BOA's Computers Have Dementia

Ever try to change your address with BOA? Trust me, the stoned kids working down the street at the local video store are more reliable with this task than any given BOA customer service rep or branch employee. Don't believe me? Ask Ron:

It has taken me over a month and a half to change my address and phone number with the Bank of America. I have attempted this online, over the phone and by going through the B of A branch in my town. On June 1, 2006, our address was changed from 972 to 918 xxxxx Rd. I had our address and phone number updated face to face at the bank. We later received our checks with the wrong address – 918 xxxxx Avenue (instead of 918 xxxxx Road). Furthermore, the phone number that this branch had on file as of June 1st was a two-year old number, long since disconnected. We walked into our local B of A branch back in 2004 and also had this number changed face to face at the bank, once again with a personal banker. Yet in 2006 alone, I had to tell this B of A branch on two separate occasions to update my information to include my correct telephone number.

The branch manager told me to come into the branch on June 29, 2006 to have the checks changed, only to be told on that day by three of his tellers that I had to go do this over the phone. I insisted otherwise and the third teller finally gave in and helped me get my checks in proper format with the correct address and phone number. In my opinion, proper format should be:

Name
Street address
City, State Zip
Phone number

B of A sent me a box of checks with a less desireable format:

Name
Street address Phone number
City, State Zip

They placed the Street address and the Phone number on the same line without us requesting this change in format

On July 17, 2006, we received a B of A Visa credit card statement with the wrong address. I returned to the B of A branch and the manager told me that I had to use the phone banking service. I then found out that not only did the credit card division of B of A lack my current telephone number and address; the B of A branch had a totally different address (915 instead of 918). The manager pulled up my account, and the address was 915 xxxxx Rd. My address was never 915 xxxxx Rd. This branch has botched my address twice; having 915 instead of 918 and having Avenue instead of Road. I am very unhappy with the customer service I received over the phone. I called the customer service on July 17, 2006 to get my B of A Visa credit card information correct. He told me “this happens all the time.” I was appalled. This should not happen “all the time”; certainly not at the Bank of AMERICA. He told me that even though my three accounts are all online together, I still had to call the 1-800 number to make sure that the B of A got my personal information changes correct after changing it online. He also stated that there was no supervisor to help me and that I would have to wait up to two business days to be able to complain about this mess.

I have wasted so much of my personal time waiting for telephone option menus, standing in line at the bank, and getting empty apologies in order to do something that I believe so simple. I then had to return to the bank on July 19 to be reimbursed for the fees they charged me for the checks with the incorrect addresses. They said to me twice that I would not be charged, yet I got charged anyway. Needless to say, we would like to work with a bank that knows how to avoid such carelessness and lack of consideration. This is clearly not B of A.

Now that I am a seasoned complainer, I have learned one thing. Do not settle for empty apologies. This will give you a feeling of disatisfaction and the company will not learn from its mistake. It is a good idea when you do complain to ask for something for your trouble and time wasted. So, far all I have received is two boxes of messed up checks and one box of corrected checks without any fees. Hopefully, my letters sent to their corporate office (and I included every offender's name) will result in additional compensation.

Well if it makes you feel any better Ron, this is probably the best story we've gotten yet. And I just got off the phone to verify a closed credit account with them for literally the 8th or 9th time after they sent me an account update for a long-since closed account.

Really, they can't be this consistently dumb, right? I mean, it has to be on purpose for the fees, right?