I was hilighted in an artible called “bank think” a blog for bankers. Maybe they will be able to realize that they are the ones that are the criminals, and not our regular everyday “ham & eggers”.
Check out the blog on 2/12/09. It speaks for itself. Check it out…
Although I would not recommend taking on a fight with a VERY LARGE organization such as Wachovia, I do however believe that you should stand up for what is right. I have intenionally left out the fact that Wachovia did in fact forward a check to me in the amount of $3600 “to resolve any outstanding issue that I have with Wachovia” in the letter that they sent me. There really was not much more that the letter said. A total of 2 lines. I guess when you whip them the way I did, they do not have too much to say.
A funny thing about this situation though, I was making a payment to one of my friends for some stuff that I bought, he was out of town so I offered to go to the bank and make a deposit into his account for him. Low and behold, his account was with Wachovia. I went to a branch a few miles away from my normal branch, so as not to be noticed.
When I arrived, the girl working the front greeters desk, was a girl that I knew from my old business. She asked how I was doing. As a joke, I wrote www.WachoviaBank-Sucks.com on the back of my deposit reciept. The look of horror that came over her face, was tittilating!
She proceeded (without me telling her it was ME) to tell me that the bank had “that guy” arrested for slander, and other various crimes against it. The whole time she is telling me that story I was smiling and chuckling. hehehe…
When she got done with the story, she asked why she had not seen me in a long time. I was not banking with Wachovia because “that guy” was me and everything that her manager told her about “that guy” was BULLSHIT!
I walked out at that point and it made the whole effort worth it!
Keep fighting the good fight, and no goliath is too big, no company is too powerful for you to stand up against. NO VIOLENCE, but certainly don’t lie down and “take it”!
Keep on keeping on…
OK, so I have heard from a BUNCH of people in the last few months. I want to assure you that this issue is FAR from over. However, I have decided that there are more important things that need me to obsess over than this shitty bank. As you can tell, I am not going to be doing a daily blog about how I hate WACHOVIA. I have more important things that I need to concentrate on. Not to mention that when I was in “WACHOVIA SUCKS” mode, I was a mean and nasty person, and personally, I did not like who I was. SO, for the benefit of the world, I will leave this site up, and will post any “wachovia screwed me stories” but I will not be adding to this site personally. If you would like to have your story added to this site, please send me an email.
I have moved on and will get my justice in some other way at some other time.
Ken Thompson, corporation president.
Roy McCraw, Florida Regional President.
(of course the movement was created by me for comedy effect)
First, I would like to start off by giving my appologies to those out there that have been “following the fight”. As most of you can imagine, this event has been VERY stressful on me and my family. The “fight” has consumed me, to the detriment of my family, my business, and my health. I have not been sleeping very well, and not been real productive with my business. Having said that, let me fill you in on the last few weeks’ worth of activity.
I took my annual weeks’ vacation with my family last week for the week of Thanksgiving, to de-stress and decompress from all the “events”. I did take some time in Savannah, GA to “spread the word” about Wachovia. I also have started a new little tradition, that when I pass a Wachovia branch, I reach out the window, and give them the “#1″ sign with my hand, if you get my drift. I would encourage all the “wachovia haters” to start to do the same.
The few actions that I have taken thus far, other than the flyers on the vehicles, I have finally decided that Wachovia is NOT going to “step up” and do the right thing, and they have their preverbial foot on my neck. So, today, I faxed my “official complaint” to the OCC. I plan on mailing copies to both the president of wachovia in Charlotte, NC, Ken Thompson, and also to Mr. McCraw in Tampa. Since talking to these people does not do any good, I have decided to go to the US Government to make them do the right thing. I will keep you updated as to the actions or in-actions of Wachovia.
I have gotten some emails recently that totally have blown me away. In comparison to the story listed below, my issue is “small potatos” when you look at the numbers. I am posting them below for you to form your informed opinion for yourself.
