My Bank of America Story

Read the The News Story: "Bank of America ends overdraft fees on debit cards (AP)"

I banked with Bank of America for several years and I remember the first time it my account was overdrawn - I was shocked to learn that they would even let me spend money I don't have - nobody had even mentioned it to me and I spend a good amount of time asking questions before opening an account.
When it first happened, I went into the branch and threw a fit and then they forced me to open a savings account with them so if my checking is overdrawn the money from the savings account will be automatically transferred to cover the negative balance.
Then one day my debit card suddenly stopped working - I was on my way to work trying to buy gas. I checked the balance on the ATM inside the gas station and it was overdrawn by more than $600 - an unauthorized transaction couple of days before had made my account overdrawn. I got charged $35 overdraft fee and $100 were transferred from the savings count to cover the negative. Not knowing about this situation (they don't let you know until several days later), the previous day (one day after the unauthorized transaction) I'd bought a power-tool for about a $100, which was more than what was left in the checking account. In my mind, I had about $300 left and was getting paid in a few days. I got slammed with another $35 overdraft fee.
Those $35 overdraft fees had triggered chain reactions each on it's own - because when the fee was charged the account was overdrawn, they charged me another $30 for making transactions from an overdrawn account. Those $30 also triggered a $35 overdraft fee, which in turn triggered $30 fee for using overdrawn account and so on.
By the time they finally locked up the account, there were about a dozen self-perpetuated $35 and $30 fees.
After spending 2+ hours going back and forth and fighting over each transaction with a CS rep, they gave me back the fees, originated by the unauthorized transaction. The ones, originated by my purchase I had to pay, even though had I known that the account was overdrawn I wouldn't have made it in first place.
They never told me how was it possible an unauthorized transaction to take place. I'm convinced it was a clerical or a computer error but they would not admit anything.
Now I bank with a small local bank - the difference is astonishing - and made me realize the Bank of America had never cared about my interests.
Stay away from BofA! They are the sneakiest, most dishonest business I've dealt with in my life. They set their little tricks and traps, let you walk into them and then when you call and complain talk down to you like you're an idiot, unfit to understand how banking works.
Last time I had the misery of dealing with BofA, I asked why in the world don't they alert people when there is a problem and wait until they are out several hundred dollars for fees, the CS rep snootily informed me that they can't personally email or text message every single client. Mind you - several DAYS after EACH overdraft fee they would send me a PRINTED notification in the mail. How is that easier or cheaper than having the computer system send an email? And yes, they did send me individual emails, but only to pitch me some new product.

If "Who Smelled It - dealt It", then "You Can't Fix Stupid" Indeed.

During the last year I watched with astonishment and frustration how the republicans openly sabotaged the president's and democrats' initiatives, without offering any real alternatives, while shamelessly claiming higher moral ground and common purpose.
I was frequently offended by their phony "foul play" cries, staged "spontaneous" protests, intentional misrepresentation of facts, outright lies and fabrications, and their unholy determination to get back in power not by earning people's respect and trust by doing the right thing, but by sabotaging everything and everyone who is not on their band wagon, counting on the flawed two-party system to make them "the good guy" by default. Just like the authoritarian socialist regimes in Eastern Europe after WWII, GOP has set out to control the public opinion through fear mongering, lies, and blunt intolerance of anything and anyone who does not subscribe to their far right ideology. I've only paid attention to politics for the last couple of years, but even to me it's more than clear that open-mindedness and true freedom of ideas are seen by GOP as the biggest threat of all.
I always thought that most people can see right through the phony charade and call the things as they really are but if I have to judge by recent reports in the media, apparently a lot of people are willing to forget what were things like just over a year ago, how we got into this mess, who was in charge when the things fell apart, and how did all that look and feel back then.
I still don't know what exactly approval rating means but if GOP's approval rating is getting better, than clearly the word "approval" is being used with irony or by mistake. What in God's name had GOP done for the last ONE YEAR, to deserve better approval rating??? All they did was stall and disrupt as much as they can, without even seriously considering helping the country get out of the hot mess they themselves got us into. The only thing they've shown concern about is getting the democrats to fail, because then they can claim being the better choice by default. I haven't seen even a shred of remorse shown by GOP for bankrupting the economy, or a good will to help fix anything. On a contrary - they are trying to spin the bad news and blame the disaster on others, shamelessly claiming that they are the solution. I personally find this to be one of the greatest insults I've ever been subjected to!!!
The sad thing is that the people who are hurting the most by the GOP caused recession are the ones most willing to consider GOP again after only one year break from the disaster called "W".
How stupid or naive does one have to be to do that? Seriously, what do you folks think they will do differently this time around?