Consumer complaint received 2017-06-04
Product: Checking or savings account — Savings account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: PNC Bank N.A. (MD)

I have had some bad experiences with banks, but PNC really takes the cake. I am currently XXXX in XXXX XXXX, and PNC decides to freeze my account ( on XXXX XXXX, 2017 ). A larger than usual CASH deposit was made to my account on Wednesday the XXXX, and immediately after I saw it was cleared I went to use the ATMs here to withdraw in order to pay my rent and bills. My card was rejected. I was able to put in my pin and everything, but at the end of the transaction the machine would just spit out the card without an error message. This card is in perfect condition and I have been using PNC over here for 6 years and this has never happened before. The only other people that have access to my account are my parents in the states, and they made that deposit before their 20 day trip to XXXX. I immediately contacted our representative at the XXXX Branch and went through an exchange of emails and phone calls. XXXX is very kind and I honestly believe she was doing everything she could. No explanation could be found why my card was working. I honestly lost track after this how many people I talked to. Thursday, XXXX XXXX and rent and bills are due. I call again different departments. They all tell me they are so sorry, there is nothing they can do. They ask me how old is my card? Is it damaged? No, my card is in perfect condition, and this problem only happened after the bigger deposit. The suspicious thing is every time I would say this to any representative they would all say " Oh, hmm ... Well lets look into some other things. '' Now I have no idea why PNC would want to keep my funds from me right after a larger deposit was made, but I know it has to be illegal. Hours and hours of calls, transferred from one department to the next only to have them all tell me " I 'm so so sorry, there 's nothing we can do. '' I had to explain the whole ordeal over and over again, there is ZERO communication between departments! <P/>I started to reach out to their XXXX Help Acct and was given numbers to the escalated departments. I had a weird feeling, but I called into the Phone Banking System only to find my Phone Banking Pin HAD BEEN CHANGED! I emailed my representative right away and had her make sure my pins were set to the ones I set them to. Hopeful, I went out to the ATMs yet again, only to have the card rejected. I tried ATM after ATM, all different banks, and the same exact thing happened at every single one. This made it apparent that it was n't a problem over here, but with PNC, even though PNC started blaming the ATMs over here. I should also tell you that I am living in a small poor port town, ATMs are very spread out and far. Exhausted and frustrated, I reached out to a friend in the XXXX. We planned that I would transfer ALL my funds to her XXXX XXXX XXXX Acct and she would then be able to XXXX XXXX me the funds. Come to find out it takes 3 Business Days for transfers to outside banks. My friend then goes into an actual branch and speaks to someone who says " Oh that help department is just closing. '' She then asks if she can even open an account only to allow me to transfer her the funds. Apparently it was not possible for her to open an account until she had paperwork that she would have to bring the next day. At this point I was starting to panic. <P/>The only options I was given during this whole ordeal was to have a new card sent out ( maybe it will arrive in a week?! I am in XXXX XXXX! ), to use XXXX app, which DOES NOT WORK WITH MY SAVINGS ACCOUNT, or to XXXX XXXX the funds to myself, WHICH ALSO DOES NOT WORK WITH A SAVINGS ACCOUNT! I have spoken to XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX and XXXX, but I am sure there are more that I cant remember. <P/>Friday, XXXX XXXX and still nothing. I am starting to run low on my XXXX XXXX medication and also on food, toilet paper and drinking water ( ca n't drink the tap here! ). I have now missed 1 class and almost missed work. With no food my medical condition worsens and I become XXXX, so I reach out to a friend over here and beg for enough money to get something to eat so I do n't end up in the hospital. I continue making calls, while XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX start to happen and I start becoming incredibly XXXX from XXXX XXXX XXXX. I speak to the Escalated Department. Same thing, they are so sorry and there is nothing they can do. I reach out to another friend in the states and luckily her family has PNC! I should n't have gotten my hopes up. IT TAKES 3 BUSINESS DAYS TO TRANSFER FROM ONE PNC ACCOUNT TO ANOTHER! IT IS THE SAME BANK!!! So the funds would not go through until Wednesday! When I call and ask why this is, I got a snappy response and was told " That 's how our wiring system is. '' Unbelievable. My friend with the PNC account and I do a conference call to the escalated department, and she is there more for moral support so I do n't completely break down. I also want it to be known I was incredibly kind to every representative and patient with them, I guess they took advantage of that. We speak with XXXX because XXXX was not in, and after the same conversations, same being put on hold, same " I 'm so sorry ma'am I do n't know why this is happening. '' He then told us that if my friend went into the branch she could ask for the transfer to be expedited if she says it is an open case. We try to plan for this, but she has work early until after the banks are closed, so I ask if I can transfer myself the funds using XXXX XXXX. I am told Yes! So again I 'm hopeful this can be resolved. <P/>Saturday, XXXX XXXX, still nothing. I go onto the website for XXXX XXXX only to find out that they do n't even accept wire transfers from savings accounts!!! So I was straight out lied to by PNC. I am guessing PNC 's goal is to exhaust their customers into giving up and then they get to steal their customers ' money. A friend is able to XXXX XXXX me enough for food for a couple days ... Now I know this part is n't PNC 's fault, but just that day XXXX XXXX was closed due to a system error, I took a picture with the date. At this point I am laughing at how terrible and unbelievable this whole situation is. I go to try my card at another ATM just in case by some miracle it is working again. I video record what happens, same thing, the card gets spit out. <P/>It is now XXXX XXXX. My XXXX XXXX medication and other medication will run out tomorrow. My rent is late and so are my bills. I wo n't be able to get any money until Wednesday IF my money transfers to another account successfully and someone can take it out and XXXX XXXX it to me. Not once has PNC called or reached out to me. I started to warn others on social media and WAS WARNED BY PNC THAT REPEATED COMMENTS CAN HAVE ME BANNED FROM THE COMMUNITY. They have the nerve to threaten to take me out of their community!!! I should also mention on Thursday I was given a very strange identity test to confirm I was who i said I was ... I have no idea why this was done. It was a multiple choice XXXX question test, I did audio record this. I was given options and was shocked when I found out they knew the name of my ex boyfriend I had in XXXX and that I lived in XXXX in XXXX!!! I was not only crushed and losing hope, but now fairly disturbed. When I told the representative " Oh my XXXX! How could you know this?! '' she laughed and said " Haha I know! The system ( ca n't remember the name but it is on tape ) know everything! '' I still have no way to access my own money, with Wednesday it will be a week with no money. Having to borrow {$10.00} here and there begging friends because MY OWN BANK IS WITHHOLDING MY OWN MONEY FROM ME! <P/>PLEASE ANYONE READING THIS! DO N'T USE THIS BANK! I do n't want anyone else to have to go through this. So here I am, stuck in XXXX XXXX, with no money and now late rent and bills. I have never ever been late for bills or rent and I pride myself on that ... first time for everything thanks to PNC. Oh, I also had to laugh when the representatives told me to go into a branch. Sure thing, I 'll just fly XXXXmiles just to have you give me my money. BE WARNED DO N'T USE THIS BANK I HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT HAS N'T BEEN SHUT DOWN! I would also like to add that I had my pin changed on the XXXX in order to make sure they saved the right one. My account was suspended twice during this.