Thank god for the econ. stim. package. I'm already seeing results!!! - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

ChainsawCharlie · 02-12-2009, 12:33 AM

One of my customers called me last night. This particular customer has five properties here that I take care of. They told me one of their long term tennants just lost his job and wants to take over the landscape maintenance and do house repairs in exchange for discount on the rent. So....I lost those properties.

Today, i get to my "big" account. 13 acres. I spend two days a week there doing maintenace, upkeep, mowing...there is a couple who live on the property and manage the estate (four vacation rentals which have been at about three per cent occupancy for the last 18 months).

All outside maintenance contracts are being canceled at the end of this month and the manager couple are having their income reduced by 25%.

Add to that a couple accounts I lost last month to H/O or tennants taking over and March 1 my average monthly income will be 45% lower than it was on Feb 1.

At least I have my R30 dvd. And El Mocambo. And lots of alcohol. And no work tomorrow.

And the missus is out for the night with her friends.

In approximately 30 minutes I will be comfortably numb.

And my neighbors will be greatly disturbed.

Unless they are Rush and SRV fans.

Oh Happy Day!

Bodger · 02-12-2009, 12:42 AM

I have my business and personal checking accounts with B of A. And a savings account and money market.

I sometimes forget to transfer money into my personal account so the balance was low last week. A couple of checks cleared, and then the bank put through a $55 charge for my safety deposit box. That charge bounced, I don't have any overdraft on the account, and the bank charged me an additional $35 for this.

I went in today and asked that the $35 charge be reversed, as I did not receive a notice that they were about to apply the safety deposit box fee.
They refused,saying it was not a bank error.

I told them that they are now operating with taxpayer money, I am a taxpayer, I have been a customer of their bank since 1979, I had no idea they were going to charge my account, and I wanted my $35 back. They still said no.

I think I am going to move my accounts somewhere else. They can keep the $35.

Stimulus? My arse. These greedy fooks are business as usual with our money now.

ChainsawCharlie · 02-12-2009, 12:52 AM

They pulled that **** with me once. I made a deposit, and presented a check to cash at the same time.

Four days later I got notices in the mail. One for $35, and three more for $50 each. My deposit went in, but was not "cleared" until the endo of the day. The check I presented for cashing took my account into overdraft by four ****ing dollars since the deposit was unavailable. Three other checks came in in that time frame, and all bounced becaust the deposit was "inaccessible".

I raised hell on the phone and got nowhere. So I went into the local branch to rasie hell about it, and damn neat got tossed out for it.

**Cole** · 02-12-2009, 12:56 AM

Wow, don't get me started on B of A, I hate them and everything about them. They charge for absolutely everything and know they can.

Drop them like a rock and find yourself another bank.

AutumnWood Inc. · 02-12-2009, 12:57 AM

They just keep printing money ...... and there is no thought for tomorrow
The young kids now will grow up and have to pay for this mess

AutumnWood Inc. · 02-12-2009, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole

Wow, don't get me started on B of A, I hate them and everything about them. They charge for absolutely everything and know they can.

Drop them like a rock and find yourself another bank.

Good advice, we are having the same problems with them, They took over our old bank who was flexible ....

Deadhead Derek · 02-12-2009, 01:29 AM

fook the banks, time to go back to barter and...well.... REVOLUTION! chr!st this kinda crap p!sses me off

Winchester · 02-12-2009, 02:10 AM

I like the credit unions around here. As soon as I use up all my cheques from my current bank, I'm considering switching.

MALCO.New.York · 02-12-2009, 03:37 AM

TD (Toronto Dominion) is about the last of the Banks worth dealing with.

B of A is the biggest joke. As Cole has stated, drop them. And fast!!!!!!!!!

simplejack · 02-12-2009, 03:39 AM

I had the same thing happen with BofA, last month over $300 in overdraft fees, admittedly all MY FAULT for not transferring money to my personal account. But I won't even consider dropping them, I find it very convenient to to business with BofA, they are on EVERY corner and ALL banks are pretty much the same.

