When Life bites you on the butt......without warning..

@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
United States
August 19, 2010 4:08pm CST
I opened my mail this morning and to my surprise found that the money I was trying to transfer out of my paypal account into my bank account had been denied the transfer. Then I read on and it said that it wasn't due to errors on paypal side but my banks. It stated that my bank account appeared to be closed, and to contact my bank. Well, I did that right away my mind a buzz about what what going on. And I find out that sure enough my bank account had been closed due to no activity for 3 months and was closed on June 1st. I had never had this problem before I have went six months before with no problems. but I usually leave a few cents in it too even if it is only 30 cents. But I guess new regulations are taking effect this year. But I never received any information or papers stating that my account had been closed. Which they should send out so people know at least. I mean I am just finding out today that it was closed..sheesh..you think they would at least give a person a warning. I was told I could come back in and they would redo everything for me..but the upside I might be able to get a debit card whereas I hadn't had one before. What would you have done in this situation? Have you had this happen before on bank accounts or credit card accounts?
5 people like this
16 responses
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
20 Aug 10
Never had that problem. The thing to do would be to re-open the account and redo the transfer from Paypal. What can you do? Things happen!
2 people like this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
20 Aug 10
Yeah, I know that is what I have to do. I was surprised it happened is all..and that I had to have my net and phone paid by tomorrow or it gets disconnected .But in not letting it be transferred it has caused me to go another way and having to get the money from elsewhere so it can be paid.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
20 Aug 10
Yes, I guess it is always best to expect the unexpected and be prepared for it. But I learned my lesson..
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
20 Aug 10
Life is always full of surprises, isn't it? Look at the 20 million homeless people in Pakistan.
1 person likes this
@just4him (317022)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
14 Mar 20
I always use my account so I don't have that problem.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
14 Mar 20
Back then I had used it for payouts from when I was making money online through various sites. Sometimes it would take a few months to reach payout. I don’t have this issue anymore. I became disabled and have a disability check.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
14 Mar 20
@just4him yes now, but I wasn’t drawing a check back 15 years ago.
1 person likes this
@just4him (317022)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
14 Mar 20
@mtdewgurl74 Then your disability check should automatically go to your account, right? That would keep it from being closed.
1 person likes this
@sacmom (14192)
• United States
20 Aug 10
Ouch! That's one helluva bite! Sorry that happened to you mtdew. It seems I'm always using my bank (account) for something so thankfully it's never happened to me. Though if it did I think I'd find a new bank. Hopefully one that doesn't close accounts due to inactivity. Or at the very least tell my bank I'm planning on taking my business elsewhere due to them being so kind (NOT!) about closing my account and without warning, being sure to add how I'll being telling others about my experience, and see what happens from there. Who knows, they might actually learn something from it and start alerting customers after that. Either that, or they might just kick my butt out of the bank! LOL Happy mylotting!
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
20 Aug 10
Yeah, I was transferring the money into my account so I could pay my internet. Which had to be paid by closing tomorrow. Lucky my husband had a few dollars and my brother in law is running it over in the morning otherwise I would have lost my net..then all the fees that come with turning it back on.. I don't really like the other banks we have in our small town. This one I have had with no problems before. So I am thinking they changed regulations and I just didn't see it or didn't get notified..I am going to ask this next time for a phone or email or snail mail notification.
1 person likes this
@sacmom (14192)
• United States
22 Aug 10
That sounds like a good idea. Hopefully they'll be willing to do that.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85147)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Aug 10
I have had credit cards closed on me, but I always got notification. As for bank accts, I get notices periodically on the children's accounts, even though we make regular deposits into them. I don't know why they don't consider automatic deposits to be activity, but I have to sign a form and send it back in every so often. Although come to think of it, when I moved and I wanted to close my old bank acct, the bank told me all I had to do was write a check for the remaining balance and they would close the acct. I don't recall that I received a notification for that, but I'm not sure.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
19 Aug 10
I was just surprised, because it never closed before. I don't use it a lot. Only time i do use it is to transfer my money from paypal or to put money in to transfer to paypal. I need it open especially since I have a few sites that pay me through paypal like mylot does. I don't shop online much. Right now, I don't even have money to reopen an account. And I have almost reached payout at a few of these sites. I think I should have gotten a notification..but the way my mail is around here where everyone is getting others mail..and I never know if I even get half of it. When I reopen I will ask them next time to send me a notice next time.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
19 Aug 10
I am talking about a minimum deposit. Yeah, I will be sure to leave money in it. usually I do even if it is as little as 30 cents. but net payment took every last cent I had...but I hadn't thought it would close it down and I didn't think it would take me this long to get money back into the account..but life happens..
