Citizens Bank Sux

[nightfighter]

What a bunch of thieves!! If you don't have an account, they charge $7.00 to cash a check drawn on one of their own accounts!!!! Outrageous! What is becoming of this country when a bank charges to cash one of its own checks? BAC charges to cash on a corporate check... The Citizens fees are outrageous too. My SO pulled her and her mother's accounts after being charged 20 bucks for monthly fees, even though they had sizable CDs there as well.

Just sent the client a bill for the check cashing fee.... Eff Citizens.

[iamskippy]

Yup and $4 atm fee almost as much as a tity bar, thats why i went with them they are 1 mile down the road
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Raven]

Not only that............but they've been the most insecure bank in history having all personal info stolen more than a few times.

[Saltheart]

I stopped doing business with Citizens a long time ago. A very "one way" organization.

[TheSpecialist]

your best banking bet is a small credit union. They are awesome especially once you get to know people there.

[Rob Rockcrawler]

I had a bad experience with them as well and took my money to the local bank. I try at all costs to avoid the big banks ATM's. I always suggest that my new employees who don't have bank accounts to go to either the local bank or local credit union. ITs funny, most of my employees are immigrants, and they seem to think that Bank of America is the best bank because of the name, like its part of the government or something.

[justplugit]

All the banks are getting us one way or another to make up
for new regulations.
My bank just sent out a new fee schedule and now charges $2/month extra for facimile check statements, $15 incoming wire transfers and raised fees on 5 additional services.
We pay the beuracrats to make the regulations, then the banks charge us
to make up for their added costs.

[RIJIMMY]

Originally Posted by nightfighter

What a bunch of thieves!! If you don't have an account, they charge $7.00 to cash a check drawn on one of their own accounts!!!! Outrageous! What is becoming of this country when a bank charges to cash one of its own checks? BAC charges to cash on a corporate check... The Citizens fees are outrageous too. My SO pulled her and her mother's accounts after being charged 20 bucks for monthly fees, even though they had sizable CDs there as well.

Just sent the client a bill for the check cashing fee.... Eff Citizens.

I've heard this recently from someone else, there is something seriously wrong with that. It undermines the security and trust of a check. It pushes the burden on the recipient when it should be on the issuer. It makes Citizens checks worth $7 less than any other banks. Im surprised this is not being challenged in court

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by RIJIMMY

I've heard this recently from someone else, there is something seriously wrong with that. It undermines the security and trust of a check. It pushes the burden on the recipient when it should be on the issuer. It makes Citizens checks worth $7 less than any other banks. Im surprised this is not being challenged in court

If it's a fee just to cash the check at a teller then it's a service. The bank has to pay a teller to sit there and cash the check of this non-customer. If the person doesn't want to pay the fee, they should either open an account at Citizens or deposit the check at their bank and wait for it to clear.
I think Bank of America does the same thing. One of the guys I work with opened a BoA account once they started charging a fee (I think it was $4) to cash a BoA check at a branch without an account. That's exactly why they institute the fees - to persuade people to open an account with them.

Banks are businesses and the nice thing about the industry is that there are a lot of options. With the digital age, local credit unions are able to be more competitive and much more readily available. Before, the issue with a CU was that there was only 1 or 2 branches and you had to drive to their ATM to get cash or deposit a check. Today, I can just used my debit card and get cash back at the grocery store, access my account online and at some CUs even deposit checks by taking a picture with my iPhone.

I've been lucky and avoided all the new fees that BoA has created because I have a credit card with them. But the minute they create a new fee that costs me money on a monthly basis, I'll be closing my two accounts with them and moving all funds to my CU acct.

[RIJIMMY]

I understand Johnny, but a check is a substitute for currency and should be worth the face value of the note. If the check is drawn on Citizens Bank's paper, it should be worth the face value at a Citizens branch. They should honor their own paper. The issuer has to have an account at Citizens and as a result, pays for the teller.
It may just be perception, but I believe they are undermining the trust in the banking system of checks.

[nightfighter]

Originally Posted by RIJIMMY

I understand Johnny, but a check is a substitute for currency and should be worth the face value of the note. If the check is drawn on Citizens Bank's paper, it should be worth the face value at a Citizens branch. They should honor their own paper. The issuer has to have an account at Citizens and as a result, pays for the teller. It may just be perception, but I believe they are undermining the trust in the banking system of checks.

Exactly! Well put.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by RIJIMMY

I understand Johnny, but a check is a substitute for currency and should be worth the face value of the note. If the check is drawn on Citizens Bank's paper, it should be worth the face value at a Citizens branch. They should honor their own paper. The issuer has to have an account at Citizens and as a result, pays for the teller.
It may just be perception, but I believe they are undermining the trust in the banking system of checks.

