Consumer complaint received 2024-05-07 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem making or receiving payments
Company: NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
State: WA

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/year> around XXXX XXXX, using XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I paid the following : Received the following confirmation email : " This email confirms we have received your one-time online payment. Payment Confirmation Number : XXXX Payment Account : XXXX XXXX Payment Amount : {$100.00} *Service Fee : {$3.00} Total Amount : {$100.00} '' I followed up by checking said account and the funds were withdrawn successfully as confirmed. 

I then went back to the XXXX XXXX to pay the full rent due of {$410.00}. Instead of debit card, I selected, " Automatic Withdrawal directly from checking account, '' since there was no fee attached and it would come directly out of account. 

Received the following confirmation email : " This email confirms we have received your one-time online payment. Payment Confirmation Number : XXXX Payment Account : EveryDay Checking - XXXX XXXX XXXX Payment Amount : {$410.00} '' " The payment information above confirms that you have authorized to have the amount shown above withdrawn from the specified payment account. To revoke or make changes to your authorization please contact your property manager. '' I then followed up with my checking online activity and the funds had successfully been withdrawn as confirmed. 

I then went and paid other bills and bought groceries etc. 

On XX/XX/year>, I received an email from the property manager of XXXX XXXX in XXXX, WA assuming I was already aware that my rent payment had been returned for non-sufficient funds. I was not aware at all and had not been made aware until then, twelve ( 12 ) days after the confirmation stating successfully paid. 

I then went to my online bank app where I was now in the negative for not just one but multiple charges of {$29.00} ( Returned Check Fees for Insufficient Funds ). The bank does not include as to the amount returned nor to whom it was returned to. I then called the bank ( NavyFederalCreditUnion ) customer service line where I was informed although it states automatic withdrawal it doesn't process as such and instead it processes as an electronic check that has a delay processing time like one would submitting a paper check for payment. I was told the funds of {$410.00} were withdrawn on that date of XX/XX/XXXX as I thought. The representative then informed me that they hold said funds for seventy-two ( 72 ) hours only and if not processed/claimed then they release the funds back into the client 's account. 

I did not this know this nor was I aware of this since I haven't used paper checks or automatic withdrawal in over a decade. As I stated above, nowhere on the XXXX XXXX XXXX site was electronic check, delayed processing time etc., mentioned and neither upon the successful confirmation I received of payment. I did however, look in my spam folders where I found an email from not the property manager but from XXXX dated XX/XX/year> : " Your payment could not be processed. Please log-in to your tenant portal or contact your property manager to pay your current balance. Date and Time ; XX/XX/year> XXXX XXXX '' Which I assume that although the funds were withdrawn on XX/XX/XXXX and I received the confirmation of such and that payment was made, six ( XXXX ) days later, XXXX then went in to withdraw the funds which was after the seventy-two ( 72 ) hour hold and without my knowledge, I had spent the funds on other bills and groceries hence, the return for non-payment. 

I informed the property manager what had happened and stated it was clearly a misunderstanding as to how the property and the bank processed automatic withdrawals as electronic checks compared to my belief that automatic withdrawal means right when you specify it to be taken out. I gave her the required request as to when I would be able to now make the payment of {$410.00} plus the non-payment return check fee of {$50.00} attached and the late rent payment of {$30.00} now attached since after the sixth ( XXXX ). I informed the property manager I would make XXXX total due payment on the XXXX or the XXXX whichever came first with my VA Compensation Monthly Check for XXXX and then I would turn around and make the XXXX payment on XX/XX/year> with my Social Security XXXX. 