@dawnald (85147)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Aug 10
They charge you to open an account? Or are you just talking about a minimum deposit? Once you do get an account open, what you could do is just always make sure you keep a penny in there, that way they can't close it without notifying you first.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
20 Aug 10
Sounds like a big ole oopsie! Our bank account is usually extremely negative, so I'm rarely surprised when something is declined, lol. Though a number of years ago some agency we owed money to decided to put a freeze on our bank account, and boy was that ever a headache. It was so bad I've totally blocked the experience out! I know that it happened, I just don't remember at all how long it took to unfreeze the account and get our money back... perhaps we just switched banks and said to heck with it!
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
21 Aug 10
Yep, it was..I feel kinda stupid about it too.. Only time I ended up with a negative balance was once because when I was selling Avon someone wrote me a bad check and of course I had to take the money out of my account and send it to Avon for the purchases and it came back on me..since the money was withdrawn..I didn't know it at the time either. So that was a few weeks of not knowing. It ended up costing $419 to pay..and the person paid it. Which I was grateful for.
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
22 Aug 10
Yeah, they always had great products and when was on sale..I could get for a reasonable price so I would..that was 1 downfall to it..another, I didn't have a vehicle so I only sold to those around me or family. and another..family liked to take advantage and I let them so was my fault..like letting them have stuff for my price instead of book price so I wasn't making much..
• United States
21 Aug 10
That's good since it ws their fault. I had to give up selling Avon.. it was costing me too much, lol.
1 person likes this
@kingparker (9673)
• United States
21 Aug 10
I never experienced such fiasco before. So, you did deposit money into your checking account right? They shouldn't closed your account like that, even though you didn't deposit or withdraw any money. I don't understand why. For my credit card, I didn't use it for a whole year, they automatically closed it for me, and I didn't really care much about it though.
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
21 Aug 10
I did try to deposit money from online from my paypal account that is how I found out it was closed. It was denied the transfer. I had no clue it had been closed almost 3 months..
@AmbiePam (90723)
• United States
20 Aug 10
Wow. I don't think I have heard that happen before in the case of a bank account.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
20 Aug 10
Me, either. And I hope it doesn't happen again when I get another one. Thanks for the response it is appreciated.
@elmiko (6630)
• United States
20 Aug 10
yeah it was probably the new regulations.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
21 Aug 10
Yeah, thanks for the response, it is appreciated.
• United States
20 Aug 10
Yep, it's a shock to find out something you counted on being there at your convenience isn't there anymore! Glad you were able to find out what happened and ow to resolve the issue. I agree that the bank should've informed you in writing that your account was being closed. It's always nice to have money in Paypal, too!
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
20 Aug 10
Yeah, I had it in there for a month saving it up to pay for my internet and phone service. So it was a shock and a hassle because I then had to find another way to pay for it..and then can't get to the money till I get to reopen it and that could be after the first..but I guess means I will have next months money for net and phone already..lol..Thanks for the response I appreciate it.
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
20 Aug 10
well i can sure understand. as once i had an IRA account with Bank of america and they actually let the car dealers take out the remaining money from a reposessed car id let go back. after they sold it, it seems more was still owed? id never heard of such a thing and i didnt even know that could be done. so, first i knew of it was when they informed me of the withdrawal a month later. so, i took my money out and moved to another bank. never trust BOA again
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
20 Aug 10
I have heard that done before about BOA and my mom used to use Bank of America and she didn't like it and moved her account as well. I guess we really need to read the fine print a few times. That is what they told her she needed to do. When she signed they gave her a packet of papers about her account and it's fees and such which she figured they had explained it all to her she didn't need to read them that they were there to just help her if she needed information later. Wrong..they don't actually tell you it all. It would take to much time. So then they have you by the short hairs when things so wrong. With them the customer is hardly ever right sometimes. Or so how My mom feel. Only wrong I see with my account is that maybe I should have read all the papers that came with mine. And that I should have been notified. I know they are busy but maybe a email would have been nice.
