I have two friends who canceled savings accounts with BOA because of a 5 dollar monthly fee.

[sarcasmo]

Has anyone else had this happen? You have to keep a balance of 500 or you get hit with the monthly fee. This is savings accounts not checking.

[Cleita]

1. Yes, a few years back with Washington Mutual that

no longer exists. Now I keep savings in a credit union bank. No fees and I get interest not only on my savings but my checking account too. No more big banks for me.

[bemildred]

2. Credit unions are great. nt

[Dappleganger]

6. They're great for that--one kid opened up an account last week.

$50 minimum for the combined checking/savings just to open it, no monthly fees EVER except for overdrawn accounts. It can sit at 1$ balance for a year and there won't be a fee.

[U4ikLefty]

11. I'd like to make a suggestion...if you attend /attended a public University

there is a good chance that there is a credit union that you can join.

Many of them will make you a member if you are faculty, student, or an alumni.

So if you attended a University, look into joining one if you cannot find any other option.

Hope this helps.

[CreekDog]

19. nobody has no other credit union option

there are plenty of credit unions around the country anyone can join.

and even if it's not in your area, through the coop system, many can give you all the access you need.

[U4ikLefty]

25. Thanks for pointing that out.

We need to provide people here with all available options.

[itsrobert]

16. I just closed my Coast Hills (formerly Vandenberg) FCU, checking acct

I had the account for over 30 years. I haven't really used it in awhile, but they were charging me $5.00 a month for the last several months. Still kept my savings accout. Checking is USAA all the way.

[CreekDog]

20. i've had big banks and a lot of credit unions --the banks always charged more

i've had Bank of America
Wells Fargo
Wachovia
etc.

and a few credit unions.

i don't get *dinged* any more.

see, the big banks are constantly trying to please their shareholders by trying to get more money out of you than you expected, to help the bottom line.

credit unions have to make money too, but not for that reason and there are a ton of credit unions that don't act that way.

there are no big banks that don't act that way.

[baldguy]

3. If you keep an average balance of $500 or less, the banks don't want you as a customer.

[sarcasmo]

4. Squeezing out us proles perhaps?

[Art_from_Ark]

10. Gone are the days when a kid could get a top or a piggy bank

for depositing a half dollar in a savings-and-loan account

[reggie the dog]

21. use that 500 dollars

to buy about a half pound of mid grade weed,

chop it up into 8 ounces,

sell 4 ounces at 150 dollars each,

you now have 600 dollars (20 % interest in the space of 2 or 3 weeks)

you now have 4 ounces to smoke FOR FREE!!!!!

do that every month

by month 4 you will have 900 dollars and probably more clients, use that to to buy a pound of mids

chop up 16 ounces and sell 12 for 150 dollars

you now have 1800 dollars by month 6 plus 4 ounces to smoke

in half a year you have made 1300 dollars profit (260% interest) and have had 20 ounces of free weed (about 3 quarters free a week)

buy a pound of dank for 1800

chop that shit up into 16 ounces

sell this shit for 300 an ounce

12 ounces becomes 3600 in 2 months selling just 6 ounces a month plus you smoke 4 ounces of dank for free during the months

at month 8 your 500 is now 3600 dollars and you still have not paid for weed for the past 8 months

now is time for fun

buy new pound for 1800, put 500 dollars (intitial savings) under the bed, and take 1300 dollars for home improvements

cut out 12 ounces to sell in 2 months at 300 each to make 3600

at month 10 you still have your 500 dollars, plus 1300 for home improvements, plus 1800 profit from the last pound, plus have not paid for smoke yet this year

month 11 buy pound for 1800, have a "christmas sale" ounces only 200 dollars

sell 10 ounces at cut rate fast for 2000 dollars total,

put 1800 aside to buy next pound

take 200 dollars for car maintenence

you now have 8 ounces free pot and 1800 dollars in cash profit you hit at month 10 plus 1800 to get your next pound

take your 8 ounces and 1800 and go on a road trip

to minimise the risk invite a poor friend telling them they ride and smoke for free so long as the dope stays in their luggage...

it is so easy that many many many a university student does this with little to no effort each year...

work outside the system people

[walldude]

26. $500 a half pound?

I'd hardly call that mid grade my friend... And who is going to pay $150 an oz for $1000 a pound weed? No one I know.

