Showing posts with label Proclamation of Change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Proclamation of Change. Show all posts
Monday, April 26, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
My day at B of A
So... I went into my branch of Bank Of America armed with 2 copies of the Proclamation Of Required Change - one signed and dated. It was a cold and rainy day here in Los Angeles - the perfect Hollywood effect for my "breakup scene" with the bank.
Upon entering, the greeter asked me if I needed any help, and I told her I wanted to see the branch manager. Sara, the branch manager, is a lovely person who had tried to help me resolve my fee issue with the bank back in December. As much as she worked to get matters overturned, the powers that be at the bank overrode her attempts and the matter was not (and still is not) resolved to my satisfaction. When I told her I was emptying out my account she understood, and she seemed genuinely saddened by the news.
Ideally, Sara is the kind of person the bank needs at its higher levels. She welcomes and assists every person who comes her way with equal attention and concern, with no regard for how much or little money that person has invested in the bank. And I think she feels a certain amount of responsibility when her employer screws over her customers. But Sara is on the ground floor as it were. She is part of the facade that BofA creates at the customer level to hide the ugliness that happens upstairs. And I know that this woman isn't making enough money considering that she has to walk that fine thread between doing what is right to keep the customer satisfied while at the same time having to satisfy the greed of her employer - which often runs counter to what is best for the customer. She has to take the brunt of all of the anger that her customers feel because of the bank's toxic practices. Some days it must be hell for her, knowing that despite her best efforts and the humanitarian concern she feels for everyone she encounters, she is nonetheless powerless to do what needs to be done to salvage a customer relationship after the bank has done everything in its power to destroy that relationship... like the almost-14-year relationship I have had with BofA.
Well, anyway, I presented Sara with both copies of the Proclamation - the one signed, sealed, and addressed to the regional manager, and one for her to read. She took a few minutes to look over the demands (the item about NSF fees especially intrigued her). After reading the Proclamation she asked if I would mind if she set up a meeting between me and her higher-ups. I agreed, but I also let her know that I would still be taking my money out of the bank that day and not re-depositing it unless and until the demands in the Proclamation were met by the deadline. She graciously understood and then checked my account to make sure I had no pending transactions. Satisfied that my account was free and clear of any such incomplete transactions, Sara then took me over to the teller window and had the teller return all but one dollar to me, per my instructions.
It was apparent that the request didn't fully register with the teller. But whether or not he understood was immaterial. He followed my instructions and gave me my money. Wow... talk about feeling a sense of accomplishment and freedom! It felt GOOD to take my money out of the bank - and to leave them with the Proclamation to chew over in their next meeting.
I am awaiting further information regarding the pending meeting with Sara's supervisor(s). It will be interesting to see what they bring to the table. And of course, I will keep you posted and report the results of the meeting back to you once it has occurred.
In the mean time, please go ahead and continue to pull your money out of Bank of America and give your teller or branch manager your signed copy of the Proclamation. Let's keep this movement going! Also, please feel free to relate your experiences here at this blog or on my Facebook page (John Quincy Adams) or join my Facebook group (Bank Of America, we demand change!) and make comments if you have any. Your feedback is most welcome!
Upon entering, the greeter asked me if I needed any help, and I told her I wanted to see the branch manager. Sara, the branch manager, is a lovely person who had tried to help me resolve my fee issue with the bank back in December. As much as she worked to get matters overturned, the powers that be at the bank overrode her attempts and the matter was not (and still is not) resolved to my satisfaction. When I told her I was emptying out my account she understood, and she seemed genuinely saddened by the news.
Ideally, Sara is the kind of person the bank needs at its higher levels. She welcomes and assists every person who comes her way with equal attention and concern, with no regard for how much or little money that person has invested in the bank. And I think she feels a certain amount of responsibility when her employer screws over her customers. But Sara is on the ground floor as it were. She is part of the facade that BofA creates at the customer level to hide the ugliness that happens upstairs. And I know that this woman isn't making enough money considering that she has to walk that fine thread between doing what is right to keep the customer satisfied while at the same time having to satisfy the greed of her employer - which often runs counter to what is best for the customer. She has to take the brunt of all of the anger that her customers feel because of the bank's toxic practices. Some days it must be hell for her, knowing that despite her best efforts and the humanitarian concern she feels for everyone she encounters, she is nonetheless powerless to do what needs to be done to salvage a customer relationship after the bank has done everything in its power to destroy that relationship... like the almost-14-year relationship I have had with BofA.
