Reply #15: Well, I DO blame banks for suddenly charging unidentified "miscellaneous fees"

[Lydia Leftcoast]

at the end of the month unannounced and in just the right amount to make the account overdrawn after all debits are paid, then charging the overdraft fee BEFORE the relevant charges come in. (I'm looking at YOU, Citibank, o recipient of bailout money.)

In other words, if the bank were not playing stupid fee tricks, the statement would look like this:

Balance: $61
Charge 1: $15
Charge 2: $30
Balance: $16, at which point I would stop spending till more money came in



Here's how the actual statement went:

Balance: $61
Miscellaneous fees: $11 (unannounced and unexplained)
Overdraft charge: $35 (Note that I still have $50 in my account when this is levied.) Balance: $15
Charge 1: $30 Balance: -$15
Charge 2: $15 Balance: -$30
And what do you know! This triggers another overdraft charge: Balance -$65

And that was the end of my 12-year-old Citibank account, which I originally opened in the mistaken belief that it would make it easier to receive wire transfers from overseas. I sent them the $65 in an envelope along with my debit card cut into the tiniest possible pieces and an angry letter.