First Convenience Bank Is Not Only Not Convenient It Is Worse Than Inconvenient

In late February I blogged my disdain for First Convenience Bank and my realization I'd made a mistake opening an account there.

The issue at that time was my payment from Google that had been issued, but had not shown up in my account.

Eventually it showed up.

I opened the First Convenience account due to not liking how Chase Bank operated, changing the terms of my account with Washington Mutual.

So, before the Google incident, I'd told Big Ed I thought First Convenience would be convenient. So, he opened an account. About a week later he went to deposit a large check. He was told it would take 9 days to clear. The check was drawn on Wells Fargo, so Big Ed decided to forego First Convenience and open a Wells Fargo account.

Big Ed had opened the First Convenience account with just a $10 deposit. After he'd activated the debit card it did not work. The checks from First Convenience never arrived.

So, today Big Ed was in Wal-Mart and decided to get his 10 bucks back. And what does he learn? The debit card that never worked for him had worked for someone else. On the 23rd it was used to attempt to charge $75 and on the 26th it was used to attempt to charge $51.

First Convenience did not let these charges go through because Big Ed had not approved overdraft protection.

But, even though those charges did not go through, First Convenience charged Big Ed's account $2 for each charge attempt. So, his $10 had become $6.

He was given a number to call to get the other $4.

Now, why was Big Ed not notified of these 2 charges on his card? He was in the bank 2 days after the first charge was made on the 23rd, trying to deposit that check. Why was it not mentioned at that time that a $75 charge had been attempted on the account.

How did this happen? Big Ed was never able to use the card. It did not work. But someone else used the card's numbers, a card which had never been used, successfully, by Big Ed, to try and steal $126.

Why would the bank, today, not treat this like a serious matter. Big Ed told the bank guy that it would appear this would have to be an inside the bank problem.

Who do you call in Texas when you have a bank fraud deal like this?

A Cold First Sunday Of December With A New Bank To Replace Chase

The first Sunday of the last month of 2010 has dawned with the outside air heated to only two degrees above freezing.

That two degrees above freezing is scheduled to fall to below freezing later today.

Yesterday's hiking on the Tandy Hills went on way longer than I had intended. One reason was I'd stopped to talk to a pair of hikers. And their dog.

One of the things I mentioned to the pair of hikers. And their dog. Was that for the first month or so of hiking on the Tandy Hills I could get a bit lost. But that never happened anymore.

Saying that turned out to be a bit ironic, about a half hour later, when I found myself not exactly lost, but unable to find, on first try, the trail I was looking for.

Eventually I was able to escape the Tandy Hills and make my way to my neighborhood Wal-Mart Supercenter. As I was exiting Wal-Mart I glanced at the bank that is inside Wal-Mart, it being a version of the First National Bank of Texas.

I did not glance furtively enough. I found myself accosted by an African bank teller asking if she could help me. I said, yes, one question. Do you have free checking?

The answer was yes. She said I could open an account in 5 minutes. I hesitated for a second and then agreed.

About a half hour later I had a new bank account. The African bank teller was a little difficult to understand. She is new to America, having moved here from Sudan. Sudan is in Africa. North Africa.

So, now I can get rid of Chase Bank.

It will be much more convenient having my bank be in Wal-Mart. It is also in Kroger, walking distance from my abode. Which ironically is where I opened my WaMu account, after which WaMu left Kroger, making it inconvenient. And then WaMu went bad and was taken over by Chase which also went bad. But in a different way.

I have no idea what I am doing today, except for, I am hoping to watch The Amazing Race go to South Korea tonight, if a football game does not interrupt.

The Tandy Hills Helped Today's Existential Angst While Chase Bank Added To It

You are looking north on one of the long and winding trails on the Tandy Hills, around noon, today.

Even though it had been less than 24 hours since I had my mystical Tandy Hills encounter with an Aztec Indian, I felt compelled to return to the sacred ground, due to the extreme case of Existential Angst from which I am currently suffering.

Hill hiking seemed to help. A little.

I do not recollect a more perfectly temperatured day to be hiking on the Tandy Hills than today.

I think I already mentioned, in the blogging previous to this one, that I heard from Steve Doeung this morning. Steve wants to take me and Elsie Hotpepper to Vietnam. I mentioned this to Elsie. We both think this sounds fun. So, I guess it will be to Vietnam we shall go. But, not this weekend, not while I am having this Existential Angst thing hanging over my head.

Changing subjects. Today I got a letter from Chase Bank. I have long regretted the day Washington Mutual got taken over by Chase Bank. It's been like I was living in a democratic republic that was taken over by an autocratic monarchy, that one by one by one has been taking my WaMu freedoms away. And doing so with Orwellian verbiage that makes it sound like Chase is doing me a favor.

Today I learned that Chase is replacing my Free Checking with something called Chase Total Checking. Free Checking will now cost $12 a month.

I just checked to see how easy it is to switch my Google AdSense to a new bank account. It appears to be easy. Google is the only thing I can think of that might have presented a difficulty. Changing the bank account in other accounts, like PayPal, is easy.

So, I'm now looking for a new bank. It's the principle of the thing. When Chase took over they told WaMu customers our WaMu account's attributes would remain the same, only now with the protection of Chase Bank.

Anyone have any good bank suggestions? We can rule out US Bank.

Changing subjects again. I got a lot of good stuff. Again. At Town Talk today. Sushi was in the cooler again. And grape tomatoes. I got a lot of grape tomatoes. And dried pineapple. And a big bag of fire-roasted eggplant. Plus smoked Provolone.

I think it may be Town Talk that is making me FAT. Which is just one more factor in my ongoing Existential Angst.