Our business did great! We sell vehicles, so our cash flow is large. It was nothing for us to generate $650,000.00 in revenues a month which was deposited in our Wachovia Business account. Everything was great…except for the people that were watching over our investments. The market went up and down and we went thru some reps and we watched the balance steadily go down from poor trading in a fluctuating market. My husband tried not to be concerned, but he was. He became more concerned when he started receiving the run around about who could help him with his questions. There did not seem to be any consistency in the day to day activities during the Wachovia/First Union merger. We would meet with one rep and update what we were expecting from this TEAM playing with our money and they would turn it over to another team member and so on down the line. Until we became stuck with a man that vengefully sold us out.
About 2002, my husband and I began to follow the chain of command for customer complaints. We had come up against brick walls everywhere. We were refered to the outside customer service survey team. If we are unsure of our rep (or of his intentions) then we thought should talk to the captain of the TEAM. WRONG. This really pissed some one off and it was all down hill from there. Basically, Wachovia and it’s employees were angry because my husband was asking for some form of management intervention. That was the attitude we were hit with…hmmmmm… A bank that facilitates on emotion….that could be dangerous. My husband didn’t ask for much, “Just please move the investment account to our local branch, they know us there. They know that we are honest and hard working. We trust them and we trust that they will be accountable for our money. No one else is.” I believe I cried at this meeting (real tears). I could see for the first time, they were taking us down out of spite.
WRONG AGAIN, that won’t be happening like that…. We were informed that Wachovia had run into trouble and they were not able to just transfer the stocks to the local branch. Infact, the stocks had already been sold that day at face value. That is right, $350,000 in stocks sold in one day. They sold $350,000, in one day, without even telling us. and at a low-low price. Why? Because we were bothering them with concerns that we weren’t sure if our money was receiving the attention we were promised and we were growing more concerned about the outcome of the prolonged neglect.
So now we have about $350,000 (cash) that was to be placed in the hands of our local branch. And did they move it? No, it was placed in a money market account earning less than one percent interest. Our file was pulled from the local branch by some secret people and we no longer had anyone to help us with our problem. Our local branch was instructed not to discuss the matter with us anymore. Oh yeah, the whole time we are fighting to save our investments, we are paying on our loans. We are paying an average of $5000.00 a month to Wachovia Bank, NA. This goes on; no call backs, no money. We pay them though, every month, like agreed but no one can tell us where the balance of the investment is.
Finally, we get a lawyer involved, who, in turn, contacted the SEC, who contacted Wachovia, who said “It isn’t our company that you should contact, it was those other guys” The SEC said “OK” and we got a letter from a nice man at the top of all of Wachovia, Mr. Tom Farr, (hey Tom) Mr. tom farr did not feel that we had been thru enough misery. mr Tom Farr felt that now would be a good time to throw his weight around and finish us off once and for all. After all of our investments, deposits, loan payments and loyal customerness, Mr. Tom Farr felt it necessary to give us bad news on blank letterhed. Added together, we have personally seen millions go thru are beloved bank yet we did not deserve a return address or phone number when we read this:
It went something to this effect…”We (Wachovia) have elected to surrender the balance of your investments to pay off the loans you have with our company. We don’t need your approval and oh yeah, we want the rest of our money within thirty days or we will sue you.” But we were not late on our loans, we had not caused problems. Wachovia had mismanaged our investments to the point that there wasn’t enough to security for them so they called our loans due. We were not given enough time to do anything. I had a beacon score of over 700 and we worked very hard, every day to pay our bills on time. It was something we were proud of. We owned a business and it’s success could be attributed to the way we lived our lives. Within less than thirty days, we were notified that we were being sued for being in default on our loans. It hadn’t even been one billing cycle and Wachovia was coming to get us with there high priced attorneys. We were being taught a lesson by someone at Wachovia, a very valuable lesson. Don’t let the loan-sharks hold your money. When the Federal Government changed the Glass act, they gave the power to these banks to grow like they did. That is why I say Wachovia Securities uses Wachovia Bank, NA as a front. They will take your deposit there, but your money is leaving the building and won’t be coming back. They don’t care if you win or not, they already have your money, “What-cha-gonna-do? huh?”
