Bank of America review: privacy assist scam 53

Bank of [censor]! Haha, that's a really appropriate metaphor.
I have been struggled with Bank of [censor] for a week already, and without a right answer yet. I received a wire at Bank of [censor] from China, and of course, the other party had already paid the wire transfer fee. But amount I received is $20 less, and a day later, Bank of A. Charge another $12. But, last year when I received two wires at Bank of A., and they charged $20 for the first wire, but charged nothing for the second wire. I just cannot find any regularity for charging fees at receiving international funds.
I called Bank of A., but I spent about 2 hours dealing with the machine, and the representatives who are like machine. Those machine like people told different stories, and give no solution. They just know to say "it depends on which bank from which the money comes" or "the fee varies depends on different bank'. But my case is that the money all from the same bank, why Bank of A. charges defferently each time. Even I drove to Bank of A. and ask the representative in person, the person didn't know the answer and ask the second person to cope, and the second person still didn't know how to answer, and then gave me a number asking me to call by myself. She even dare to say, " we don't know either."
My God, this is Bank of [censor].

Bank of America is purposely delaying the wire transfer of funds into the account that you sent to...they keep the money as long as they can...with thousands of overseas transactions, you can imagine the amont of money they make off of your money? Corrupt to the core.

Bank of America sent me a Privacy Assist form to fill out and sign if I wanted the service. However I did not so I never sent in the form but Bank of America started to take out the fee for Privacy Assist on a monthly basis. When I called and asked them to stop they said no. I then said I wanted my account closed and they also refused to do. Feeling the only option left to me I drew down my account balance to 1.74 as to prevent them from draining more 12.99 monthly fee for the service. That did not stop the bank which just kept on pulling the fee out and charging an overdraft fee. I felt I could do nothing until a friend told me what I could do to stop the situation. I threatened to sue. I was given Privacy Assist phone number and the company said that they would refund the money but Bank of America claims that they never received the money. Now online I am finding many web sites that have people citing the very same issue. Bank of America and Privacy Assist are a scam by both companies and they are getting away with it. I have since opened an account with chase but chex systems has put me on a restriction list for five years so for the next five years I cannot write a check nor us my debit card for large transactions like paying rent and i have to pay five dollars for a money order at my own bank and pay a 15 dollar maintainence fee plus I cannot take advantage of direct deposit or multi card use to avoid monthly fee. My credit has been wrecked and I have filed a complaint with the attorney general in my state but they told me it is near impossible to fix credit once a bank destroys it.

I sent an international wire transfer from my Bank of America account and paid $45 fee. I sent it on line to Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Money got there on time but additional $36 was missing. So the total cost was $81, which is a lot to me. Called the BOA, nobody could help. They are blaming on the receiving bank. Call the receiving bank, which is HSBC, they are saying it’s bank of America’s issue and they don’t take the fees for incoming transfers. I spent hours on the phone trying to get to the end of this but without success. Did anybody had the same problem?

Yes, I sent two separate wire transfers to england and both had large amounts missing. I sent close to 1900 dollars and ended up with 1050 pounds. On top of that, I payed 70 american for the wiring fees. So I couldn't figure out what happened - went back once and a clerk checked it out - their math was right, but something was strange about the exchange rates. I kept getting such vastly different sums than the amount that ultimately got sent, and then I researched the exchange rates. The bank uses essentially it's own exchange rates that are much much higher than the official rates. I researched the daily rates on the the days of the transfers, both the lows, average and highs, taking into account the fluctuations. And the rates given to me by BofA were much much higher compared to the high number of that days exchange rate. I went back again and finally another clerk explained they give their own rate. I asked how the bank gets this number and she says she never gets a straight answer out of the Bank company offices. She said people come in constantly asking about the same problem - grossly inflated exchange rates and problems with money "disappearing". She said, which I think was a canned response, that the normal international rates are only for people exchanging large sums of money. So I asked if the bank's inflated rates get lower if you send more money - she said no. I also asked, since the rates are supposedly high for normal "small" wire amounts, if western union uses the same inflated rates and she said no. So I said that the rate I should get is whatever the standard public rate is at the time the wire goes out, not some number the bank makes up. I'm furious, I'm trying to finalize a payment to someone in england and every time I go back I pay more, and then money disappears, and then owe more money. This feels completely illegal - to answer people's question, yes, you're not alone, this is happening everywhere at this bank and I think a lawsuit is in order. email me at catsooey@yahoo.com if anyone has any advice or wants to talk further.

I am business man and I wired a large amount of money from Bank of A to kenya to buy two containers of Kenyan Tea, after two days this sh--t bank call me and says we need the licence of the company that you are buying the tea from. I thought that was crazy, and tried to persuade them this information they are requesting is irelevent to the wire. after they insisted they will not release my money with out the license, I, kindly requested the license from my supplier in Kenya, and they sent me their License. it has been two weeks since I forwarded the information they have requested. but still no wire and no money, I talk to my branch manager he says that there is nothing he can do because the wire department is refusing to release the money when I ask him why he says that they did not tell him.