Ten ( 10 ) days later, the property manager ignored the response I had sent her in regards to making the payment and suggested I make a trip to the bank to withdraw the funds in the form of a certified negotiable instrument such as a Money Order or Cashier 's Check and asked if that's what I was going to do. I did not reply because this is a repeated monthly back and forth dialogue every month regardless if the information has been supplied. It's also a trigger so I then contacted my VA XXXX and VA HUD/VASH where I caught them up on what had happened and asked for them to advocate/mediate on my behalf. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, another email from the property manager threatening to post abandonment notice upon door if she had not heard from me by the end of the day, which is routine, even though she knows I haven't abandoned the apartment. I responded again with the same dates as given above where I was then told, " be advised, the payment needs to be in certified funds ( Money Order or Cashier 's Check ). There's no drop box, please plan accordingly. Office hours and days. '' She then sent another email right behind, " Your current balance is {$490.00}. '' Per Lease Agreement Section 2 Sub-section ( c ) Certified funds that she is requesting can only be requested if there has been a 2nd time a payment has been returned for non-payment within 9 months of current lease. This was the first time in almost two ( 2 ) years of such. My checking account is overdrawn and now I am paying the return charge on top of the regular charge regardless that confirmation/withdrawal/hold/and delayed processing upon the property 's side had occurred. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, Friday, XXXX weekend, the VA split payments between the XXXX and the XXXX even though Monday was not a holiday. When I went to my resident online portal account to at least make XXXX payments of rent plus utilities/insurance/admin fees, I was denied access and when trying to log-in, a pop-up would state, " Invalid Log-in. '' I tried the, " Forgot Password, '' option where I had the email to change password from XXXX sent successfully, clicked link, changed password, told successful and attempted log-in where same pop-up came on the screen. I attempted to, " Create an Account, '' and when I clicked submit, I was told account already existed and to log-in. 

This happened previously and when I addressed the issue in an email with my VA agencies copied, the property manager made it seem like a technological error and told me to come by her office to try and fix the issue. I never did. Then with no issue or problems, on XX/XX/XXXX log-in was normal. This time, I figured out as to the, " technological issue needing to be fixed, '' and that is not allowing the property manager to secretly access a resident 's account that is not just a payment account but contains other payments billed monthly as well as lease viewing/maintenance requests etc. 

I addressed the issue months ago, she lied. I then again brought the issue to my VA Representatives and they both didn't address the issue and allowed the property manager to then email me again on XX/XX/year> and thereafter wanting to know when FULL PAYMENT of both month 's would be made along with late fees, attorney fees because she had sent me over for to begin eviction process, and another abandonment notice where they did attempt to enter and I was bullied/harassed/told I'm the problem because I can't pay my rent on time since I moved there and I can't even remember what number I called her and left a voice message etc. All the time, full well knowing, she's the reason the payments have not been made and are late. 

Conveniently, on Thursday XX/XX/XXXX, the maintenance guy and her again approached my door to put 3 identical copies of a Thirty ( 30 ) Day Notice to Pay Rent or Vacate the Premises with no date as to when they left them. Now, that XXXX payment of {$410.00} differs from what was stated as returned and the ledger amounts given to my VA representative as it is now {$260.00} with no explanation and then added with XXXX ( she blocked me from paying {$410.00} and XXXX that she still has me blocked from paying {$410.00} ) plus both XXXX and XXXX utilities/insurance/admin fees for a total to be PAID IN FULL and not payments of {$1200.00} with the following just below this total in bold print : " Note - payment must be made pursuant to the terms of the rental agreement or by nonelectronic means including but not limited to, cashier 's check, money order, or other certified funds. '' Even though the Lease Agreement states that certified funds are required only after two ( 2 ) return non-payments have occurred, she is intentionally demanding I make what she wants because she wants me to hand deliver and face-to-face when I have repeatedly informed her that my XXXX has XXXX XXXX, high XXXX, almost an XXXX along with XXXX  XXXX XXXX and ever since three ( 3 ) year 's back when I was in a homeless veteran SSVF program and was maliciously attacked and retaliated against for filing a complaint against my attacker, I do not feel comfortable around people in positions of power over other 's and especially going around the crowd 's during the day as I usually leave almost at closing times to go across the street and back, that's it. I have told her that I will no longer communicate with her due to her intentionally creating this issue by blocking access to make payment for XXXX as I had told her but then also blocking access to make the other payments and still doing so after I said what she had done, and people like her trigger me and instead, she needs to communicate with my VA Representatives. 

Apparently, she has not informed her employer as to the illegal blocking of my account that nowhere in the Lease Agreement nor any paperwork or online states she is allowed to do so and without notification to the resident, because I was sent a Lease Renewal to go view on the Resident Portal which I can't and also in the mail receiving a payment due bill where it states to log-in to my resident portal account to make payment. 

The bank is still overdrawn and I have changed banks due to prior to this issue I was hacked twice and they continue to allow it to occur and then prevent online access and such to me. Now I am facing eviction and what's stated above when all I did was make payment, receive successful payment made, followed up and the funds were taken out ... ..went and bought groceries for the first time in years and paid other outstanding bills in full only 12 days later the chaos be created once more.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief