***UPDATE***
As of February of this year, my opinion, and the grade for Bank of America has dramatically changed. Read THIS POST for more information.
As an aside, BofA is not the only bad bank here, there are others who subscribe to this backwards thinking. They were just the most slimey about it.
Let me start out by saying I really, really wanted to hate Bank of America. I have worked in finance (banking) for a very long time, and everybody knows they just suck! I knew I was going to be giving BofA a bad grade when it came to youth accounts. Here’s what I came up with.
When rating financial institutions for their benefit for youth, I looked specifically at the products they offer on their websites dedicated to students and youth. I looked at seven criteria, and compared with other institutions. Since I don’t bank with them, I did not rate them on customer service or satisfaction, two areas that are very important to me.
|
Criteria |
Results |
| Bank Name | Bank of America |
| Program Name | Campus Edge |
| Monthly Fees | Free (5 years as student) then $5.95 monthly. |
| Ways to avoid Fees | Direct Deposit or Online Bill Pay |
| Other Fees | See website for details, none for program |
| Online Access | Free |
| Online Bill Pay | Free |
| Additional Website comments | N/A |
| Overall Grade | B+ |
Comments: I like especially that the account is free while you are a student. This is of paramount importance to my readers. Offering to waive monthly fees for Direct Deposit or Online Bill Pay, as well as offering a free online Bill Pay program really helped. They seem to offer programs with features that make sense for today’s youth. As much as I wanted to hate them, they Came out pretty good here.
Great job, Bof A!
Coming up, Wells Fargo. Did they do as well?
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February 1, 2007 at 8:47 pm
English Major
B of A also offers a one-time “stuff happens” fee refund with the CampusEdge account (I’ve graduated, but my five years haven’t expired yet). It’s a good feature. I’ve also had good service in general from them, and their online banking capabilities, which I think are particularly important for students (who are generally more likely to be computer-literate and interested in banking online and less likely to have time to take a trip to the bank during business hours), are absolutely top-notch.
February 1, 2007 at 11:30 pm
Wil
Actually, I didn’t really like the “stuff happens” card. I find that almost every other instituion will reverse fees as warranted, and it usually just takes a phone call to a branch. I suppose it just wasn’t a big enough deal for me to mark it down.
I’m glad to hear they give good service. That’s one of the most important things about any financial institution, and their reputation isn’t so good there.
March 12, 2007 at 8:04 am
walt
News for you, bofa does sucks. their employess, at least most of them, have tons of salary doing s###, and have no clue of customer service. if i were you, i would withdraw my fund before something do happen.
again, MOST employees, NOT ALL. also, avoid any investment products from bofa. their analysts are bunch of i-fund expert wannabes, who got rejected from other IB firms, like citibank, goldman and other real IB companies.
do you know why they tag you with hefty charges with small chump return??? ask their salaries, that’s why….
April 6, 2007 at 5:11 pm
ADM
My experience is all negative. I opened the student account in September 2006. The $50 incentive was supposed to be delivered within 50 days (as their reps promised). After 60 days I sent them emails and after a while they re-affirmed my eligibility and on 11-13-06 they said “Please allow up to 90 days for processing and delivery of this incentive.” Almost 150 days later (5 months after the original promised delivery day, 7 months after opening the account) I am still waiting. So judge for yourself.
April 6, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Wil
ADM-
Sorry to hear that you have had a negative experience. As you read more recent posts, B of A certainly is not as good as I initially thought. It is a shame that they can pretty much piss off on their commitment to those who are willing to do business with them.
July 18, 2007 at 4:11 pm
non nomen
You all might enjoy my chat conversation with a BofA customer service person which can be found at http://www.bofasucks.wordpress.com. I call it “Contra Preferentem and other four letter words.”