Generally speaking, why can't you people just take responsibility for your own damn mistakes? Why can't you understand that getting overdraft charges is your own stupid fault? I am making this post because of being sick 'n' tired of people who don't want to accept responsibility for their own preventable mistakes and the consequences of their actions. Will somebody please tell me why you people think you shouldn't have to take responsibility for your preventable mistakes?

I have got to know. Why can't people understand that the best way to avoid overdraft charges is simple. Just simply don't write bad checks! It's that's easy! Why can't people understand that simple solution? Or is it that people just don't want to take responsibility for their own actions?

From the article
"They are not permitted to be a profit-making enterprise for any business. He believes if a penalty charge is higher than its administrative cost, it is illegal."

That would not have happened if you hadn't written a bad check to start with, skinbag.

whidbey wrote
"That sure would have helped a few years ago. Two occasions where I racked up more than 100 bucks in snowballing overdraft fees. Yes, it was my fault, but the bank still earns the title of "bloodsucking bastards" in my book, which, BTW, is bound in human skin"

In other words, you're too proud, vain and stupid to accept responsibility for your own mistakes. Why won't you accept it that said overdraft fees wouldn't have happened if you had kept a careful watch on your account and the amounts of the checks you write like any responsible person should?

Epsilon wrote
"Well on one particular Monday I was an hour late transferring money. I did it at 9:00 PM and the cutoff is 8:00. The next day, they hit me with $231 in overdraft fees for two checks and four debits over the weekend. The pisser is they put the biggest check through first, which overdrew my account by less than $10. Then they put through everything else and charged me $33 in fees for each one. And all the debits were small, like $6 at Burger King, $2 for a Coke and chips, etc."

Well, that wouldn't have happened if you hadn't made the stupid mistake of writing checks on money that was not yet in your account, skinbag.

TommyymmoT wrote
"A few years ago, I deposited a check for $40k in my business account, thinking I wouldn't be credited for it until the check cleared.
The next day, I took out $200 at the ATM, but apparently the check(from a company that I've never had any problems with) bounced. How was I supposed to know? The ATM said my balance was over $40,000. The bank SOAKED me in overdraft charges, and redeposited the check 4 times in one day, until it finally cleared. All in all, the whole thing ended up costing me close to $300.

That was preventable on your part. It's as easy as making sure the check clears before withdrawing $. Also, if the checked bounced, then the company youwere doing business with should be responsible for compensating/have to compensate you for the overdraft charges regardless of what some mere scrap os paper says.

This About That wrote
"Moral of the story: Banks are organized thieves. The thievery is so pervasive it is programmed into their computers, the overdraft charges game being only one example. The ATM machines are not up-to-the-minute with your actual account balance or with manipulations that go on behind your back. Banks have arranged custom-made laws to aid them in the overdraft scam. They can even yank funds out of your account weeks after you think it is safely deposited if an item you have deposited bounces, and they will tell you by snail mail, and charge you overdrafts for problems you can't possibly anticipate. The only antidote I know is to keep too much money in your non-interest-bearing checking account to cover such contingencies, which is all part of the scam. Bankers have black hearts big smiles and expensive lobbyists."

They are not. Please note that I said "they are not," not "*I* think they are not." Like I said above, overdraft charges are easy to avoid if you just don't write bad checks.

j0ndas wrote
My bank charges $25 for bounced checks (that it covers), and I've bounced a few times when low on funds. It's not enjoyable, but then again it's my fault unless the bank is holding my deposits for several days or something, and so far I've seen no evidence of that.

Exactly. Why can't the rest of you understand that?

DiamondSmasher wrote
All of you guys telling stories about how much you lost in fees...why did you put up with it? I overdrew a checking account once, 9 years ago, by a very small amount. I asked the teller for a break because I had money in their non interest bearing account for years and had never done this before. She said no. I went to the manager and told her if they didn't refund the $29 fee, I want to close the account now. They credited it back. So, to make a long story short, I have never paid an overdraft fee. Neither should you.

In other words you too won't take responsibility for your own damn mistakes and the consequences for your mistakes.

wic2ked wrote
The reason these charges are illegal is because they're punitive, i.e. they don't represent what your transgression is actually costing the bank and instead they punish you, which noone apart from the courts is allowed to do in the UK :) I think I'll be taking advantage of this soon as the second month in a row they've decided to charge me the full £30 for going overdrawn despite me paying money in the same day to avoid it. The really good thing is once you've been through the process you can do it again and again and they fast track your complaints so you don't have to go through all the hassle again.

Why? What is so horribly wrong with charging people with an overdraft fee that doesn't "represent what your transgression is actually costing the bank"? Like I said above, avoiding an overdraft fee is as simple as keeping a proper record of the checks you write among other things so you don't end up with an overcrafted account to start with. Translation, its your own damn preventable fault if your account's overdrawn.

peter_hook wrote
And due to a similar situation, I no longer bank with Wells Fargo. In fact, every time I see someone using Wells Fargo I but in and tell them my story and encourage them to change banks.

Why?! Why can't you people understand it that you wouldn't be gettong charged overdraft fees to start with if you just simply didn't write bad checks?! What is so damned hard about that?!