Consumer complaint received 2025-12-24 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Opening an account — Didn't receive terms that were advertised
Company: BMO BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: PA

Complaint narrative:
Thanks for your assistance today. I was misled into opening an account under the impression that I would qualify for a {$400.00} bonus. 
I was a member of this account in the past. I last had this account in XXXX of XXXX. 
I closed the account back in XXXX as I no longer needed it at the time. 
I then signed up for a credit card offer through BMO.

From there I decided to download the BMO app so I can mange my credit card with the BMO App.

When you log into the BMO app with your username and password, on the bottom of the screen there are different icons, one of them is listed as offers. It has a star icon.

When you go into that page it has a heading that says your personalized offers. 
It states my name and says we have offers waiting for you. 

There on that page it showed me the promotion to earn a {$400.00} bonus if I signed up and completed {$4000.00} worth of direct deposits. 

There was no where on the screens during my enrollment for me to check the box or anything that stated that I would not qualify if I was a member of the BMO in the last 12 months.

When I think back to the time when I first noticed the promotion there in offers screen, I recall considering the 6-12 month requirement that banks have. But due to it being a personal offer that was sent to me under the offers page, I did not have my guard up to think that maybe I am not within the criteria until I am no longer a member for 12 full months.

I was sent a personalized offer with my name on the screen asking me to sign up to receive a {$400.00} bonus so I signed up and completed the criteria on the screen.

I called and spoke to several agents this week at BMO. I do not make a lot of money so I worked hard to do those deposits for {$4000.00}.

After the {$400.00} did not show up, I decided to call for the first time on XX/XX/XXXX. I was left on hold for XXXX minutes without them coming back on to refresh the situation. That agent came back after about XXXX minutes of hold and proceeded to disconnect the line. At that point I realized I better write down their names. I called back and spoke to XXXX who was better, but not able to help, this was when I first learned that I XXXX not qualify due to being within a 12 month period. I asked why was I sent a personal offer for this then? She advised me to call back to see if a XXXX can help more. 

I called back on XX/XX/XXXX and spoke to XXXX. I believe that is how they stated their name. I should have asked for their name again because that agent actually told me that the promo code is still showing active until XX/XX/XXXX and that it has not been 90 days yet and that was the only reason I did not get it yet. XXXX XXXX stated that I should expect to receive the {$400.00} bonus about 10 days after XX/XX/XXXX. I am not sure what screen they were looking at but it took a weight off my shoulders since I trusted what he told me. 
Please pull the calls of when I called in and I apologize for my frustration on the call, but you will hear that he told me exactly as I am stating here. 

I checked my account and realized I have already been a member longer than 90 days, so what XXXX. stated did not really add up to me so that prompted me to call back today on XX/XX/XXXX. 

I spoke to XXXX today on XX/XX/XXXX. He was a good agent but he was not able to help me any better. They even stated that a XXXX can Not come on to help me. Only at the end of the call did he explain it is because they will say the same thing as he already told me. XXXX stated on his screen it shows they attempted an investigation into my issue, possibly beginning after I first called in on XX/XX/XXXX. But he stated the investigation was closed and they were not able to help because it has been within 12 months of me being a member. 

The part they are missing is the fact that the investigation really needs to be about the issue of me being sent a personalized and targeted offer asking me to enroll and complete the activities to deposit {$4000.00} and then I would earn the {$400.00} bonus. 

I am 100 % positive that I would have never enrolled within a 12 month period if they had never sent me that offer with my name on it. Once I saw the offer my guard came down about how long I XXXX have been a member there last. I trusted that since I was being asked to enroll that I would get the bonus just like it stated there on the screen. 
Also I did not see anywhere on the screens that mentioned or advised me of the 12 month limitations. 

XXXX reached out to me about this offer not the other way around. 
They are expecting too much responsibility from the customers to somehow keep a tally on how long they were a member of this bank last and not taking enough blame as the ones that are initiating the sale by targeting me directly with a personalized offer. 
If I reached out to them first to enroll or found a general flyer posted somewhere and enrolled from there that would be different. 

But for them to send it to my offers screen with my name on it asking me to sign up, and then after I do all the hard work of depositing my seasonal jobs income to that bank, it didnt not seem right to wait until the end only after I complete the requirements to tell me I do not qualify. 

I am positive that the only reason I signed up was because of the offer that they sent to me directly under my offers page after I became a member of the credit card. 

Thank you kindly for your time and assistance today.

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