How I spent my lunch hour.
Dear Bank of America,
Your bank has invented a Catch-22 that even John Yossarian would find amusing. I deposited 3 checks totaling about $200 in the ATM at your Newton Centre office on Sunday evening. Halfway through the deposit, the machine went dark, keeping my debit card and the three checks.
Upon calling the bank, I was told to hold on for the claims department, to make sure I got credit for the deposit. After I gave the date and time and location of the deposit, the person asked how much each check was for. I said I didn't know, but that the total deposit was about $200. I offered to tell her who had made out the checks, and also pointed out that each of them had my name and address on them. She said, "I can't file a claim without the specific amount of each check."
I said, "I don't have the checks. Your machine ate them." She said, "I can't file a claim without the specific amount of each check. Can you tell me exactly what the total deposit was?"
I said, "Your new automatic deposit mechanism for checks no longer requires an envelope, so I don't have an exact total, and I no longer have the checks." She said, "I can't file a claim without the specific amount of each check."
"Perhaps you should contact the makers of the checks. They can give you an amount, and then you can call back. If you do, it can take 45 days for a claim to be processed. Maybe you can have new checks made out more quickly."
Right . . . .