We chose to fight, probably not the most productive choice, but we really were not offered a choice. The banks are above ethical and legal business procedures and they are allowed to grow out of control. No one was being held accountable for the mismanagement of our future. Instead, we are at a stand off with one of the Worlds largest monopolies in the banking industry. And do you think anyone out there is watching over Wachovia. Hell no! The SEC, remeber, we went there. Wachovia is betting on the fact that we will just give up, just like the thousands of other families (NASD reports of arbitrated cases). They probably just gave up. The only difference is that we are not giving up. I want someone to stand up and make good for what we have been thru. The money was important, but I am facing bankruptcy now because of all of this. What do we have to loose? Hello, Wachovia, get over yourself. I will see you in front of a jury and believe me, when they see how you manipulate the laws to cover your mistakes, you just might get your feelings hurt.
This letter probably jumps around and may not be clear, but someone out there has been thru this and will understand what I am saying. I hope this reached them and they in turn would like to join our legal suit against Wachovia, Bank, NA, Wachovia NA, Wachovia Securities, (and whomever else they have watching the big bucks)
I wanted to share my horror story with Wachovia. I have also had my account with Wachovia for several years and generally we truck along just fine. Prior to 2006, I very rarely over-drafted and so, if I did, the bank was always willing to refund the charges. However this year has been rough for us and Wachovia is now usually the first in line to screw me over.
The trouble first started with my husband’s direct deposits (which actually have to go around their elbow to get to their ass!). The direct deposit hits Wachovia every other Friday. I was told that the deposit is made available on MIDNIGHT of the day it is dated for, meaning Thursday night. But actually, Wachovia makes it available no later than the start of the business day (according to a local branch manager, who also stated that this was a policy she was unaware of until she started working there!) So, the direct deposit might or might not be in the bank when you think it is, just guess, it’s as accurate as their system! As a result, 10/26/06, I was charged $140 of NSF because Wachovia’s system processes withdrawals before deposits. When I inquired as to the reason for this, I was told that I could only count on the direct deposit being available to cover checks or charges made AFTER the deposit date. OK, a bit shady, but lesson learned. This particular incidence also resulted in me becoming aware that Wachovia processes transactions from largest to smallest. In theory, to benefit the customer, but we all know who really benefits!
Now the zinger of the month! On 11/14/06, my father in law (who also banks at Wachovia by the way!) made a cash deposit to my account in the amount of $400. This deposit was made at a branch about 5 hours from me. This money wasn’t for me and so I intended to withdraw most of it in cash when it became available. I had no idea until later what time and and what way the funds were deposited except that it was done with cash. At about 3pm, I checked my account by logging on to Wachovia.com to check my balance. My “posted” balance was only about $130, my “available” balance was only about $50 due to 7 purchases with my check card that were on hold and already deducted from the “available” balance. So, about 4pm that day, I again checked my bank balance and lo and behold, my “available” balance was now $450. The $400 deposit and the $50 that was already “available”. I gave it no more thought and drove to the ATM. I took $240 out in cash. The following day when I went to balance my checkbook, the bank had bounced all my check card holds for total NSF of $245, 7x$35. When I inquired via the customer service line, I was told that the deposit was not credited until 11/15. I stated that I did not have the funds available for a $240 cash withdrawal had the deposit not been credited. Wachovia took the money that I had on hold for the check card purchases and applied the money to the cash withdrawal. Even so, I still did not have the cash available to cover the $240 cash withdrawal.
After speaking with rude customer service representatives and a supervisor and a branch manager, I ended up getting $140 of those fees refunded. Customer service stated that I should have known when the funds would be “available” as that information is in my depositor’s agreement. And actually, I brought my depositor’s agreement with me to speak to my local branch manager. At no point in that document, or in any of the other paperwork I received when I opened my account, does it state that Wachovia can place deposited cash into your “available” funds (transaction just states “processing” down on the register) and then rescind that deposit and bounce purchases that were already deducted from that magical “available” balance.
