The day finally came that I knew I would be able to finally pay off the line of credit I had with Bank of America. Now to clarify, this was NOT a credit card consolidation loan, it was a line of credit. So it's something that you can't just charge or use at all. It is very different.
So I took my checkbook with me and went down to my local branch and sat to wait my turn to talk to someone to close down the account. They offered me to go away and run errands or something as they informed me it would be about an hour wait. I declined and said I would wait as I had no intentions of ever stepping foot into another Bank of America again.
So I waited, more like 30 minutes tops, and I was met with a friendly lady there and taken into her office. I informed her that I wished to pay off my line of credit and handed her my recent statement with my account number on it. She inquired if I was on the account as an authorized user, I said yes I believe I was. She called then to ask what the final payoff amount would be.
Here's where it gets stupid. Surprise, surprise!
The credit people on the phone gave her an 'approximate' amount for payoff. More than what the balance was. She told me it might be more as interest accrued on the account and it would depend on when they received and processed the check. I told her I was ready right now to write her a check for the full amount. Surprised, she said ok and took the check for the amount stated to her on the phone. It was received and processed right away as she went off to the teller and then returned with a receipt for me. I asked then to close the account so she did that as well and yet said I would have to have my husband call to be sure just in case, which I was planning on doing. I would receive another statement in the mail and if it had a dollar or two on it, she said I could call and have it waived as I had made the payoff then.
She was most pleasant, no problems and I left.
I thought this was really bad that they could not give me a pay off amount right then and there, the exact amount and I paid it on the spot and yet tell me I might have to pay them more? Ok whatever....it's dumb.
So I wait and my husband calls them and yes, sure enough we overpaid and they show a $14 or so credit, but it's a zero balance as to what we owe and yes the account is closed.
I then receive a letter in the mail stating we had an overpayment, zero balance and that yes, the account was closed.
So I called back up to ask for the overpayment to be returned to me. They said no, they could not do that, by check, but they would be happy to put it into my checking account. I said I don't have a checking account with Bank of America, but they said they could send it to my bank, Bank of Texas then if I had the routing number, etc, so I gave that to them and they said that it would show up in 2-3 business days. It did. Excellent!
They said I would receive one more statement and that would be it
HA!
I then receive a statement in the mail showing I owe them $13 and some odd cents!! Bloody hell! If we overpaid them by $14 and yet the interest that came in was $13, that was just stupid!
So I called them, ready to fight about it because by now, I am irritated! But! I manage to get a really nice lady on the phone who I explained what happened and she happily said she would wave that amount and she told me that it was because we closed the account before the day they post the interest, so after pay off, they posted the interest that would have been due on the next day or so afterwards. I quickly shut up tho' when she said she would zero out my balance and waive that interest. She also said the account is closed and I would receive one more statement that would show the zero balance. I have not received it yet.
This was really, really stupid but I believe now it's OVER! I will await that last statement however and then file it away.
What a saga eh?
I will say tho' that everyone at the local branch, were very nice, the employees at Bank of America. I have no issue with them, only the institution itself and whoever it was that thought to change their credit terms like that, thinking that it was ok to do that to their loyal customers. It was so very wrong.
Most people may not realize how much it hurts you when they do that, but it does. I'll talk more on that later about all those credit card consolidation loan offers too and how bad it is to do that.
I am just glad this appears to be over now and I no longer owe anything to Bank of America. I will not ever do business with them either if I can help it.
Oh and a huge P.S. about the check fraud?
Walmart didn't clear the debt, but sold it so some scammers who contacted me 2 years after the fact, trying to scare me into giving them my bank info and telling me that I had to pay it and give them the bank account information. I laughed at them and told them no, they were dumb enough to buy a bad/non-existent debt from Walmart, it was THEIR responsibility to clear it up, I already had done all I was suppose to. Walmart was notified, my bank was notified, the police were notified and the credit bureau was notified. They wanted my bank info and I promptly told him that I don't have any account with that bank any longer. I told him he could go do the research or go back to Walmart about the issue and to not call me again about it or I would sue him for harassment. I later looked them up on the net and yup, sure enough it was a scam.
Later, I'll be pulling a credit report to be sure everything looks good. My numbers were excellent last I looked and I am sure now, they are even better. :)
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Bank of America Saga, Part 2---Mishandling Funds
Everything was going ok for a few more years until it came out that the owner of Bank of America screwed up and mishandled his finances, (our money) and was in big trouble. So much so, he went looking to our government for a handout. So our government bailed them out of their financial mess.
I couldn't believe it! This bank I had trusted for so long, couldn't handle their money? Oh that so does not garner much trust anymore.