[reggie the dog]

28. ???

in chicago i had the habit of buying off of people in my parents generation and selling it to people in my generation. these people get mid quality, not schwag, good tasting mids for 1000 a pound. in chicago schqag goes for 500 perhaps 600 a pound and dank is way expensive at 3000 unless you know some small time growers then it is only 2000 ;)....

plus 160 an ounce can mean 4 quarters sold at 40 dollars, you can also sell the grass 25 eighth, 40 a quarter and 120 an ounce and you could average 150 an ounce by selling 1 o at 120 4 eighths at 25 and 2 quads at 40.... just sayin, it is so easy just about any high school or college student can do it effortlessly

[walldude]

29. Jesus I need to move near you...

I can't even find "mid quality" it's Kush or Krap. And the krap is $200 an O. Probably has a lot to do with the abundance of medical places around here. I guess it balances out with the fact that you can walk into a dispensary and get whatever you need.

Sorry if I sounded snarky, I hadn't had my evening buzz yet :toast:

[reggie the dog]

31. holy shit

i dont live i chicago but those prices were valid in july and august when i was there for summer break, hear outdoor grown "bsters" go for 150 euros for 30 grams and good black afghan hash goes for 180 euros 30 grams


you should go to the bay area in california, kush and all the name brand stuff goes for 200 an ounce!!!!! and you can pick up pounds for 1800 and at harvest time you can get outdoor grown great weed from the emerald triangle for 1000 to 1400 a pound!

[scarletwoman]

5. Why the hell would ANYONE want to do business with BOA?!?!??

Talk about forging your own chains...

Quit feeding the damn Beast!

[RKP5637]

8. +1, n/t

[jberryhill]

13. With "Affinity Credit Cards" Some Consumers Don't Even Know Until They Get The Card

College students who get the Screw U Visa Card fill out the application and don't even notice the issuing bank.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. I've banked with them for 20 years and have had great experiences

That's why.

[NNN0LHI]

23. If someone has been with a bank long term they treat you differently

My local bank tried to hit me with a fee on a small unused savings account last year. The manager decided to forget the fee, especially after he realized he was about to have my hands wrapped around his neck until he did. :)

I have been with CITI, who a lot of people hate, for a couple of decades and they treat me like gold too. Never paid them a dime in interest and I still get the VIP treatment from them when I call. Whenever I call it usually sounds like at least a supervisor in the US who knows their stuff. Never get anyone named Peggy.

Don

[scarletwoman]

27. Yes, the Big Banks are our friends,

and the least we can do is support them by keeping them in business.

[Xithras]

30. Primarily convenience.

You can find their ATM's everywhere, their online features are far beyond anything you'll find in a CU, and they have apps available for every sort of mobile device.

I finally closed my BoA account after they blocked WikiLeaks donations. While the credit unions may be less evil, they're also a bit less convenient. I also recently ran into the "No out of area checks" problem, which I haven't had to deal with in 15 years.

[customerserviceguy]

7. Sorry to say

I just set up an account with them. It was either do that, with a debit card with a $30 annual fee, or lose all my miles with US Scareways, unless I paid a 'reinstatement' fee of $200. Of course, the thirty bucks was the sensible thing to do.

As soon as the miles are restored, I'm going to use Points.com to transfer them to another airline. Yes, you take a serious hit, but I'm really done with Scareways and Bilk of America.

[AlabamaLibrul]

9. I'd be inclined to let the (ridiculously undervalued) points go just to avoid the groping

end of transmission

[customerserviceguy]

22. Yeah, I feel kind of dirty doing it

but I do have enough for a free flight, and through my own lack of concern, I've let them lapse. If it were a few lousy thousand, I wouldn't care, although there are some good deals for magazines for airline miles. I've gotten Wine Spectator for free for two years by using airline miles on a carrier I don't even fly on, I just pick up miles for registrations and other free stuff.

There's a website out there: http://www.freefrequentflyermiles.com/index.htm that will really tell you how to work the system, the guy who runs it is a genius.

[eridani]

12. That's a well-thought out strategy at least

Sort of like shopping stores that you usually don't like just for the loss leaders.

[jberryhill]

14. Ah... "another airline"

Which you can do if you are not a hub captive.

[notesdev]

17. I used to have BoA accounts

I canceled them on principle; I don't want to be doing business with a company that is making its money by screwing its customers and the country at the same time.

[Lugnut]

18. Yep.

Several years ago we were told by the local B of A branch that we qualified for free checking because my SSDI check was direct deposited and my husband was older than 60. There was no fee for a few months at a time then a fee would be assessed. They would reverse out the fees when I went in to complain about it and the fee again disappeared for a few months. After this happened twice in eight or nine months I closed the account and moved to the local credit union and never looked back. Why anybody would continue to deal with the TBTF banks is beyond me.

[sarcasmo]

24. That is the scam, get people to direct deposit unemployment or social security checks

Then slap the ole monthly fee down if you don't maintain a certain balance. 5 dollars times say a million customers is 5 million pure profit. All in the name of GREED.