I am not a stupid person. I am aware that funds deposited before 2pm will be credited that night at midnight (or perhaps right away depending on the form of the deposit), and that funds deposited before 4pm at the ATM would also be available at midnight that night (or maybe right away depending on what the weather is in outer Mongolia).
Keeping in mind that this cash deposit was done inside of Wachovia itself, no other banks were involved at all, I assumed that my father in law transferred the money between accounts or some such thing allowing the funds to be immediately available. What do I know, or perhaps more importantly, what should I know about the way that could be handled?
My issue is with the ATM and the definition of “available”. If funds are not available, do not put them into the available balance. It is so simple as to be laughable! This was no emergency and I certainly would have waited to withdraw $240 in cash until the transaction was actually posted. Not only would I have waited, but it should NOT have been possible for me to make the withdrawal given the $50 in my “available” balance at the time.It would have been a day later but that day would have saved me $240.
I have filed a complaint with the BBB and intend to contact the OCC. To date, I have received $140 of my NSF back but I will not rest until the other $100 that they stole from me is back in my pocket and not theirs.
Additionally, I am positive that this particular tactic has happened to others and to any sane, rational person, it amounts to theft.
Perhaps I will buy Wachovia a nice new edition of Webster’s magnificent dictionary so they may discontinue their ridiculous practice of redefining commonly used words to suit their needs.
Thanks for letting me rant and keep up the good fight! Rest assured that I will be taking my business to a bank that uses definitions that we, as customers, are aware of, and that respects me and my business!
Lisa
Roanoke, VA
Hello folks, top of the morning to you! Sorry for no post yesterday. As I said on 11/01 in the “spirit of cooperation” Wachovia did not want me to give details on the meeting that is going to take place. So in the “spirit of cooperation” I did not put a post out there, nor have I put out any flyers advertising the site. I anticipate several things are going to happen. We will see how the meeting goes. I will give a complete update to this page after the “event” happens. It will be an early evening event posting.
For those people who have sent me their story, I have your interests’ in mind when I speak to “Goliath”. They will not be silencing me or this site without a fight, in court if necessary. This site has been a mouthpiece for all those that have had “issues” with Wachovia have had a chance to “vent”.
Update coming later this evening… Stay tuned!
After my little “trip” on Wednesday where I went to downtown Tampa and used the bullhorn, I got several emails from Wachovia employees. They were not real pleasant or happy with my “stunt”. One of the emails asked a question about what would happen if the check for a million dollars did not clear and where would the bank be if they made that money available etc., etc. Hypothetical questions that did not apply to my situation. Listen, to all those people who want to criticize WITHOUT reading the story from the beginning please don’t waste any more of my time. If you get the facts and want to then ask a question or make a comment, I would be happy to discuss the situation.
The “bullhorn project” worked well, so the project will continue and continue, and continue until Wachovia can step up and do the right thing and refund my money! I am done being a nice guy. Copies of the complaint to the OCC will be sent to Mr. Thompson in North Carolina.
If somebody from Wachovia with some authority would like to step up and do the right thing, feel free to contact me via email. No More MR. NICE GUY! Will give some updates over the weekend. I will be very busy with the project this weekend, and will be putting out sevaral thousand flyers.
So, my new “toy” came in yesterday. A 50 watt megaphone! I took the new item to downtown Tampa to the hornets’ nest if you will. Now, understand that I have always been the type of person that if someone said, “I dare you, I would do it”. I was also the type of kid who would poke an ant hill with a stick. So, I felt that this would be a good chance to try out the new bullhorn. I put the open end out the passenger window then rolled the window up enough to hold it in place. Then, I drove around the block of the Wachovia building on the street announcing for all to hear, “WARNING, WACHOVIA WILL RIP YOU OFF, THEY DID TO ME, AND THEY WILL TO YOU!” I did 4 or 5 passes around the block. It got some attention too, because security came out to see what the commotion was all about.
I got several emails about the session this evening about it. It apparently got some attention. Wachovia, when you do the right thing and REFUND ME FEES, I will let someone else take up this fight! I can go back to my life and you can choose some other people to screw over!