Forgive me because I only have direct experience with BoA... Does any check written by someone with a Citizens Bank account have the fee deducted from the amount or is it only if someone cuts me a check from Citizens and I try to go to a Citizens branch to have it cashed?

If it's the former and you're charged the fee even if you just deposit the check and wait for it to clear, then that's completely unacceptable. If it is a "check cashing fee" for going into a branch to cash a check without an account, then I don't see the big deal (this is how BoA is).

It takes man-power, time and causes an inconvenience for actual customers of the bank. Quick example: I used to have to go into a local BoA branch every Friday for my company. It'd take 30 minutes to get through the line because at least half (if not more) of the people in line were there to simply cash their check and that's with all the teller stations open. If it weren't for all the people cashing their checks and leaving (people that are no value to the bank), they could have had 1 fewer teller (reduced expenses) and the line still would have moved quicker (increased experience for an actual customer).

Maybe I just don't understand why people *have* to physically cash their checks the second they receive them as opposed to depositing them into an ATM and waiting the 24 hours for the check to clear.

[The Dad Fisherman]

Correct me if I'm wrong...but aren't people at the bank to cash a check ACTUAL CUSTOMERS...

When did it become an inconvenience to cash a check at a bank...that is one of the reasons they are there.

[nightfighter]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

Forgive me because I only have direct experience with BoA... Does any check written by someone with a Citizens Bank account have the fee deducted from the amount or is it only if someone cuts me a check from Citizens and I try to go to a Citizens branch to have it cashed?

If it's the former and you're charged the fee even if you just deposit the check and wait for it to clear, then that's completely unacceptable. If it is a "check cashing fee" for going into a branch to cash a check without an account, then I don't see the big deal (this is how BoA is).

It takes man-power, time and causes an inconvenience for actual customers of the bank. Quick example: I used to have to go into a local BoA branch every Friday for my company. It'd take 30 minutes to get through the line because at least half (if not more) of the people in line were there to simply cash their check and that's with all the teller stations open. If it weren't for all the people cashing their checks and leaving (people that are no value to the bank), they could have had 1 fewer teller (reduced expenses) and the line still would have moved quicker (increased experience for an actual customer).

Maybe I just don't understand why people *have* to physically cash their checks the second they receive them as opposed to depositing them into an ATM and waiting the 24 hours for the check to clear.

Johnny, you would be charged the $7 if you took your customer's check, written on their Citizen's account, and tried to cash it at a Citizen's branch, without having a Citizen's account yourself.
Manpower and an inconvenience to "actual" customers???? You've got to be kidding me..... That whole paragraph is pathetic thinking.
Only time I have been charged to cash a check at BoA is when it is a corporate check.
Your experience with lines is because it is on a Friday, the customary pay day for much of the working world. If issued a check, that person has every right to turn it into cash, or deposit it, or do as they please with it. In my cicumstances, it may be that I have already paid for materials and or my labor expenses. By getting cash, I know I can cover those outlays. I get checks from many customers issued from many banks. No way I can have an account at all of them. Nor should I be made to wait to know that funds are good on that check, if I am tight on paying myself. I'll wait in line if I feel I want to. You can too, without a bank charging me to cash their check. In terms of cashing a personal check, I am not aware of any other bank charging a fee like this, for not having an account, other than the thieves at Citizens Bank.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by nightfighter

Johnny, you would be charged the $7 if you took your customer's check, written on their Citizen's account, and tried to cash it at a Citizen's branch, without having a Citizen's account yourself
....

I get checks from many customers issued from many banks. No way I can have an account at all of them. Nor should I be made to wait to know that funds are good on that check, if I am tight on paying myself. I'll wait in line if I feel I want to. You can too, without a bank charging me to cash their check. In terms of cashing a personal check, I am not aware of any other bank charging a fee like this, for not having an account, other than the thieves at Citizens Bank.

Like I said, I guess I can't fully understand not being able to deposit a check and wait until the next day for it to clear. Most of my jobs are done on extremely tight margins and utilizing subcontractors. I know all too well what it's like having a vendor looking for a $15k deposit and having to wait for my client to give me their deposit first.

As mentioned in my first post, as soon as the fees start having an effect on me, then I'll look at switching my ways. Until then, if the fees make the line shorter at my bank and charging people without accounts at the bank prevents me from paying any fees, then I'm all for it.

Checks are a service provided by the bank that provide convenience and security, but not a right. I have to pay a fee for accepting credit cards and I forward that convenience cost onto the customer, how are checks different?

[nightfighter]

You are not the issuer of the credit card....

[UpChunk]

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