I am FURIOUS, so utterly enraged that I could break somebody's free toaster!!!!

[KillerMuffin]

Gonna shove that free toaster up someone's wazoo, gotta good proctologist????

I can't get a checking account. At least at this one bank. It's infuriating.

I recently moved here, now have a job, and need to put my checks into a bank so I have access to my money. Ya think? I get checks from a bank in another state and why should I be forced to utilize the 3% fee check cashing places when I can use my own personal local bank?? Why???

Because two twits in two of the states I have lived in in the past 5 years have outstanding NSF checks. Two twits who have MY name, but not my social security number. Even though my social security number and my report from that ChexSystems (www.chexhelp.com if you wanna see your consumer report) is perfectly clean, I still can't get a stupid checking account because someone with my name fucked up.

This can't be legal, being denied a checking account because two other people with different social security numbers have the same name I do, spelled the way I spell mine (which is a little fucked up) write hot checks.

Tomorrow, I'm going to another branch of the same bank and getting a checking account. I'm just not going to tell them I've lived in those two states. All this information is dependendant on the information I offer them. Assholes.

If your name is John Smith, you're fucked.

 

[kathy stl]

Wow Muffin, I know what ya mean. My chances of getting a bank account or credit are like zero. And no one has ever lost a dime on me? Without the help of my friends I have no idea how I'd get by. Don't ever get a felony hit, cause the banks aren't offering toasters.

 

[forgetunome]

Know how you feel!

It makes you want to go in there and http://smilecwm.tripod.com/net6/thefinger_red.gif not that they would get it!

I know what you're going through...my husband and some jerk out there in the same area as we are have the same name. Before we were married he went up on a job in Alaska and worked for 3-4 months and since his boss paid for literally everything, he didn't cash any of his checks. So, when he got back to Seattle he deposited all of his checks in his savings account but, didn't keep any cash. Well, the next day he went through a branch (not his home branch) drive thru to draw out some cash. The teller comes on the intercom and says I'm sorry I can't give you any money. Of course he's like "why the hell not" She says, "there seems to be a freeze on your account you'll have to go to your home branch to find out why." Oh God, he was pissed. So when he goes in to the home branch they tell him well the government told them to freeze his account due to the fact that he was behind on his child support payments (drop dead dad) kind of thing. He says, "oh that's funny I would be behind when I don't even have any kids! The lady goes well I don't know but I got a notice with your name on it. He said "let me see the notice" She pulls it out to show him and he reads it and says "look you idiot didn't you even try to match the S.S. #?" She said "No I just looked at the name." So anyway she said well I'll put through a form to unfreeze your account. He said, "well you better do it, no I would like some money so I can have lunch." Oh she says I can't do that since it's frozen I can't tell how much is in there and I wouldn't want to give you money and find out we overdrew! He came over the desk, threw his deposit receipt at her and said look this is your fuck up....I am not paying the price for your stupidity! If you don't give me money to have lunch then I'll close my account. Well he got his money and everything was cleared up.

But...having someone with your name is a pain every time we want to do something we always have to explain. It seems his is the name that always comes up first!

So to make a long story longer...once you prove that you aren't the same person I don't think they can refuse you! They are jerks! I don't know if I would bank with them! Good luck tomorrow!http://smilecwm.tripod.com/net6/offwall.gif

 

[dusk2dawn]

Would piss me off too!!!

Let'em have it muffin!!! http://smilecwm.tripod.com/AoErat/meanie.gif
I wish you all the best in the new branch.

Dusk

 

[Sonora]

I'm glad I don't have a run-of-the-mill name.

oops, I have to take that back. Forgot the time that I went to my dr. and there is another one of me in the area. Of course she's like 20-25 years younger than me and had a different middle name.

 

[Golden]

you guys have such a stupid banking system in the US.
I am amazed no one has gone to on the election trial promising to change it.

