02:39 PM
An Online Banking Story With a Happy Ending
While interviewing an executive from Bank of America for a mobile banking article, I learned of a new online banking function, the ability to transfer money from my account to that of another Bank of America customer.I'm not sure why I didn't know this already, but this pleased me to no end. I called a friend of mine with the news. Of course, she was not as excited as me. Hmm, doesn't everybody loves learning about new banking technology?
I put my new knowledge to use immediately. Two of my friends, also Bank of America customers, owed me money for renting a car to return to Manhattan after Thanksgiving. If I didn't know about the online banking feature, I would have had to wait until the next time I saw them to receive the money they owed me. Then it would have probably come in the form of a check and I would have had to go to the bank or ATM to deposit it. I probably would not see that money hit my bank account for about two weeks. But with the transfer capability, I was able to receive the money instantly.
I hope this doesn't sound too much like a promo for Bank of America, but to be honest, I have been very happy with my bank recently. After having my credit and debit card stolen, the bank alerted me to potential fraud before I even realized they weren't in my wallet. They also blocked any fraudulent purchases from going through and issued me a temporary ATM card.
What can I say? I'm happy with my bank. I love online banking. I like "keep the change." I'm even considering signing up for mobile banking.
Customer service and the call center can be slightly frustrating at times, but I'd have to say it's tremendously better than other call centers I deal with, specifically cable companies and phone companies.
These online features are great. I can't imagine why anyone would choose to not bank online. Why not pay your bills online or pay back your friends and relatives without having to mail them a check? Like I said before, banks have to do more to get their customers to use online banking. There are probably functions to online banking of which I am not aware. Tell me about them!While interviewing an executive from Bank of America for a mobile banking article, I learned of a new online banking function, the ability to transfer money from my account to that of another Bank of America customer.