I have a friend and fellow contractor who "Loves" this local bank, I forget the name... He swears by this place because of the service! they call him by his last name and tend to him really quick...I don't need all that attention...Just gimme ma Money Biatch!

I have 3 accounts with BofA and a Savings with Wells Fargo, and it's seems to work out most of the time!

trptman · 02-12-2009, 05:27 AM

I have zero accounts with big national banks and love it.
I can go into my local building and loan, the people know who I am, in fact I've done work for one of the vice presidents and if I peek in his office and see he's not on the phone etc, I can just go on in and say hi if I want or can ask him a question without even making an appointment.
Try that with B of A.
Kind of funny that it seems to be the huge banks that are in trouble and the smaller ones are just fine.
Id suggest getting your money out of the big banks. Let the a-holes fail.
Start rewarding the banks that do things the right way (or as close to it as exists in the banking world)

trptman · 02-12-2009, 05:38 AM

Oh yeah,
and as for the so called 'stimulus package', what joke.
More like the "let's spend big piles of money on every typical democrat cause that we can think of" package.
I heard that the spending in this package will add up to be enough to pay almost every mortgage in this country if it were applied that way.
My question is, well then why not do that. that would do a hell of a lot more to stimulate the economy than the monstrosity that is going to be passed soon.

How about we just slash taxes and let me keep more of my money and let ME decide how to best spend MY money. that will stimulate the economy more than all the BS that is being contemplated.

My only solace is that when democrats are done going way overboard on this crap, that there will be a backlash and they will be voted back out of power. ....the people had better wake up and have a backlash anyhow..or this country is screwed.

Solar Control · 02-12-2009, 06:48 AM

You must have missed the news last night that the stimulus is providing every one of us in the USA $13 a week. That can go for fuel, wages, social security, workcomp, new equipment, vehicles, insurance, and all the other expenses you may incur. You can now rest easy.

With the taxpayers also getting the stimulus package, happy days are here again.

Realistically, it is simply a redistribution. Everyone admits it. Apparently, more people like the idea than don't.

wirenut1110 · 02-12-2009, 07:13 AM

We get $13 a week and Meryl Lynchmobs gets 3.6 billion in bonus'. But they didn't use "our" money for that

camaroman2125 · 02-12-2009, 09:52 AM

Stay away from Huntington too. They are another bank that is a joke. When they took over sky bank, they majorly screwed my accounts. I lost 600 bucks somewhere and they couldn't find it.

JSC · 02-12-2009, 10:32 AM

Wells Fargo isn't much different than BA. They wanted to charge me $8.00 for a cashiers check from my (1.8% APR) savings account. I did finally get it waived however. There's just no bank where you can get enough interest to halfway keep up with inflation.

And why would they pay you any interest when the govt heaps money on them practically free?

The ones who did the right thing, worked, saved, lived below their means are getting wiped out right now.

PrecisionCandR · 02-12-2009, 10:41 AM

I use a local credit union and love it. They have awesome rates, great service, and they dont screw me with charges like i read above. I'd recommend switching to a local credit union to everyone. F those big bank bailout b*st*rds

Bodger · 02-12-2009, 10:44 AM

There was a class action suit against B of A a while back. It was proven beyond any doubt that they had a standing practice of submitting checks into accounts with low balances in such a manner as to increase their opportunity to charge for overdraft fees.

If someone had say, $200 in an account, and three checks came in, one for $190 one for $15, and one for $25, they would always submit the larger check first to insure that the two smaller ones would bounce, instead of the reverse order of that, which would have only bounced the biggie.

Something like 95% of the time when they had that opportunity, that was the order in which they submitted against the account.
Friggin' bandits.

Blast&Coat · 02-12-2009, 12:39 PM

Credit unions are the best way to go for personal account, though most usually will not do business accounts.

jciotti7 · 02-12-2009, 12:58 PM

Hang in there; it all works out. The Steelers won the Super Bowl didn't they.