Consumer complaint received 2025-10-09 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Other banking product or service
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account — Transaction was not authorized
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I am writing to you, because I need help, and don't know what to do. I was discriminated against, at Bank Of America XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX, CA. XXXX ). 

I unfortunately did not have an account at Bank of America and went to cash a court settlement check of unpaid Vacation Time ( which took 4 yrs to get ). I am recuperating from health problems and have not worked in 4 years. This check was my family 's everything!!!! I am also a solo parent of XXXX XXXX  .. No income has been the toughest obstacle in our lives for the past 4 years. So needless to say the amount of happiness and excitement that came with getting this check. I was over the moon beaming ear to ear with joy!! 

XXXX, the teller, took my check and asked for ID 's. I gave her all that I had. My state DL, and my XXXX XXXX XXXX. She asked for help, since she never saw a card like that before. XXXX XXXX arrived to help. He explained to XXXX that yes this is a valid form of identification... he continues to show her how to process this in the system. Time goes by and XXXX struggles to find how to process it. He then quickly changed his tune and said he could not cash my payroll check. He doesn't see my XXXX listed as an option. 

I asked if there was someone he could contact that might be able to walk him through it. He got very combative with me. He explained that there was no one. He was the only person that could do this. I then explained how this check was my everything and how important it was to cash it. During this time I started to tear up & cry uncontrollably cause this broke me! Not able to get my money. This check came from a reliable source. XXXX XXXX XXXX of biggest payroll companies for all of the entertainment industry in XXXX XXXX. I'm not a criminal yet that's how they made me feel. While crying ( sobbing ) I turned to find a large man standing behind me and they started to ask me to leave the window. 

Security and another man then showed up by the front door. I'm over XXXX .. crying my eyes out, calming pleading for help!!! I am at their mercy. 

XXXX then says he will call another store and ask. He has me wait in the lobby so XXXX can help someone else. 

Finally XXXX calls me back to the window. Tears are streaming down my face. No one has offered me anything ( tissue, water, etc ). XXXX tells me okay he found out how to process the check. He confirmed that he could do it and the ID should work. At this point I'm late picking up my son from school. In the meanwhile XXXX and XXXX work to cash the check. 

XXXX again says sorry I can't cash this. Apparently my Id ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) does not contain an expiration date. 

I found that the whole line was watching, the whole room stopped working, they all were watching the whole interaction. The way the bank manager had been talking to me, made me feel embarrassed, and less than deserving of their help. Not cool. How sad that they were okay with how they treated me. 

Crying, I asked him what do I do? XXXX finally says look, do you have a SS Card... to which I replied yes, at home. He said if I returned with that SS Card he would cash the check. 

I then left to pick up my son who was walking home and go get my SS XXXXard.

There was another location which is across the street from my house at XXXX XXXX XXXX. I went there because I didn't have enough fuel to be traveling like that. I asked the supervisor before I approached the window about my XXXX ID. ( I had also phoned the BofA Corp office to ask, which they too said yes this a valid ID I could use. ) The branch manager in charge XXXX confirmed my ID ( physically held it and checked her computer ) that it was okay to use that. 

My son and I get to the window and the teller was unable to process it. I asked if she could use my SS card instead. She replied no, and that if XXXX said he would take it to go back to him. 

Again, tears streaming down my face, and they couldn't make an exception?? So now I have been made to cry at two different Bank branches. 

My son and I quickly head back to the XXXX XXXX XXXX. Wait in the long line. Get to the window. I get a different teller. I start to slide my check under with IDs, and explain. Before I could finish, she rudely cut me off, saying she cant help me ( swinging her neck and head around with attitude ). The teller doesn't touch my stuff, and says again she can't help me, and that XXXX left for the day. I asked who took over, was there someone else in charge .. and she ( the teller ) told me that she was able to make those decisions. This confused me, I asked her if she could please look at my ID ' XXXX, and see if she could process the check. No! ( she screams at me. ) she doesn't have the authority to make that decision, so I asked why did she just say she could?? 

The teller was terrible to me and my son. The customer service was the worst I have seen in all my years. I asked why she was so combative with me? She snapped at me, in front of my child ( again ), that she can't do anything. I'm already crying and she was being even more awful to me. 

Crying, I turned, and left her window. I stopped in the lobby asking if anyone was able to help me... pleading with people. No one even looked at me. Finally, I stopped XXXX ( spelling might be wrong ), asked if he remembered me and if he heard ( he was the tall dude behind me when they asked me to leave for the first time ) what XXXX said he would do for me? 

XXXX says sorry no bosses available, and as I'm sobbing, i explain how this check is our everything. Again I feel humiliated by this experience. My son kept hugging me trying to console me. Our life is in these peoples hands. They were holding/preventing me from getting my money. I'm far from a threat and yet they treated me like a criminal. This experience was horrible. 

Even as I type this email, my keys on the keyboard are wet, from tears having to relive this experience. 

XXXX finally says to sit and that he will call XXXX. After a long wait he calls me to the XXXX and says when XXXX is done they will process the check. The bank closed with us in it and they said that this time they would make an exception for me. Almost XXXX hours later they finally cashed the check. This was so traumatizing for me and my son! 

I wish my XXXX XXXX XXXX did not have to witness that. I try so hard to teach him how to be kind to others. No, the staff at this branch ( except XXXX XXXX thought it was okay to treat people like XXXX. Now here we are broken from this experience. Why is it okay for people to be so inhumane? 

Thank you for taking the time and reading my story.

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