Noble's cause: Local man beats Bank of America
Jim Noble won a $900 judgment against Bank of America.
PHOTO FROM MSNBC WEBSITE
MSNBC blogger Bob Sullivan writes about Charlottesville’s Jim Noble, a senior software engineer at Musictoday.com, who took on Bank of America and won. Noble was charged $300 in overdraft fees after an interest rate increase on his BoA credit card. He tried complaining to bank officials, but they wouldn’t listen. So he did something most people wouldn’t think of: he took the corporate bank to small claims court. And won a $900 judgment. Read about how he did it.
21 comments
peter, seeing as the man PREVAILED IN COURT, I'd say that he WAS responsible and that your beloved BOA was in the wrong.
I think BOA has to take responsibility when they make a mistake and, clearly, their failure to do so is why the lost in court.
Good luck with your corporate crumbs. I'm sure BOA is very happy to hear that it's so easy to buy your compliance with their policies.
Fantastic! Congratulations Mr. Sullivan!
Who's Mr. Sullivan?!
In another state I filed small claims against a landlord and won and there was an option in place where a sheriff could approach the person who lost the lawsuit and inform them of what they had to do ie pay the money back. Another option that exists in Virginia is to file a complaint with the Department of Consumer Affairs. I've scored two out of two with this both small amounts but it's an easy system to use. You can just threaten to use it and sometimes that's enough. I could fill a book with problems associated with BoA. I hope someone from the bank is reading these emails. Computer security conferences use BoA as a case history (not in a positive way).
To Peter,
I banked 20 years with them problem free until three years ago, when I did not change, THEY did. Look out, once I thought much as you do.
_______
To booo!,
Again I banked for 20 years with them with no real difficulties. Then, three years ago, it was as if they lost their collective minds. It was like a bad episode of "Sliders" and "Alice in Wonderland". They charged fees in error but no longer had a mechanism for reversing even erroneous fees. Our entire family will never bank with Bank of America, ever again. Fortunately,I have found many other good banks since.
Will you marry me, Mr. Noble?
Sorry, my mistake. I should have written Mr. Noble.
Learn a lesson, don't bank at BofA.
Some years ago, as an energetic student in an economics department, I came to recognize something kinda strange. All those in the 'business' school were interested in 'management.' All those in the economics department were interested in starting up businesses and creating things.
Very telling. Now we see why this country struggles today, and very little is being created in our economy. Just stir so something can be skimmed off the top.
@JK: In the last several years? Try since forever.
Back around '93 when I was first on my own in life I stopped into a BofA to see about opening an account with them, saw all the fees they charge, and promptly found another bank. No thanks. I could tell back then even as a teen what the deal is with them.
On the other side of these types of case...
If anyone is ever sued by a credit card company, insist that they provide, in court, a copy of your signed credit application, together with a breakdown/accounting of all fees they charged you. Do not let the bank take default judgment.
Why contest these matters? Many debts are assigned/sopld to agencies other than the credit card company. They almost never have the necessary documents to win their cases.
These types of sleazy charges and "convenience fees" are often concocted by insanely greedy MBAs whose principal training involes identifying ways to shave profits from turnips and stones. An MBA will talk you to death about ways of skimming a nickel here and there. None of them bring any value creation to the table. They are trained exclusively to rout and gut.
Despicable creatures.
Whoever cooked up the term "convenience fee" deserves to be pushed out of an airplane, sans parachute.
AMERICA F&*K YEA!
Well now....Bank of America has to pay that bailout money somehow! Glad this guy caught them in the act! Maybe the rest of the population that banks with them will get a clue and keep a more watchful eye on THEIR accounts....
Nice reporting here. How bout actually writing an article about this instead of using someone else's hard work? Maybe ten minutes of your time? :)
In the last several years Bank of America went from being a competent bank, to a bank which habitually changes due dates on credit cards in order to "farm" late fees from thousands of clients all at once. They divorced their bankcard services from their branches so it is impossible for anyone to resolve any type of question or dispute on the bank branch level. They structured their computer system to charge multiple bank bounce fees even when unjustified, and then strongly discouraged the reversal of any fees by bank branch presidents, even when charged completely unjustifiably. Even on those of us who have religiously paid our credit cards, they are progressively diminishing everyones limits. When much of the competent staff of BOA saw the manner in which things were going, many of the best people there, moved on to other companies, even when they had many years invested there.
I moved my mortgage from Bank of America. I moved my checking accounts and savings accounts from them. I sold all my stock in BOA. I can assure you that my family will never do business with them in any manner, again. They are ripe for a broad class action lawsuit of which they are deserving.
I am glad to hear that the gentleman who took BOA to task won. It should be just the beginning. A bad bank deserves to fail.
I like BoA and have a saving and checking account there, and buy their stock on etrade, and I'm certain some 401k resides there too. Actually looking to start a credit card through them. So far they've been fast and professional with everything I've asked. Of course, like at any bank, there is some personal responsibility required in that I make sure I never go over my limit. I'd say its comparable to a library return fine, a video store (back in the day), or a car rental. Take some responsibility these things (contrary to what people imagine) are not made up, there are rules in life.
I hate Bank of America also. I had a credit card account with them for twenty plus years - never ONCE late with the payment. They reduced my credit limit for no reason (and the funny thing was - I never asked for a limit increase in the twenty years I did business with them - they just kept hiking it up). The associate I spoke to was incredibly rude. I will NEVER bank with Bank of American again.
Obtaining a judgment is one thing, but collecting it is another. The former is often easier than the latter. Been there more than once. People who do collections professionally have procedures which enhance their success rate, but the easy access aspect of small claims court is all over with once the judgment is obtained and subsequent activity to get paid is harder.
The university's graduate business school is a breeding ground for a holes in the making. Most of them already have the basic skills; the professors just shine them up a little -- like polishing dung, you might say.
angeleyes, I don't think he'll have any trouble collecting a judgement against bank of america. For one thing, the judgement will come up in every transaction the bank engages in that requires a record search, and any other financial institution will require it to be paid before they will do anything with them. Secondly, if they refuse to pay, you just turn it over to the Sheriff's Office and let them march down there and start seizing assets. I'm sure there will be $900 sitting in the bank somewhere.