[Shimpy]

How many Bank of America customers going to change banks due to the new fees? Myself, I've been their customer for over 12 years and don't like how they are treating me. $5.00 a month isn't going to break me but it's a matter of principal. They are a bank on the verge of bankruptacy and are treating their faithful customers this way? I've only kept them because the hassle of changing direct deposits and auto bill paying because they are not very convient in TV.
I am thinking of going to Citizens Bank which is everywhere in TV. Can I get your thoughts on how happy you are with them as a bank and especially their ATM's?

[angiefox10]

B of A is not my bank... But I have changed banks in the past for charging me to keep my money. If any of my banks did that... I would be gone!

[teachnmo]

We had two accounts .. one at Bank of America which we brought with us from Missouri and Citizens First when we moved here. We closed out Bank of America last week due to the notification that they were going to be charging monthly for debit cards. Yes, I could give up one of my movies a month, but I chose not to do that! Bye Bye Bank of America!

Have had no troubles with Citizens First Bank.

[Shimpy]

Originally Posted by teachnmo

We had two accounts .. one at Bank of America which we brought with us from Missouri and Citizens First when we moved here. We closed out Bank of America last week due to the notification that they were going to be charging monthly for debit cards. Yes, I could give up one of my movies a month, but I chose not to do that! Bye Bye Bank of America!

Have had no troubles with Citizens First Bank.

Thanks, You're right $5.00 is $5.00 and better in my pocket. Bank of America estimates they will lose 600,000 customers over this fee and still will go with it. You know that fees once imposed will raise in the future. I'm going to get out and Citizens seems like the best choice around here.

[Jim 9922]

Consider Community Bank. Locally owned (Ocala based), not the Morse family, never took TARP funds, and treat you like a real customer; --- even a birthday card each year (but no $5 bill inside). All kinds of free accounts and services for those of us over 55.

Few people really need a national bank for their personal needs unless you travel alot and need walk-in branches around the country. If you haven't yet learned, the big banks need retail branches only to fund their cash reserves so they can make their big loans to the internationals and conglomerates; sort of like the dairy farmer squeezing the cows to fill up that big tanker to drive off to the big city for processing.

Better yet, Community's reputation is that most of its loaning activities remain in the greater local area.

[tom60]

I have had accounts with citizens for over 11 years now. They treat you right when you go in to the lobby. Their web site is very good and easy to navagate. I only had a problem once with the atm reading my card. They pay me interest on my checking account. Granted its not a lot but its better than me paying them. I would highly recommend citizens. They have great hours and the branches are very convenient.

[njbchbum]

i went to the mgr of my b of a branch [nj] as soon as i heard that news a couple of weeks ago - she told me the plan was that the fee will not kick in until 2012 and that it would not be charged to 'avantage banking' customers. since we are in the advantage category of customers i advised her that i will be reviewing my statements most carefully and will be right back in her office the first time i see a charge on my statement!!!

[Reprobate]

Interesting that you should ask that today. We're closing on our house in Pennecamp in a little over two weeks. I was over at Citizens today setting up a couple of accounts, and later this afternoon changed a couple of the direct deposits that were going into BoA to Citizens.

I'm not doing this because of the debit card fee. I don't use a debit card, and in any event they claim they wouldn't be charging it to me. They have different "tiers" of service, and apparently they figure that they make enough off of me to pass on the $5.

I'm just fed up to the eyeballs with BoA after fifteen years or so of putting up with their petty depredations, and decided that this move was a good excuse to go through the aggravation of firing them, and so I am. I'll use Citizens for local bill-paying and so forth, and maintain relationships I have with a few other banks and credit unions as places to stash extra cash, and for when I am in different places.

If Citizens becomes more aggravation than they're worth, I'll fire them too. There are a lot of banks out there . . . .

[Barefoot]

For the most part, I like Citizens. There is something warm and hometownish about apples, popcorn and tellers dressing up for Halloween!

I opened an account with Bank of America on Parr Drive because their CD interest rates are higher. After a year I closed it. I found the people there to be cold, unfriendly and condescending. On a "personality" rating, Citizens would be an 8 out of 10, and B of A would be a 2! IMHO, It's not always about the interest rates.

[GTTPF]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

i went to the mgr of my b of a branch [nj] as soon as i heard that news a couple of weeks ago - she told me the plan was that the fee will not kick in until 2012 and that it would not be charged to 'avantage banking' customers. since we are in the advantage category of customers i advised her that i will be reviewing my statements most carefully and will be right back in her office the first time i see a charge on my statement!!!

I did the same thing with my BOA branch in NJ. Same answer. I'm in the process of opening a citizens account now anyway. BOA is in alot of financial trouble.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Originally Posted by Reprobate

......after fifteen years or so of putting up with their petty depredations.......

I always try to learn something new each and every day. This word was my 'learning' for today. Thanks.....seriously!