Over in the UK there are half a dozen national banks. I can put cash in by mail or over the counter at several thousand branches countrywide; I can get it out at thousands of ATMs, and my cheques are valid nationwide. Most banks will accept the ATM cards and cheques of most other banks.

Also my ATM card is valid in thousands of machines all over euirope, where magically you get local currency from thje machine and a pound sterling debit on the account. Most ATM cards also act as debit cards which means they can be uised in most places whewre credit cards are accepted.

seems a logical way to run things!

 

[Adoratrice]

Don't throw the toaster!!!.....I am a bank teller and there is no way WE (our bank) would deny you an account if the SS# were different that is just asinine & should never have happened to you. We do on the other hand put a 7 day withdrawal hold on new accounts opened with a deposited check, this should be explained to you when you open it...that is to cover our own asses...someone writes you a bad check , you open an account with that check, come back the next day & take out the money, check bounces.....WE are screwed...The tellers don't make the rules but you can bet your ass if the bank loses money, we are the first ones to hear about it & are held accountable.

I hope it goes better next time KM...and we do say what we don't know won't hurt us.


Oh and while I'm at it....would it be to much to ask for the rest of you to know your account #'s?????

Thanks & you have a GREAT day !

 

[Cheyenne]

you guys have such a stupid banking system in the US.
I am amazed no one has gone to on the election trial promising to change it.

Over in the UK there are half a dozen national banks. I can put cash in by mail or over the counter at several thousand branches countrywide; I can get it out at thousands of ATMs, and my cheques are valid nationwide. Most banks will accept the ATM cards and cheques of most other banks.

Also my ATM card is valid in thousands of machines all over euirope, where magically you get local currency from thje machine and a pound sterling debit on the account. Most ATM cards also act as debit cards which means they can be uised in most places whewre credit cards are accepted.

seems a logical way to run things!

Psst... Golden. Where do you think that ATM software to run that system originated? A little trivia for you. I'm going on memory here, so allow me to be off a year or two one way or the other in this discussion without flaming me, please. Answer? Mid-1970's in good old Wisconsin, USA. (That's in the mid-west, by the way. )

The very first ATM system was a partnership between one of those "stupid" banks in the USA and a company called AOSmith. The bank partnered with the data processing division of AOSmith and developed the first ATM which was a system called TYME. That is short for Take Your Money Everywhere. I got my first TYME card in the Fall of 1975. AOSmith eventually got the sole rights to the software and began to market the service (as well as sell the software) in the U.S. AOSmith Data Systems was sold to Deluxe Corporation (the paper check people) in the mid-1980's and Deluxe continued to expand the business. The debit card feature was developed in the late 1980's, if I recall correctly. Also EBT, which is electronic benefits transfer. EBT began maybe 1990. Instead of getting paper currency for food stamps, for example, you get an allocation for the month on your debit card. I believe NY was one of the first states to contract for this service. It also works for medical doctors, stores the eligibility for medical services using the same EBT technology.

Deluxe opened their office in England in 1989 or 1990, as I recall.

So, Golden, the next time you are using that card at an ATM to get cash anywhere in the world, or in a store as a debit card, remember those people in Wisconsin who developed the technology and began to market it way back in 1975. Aren't you glad we shared our "stupid banking system" with you?

[Edited by Cheyenne on 10-19-2000 at 09:31 PM]

 

[forgetunome]

Duh...Yeah Goleden

Cheyenne is right about the ATM's. I used to work at the bank the same bank that I told the story on up above. I use to be the one who replenished the cash in the ATM machine and balance it and that was back in 1980. So enough with the stupid banking system shouldn't talk about things you don't know about! I use my debit card at the grocery store, hair salon, nail salon, restaurants, malls, and many branches U.S. Wide in fact I use it in Canada too! And we have more than a half a dozen national banks and my ATM is good at 99% of them.
Besides Killermuffin was talking about trying to get an account set up....you have to have an account before you can use an ATM card. She has the rotten luck of having the same name as some other person who has written bad checks and this bank doesn't want to risk opening an account even though she can prove by her social security number that she is not the same person(s) as the ones who wrote the bad checks. Understand now?