@missybear (11391)
• United States
20 Aug 10
I haven't had a bank account in like 15 years. The last time I tried was about 10 years ago and got denied due to some bad checks and overdraws in my young and wild days. But when I had 1 I always kept a couple bucks in it. What they did wasn't right though. They should have notified you and let you know you needed to put some money in there before they just closed your account.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
20 Aug 10
This is or was my first bank account. The checks I received with it though I tore up, I know it sounds stupid but if you knew my family well..some of them..you would understand. I didn't want to be tempted in no way to write a check..they get a steady income..I don't and can't afford the overdraft/overdrawn fees when they want me to write them a check which they started doing as soon as I got my account..and I am a sucker for a sad story especially if it is family..so I had to do it to... I wish they had of called or something..I am usually always home and have caller number I.D. but they didn't. I think it is a policy they should change.
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
20 Aug 10
I used to work in a bank and I recall that accounts did get closed to due insufficient activity or something along those lines which I think is most unfair! It’s understandable to close off the ones which are been eaten by bank fees but the ones that have just been dormant should at least receive a notification for the customer of their closure. A bit rude!
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
20 Aug 10
I had a free checking account they didn't charge me fees to keep it open or fees if I didn't keep a certain amount in it each month. That is one reason I liked it a lot. Thanks for the response Paula, it is appreciated. Have a nice day.
1 person likes this
• United States
20 Aug 10
Luckily I don't use a real bank account I have my check go onto a debit card then use that every month, its the same as a checking or savings account just no real bank involved. To me its the only way to do things. I got sick and tired of bank fees all the time. In fact I had BB&T charge me over $120 for a payment they never sent out. They called it over draft fees, like I told the lady I was shy 15 cents why not pay and and charge me $5 for doing it rather then charge me $120 in over draft fees to deny paying it. My internet service provider put it in 6 times and every time it was denied so I was charged $20 every time they put it in, and all I needed was 15 cents. I don't bank any more because of that, to me its stupid.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
20 Aug 10
My sister uses a debit card as well since she is in the hospital with my niece 90% of the year. And at times can't get far from the hospital but that way she has her money. My mom had that happen to her and it was for 24¢. Shame they have to charge so much fees but I know they do it to prevent it from happening all the time. I have only overdrawn I think 2 times in 4 years and neither time was my fault.
@reeree63 (27)
• United States
20 Aug 10
No, at least not yet, that I know(of). Thank you for the tip. In reference to the bank not notifying you, we seem to live in the times of non-communication. I wish you the very best.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
20 Aug 10
Thanks for responding to my discussion and welcome to mylot. It is true, which it shouldn't be since their are so many different ways now to contact people nowadays.
@aurorastorm (1131)
• United States
19 Aug 10
That is just horrible. I have had that almost happen with my empty savings account, but I did get notified so I transferred a few dollars over to keep it open. At least you got the mail in enough time to call your bank. I usually come home from work and if I get something like that it is always after hours and I get so frustrated. I hope you can rectify the situation quickly so you can get your money from paypal.
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
19 Aug 10
Yeah, I hope so too. Thanks for the response aurorastorm. To bad their wasn't a way to check your email in the day time before places close.
@fannitia (2167)
• Bulgaria
19 Aug 10
Oh, my dear, I'm sorry for you! I've never had such a problem, but just the opposite. Once I took a credit card, but then I realised that the terms were not good, so a cancelled it. I wanted to close the account, but I had to wait months to do it. And your bank - what a shame! They have to send notifications! I hope you will not loose money after all this!
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
19 Aug 10
No I haven't lost any money. Yeah, you gotta be careful of those credit card deals. That is one reason I won't do credit cards, they sweet talk you into it then snap! the trap is activated and it takes up to 90 days to close it. Thanks for the response fannitia, I appreciate it.