Well, anyway, I presented Sara with both copies of the Proclamation - the one signed, sealed, and addressed to the regional manager, and one for her to read. She took a few minutes to look over the demands (the item about NSF fees especially intrigued her). After reading the Proclamation she asked if I would mind if she set up a meeting between me and her higher-ups. I agreed, but I also let her know that I would still be taking my money out of the bank that day and not re-depositing it unless and until the demands in the Proclamation were met by the deadline. She graciously understood and then checked my account to make sure I had no pending transactions. Satisfied that my account was free and clear of any such incomplete transactions, Sara then took me over to the teller window and had the teller return all but one dollar to me, per my instructions.
It was apparent that the request didn't fully register with the teller. But whether or not he understood was immaterial. He followed my instructions and gave me my money. Wow... talk about feeling a sense of accomplishment and freedom! It felt GOOD to take my money out of the bank - and to leave them with the Proclamation to chew over in their next meeting.
I am awaiting further information regarding the pending meeting with Sara's supervisor(s). It will be interesting to see what they bring to the table. And of course, I will keep you posted and report the results of the meeting back to you once it has occurred.
In the mean time, please go ahead and continue to pull your money out of Bank of America and give your teller or branch manager your signed copy of the Proclamation. Let's keep this movement going! Also, please feel free to relate your experiences here at this blog or on my Facebook page (John Quincy Adams) or join my Facebook group (Bank Of America, we demand change!) and make comments if you have any. Your feedback is most welcome!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Proclamation Of Required Change
(If you agree with the following conditions, please copy, save and print the following Proclamation. This is what you will bring to the bank with you when you withdraw your money.
Please note: If you do not bank with Bank of America you will need to change the five references to "Bank of America" [shown in italics] to the name of your bank in the first paragraph and last 2 paragraphs of this Proclamation.)
____________________________________________________________________
PROCLAMATION OF REQUIRED CHANGE
WE, the Depositors of Bank of America, proclaim that, in order for us to continue allowing the Bank the enjoyment of the use of our money, certain changes to the Bank’s policies MUST be made. No longer will we permit the Bank to use our property in a manner that is injurious to our own financial health and which steals from our own quality of life while making a select group of individuals within the corporation exceedingly wealthy.
Be it understood that as Depositors we have chosen to invest in and support the Bank. Too often the Bank has abused the privilege of borrowing our money, and because of these heinous practices we are now withdrawing our investment and support. The following changes to Bank procedure MUST be made before we will return our funds to the Bank.
ITEM #1: MINIMUM BALANCES
No longer will the Bank charge Depositors a Minimum Balance Fee when Depositors choose, for whatever reason, to not keep as much money in their account as the Bank would like. To penalize Depositors for the kindness of lending the Bank our money is an abusive action toward the Depositor and we will not subject ourselves to this abuse any longer.
If the Bank should like to have its Depositors maintain a minimum balance, the Bank may offer premiums to its Depositors as an incentive. Such premiums may include, and are not limited to, free checking, higher interest rates paid, lower interest rates on credit card balances, free or discounted rates on safety deposit boxes, free tax software, free traveler’s cheques, etc. Incentives must REWARD the Depositor for permitting the Bank to have access to his money, not punish him for lending the Bank less money than the Bank might like.
Premiums and incentives may be tailored to the AMOUNT of minimum balance the Bank would like from its Depositors, and a tiered schedule is acceptable.
ITEM #2: NSF FEES
No longer will the Bank charge blanket $35.00 fees for overdrafts. Instead, the Bank will only charge an amount equal to or less than the amount overdrawn. In other words, if an item creates an overdraft of $5.00, the penalty may only be $5.00 or less. By the same token, if the amount overdrawn is $135.00, the NSF fee may also be $135.00 or less. The Bank’s current structure of overdraft fees hurts the very people who can least afford them. This policy must come to an end immediately.
Furthermore, the Bank will extend its late repayment penalty from its current 5 day limit to 15 days to accommodate the needs of its customers. This extension will allow Depositors the needed time to receive their paychecks so that they may repay the delinquent amount. If, after 15 days the delinquent amount is not repaid, the Bank may then assess a fee of no greater than $35.00 in amount.
ITEM #3: INTEREST ON DEPOSITS
The Bank will, from now on, award Depositors interest on all savings account deposits, no higher than the Prime Lending Rate but no less than 4%. If the Prime Lending Rate should drop below 4%, the Bank will still maintain the rate of 4% on interest paid to Depositors.
