Question Re: Bank Charges?

Question

My brother suffers from a mental illness. He has a bank account in which he deposits a small amount of money each month to cover recurring expenses that are automatically deducted from his account and the rest of the month he gets a daily allowance from our parents (so he doesn't blow it all in one place). Recently the bank sent him a debit card. Over the course 20 days he went to Burger King and bought about $1.50 worth of food (either a hamburger or a drink) each visit. The transaction was authorized but he did not have money in the account. The bank charged him $30 for each $1.50 transaction and now he owes $600 in fees for $30 worth of debits. Is there anything that can be done to have the bank waive the charges?

Answer 1

no, the bank will not wave the charge. atm transaction go thru even is there is no money, especailly when you have direct deposit or money automatically deposited. bank knows they will get their money.  even with the illness, the burden is on the family to monitor the account and make sure there is money there. unless you notified the bank prior and made specai arangements.

Answer 2

I agree with Lil E... it's sad but while the bank may waive one charge, they won't waive them all. I just don't understand how they continued to let him purchase things on the card when there wasn't money in there. I understand things take time to process, but that much in NSF fees is quite a lot. Perhaps you can talk to a manager at the bank and see if they will work with you and for heaven's sake, take his debit card away.

**I just read over your added information and I wanted to comment.. Please don't think I was bashing him or your family. Talk to the bank manager, and see if there is something he or she can do. And maybe you can have some sort of flag put on his account where this can never happen again, or have a family member put on the account to monitor it. It's very easy to overspend with a debit card (I have come close on numerous occasions). Best of luck to you and your family. Sounds like he has people who love him and are looking out for him =)

Answer 3

as a bank teller i can tell you with confidence that yes, usually if there are circumstances such as yours they will waive the fee one time only