Wednesday, December 03, 2008

It should be under the mattress

Is it just us? I swear it is. We seem to be the only people who repeatedly have money taken directly from their bank accounts. First it was the hacker/identity theft from PayPal when Logan was brand new. Then it was the insurance company - that took an entire year to get back, complete with news coverage and all. Now it's our old HOA from before we moved to our small town.

Monday night we were decorating the Christmas tree, listening to Christmas music and being festive with holiday cheer. Bill was craving some burgers for dinner and for some reason checked the account before going out to pick it up (he had just been paid, so I'm not sure why he did this). BUT. When he checked, we had 77 cents. Both our checking account and savings account had been wiped out. Of course, panic ensued and breathing deeply, Bill tried to figure out what was going on. Needless to say, this killed the Christmas spirit and our tree is only half lit.

All day on Tuesday I made phone calls and sent emails to see what was happening. It turns out our old HOA decided to drain every cent we had without notice. After calling the HOA's attorney, it turns out that they even withdrew more than they intended (how freakin' awesome is that). So, just as we paid rent and bills, bought a Christmas tree and some presents - they took everything we had. The rent hadn't been deposited yet, so Bill had to tell our landlords to hold on to it so it wouldn't bounce. I got some of our money back, but not all. I'm still waiting to hear back from the HOA board.

I swear to God. I'm taking all of our money out of the bank and keeping it under the mattress. I don't understand why it's so easy for companies to go into people's accounts, take what they want without proof or notice. AND THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME. That's the kicker!

So, this is what I've been doing over the last few days. Merry Christmas, huh.

4 comments:

the nervous mom said...

Oh man that sucks!!!! Completely illegal too. From my standpoint that sounds illegal. I am so sorry you guys have to deal with this. It's going to get better!!! (I know the positivity is annoying at this point but I know it'll get better). Hang in there!

Anonymous said...

FFS what is with these companies??

I think the only way that it's illegal is if you had not given them permission to take out a specified amount of money until a debt was paid off. After that, I think it then becomes a crime? I mean shit, they're basically stealing from you. (That's how it seems to me anyways)

Hope it gets resolved for you asap AND they pay back every freakin cent. Bastards.

(Hmm sidenote though, any way Bill could con his mother into giving [not lending] HIM the money to "save christmas for the boys"?) *insert evil laugh* ;)

Anonymous said...

Erica – that is the most immature and disgusting comment and why fuel the fire?! If you’re trying to cut someone out of your life, you’re not entitled to their money.

Anonymous said...

LOL!