Bank of America becomes even more impossible to deal with

BofA has gone from good, to tolerable to evil. I started in '93 as a BayBank customer and made it through the mergers unscathed. It is only recently that things have taken a turn for the worse as far as I'm concerned. I'm going to hunt for a bank that is not likely to be swallowed by them anytime soon. The only thing I fear is that they won't have 24-hour live-help if I need it, and that their online capabilities may be quaint by comparison. I'll deal with the downgrade in technology in order to not get screwed, I guess.

He is not alone, I can not say this enough DO NOT TRUST BANK OF AMERICA ATMS.

Right after the machines came out a few months ago I went in to deposit my roommates half of the utilities bill. I had 6 other checks from other people and his half of the rent as well, so I did not know the exact amounts, I was looking for an envelope, but was told to use the machine. I used the machine and it took all the checks but ate the utilities check from my roommate. It was a major BOA banking center and they even had a woman helping people with the new machines, I figured I was all set! Nope, she brought me to one of the managers. She asked me how much it was for, I said I dont know, but its 152 (because rent was 151) and I told her my roommates name. She wanted the amount, like she was a machine, and I told her I DONT KNOW, but its right there in the machine , lets go get it. Nope you can not do that, so she tells me to call the ATM hotline, I refused because I was sitting right there, so she calls the hotline. I kept pushing and pushing until she admitted that the ATMs are not run by Bank of America so they do not have access, I would have to wait for them to open the machine. So I made a claim and waited, and called back, was told to wait, 6 weeks goes by and I get a letter saying they never found the check, and to just get a new one.

What is up with that??? Where is the check, it was right there! Now when I go in I go to a teller to deposit the checks and have to subject myself to a person asking me "are you just making a deposit, follow me to the At..." as he reaches for my arm I recoil in horror , and try to gently explain my frustration while other people look on, he can not understand my reluctance but shrugs it off and moves on to the next sap.

I used to like Bank of America, and before that Fleet Bank, and before that BankBoston and before that Bay Bank. Honestly I was happy with every step up the chain, until this past year. I am shopping for new banks, the one stipulation is ATM access across a wide swath of the Boston area from the North Shore to the South Shore and Boston proper, essentially inside the 495 belt.

I'm in the process of moving my accounts over to Wainwright (which proffers socially conscious banking -- an oxymoron, I know). Since BofA ate Countrywide, every single one of my retail banking activities -- checking, savings, credit cards, mortgage -- has now had its brand changed to theirs. It's not right.

Every time I've outrun them, they buy my bank. (My first bank was called Perpetual Savings Bank. They weren't.)

BoA is far too partitioned. I once had a problem transferring money between my BoA business credit account and my BoA personal checking account. After half an hour on the phone and six transfers, I was unable to find one person - even a supervisor - who could even see both accounts. "Well, it's for your security, really!"

How is my money more secure if you can't tell me what you've done with it? I gave up.

Harvard University Employees Credit Union

BI employees are eligible to join: http://www.huecu.org/eligibility/