 

[Closet Desire]

Banks are banks

Sorry...I live in the UK...banks here suck too. We have accounts, credit cards, etc. at both Lloyds and First Direct. Fees are out of sight. Service is something you get only if you pay up to £50 a month which we do for our business account. Don't get me wrong, we have a very good relationship...could walk in, ask, and walk out with £100,000.

I've had a credit union account in Virginia since 1978. No monthly fee. No ATM fee. No check charges. Full access via the web (even Lloyds can't do that for me). When I wanted to buy a Mercedes over here I picked up the phone, they transferred the funds to my debit within 60 minutes, walked into the bank, did a £13,000 "cash advance", and went to buy the car. My ATM card works all over the world.

Universal rule...banks suck everywhere...they have marble floors and walnut counters while you have linoleum and sheet rock. Wonder who's money that was bought with.

Killermuff...it sounds like you have something to do with the military (me too)...have you tried a credit union? Also, the FCRA requires that wrong information be corrected when you notify the CB or check authorisation service. I had something simlilar happen when some company accused me of owing them $6,000. I don't know what they expected me to do, but I ended up having a federal lawyer threaten to take them to court for an obscene amount of money and they relented with their tail between their legs. Greed has no morals.

Good luck killer...

 

[Siren]

YEAH !!!! and another thing.....

 

[Bigdog]

I have to second the recommendation of credit union. I have been banking with a federal employee credit union for over 20 years. The rates are better, the service is better, and the fees are less.

As for being denied an account because of bad checks from someone else with the same name, some employee had their head up their ass that day. Your SS number is the only thing they need to consider. What would they do if your name was common like Smith or Jones?

Siren: Consider direct deposit. I haven't stepped foot inside a bank in over 2 years and never had any errors other than what our office twit caused. Lunchtime should be for food or nooners.

 

[Flagg]

I will just nimbly step in the defense of Golden here if you don't mind. I think its highly unlikely that he was proposing the idea that you americans don't have automatic cash machines. More likely is that he was alluding to the fact that banks freezing accounts because you share the same name as someone else sounds ridiculously archaic to say the least. And on that point I would have to agree.

Besides, everyone knows how stoopid you all are over there.

 

[Cheyenne]

I will just nimbly step in the defense of Golden here if you don't mind. I think its highly unlikely that he was proposing the idea that you americans don't have automatic cash machines. More likely is that he was alluding to the fact that banks freezing accounts because you share the same name as someone else sounds ridiculously archaic to say the least. And on that point I would have to agree.

Besides, everyone knows how stoopid you all are over there.

Hard to assume his intent was to discuss banks freezing accounts when the post only talked about the wonderful ATM system and never mentioned frozen accounts even once, don't you think?

Glad you Brits like our ATM technology though. It does work well! I also never go to the bank. I use direct deposit for my paycheck and my bank card at the ATM, or the phone to make transfers between accounts on an automated system.

 

[forgetunome]

Flagg

I'll ignore you're STOOPID remark as it's childish to generalize.

But...it's not "THE BANK" that freezes the account it's ONE dumb employee that doesn't check ALL of the information.

 

[Closet Desire]

insults are always childish

I find it hard to believe that insults are being hurled over something that started out as a complaint about red tape making someone's life difficult.

Proclaiming one system (British) over another (American) seems a bit odd. Afterall, most people in America have bank accounts of one sort or another, regardless of income. In this country (England) it isn't at all unusual for someone to not be able to get a bank account...for many reasons...hence the queues at the post office to get money, pay bills, etc. One could go on and on with "hard done by" stories. Maybe we should invite the French in as well?

The systems are different and reflect different cultures and different needs.