Money deposited into the Bank is money ON LOAN to the Bank. Therefore, the Bank will pay an appropriate amount of interest on the loan made it by the Depositor for as long as the Bank shall borrow, hold, and freely use the Depositor’s money.
ITEM #4: PROCESS ALL CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS IN REAL TIME
The practice of charging a late fee on credit card payments made on a weekend is an abusive practice. Because payments are logged electronically there is no justification for this. The bank does this so that it may have an excuse to charge a higher interest rate on a customer's card.
The bank will now make sure that all credit card transactions and payments are processed in real time, in the order the transactions are made.
ITEM #5: PROCESS ALL DEPOSITS, DEBITS, AND ATM TRANSACTIONS IN REAL TIME
Again, as most of these transactions are handled electronically there is no reason whatsoever that they cannot be processed in real time in the order that they occur. As the Bank rearranges the order of transactions to try and generate a greater number of NSF fees, this practice is also abusive. There is no reason that transactions cannot be processed in the order that they are time-stamped and that real-time balance information cannot be made available.
We demand that the Bank exercise due diligence in the proper and timely handling of all transactions. No exceptions.
ITEM #6: CAP EXECUTIVE PAY
This bank is using its fee structure to force its Depositors to part with their hard-earned money so that the bank may redistribute the wealth to a select few of its executives. This is an abusive policy designed to bite the hands that feed it. Furthermore, executives receive gigantic bonuses regardless of whether the company does well or not.
As a person whose income is used to create extreme wealth for someone else, I demand that this bank cap its executive pay to a percentage of the Bank’s income (max. 0.00125%) and that all executive bonuses are also calculated based on actual annual profits (max. 0.00015%).
ITEM #7: GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
Nothing says ‘thank you’ to the people like giving something back to us as a way of showing gratitude for our assistance in helping you earn a profit.
We insist that the Bank shall return 3.5 percent of its annual net profit back into the community to help those in need. Education, food, and shelter are three of the most needed services toward which the Bank can direct its new Relief Fund. An additional 0.5%, and/or any funds left over from the 3.5%, may be used to support sporting games, plant trees, sponsor cultural events, and other less-essential causes.
As of today I have withdrawn my money from Bank of America. I am requiring that these seven demands must be met if the Bank is to again enjoy the use of my money.
I, _____________________________________________, and my fellow Depositors at Bank of America present the above demands as necessary changes on the part of the Bank if I/we are to continue a relationship with the Bank. These are not suggestions. These are CONDITIONS OF DEPOSIT. Bank of America will change its practices of greed into a policy and demonstration of GRATITUDE if it is interested in maintaining me/us as a customer.
IF THE ABOVEMENTIONED CHANGES ARE NOT IMPLEMENTED BY MONDAY, MAY 2nd, 2010, I/WE SHALL CEASE OUR PRACTICE OF LENDING BANK OF AMERICA OUR MONEY.
_________________________________________________ ____________________________
(signed) (dated)
_________________________________________________
(account number)
More information is available at http://wedemandchangenow.blogspot.com/
Please note: If you do not bank with Bank of America you will need to change the five references to "Bank of America" [shown in italics] to the name of your bank in the first paragraph and last 2 paragraphs of this Proclamation.)
____________________________________________________________________
PROCLAMATION OF REQUIRED CHANGE
WE, the Depositors of Bank of America, proclaim that, in order for us to continue allowing the Bank the enjoyment of the use of our money, certain changes to the Bank’s policies MUST be made. No longer will we permit the Bank to use our property in a manner that is injurious to our own financial health and which steals from our own quality of life while making a select group of individuals within the corporation exceedingly wealthy.
Be it understood that as Depositors we have chosen to invest in and support the Bank. Too often the Bank has abused the privilege of borrowing our money, and because of these heinous practices we are now withdrawing our investment and support. The following changes to Bank procedure MUST be made before we will return our funds to the Bank.
ITEM #1: MINIMUM BALANCES
No longer will the Bank charge Depositors a Minimum Balance Fee when Depositors choose, for whatever reason, to not keep as much money in their account as the Bank would like. To penalize Depositors for the kindness of lending the Bank our money is an abusive action toward the Depositor and we will not subject ourselves to this abuse any longer.
If the Bank should like to have its Depositors maintain a minimum balance, the Bank may offer premiums to its Depositors as an incentive. Such premiums may include, and are not limited to, free checking, higher interest rates paid, lower interest rates on credit card balances, free or discounted rates on safety deposit boxes, free tax software, free traveler’s cheques, etc. Incentives must REWARD the Depositor for permitting the Bank to have access to his money, not punish him for lending the Bank less money than the Bank might like.
