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posted: Jan. 10, 2012 @ 12:09a

Hey this is just a heads up for all of you who have yet to cancel your Bank of the West checking accounts that you all opened for the free Ipod touch 8GB or the free $100 checking bonus offer.

Beginning in Feb 7 2012, they are converting all the free checking accounts to BofW Easy Checking some other checking account and will begin charging $8 or $10 per month if you do not have the following below.

1. $1000+ or
2. $250 Direct deposit or
3. 10+ transactions

per month. If you have online statements, it's $8 and if it's paper it's $10.

I'm canceling my account so that I give myself time to be a non customer for the next offer they'll send out.

Easy checking info from their site:
The monthly service charge is $8 if you receive paperless statements through Online Banking, or $10 if you receive paper statements through the mail. Plus, there are three easy ways to waive the monthly service charge altogether. Simply do one of the following with your Easy Checking account each statement cycle:

Maintain an average monthly balance of $1,000 or more OR
Receive at least one direct deposit of $250 or more OR
Use your Bank of the West debit card for ten (10) or more purchases
posted: Jan. 10, 2012 @ 12:09a
Member Summary
Most Recent Posts

As soon as my checks clear I'm outa here as far as Bank of the West goes... I signed on for free checking for life ! And... (more)

teelarussa (Feb. 16, 2012 @ 10:52a) |

you can close online as long as you have less than $1000.00 in your account(or over the phone) otherwise you have to close... (more)

teelarussa (Feb. 16, 2012 @ 10:57a) |

I'm not gonna worry until I actually get notified. Maybe they aren't converting everyone. Did anyone who got the 'for ... (more)

libralibra (Feb. 16, 2012 @ 12:40p) |

 

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posted: Jan. 10, 2012 @ 12:28a

Is there a way to cancel it on line or do you have to talk to the CS?

TIA
posted: Jan. 10, 2012 @ 1:04a

Interesting...because they aren't exactly a stellar bank, it's surprising to see them instituting this charge. When you open an account, they try to give you the "small bank" impression. Looks like that's going to be more difficult now.
posted: Jan. 10, 2012 @ 2:00a

thanks for the headsup- i still havent closed mine yet.
posted: Jan. 10, 2012 @ 6:59a

I already got dinged last year totalling $50+ from those b@st@rds!
posted: Jan. 10, 2012 @ 9:37a

Canceled yesterday.
posted: Jan. 10, 2012 @ 11:37a

I thought they said free checking for life when I opened my account?
posted: Jan. 10, 2012 @ 3:39p

Has anyone been able to close this online or over the phone?
posted: Jan. 10, 2012 @ 3:41p

AugustFour said:   Has anyone been able to close this online or over the phone?I've closed accounts in the past with them via secure email.
posted: Jan. 11, 2012 @ 4:46p

Closed thanks
posted: Jan. 11, 2012 @ 8:45p

can't even get into my account, LOL. I even reset my password twice. Each time it says my password has been resetted but when I go to log in, it says they are unable to validate my information.
posted: Jan. 11, 2012 @ 9:18p

shallot said:   can't even get into my account, LOL. I even reset my password twice. Each time it says my password has been resetted but when I go to log in, it says they are unable to validate my information.
FWIW, this happened to me when I tried to log in to my account last week. I called BofW online CS, and they told me online banking access had been blocked due to inactivity (not logging in for x months), though I'm not sure of the exact inactivity timeframe that causes the lockout. They were able to unblock online banking for me immediately though, and I was then able to log in while they were still on the line...
posted: Jan. 24, 2012 @ 10:02p

We can do something about the Bank of the West new checking fees. Just think, the Bank of America customers got their $5 debit card fee dropped after lots of protests, petitions and complaining. We need to do the same. Start by signing this petition:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/i-demand-that-bank-of-the-wes...

Next, tell your B of the W that you will close your account on March 1st, 2012 if they do not cancel the fees.
Next, forward the petition URL to everyone you know and install the petition widget (get it on the petition page) in your facebook and/or blog.

We´ve got to let them know the magnitude of discontent they are dealing with. Join the protest!!!! We don´t have to take this sitting down.
posted: Jan. 26, 2012 @ 3:14a

How to transfer money out of the account without any fees? There is a $3 fee for external transfers.
And to close account, balance needs to be below $200 first, as per their message.
posted: Jan. 26, 2012 @ 10:18a

Do you happen to have a BotW branch or ATM nearby? If so, you can probably just withdraw your money the old-fashioned way.
posted: Jan. 26, 2012 @ 10:23p

I wrote a check to myself and deposited it into another bank.
posted: Jan. 28, 2012 @ 12:33p

kjgco said:   AugustFour said:   Has anyone been able to close this online or over the phone?I've closed accounts in the past with them via secure email.

