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Posted: 7:38 PM Dec 3, 2009
On Your Side: News 12 helps college student recover bank overdraft fees
Natasha Sasser was charged $148 in overdraft fees from Wachovia; except they came after she closed her bank account in September.
Reporter: Bryan BakerEmail Address: bryan.baker@wrdw.com |
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4 Comments 
News 12 at 6 O'Clock, December 3, 2009
APPLING -- Natasha Sasser is tackling Early Childhood Education at Augusta State. But suddenly, she's getting an education in finance.
"I'm screwed, because I'm a student without a car, looking for a job, and I don't have money for anything."
That didn't get any easier when she was charged $148 in overdraft fees from Wachovia; except they came after she closed her bank account in September.
Her dad Lonnie was furious, too. "How can you reopen an account that we had personally closed out?"
They believe the fees came from a bank delay in posting charges to the account. Some banks have tried to get rid of that delay.
In September, some banks promised to go easy on the fees by making them cheaper, installing daily fee limits, and by debiting smaller charges from accounts first to avoid triggering more overdrafts.
Even though Wachovia announced some of those measures, bank Spokesman Jay Lawrence said those changes may not have gone into effect.
After News 12 contacted the bank, Lawrence did confirm Wachovia has taken away the charges from Natasha. While Lawrence didn't say the bank made a mistake with Natasha, he did say the bank does make them and will work with customers to resolve issues when they occur.
Wachovia offered these tips to help you avoid over drafting your account:
P.O. Box 1212
Augusta, Georgia 30903-1212
Phone: (803) 278-1212 ext. 450
Fax: (803) 442-4561
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