But it didn't just stop there with all that was in the media about it. Oh no, the powers that be at Bank of America thought to let their woes and mistakes, filter down. It wasn't enough for the government to bail them out, they wanted to pass this on to their customers. So they contacted me to tell me they were going to change their interest rate that had been guaranteed at 8.5%, to 26.99%! And they were going to change my Visa card interest rate as well! Why? Because they felt they could. Who knows? Or, my theory is that they realized they had loaned out boat loads of money and some of those people were not able to afford to pay it back! So they were in trouble, the bank that is aside from the people. So Bank of America thought to pass on that hardship to me! When I had been not only on time for so many years, but I was paying them a lot more than what I was suppose to pay! And I had several accounts with them! But oh no...I was so not doing this! So I fought them.
I got a notice in the mail about how they were going to change the rate due to the current economic problems and how the economy was so bad, blah blah....all of that really equaled they were going to go back on their promise and word when we struck the deal. I called and said no.
I told them that no, they could not do that as I had a written agreement saying it would always be 8.5% so long as I was not late and I had not been late in all these years and had paid them more than the minimum!! They relented and left me alone. I actually won against a bank, something so unheard of!
I was so angry they would do that to me or attempt it. All good will thoughts were quickly flushed down the drain with this bank who I had been doing business with for over a decade I believe!
It was horrid.
If that wasn't enough, they decided all on their own to lower my line of credit by 13k! This would hurt my credit scores. I was so upset and called them to get it changed back but they flat out refused and stated about how they based their decision on my payment history with them (which was total bs) then said it was because of my other card balances (which were less and less all the time as I was paying them off one by one), another bs line. I wrote to my Senator about it, but of course, that did nothing.
This is the letter I wrote in reply to Bank of America from the one I had received about lowering my line of credit without my permission as well as touching on the other issues I had with them:
Dear Mr. Lewis,
I am writing to you concerning the letter sent to me and dated 04/21/09 by your Louis A. Green of the Consumer Finance Dept of Bank of America.
This letter informs me that you will be lowering my credit line to $40,000.00 from where it was previously of $53,000.00. Mr. Green states that it was a result of my recent payment history with you and that I have high balances on existing revolving credit lines.
I received this letter while I was in Delaware, taking care of my uncle who was in the hospital for colon cancer. My husband informed me of this letter. I returned to Texas and promptly called on Monday, the 1-888 number on the letter to talk with someone about reconsidering this decision. The woman I spoke to was quite rude and absolutely refused to even look into my account and flat out refused to change this decision.
Now I don't even use this line of credit so it makes no sense why you would do that and now, by doing this, you are hurting my credit scores and for no other earthly real reason than you having overextended YOURSELF in purchasing Merrill Lynch and Country Wide. How fair is that? When will the U.S. Government or someone else, cut YOUR credit line then because you are too far in debt?!? I am paying my bills, Mr. Lewis and on time and more than the minimum and not begging the U.S. Government to bail me out. What's the difference?
I called again Tuesday morning and asked to speak to Mr. Green directly and I was informed that no one knows who Mr. Green is and that there is no Mr. Green and that that name was just put on there as any old name. He is a fictitious person. So that calls to mind of how legal this letter and action truly is if the person is not even a real person? I was also informed that the reasons stated on the letter as to why the lowering of my credit line are incorrect and apologies were made however I was told that my credit line was being lowered to bring it up to speed with other financial institutions. I informed him that I have not had any other financial institutions do this to me however so I don't see why you would be? He then asked to speak to my husband in order to do a review or have my husband call him to authorize me as a user although I do have a general power of attorney over my husband. I called my husband who is currently out of state and he called to authorize me.
So I called back again to request a review be made to my account. Then I was informed that no, I could not ask for the review and in fact my husband would have to request it himself even tho' I am now an authorized user. Apologies were made to me for the run-around.
I gave my husband the information and he called to request a review. The return of the credit was denied and reason stated was that we owe too much on our other cards, despite us owing alot less than ever and making more money than ever!! He was told it was "due to the economy being so bad and that that was then and this is now." He was also told that all the other banking and credit card agencies were doing the same thing. This is just unacceptable and a load of crap to be frank. All pure lies. Not every bank is doing this, not every credit card agency is doing this. For example, since my phone calls to your bank, I have contacted two banks that are more than happy to take my business at more favorable terms than your bank has. Furthermore, unlike your bank in needing to beg the federal government for bailouts while feeding Congress, the Federal Reserve, and the U.S. Treasury a pack of lies, these banks were and are prudent lenders who are financially stable and have not accepted penny one from the government nor do they need to. We, the people, are not mushrooms, Mr. Lewis, we will not be kept in the dark and fed a line of horse manure.
