Very unforgiving when you overdraw / generally unhelpful
Written: Aug 25 '06
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Pros: Free Checking Accounts
Cons: Very expensive overdraft fees, very rude employees
The Bottom Line: If you think you might ever overdraw your account (and who hasn't at least once?), don't use them!
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| mikelehen's Full Review: Fifth Third Bank |
I recently moved from Indiana to Washington where there are no Fifth Third branches. Unfortunately, in the hustle and bustle of getting settled, I failed to pay close attention to my Fifth Third account and when a forgotten check got cashed, my account became overdrawn by $40. Upon finding out, I immediately called them and explained my situation and asked what my options were.
They were completely unsympathetic. They informed me that I needed to send them a check as soon as possible. They did not give me any options for doing some sort of direct transfer, paying by credit card, etc.
Additionally, they could not tell me how much to write the check for, since they charge an additional $6 for every day your account is overdrawn. This is on top of the $33 they charge you immediately after any overdraw, so I owed about $75. They suggested that I send $120, to cover the daily overdraft fees and then they'd send me a refund (since at this point, I wanted to close my account out).
I explained that I was uncomfortable with this, because I didn't know how long it would take for the check to arrive, how long they'd take processing it, etc. They could basically charge me as much as they wanted. The person I was speaking to started patronizing me, saying, "Well, I'm not the one that got you into this situation. I'm trying to help you out here."
I ended up talking to his manager who was just as unhelpful. She explained to me in a condescending tone that she couldn't possibly hold off the $6 daily charges for me and not for the other thousands of people that overdraw their accounts. That would be discrimination. The fee can only be removed in the case of fraud or bank error. Of course, I happen to know that's not quite true since I once had those fees removed when I became overdrawn due to a hotel over-charging me.
Long story short, she told me I should leave work early so I can go to my new bank, get a cashier's check (I don't have any personal checks yet), write them a letter explaining everything, and get the letter and the check in the mail today to avoid extra $6 charges.
Meanwhile, they put me in a really crappy mood, bad enough that I came here to share my experience. Nobody once expressed any indication that they even wanted to help me.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
mikelehen
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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