I can say that most of the British people I associate with aren't nearly as rude.

 

[Cheyenne]

Re: insults are always childish

I find it hard to believe that insults are being hurled over something that started out as a complaint about red tape making someone's life difficult.

I can say that most of the British people I associate with aren't nearly as rude.

Insults? Rude? Nah, Golden just happened to pick a topic I knew something about. But he still has his magic tongue! He can tug, lick, slurp me any day of the week.

 

[forgetunome]

Aw, thanks Closet Desire it's mighty nice of ya'. I don't let one person form my opinion of a whole group of people. My sister-in-law is a Brit. and she's a sweetheart!

 

[Myrrdin]

You mean you have ATM machines?
The bank in our local town applied for a "hole in the wall" ATM machine. Because there is a preservation order on the building, their application was turned down by the council.
Obviously the picturesque street view was more important to them than people actually being able to withdraw their money.

 

[Closet Desire]

let's make this really interesting...

Let's talk about hedges...yes...ordinary everyday hedges!

Next to the article about Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) being turned down by the Council for a drive-thru (spoils the atmosphere they said) was the one about two pensioners who slugged it out in court for seven years over the hedges between their property. Mr A finally lost his case to Mr B and was charged £70,000 in court costs on top of whatever the initial sum was. Value of his house? £47,000.

I guess there won't be any more aruging over the hedges...Mr A will be living in a modest flat...I'm sure.

Hee hee

 

[*Eve*]

Re: YEAH !!!! and another thing.....

Would it 'kill' the banks to NOT have the
tellers take their damn lunches at the damn
lunch hour(s) oh fridays when people get paid
and need to go deposit their paychecks in the
fucking bank?

I mean, come on now...does it take a Fucking
genius to figure this out? I cant count the
times I have been in line at lunch time only
to watch teller after teller close for their
lunch break.

I mean, I dont have forever during my lunch break
I dont know about the rest of you.....



SIREN
____________

As a customer of a bank, I know how you feel about waiting in lines during lunch breaks it sucks, but I use to be a teller and they deserve lunch breaks too, especially since they put up with some of the rudest people on the face of the earth. At least at the bank I use work at we would have our luches early so we could all be there during the rush. To accomodate customers on Fridays most banks do stay open longer and they are open on most Saturdays as well.
In no way am I saying that banks are perfect because they do have lots of problems but I think sometimes it's also a matter of perception, and how people view their banking experience.
KM, I think the people at that branch you went to sound a bit imcompetant that they didn't check your social security #, I work in financial institution now and that just seems a bit strange they would deny you a checking account based on your name. After an experience like that I would reconsider doing business with that entire institution.



________________________________________________
~~~JUST BUGS ME WHEN THE LINE HAS 30 PEOPLE AND TELLERS ARE CLOSING THEIR WINDOWS...IT JUST SHOULD NOT BE DONE...~~~

 

[Flagg]

Unfortunately some of you are unfamiliar with the "Flagg experience". I tend not to use a wink smilie when my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek. Those that know me know I'm joking and well, those that don't understand and get upset are just a bonus really.

 

[April]

LOL at Flagg. At least one "stoopid" American got your joke. Or was it "stooopid"?

 

[KillerMuffin]

They checked my SSN *Eve* sweetie. New bank policy is to deny a new account to anyone who has a report of an outstanding NSF check where the name and/or the social security number matches. The social security number doesn't have to match on these checks to deny an account. One of these people didn't even spell her name like mine is spelled, and I was still denied because of her. I have checked with ChexSystems, but since their report to the consumer is SSN based and not merely name based, then cleaning it up isn't going to help because it is clean. These people are twits.

It wasn't the teller's fault either, it's bank policy, which is wrong and probably illegal. If it isn't, it ought to be.

 

[*Eve*]

KM, I must say that, that policy sucks and unless you are getting something free out of the deal I'd take my business to another bank, they sound terrible.