How do you close via secure email? Do you send them an email asking for the account to be closed and digitally sign it? Or do you digitally sign it and also encrypt it?

Thanks.
posted: Jan. 28, 2012 @ 9:11p

I asked if my account would be changing, and here is the response I received. Although it didn't directly answer my question, it certainly implies that the free checking will remain free

Thank you for your recent inquiry.

Your checking account is a Free Checking account. This account type is a non-interest bearing, personal checking account with no monthly service charge, no minimum balance or direct deposit requirement, unlimited check writing, no Point of Sale fees and free Bank of the West Online Banking with Bill Pay! All other charges, including overdraft fees, unpaid item fees, stop payment fees, check orders, non-Bank of the West ATM/Interchange fees, etc., apply.

Please note, to the extent and in the manner and timeframes required by law, we will notify you in advance of any changes to your account that would affect your rights and obligations.

Bank anywhere, at any time. Check out Bank of the West's Mobile Banking feature by visiting www.bankofthewest.com.

Thank you for using Online Banking. We appreciate your business and the opportunity to serve you.
posted: Feb. 1, 2012 @ 11:18a

avatarsol said:   I wrote a check to myself and deposited it into another bank.
Even if your bal is $0, it doesn't close your acct. I tried that w/ US Bank and was still charged a monthly maint. fee. I complained and they reversed it. I was told we should always call to officially close an acct.
posted: Feb. 4, 2012 @ 9:45p

Thanks for the post OP. Just went into the branch and closed account this morning. Checked mail this evenings and got a letter from Bank Of The West saying that my Free Checking is being converted to blah, blah, blah Checking starting 3/10 and there will be an $8/$10 monthy charge depending on paperless/non-paperless option.
posted: Feb. 5, 2012 @ 11:57a

Bank of the West has been nothing but problematic for me. I originally signed up to get a safe deposit box there (they were cheap for the large size I wanted so that I could stored backups on DVD). Every 1.5 years they send me a letter whining that I didn't make any in-person transactions, only ACH transfers of money to pay for the safe deposit box. Changing my address requires filling out a form in a branch because I can't login to their website and have no transactions with which to verify my account, my debit card expired and never got reissued (not that I care), and now this. Luckily, I've switched over to cloud storage + usb flash drives for backup, so I can downgrade to a small box, which are easier to find and much cheaper.

I'll drop by the branch sometime this week and discuss this with them. I was planning to find a new safe deposit box after my lease expires in June, so I'll get rid of this account and see what happens.
posted: Feb. 10, 2012 @ 1:34a

This is ripe for a class action lawsuit. I signed up for "free checking for life". Legally they cannot change the terms of our agreement!

There were huge banners over the door "FREE CHECKING FOR LIFE".

Who do we contact? Our congress reps? an attorney?
This is so messed up!
posted: Feb. 10, 2012 @ 3:44p

cornbuckle said:   This is ripe for a class action lawsuit. I signed up for "free checking for life". Legally they cannot change the terms of our agreement!
I know it sucks. But note that they can also simply close your "free checking for life" account if they deem it not profitable (or for any other reason they can conjure up).
posted: Feb. 10, 2012 @ 4:23p

I forgot my online logon details, so I called to cancel my account, which has a balance of $0.01. They are sending a cashiers check for the remaining balance


posted: Feb. 16, 2012 @ 10:52a

As soon as my checks clear I'm outa here as far as Bank of the West goes... I signed on for free checking for life ! And I'm not about to stress out each month wondering if I used my debit at least 10 times! What a joke... see ya Bank of the West ... I see you joined B of A with your fees on us little people...I AM THE 99 PER CENT
posted: Feb. 16, 2012 @ 10:57a

you can close online as long as you have less than $1000.00 in your account(or over the phone) otherwise you have to close in person
posted: Feb. 16, 2012 @ 12:40p

I'm not gonna worry until I actually get notified. Maybe they aren't converting everyone. Did anyone who got the 'for life' deal actually get notified, or are people just jumping the gun based on this thread?


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