Now, I currently make more money than I have last year and I have consistently been paying on this particular credit line $1,000.00 per month which is beyond the $734.00 minimum and I have not once ever been late. I started out with this line of credit for $53,000, using $51,000 and I now owe just over $39k. I have not ever used this line of credit nor do I intend upon doing so as it is a line of credit and not a credit card so I have no ability to even use it if I wanted to. Everyone at your banking facility has stated that I have EXCELLENT payment history with you for this account.
As for the rest of my revolving credit cards, I have not once, been late on any of them plus, I in fact, owe less than I have before.
Mr. Lewis, I find this very unfair and unjust of your financial institution to do this to one of your faithful and loyal and paying customers of over 6 years. I currently have two checking accounts, one line of credit and one Visa card with your financial institution. I will be receiving a commission check of over $5,000.00 this week and I was going to go down to my local branch and open up a savings account with your bank.
I have now, changed my decision and I will no longer be doing banking with your institution. I will be taking my business elsewhere to another bank that will treat me fairly. Granted, I am but one voice, in reality, I represent 4 voices directly of my immediate family, my husband, son, and daughter; but know that I will be telling every friend and family member as well as anyone else I may meet as well as all my political representatives to no longer do business with Bank of America and sharing my story with them. As CEO, I am sure you and the others of the board, do not care about me nor is this a personal attack, but your willy nilly decisions without any notice or due cause to alter my financial status and do harm to my credit scores for absolutely no reason or fault of my own, IS personal to me and I take great offense to the betrayal of the trust in the financial relationship we had established over the past 6 years.
This is but the tip of the iceberg over the past year and frankly, the last straw of unfair and unjust business practices of Bank of America.
Not only the above but last year, your employees advised me NOT to file a police report on a theft of one of my checks out of my mailbox. It was paying a utility bill but the thief copied my routing number and acct number and made his own checks with my information and used one in Walmart for over $1,000.00. Bank of America would NOT stop the pending action although I had quickly informed them of the theft. Not to mention holding my money captive for 3 months and told to just ignore the overdraft charges that would incur due to this. I cringed to watch this and worried over my credit rating. I found that whole situation highly unsafe that I could not stop payment on a check before it cleared on my own account and on top of that being told to NOT file a police report or get the police involved? Luckily, being the daughter of a police dispatcher of over 30 years, I knew better and so I filed that report with law enforcement and followed up with Walmart security who were able to capture the thief on video as they stopped him from utilizing another check with my routing and acct numbers on it at their jewelry counter.
Your on-line banking is also going down the tubes as it has recently on two separate occurrences, not reflected cashed checks paid to my credit cards on my on-line statement, although upon contacting the credit card companies, they inform me that they did receive the payments on time, no problem. In the meantime, I quickly sent them another payment when it did not show up on my on-line banking statement, that I watch very closely, just to be sure.
On top of all of that, I had also received a notice in the mail recently that you would be upping my interest rate on the Visa card from 11% to 24.99%. The reason? Is due to the economy I was informed. That is also very unfair. I was given a chance to say no to this, however I could no longer use the card at all or if I did, I would have to pay the 24.99% interest on it. To more than double it?! Unacceptable. I of course, declined and I have no problem with not ever using that card as I had no intentions of using it. In fact, I will be sure and transfer that balance to another banking institution that is NOT doing what you are. So that line of 'bringing things up to speed with other financial institutions' and that 'all the other banks are doing this', is a pure load of horse manure! You can bet that I will be cutting this card and closing the account sooner than I had planned before receiving that letter. And the new card? Is offering me a higher line of credit than your Visa and with a much lower percentage rate. So much for that lie your employees are telling the people.
You can bet that as soon as possible, I will be transferring my Bank of America Visa card's balance over to another card as soon as I receive my new one with another banking agency that was already approved.
Your bank Sir, has gone downhill rapidly. I used to tout Bank of America as being one of the best banks I have ever done business with. That, is no more. Your reputation has quickly plummeted to the worst.
I will also be removing my two checking accounts from Bank of America which will remove my two direct deposits and I will not be opening up any other accounts with you. When I receive my $5,000.00 commission check, I will be going to another bank to deposit it in a brand new savings account and I will be opening up my checking accounts with them instead. That will leave my line of credit with you and as soon as I am able, I will be removing that as well. No longer will you able to utilize my money to overextend yourself and penalize me for being more financially capable and a better credit risk than your bank has proven to be.
The money you are to receive from the Federal Government is suppose to help you loosen the credit standards for the people but that is NOT what is happening. You are instead, customer wide, hurting everyone's credit rating by upsetting the balance of the credit utilization ratio with the credit bureaus by lowering their limits without just cause nor without any notice or warning. This is unacceptable.