Premiums and incentives may be tailored to the AMOUNT of minimum balance the Bank would like from its Depositors, and a tiered schedule is acceptable.
ITEM #2: NSF FEES
No longer will the Bank charge blanket $35.00 fees for overdrafts. Instead, the Bank will only charge an amount equal to or less than the amount overdrawn. In other words, if an item creates an overdraft of $5.00, the penalty may only be $5.00 or less. By the same token, if the amount overdrawn is $135.00, the NSF fee may also be $135.00 or less. The Bank’s current structure of overdraft fees hurts the very people who can least afford them. This policy must come to an end immediately.
Furthermore, the Bank will extend its late repayment penalty from its current 5 day limit to 15 days to accommodate the needs of its customers. This extension will allow Depositors the needed time to receive their paychecks so that they may repay the delinquent amount. If, after 15 days the delinquent amount is not repaid, the Bank may then assess a fee of no greater than $35.00 in amount.
ITEM #3: INTEREST ON DEPOSITS
The Bank will, from now on, award Depositors interest on all savings account deposits, no higher than the Prime Lending Rate but no less than 4%. If the Prime Lending Rate should drop below 4%, the Bank will still maintain the rate of 4% on interest paid to Depositors.
Money deposited into the Bank is money ON LOAN to the Bank. Therefore, the Bank will pay an appropriate amount of interest on the loan made it by the Depositor for as long as the Bank shall borrow, hold, and freely use the Depositor’s money.
ITEM #4: PROCESS ALL CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS IN REAL TIME
The practice of charging a late fee on credit card payments made on a weekend is an abusive practice. Because payments are logged electronically there is no justification for this. The bank does this so that it may have an excuse to charge a higher interest rate on a customer's card.
The bank will now make sure that all credit card transactions and payments are processed in real time, in the order the transactions are made.
ITEM #5: PROCESS ALL DEPOSITS, DEBITS, AND ATM TRANSACTIONS IN REAL TIME
Again, as most of these transactions are handled electronically there is no reason whatsoever that they cannot be processed in real time in the order that they occur. As the Bank rearranges the order of transactions to try and generate a greater number of NSF fees, this practice is also abusive. There is no reason that transactions cannot be processed in the order that they are time-stamped and that real-time balance information cannot be made available.
We demand that the Bank exercise due diligence in the proper and timely handling of all transactions. No exceptions.
ITEM #6: CAP EXECUTIVE PAY
This bank is using its fee structure to force its Depositors to part with their hard-earned money so that the bank may redistribute the wealth to a select few of its executives. This is an abusive policy designed to bite the hands that feed it. Furthermore, executives receive gigantic bonuses regardless of whether the company does well or not.
As a person whose income is used to create extreme wealth for someone else, I demand that this bank cap its executive pay to a percentage of the Bank’s income (max. 0.00125%) and that all executive bonuses are also calculated based on actual annual profits (max. 0.00015%).
ITEM #7: GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
Nothing says ‘thank you’ to the people like giving something back to us as a way of showing gratitude for our assistance in helping you earn a profit.
We insist that the Bank shall return 3.5 percent of its annual net profit back into the community to help those in need. Education, food, and shelter are three of the most needed services toward which the Bank can direct its new Relief Fund. An additional 0.5%, and/or any funds left over from the 3.5%, may be used to support sporting games, plant trees, sponsor cultural events, and other less-essential causes.
As of today I have withdrawn my money from Bank of America. I am requiring that these seven demands must be met if the Bank is to again enjoy the use of my money.
I, _____________________________________________, and my fellow Depositors at Bank of America present the above demands as necessary changes on the part of the Bank if I/we are to continue a relationship with the Bank. These are not suggestions. These are CONDITIONS OF DEPOSIT. Bank of America will change its practices of greed into a policy and demonstration of GRATITUDE if it is interested in maintaining me/us as a customer.
IF THE ABOVEMENTIONED CHANGES ARE NOT IMPLEMENTED BY MONDAY, MAY 2nd, 2010, I/WE SHALL CEASE OUR PRACTICE OF LENDING BANK OF AMERICA OUR MONEY.
_________________________________________________ ____________________________
(signed) (dated)
_________________________________________________
(account number)
More information is available at http://wedemandchangenow.blogspot.com/
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