Now I have no choice but to contact a lawyer, and evaluate my options

You guys are a bunch of idiots. Yes, you're decrepit, old ### parents are being *manipulated* into subscribing to credit monitoring services by the evil Bank of America. Well it sounds like that's exactly what all you cry babies need, since it takes MONTHS for you to even notice a $13 recurring charge to your bank accounts! It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard that you people actually think that such a huge corporation would be so petty as to fraudulently subscribe people to these services. Especially with such a plausible alternative as to all of your confusions: YOUR OLD GEEZERS DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE AGREEING TO WHEN THEY'RE ON THE PHONE WITH THE BANK. Cut their damn phone lines, I'm sure this isn't the only complaint you've have written about your parents being *taken advantage of*. By the way, I've been offered this service a million times and have always had the ability to say "no thanks". But I finally subscribed this morning because it really is a valuable service for only $13 bucks a month. I'm only in my early 20s so I plan on maintaining my excellent credit. If you all want to let your credit go down the drain, or have your identity stolen, feel free. Welcome to America.

People in their early twenties are so much smarter than everyone else. Don't you agree? They are so much more experienced at life. We need to all learn from people in their early twenties.

Hi, , writing from Bayamon, PR. BofA is doing still but now in PR. In March, 2011 my husband rec. mail with privacy assist logo. He opens, reads and then give me to file his mail. But he put it somewhere else at the time. In June, 2011 he rec. mail again. This time I am curious. The letter stated that to be able to release his credit statement he had to call and verify info. I checked back AMEX billing and lo and behold he had been billed 12.99 since April, 2011 including June. I called and indicated that there had been some mistake that at no time my husband had approved this billing and therefore this service. Still waiting for refund. I should have asked for my credit reports and then cancelled. In July I answered a phone call from BoA offering the same service, you can image how I ranted and raved. She ind. she could not image how this happended. I told her that my husband had a hearing problem/did not speak english well. That whoever called took advantage of his situation. Will be on the lookout.

You all enroll in the service by agreeing to it. Whether you are elderly or whatever lame excuses you give, and bottom line is you don't pay attention to what you are enrolling in and ignore terms and conditions is when you get burned. And who is to say that children with elderly parents know everything their parents do 24-7 is accurate is total BS. Now another thing, identity theft if now currently the #1 white collar crime in America, it is not hard to steal an identity. I bet your @$$ that if you had the service and became a victim you would be thrilled with the insurance they offer to cover your @$$ in court! The representatives from Privacy Assist are great well-educated people. And with every company there is someone that may be rude but should not label the whole company, but from my experience with the company, I have improved my credit rating and have been assisted by the wonderful representatives to dispute inaccuracies on my report. The young lady took 40 minutes of her time to assist me in helping and making sure I was comfortable with what I was dealing with credit wise. Word to the wise, if you don't wanna be treated like an @$$, don't act like one! Treat people good, and they will try to help you. Just saying. and as for the time frame for money to be put in account, Privacy Assist is a merchant, not part of the bank, they don't have the same systems, as with any other merchant there is a waiting period to receive refunds, don't give the reps from PA a hard time for it, It is not their doing how you enrolled, it is not their decision for time frames, and it is not their fault they can't cancel certain accounts without proper documentation! Idiots

OMG i called this company after seeing a the charge on my bill, i checked and it had been happeining for a few months... i was so upset.. i found all these articles online about people who say they didnt say yes to the service...to make the story short.. i requested that they give me all my money or show me that i agree to it... obviously i didnt agree and i was really mad... well they played me the recording when i accepted the service.. now i wonder if this is what every one is so angry about... did we just agree and lost track? after cancelling i went to their website, and their service isnt really that bad.. im thinking about getting it again.. i just feel ashamed to call and subscribe after the way i treated their employees and manager for something i did get... any one can give me a good suggestion... i may cosider

This has happened to me too...they have two service Bank of America privacy Assist and Bank of America privacy source.I enrolled for one and got enrolled in both unknowingly.I called up during the trial period to cancel it but the number was for bank of America privacy source. I was convinced that it has been cancelled. After few months I checked my credit card statement and got to know the other one was still active. They were charging me for quite a few months. I called them up to know why its still active and they said you need to cancel both separately.They told me they are two different departments doing almost same services to which I was amazed.When both are for same purpose why they have altogether two different services? They both have a similar name so I was easily confused that they are separate and not notified that they are charging me.It was absurd when I asked them to email all terms and conditions and whatever communication I am having with them to which they said no we cant do that since they dont have rights to do an email.What a heck ? Such a big company only working on phone communication and nothing in written to the customers.I think that's there key point to just keep it verbal so people can be trapped easily for selling this useless service.

Hello,
My father, two months ago almost, had his girlfriend, wire $8000 from a Bank of America branch near Palm Coast. The money has not arrived in his account at the destination: Credit Agricole of Guadelupe. Notice that this amount is just under the registration limit.
He has been told that it is Guadalupe after nearly 3 weeks.
Five messages have been sent to Bank of America. The manager who sent the wire supposedly has not returned the messages. My father is now in Florida and from what I
can tell the manager is unfindable. I suspect this is deliberate. I am JeanClaudeYvesBertinMagras on skype. Leave a message.