What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Pennsylvania
Dunno how good it will do to post this here but I'll try.
I opened a checking account with M&T in 2006, and switched it to a Direct Deposit account sometime in 2008 I think it was. I did this in person at a local branch, and at the time was getting my checks from my employer directly deposited so there was no charge for that type of account. After I stopped doing direct deposit I called the local branch around fall of 2009 to have it switched back to free checking -- which apparently they never did. Nonetheless I wasn't charged a fee for several months and thought all was dandy.
There was some, uh, personal stuff that happened, so I wasn't able to keep track of my account like I should have, but when I was able to check on it properly, I discovered to my horror that the bank had been charging me $5 a month, totaling $55, because they never switched it to a free checking account like they were supposed to have! This time I called the number on the back of my card, the main branch or office I'd suppose. I argued with them over the course of two days, telling them that it was supposed to have been a free account. Of course, being the thieves they are, they wouldn't give me my money back, only offered to switch it, FINALLY, to a free account with only a $5 refund. This was fall of 2010. I had every intent of saying bollocks to it, and closing the account, but then I had a couple of family crises and debts that needed to be paid immediately and wound up letting it slide for a bit, much to my chagrin.
I discovered that my supposedly free account was being charged a $10 "service fee" a month. I tried calling the same number to the main branch as before, but it kept saying, "We are currently experiencing a high call volume, please call again later or log on to M&T Banking Online." Something to that effect. Thinking I wasn't going to get a live person to quest about the service fee, I was hanging up only to call the next day to get the same message. Today, being slightly distracted, I stayed on the line only to have it start playing the menu options after all that crap about calling back later. Durr. So after a lot of button pressing though the menus I was finally able to get a hold of a live person.
I explained that my account had been charged twice now with this mysterious "Server Fee" of $10. They said my account had been switched over to a different account type. "M&T First" I think they said it was; an account that required a balance of over $1000 for there to not be a service fee. This was without my knowledge or acceptance, as I plainly told them. They said it was automatic, because my free checking didn't have a transaction for 90 days. I informed them that when I switched to a free account no one ever said anything about this, this was totally without my knowledge or consent. They said I should have been informed when I opened the account and that I should have been given a packet of info. They flat out admitted that it was the law that I should have been informed. Only one problem, I never was. I changed the account over by phone, they even say in the beginning that conversations will be recorded; no one ever informed me of this nor did I get anything remotely like packet of information. I certainly know I never signed to anything agreeing to this. But if it's the law they inform me, well they certainly never informed me when switching my account to one that needed $1,000 + in it to not have a fee, or any of the other details of that "M&T first" account. I went up the chain of staff as high as I could and no one was willing to give me my money back, all of it that they stole.
I know it doesn't seem like a lot of money to you, but it's a lot to me; it's all I have left right now. Even if I didn't desperately need that money, I would hire a lawyer just on principle of the thing. As it is I can't. Isn't there anything I can do?
Edit: I have very limited access to the Internet, so please forgive if I don't reply for a few days.
As an afterthought too, their costumer service is terrible. This one woman was really catty with me, very snide, and I could hear another in the background laughing and mocking me. I would love to be able to report that to the BBB or something.
Dunno how good it will do to post this here but I'll try.
I opened a checking account with M&T in 2006, and switched it to a Direct Deposit account sometime in 2008 I think it was. I did this in person at a local branch, and at the time was getting my checks from my employer directly deposited so there was no charge for that type of account. After I stopped doing direct deposit I called the local branch around fall of 2009 to have it switched back to free checking -- which apparently they never did. Nonetheless I wasn't charged a fee for several months and thought all was dandy.
There was some, uh, personal stuff that happened, so I wasn't able to keep track of my account like I should have, but when I was able to check on it properly, I discovered to my horror that the bank had been charging me $5 a month, totaling $55, because they never switched it to a free checking account like they were supposed to have! This time I called the number on the back of my card, the main branch or office I'd suppose. I argued with them over the course of two days, telling them that it was supposed to have been a free account. Of course, being the thieves they are, they wouldn't give me my money back, only offered to switch it, FINALLY, to a free account with only a $5 refund. This was fall of 2010. I had every intent of saying bollocks to it, and closing the account, but then I had a couple of family crises and debts that needed to be paid immediately and wound up letting it slide for a bit, much to my chagrin.
I discovered that my supposedly free account was being charged a $10 "service fee" a month. I tried calling the same number to the main branch as before, but it kept saying, "We are currently experiencing a high call volume, please call again later or log on to M&T Banking Online." Something to that effect. Thinking I wasn't going to get a live person to quest about the service fee, I was hanging up only to call the next day to get the same message. Today, being slightly distracted, I stayed on the line only to have it start playing the menu options after all that crap about calling back later. Durr. So after a lot of button pressing though the menus I was finally able to get a hold of a live person.
I explained that my account had been charged twice now with this mysterious "Server Fee" of $10. They said my account had been switched over to a different account type. "M&T First" I think they said it was; an account that required a balance of over $1000 for there to not be a service fee. This was without my knowledge or acceptance, as I plainly told them. They said it was automatic, because my free checking didn't have a transaction for 90 days. I informed them that when I switched to a free account no one ever said anything about this, this was totally without my knowledge or consent. They said I should have been informed when I opened the account and that I should have been given a packet of info. They flat out admitted that it was the law that I should have been informed. Only one problem, I never was. I changed the account over by phone, they even say in the beginning that conversations will be recorded; no one ever informed me of this nor did I get anything remotely like packet of information. I certainly know I never signed to anything agreeing to this. But if it's the law they inform me, well they certainly never informed me when switching my account to one that needed $1,000 + in it to not have a fee, or any of the other details of that "M&T first" account. I went up the chain of staff as high as I could and no one was willing to give me my money back, all of it that they stole.
I know it doesn't seem like a lot of money to you, but it's a lot to me; it's all I have left right now. Even if I didn't desperately need that money, I would hire a lawyer just on principle of the thing. As it is I can't. Isn't there anything I can do?
Edit: I have very limited access to the Internet, so please forgive if I don't reply for a few days.
As an afterthought too, their costumer service is terrible. This one woman was really catty with me, very snide, and I could hear another in the background laughing and mocking me. I would love to be able to report that to the BBB or something.
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