Hijack over!

Bill

[dillywho]

Didn't banks come up with the idea of debit cards instead of checks because they would be more cost efficient due to less handling, no expense to furnish checks, more security/less chance for fraud? That's just the short list.

So far, I haven't heard any justification for the change of now charging for using it other than "because we can." I could understand charging for replacement cards, but not for using them. (BTW, I don't do BoA, etc., either.)

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by dillywho

Didn't banks come up with the idea of debit cards instead of checks because they would be more cost efficient due to less handling, no expense to furnish checks, more security/less chance for fraud? That's just the short list.

So far, I haven't heard any justification for the change of now charging for using it other than "because we can." I could understand charging for replacement cards, but not for using them. (BTW, I don't do BoA, etc., either.)

i believe this has something to do with the legislation that now prevents banks from charging businesses that accept debit cards for payment as much as they used to. i think the swipe rate was cut in half from $0.44 to $0.22. as a result of that loss in revenue, banks are now permitted to pass that loss on to their consumers in the form of an add'l fee. i could be wrong, but i know that i am at least close to being right!

[ceejay]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

i believe this has something to do with the legislation that now prevents banks from charging businesses that accept debit cards for payment as much as they used to. i think the swipe rate was cut in half from $0.44 to $0.22. as a result of that loss in revenue, banks are now permitted to pass that loss on to their consumers in the form of an add'l fee. i could be wrong, but i know that i am at least close to being right!

You are 100% correct...they are passing that loss on to the customers.

I started as a teller for BOA in 2006. I WANTED to work for them because, at the time, they were very big on customer service (customer delight is what they called it). I worked in retail for years and know how to treat a customer correctly. I truly enjoyed my job until corporate greed set in.

As a teller, I was expected to handle tens of thousands of dollars a day, do cash advances, large change orders for businesses, savings bonds, account histories, transfers, delight the customer, etc. and then be sure to balance at the end of the day. Then they spent millions installing software so that whenever you, the customer, had activity on your account, a screen would pop up to tell us what you, the customer, needed. Maybe a second checking or savings account, a cd, a debit or credit card, a money market, IRA, etc.

Now, I have to spend time reading what you need and then figuring out a way to put it to you so you couldn't resist buying what I was offering you. The heck with the other 5-10 customers standing in line; I had to get your "cheeks in the seats" to talk to a personal banker (who also had walk-in people waiting for them).

I was expected to get 3 "cheeks in the seats" a day. At the end of the day, I had to meet with the managers to "check out". If I didn't have those 3 "cheeks in the seats", I was talked down to like a 5 year old and pressured to do better the next day. And there were no excuses.

No matter that you saw the same people, week after week, and they were getting aggravated and angry that you were telling them and trying to sell them the same thing EVERY time you saw them.

No matter that you were working in the drive-thru. You were expected to get those people out of their cars and into the building to wait for 30-45 minutes to see a personal banker.

Yea, right.

Needless to say, I am no longer working for BOA. I was not able to get 3"cheeks in the seats" a day and my "final written warnings" were piling up. They terminated me.

Am I bitter? Yes, very. I really did love my job and my customers.

Just know, that you, the customer, are no longer a client. You are a cash cow and they just want more and more.

Thanks for listening and for allowing me to vent.

PS If I were you, I would take my money out of BOA and transfer everything to Citizens. They know how to treat the customers AND the employees.
No, I do not work for Citizens. BOA soured me on banking and I am still looking for my niche. Anybody need a great Customer Service Representative?

[Bill-n-Brillo]

ceejay, sorry to hear about your work experience. Doesn't sound like any fun at all!! As customers, we've experienced just a bit of the same thing with our bank in OH (not B of A). But it's not enough to cause us any issue. I just hope they don't ramp up their sales tactics with us as that would certainly drive us away.

I did have a rather startling experience with the (different) bank where I have my business credit card: Got a call from the local branch manager, wanting me to make an appointment to come in and talk with him about how they can save me money/make me more money with my credit card. Said it would only take 10-15 minutes of my time. I figured, "What the heck?". I knew I was in trouble when I went in for the appointment, met the manager..........and he immediately turned me over to their Business Specialist, who proceeded to try to convince me that opening up a business checking account with them - and receiving a $50 bonus for doing so - was the thing for me to do. I politely declined. Then the barrage began. I should move all our personal accounts to their bank, let them refinance any debt we might have through them, "Here, let me introduce you to our Investments Manager" - they wanted our brokerage business - - - - - EVERYTHING! I was polite in declining everything along with giving them the explanations of why this and that made no sense for us. An hour and a half later, I escaped! Will they ever see me darken their doorstep again? Nope. Any bank that goes to those lengths to get additional business leaves me with the feeling that they're doing it primarily for THEIR benefit, not mine as a customer.

Bill