As I stated before, I am NOT going away. Contact me by email, or you can call me on my private line at (813) 504-7854 to make refund arrangements. DO THE RIGHT THING, I will stop my pursuit of justice. FYI, I have completed my complaint to the OCC and it will be going out tomorrow. So we will see what the government effect will have on your decisions. THEN, if that does not have an affect, I will then turn it over to the attorney that wanted to take the case weeks ago, and WACHOVIA will then be able to go into court and spend some money on attorneys, and court fees. SO, do you want to take the path of least resistance and do the right thing and provide me a refund of $1480.14 OR do you want to still act as though you were in the right?
My other option is to contact the news organizations, which I will happily do. Now that elections are over, they might think that this is an interesting enough story to take a crack at…87690 hits and counting since 9/11/06! What is your reputation worth??
After the disappointment that I experienced last Friday, I had to took a couple of days to re-group and form a new plan on how to proceed with the Wachovia “fight”. I have decided that I am going to “step it up” and to do this, I am going to need help. This fight now is about the money, and the point more than ever!
I have decided to help a young guy start a business. As part of his business, he will be putting out flyers, like the ones that I have been putting out, on cars and to hand to people. We will put his phone number on the back to advertise for other clients. I have a LARGE client list that I occasionally send info to, and I have started sending flyers to them with my plight. As of this morning, this site has received MASSIVE attention with 84,650 hits to the site, and 4147 hits from the WACHOVIA.com domain. Wachovia, your employees are watching, and apparently following along. WHAT YOU HAVE DONE IS WRONG, AND YOU SHOULD DO WHAT IS RIGHT TO CORRECT THIS SITUATION.
Today is the day after elections, and I am happy, not because of who is going to be leaving, and who is going to be new, but simply because I will not have to tolerate the NEGATIVE advertising from the various candidates.
I have just completed the complaint form from the OCC (office of the comptroller of the currency) the Federal agency that regulates banks. This will be going out today, and I will make copies to send to Ken Thompson (pic below) to see that I am not going away with this situation. Anyone who is willing to do what is right from Wachovia can contact me.
Today, is Sunday. My oldest son who is in the majors for Oldsmar little league and his team, were in a tournament all day yesterday. They won all 3 of their games and came in 3rd place overall. This means that they have to play today until they lose, up to 4 games, I think. I will be in Holiday, FL today for the games. Between games, I will have the time to put out some flyers. I also have a plan to do some faxing to the client base of mine to inform them about this site, and warn them to the lack of concern that they have for their customers!
In today’s post, I am also adding a new feature of audio to this site. I purchase a little digital audio recorder. On the way home from the meeting on Friday, I recorded a little clip of exactly how I was feeling. I think that the clip will explain everything, so take a little listen. I going to start integrating audio, to this daily blog, and maybe even replace the typing all together. Click on the play button to hear it.
Wachovia, for those of you who are watching, and wondering what will happen next, I am going to step up my “personal assault” to the Wachovia branches starting Monday. I also have filed a complain with the Office of the Comptroller of Currency, as suggested by both my attorney and by another person who contacted me and got results that way.
Until tomorrow…
This morning, I would like to apologize to the throng of fans of this site. The ravings of one pissed off person last night are not normally me. If you have been following the site for any given time, you know that I am very level headed, and have not lost my temper in this situation. I have had some time to calm down and think about what has happened and I am now going to “step it up” a couple of notches. Don’t get confused, this is NOT an apology in any way to Wachovia or anyone that works for them. The gall of Roy McCraw to bring me to his office, waste my time, only to tell me that “there was nothing that the bank can do” is not only ridiculous, but insulting.
Well, Mr. McCraw, you now have one PISSED OFF ex-customer that now knows where the main headquarters are and where to apply pressure! Sir, you are now going to see a lot more of me! I am going to “start the assault” on your public perception and you will see customers that are going to stand up to you and give your company the preverbial “black eye” that it deserves.
Mr. McCraw, Get a good look at who I am because I will see you next week and that is a promise!
