NO MOVEMENT ON THE FUNDS TAKEN FROM OUR ACCOUNT. 

XX/XX/XXXX WE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM BANK OF AMERICA DATED XX/XX/XXXX, TELLING US THAT AFTER REVIEWING OUR CLAIM, THEY COMPLETED THE TRANSFER ( S ) ACCORING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS YOU PROVIDED US, SO NO ERROR OCCURRED.

THAT DAY, MY HUSBAND TOOK OVER AND CALLED TO  SPEAK TO XXXX WHO SAID HE WOULD LOOK INTO RECONSIDERING THE ACCOUNT ( EACH TIME WE HAD TO RECOUNT THE ENTIRE SCENARIO OVER AND OVER AGAIN ). HE INDICATED HE WOULD CALL US BACK THE NEXT DAY, WITHOUT FAIL. I BELIEVE WE WAS IN THE TENNESSEE OFFICE ( XXXX ). 

XXXX XXXX, WE HAD NO CALL SO CALLED AGAIN AND REACHED XXXX. SHE ASSURED US THAT A LETTER HAD BEEN MAILED TO US AND WE SHOULD WAIT UNTIL WE RECEIVED IT. WE NOW ASSUME SHE WAS  REFERENCEING THE XXXX XXXX LETTER SINCE THERE HAS BEEN NOTHING ELSE.

Our primary concern here is twofold : 1 ). The bank reactivated a 4 year automatic transfer account without cause and no one has been able to give us an explanation for how or why that happened. Had we not caught it, I expect they would have continued to send our money elsewhere for 4 years, without authorization.

2 ). The bank took money out of our account over almost two months ago, sent it to another person at another bank. And we STILL have no funds back in our account, nor resolution of this problem.
3 ). The bank promised us " supporting documents involved inmaking their determination '' weeks ago, but we have yet to receive anything.

The dollar amount is not extreme, but the concern for how this could happen is and the fact that, despite a recognition of the error ( and the corresponding refund of the transfer fee ) the bank HAS NOT RETURNED THE FUNDS.

Thank you for your prompt assistance in this matter.