If I were using that line of credit and had been late, that would be one thing, but I have not, not ONE time been late or unable to make a payment and I've paid more than minimum nearly every single time, check it out! I do not believe that is right if you offer me a line of credit at a certain amount, you shouldn't be able to change your mind mid-stream nor all of a sudden increase an interest rate on my Visa card without any reason or fault of my own but solely because you overextended yourself. That's not very fair of a deal. This was meant to help me, not to hold me up to a punching bag for you to take a shot at simply cause you are having a bad day or because you can't handle your finances properly. I should not have to be penalized for your mistakes, nor will I be any longer.
My apologies if this is all news to you as to what your employees are saying and doing to try to get the capital together for your bank. I have never written my U.S. representatives before, but you can bet your bippie that I am now. I am but one of thousands of voices Mr. Lewis that have had enough abuse and betrayal of trust with Bank of America.
My mattress is looking better and better all the time.
A copy of this letter will be sent to every one of my U.S. representatives from their secure homepages to make sure they know what is really happening with your bank and what your bank is doing to the common man.
Frustrated and angry,
And then I signed it with my name.
Bank of Texas offered to take over my line of credit, but I thanked them and said no, I would finish it out because I knew I didn't have much longer and I would pay Bank of America off.
I then heard that Bank of America was going to charge their customers a fee for every time they used their own debit card and I was ever so glad I no longer had a checking account with them.
I couldn't wait to pay them off! I worked diligently to do so....and then, the day came....
I couldn't believe it! This bank I had trusted for so long, couldn't handle their money? Oh that so does not garner much trust anymore.
But it didn't just stop there with all that was in the media about it. Oh no, the powers that be at Bank of America thought to let their woes and mistakes, filter down. It wasn't enough for the government to bail them out, they wanted to pass this on to their customers. So they contacted me to tell me they were going to change their interest rate that had been guaranteed at 8.5%, to 26.99%! And they were going to change my Visa card interest rate as well! Why? Because they felt they could. Who knows? Or, my theory is that they realized they had loaned out boat loads of money and some of those people were not able to afford to pay it back! So they were in trouble, the bank that is aside from the people. So Bank of America thought to pass on that hardship to me! When I had been not only on time for so many years, but I was paying them a lot more than what I was suppose to pay! And I had several accounts with them! But oh no...I was so not doing this! So I fought them.
I got a notice in the mail about how they were going to change the rate due to the current economic problems and how the economy was so bad, blah blah....all of that really equaled they were going to go back on their promise and word when we struck the deal. I called and said no.
I told them that no, they could not do that as I had a written agreement saying it would always be 8.5% so long as I was not late and I had not been late in all these years and had paid them more than the minimum!! They relented and left me alone. I actually won against a bank, something so unheard of!
I was so angry they would do that to me or attempt it. All good will thoughts were quickly flushed down the drain with this bank who I had been doing business with for over a decade I believe!
It was horrid.
If that wasn't enough, they decided all on their own to lower my line of credit by 13k! This would hurt my credit scores. I was so upset and called them to get it changed back but they flat out refused and stated about how they based their decision on my payment history with them (which was total bs) then said it was because of my other card balances (which were less and less all the time as I was paying them off one by one), another bs line. I wrote to my Senator about it, but of course, that did nothing.
This is the letter I wrote in reply to Bank of America from the one I had received about lowering my line of credit without my permission as well as touching on the other issues I had with them:
Dear Mr. Lewis,
I am writing to you concerning the letter sent to me and dated 04/21/09 by your Louis A. Green of the Consumer Finance Dept of Bank of America.
This letter informs me that you will be lowering my credit line to $40,000.00 from where it was previously of $53,000.00. Mr. Green states that it was a result of my recent payment history with you and that I have high balances on existing revolving credit lines.
I received this letter while I was in Delaware, taking care of my uncle who was in the hospital for colon cancer. My husband informed me of this letter. I returned to Texas and promptly called on Monday, the 1-888 number on the letter to talk with someone about reconsidering this decision. The woman I spoke to was quite rude and absolutely refused to even look into my account and flat out refused to change this decision.
Now I don't even use this line of credit so it makes no sense why you would do that and now, by doing this, you are hurting my credit scores and for no other earthly real reason than you having overextended YOURSELF in purchasing Merrill Lynch and Country Wide. How fair is that? When will the U.S. Government or someone else, cut YOUR credit line then because you are too far in debt?!? I am paying my bills, Mr. Lewis and on time and more than the minimum and not begging the U.S. Government to bail me out. What's the difference?
I called again Tuesday morning and asked to speak to Mr. Green directly and I was informed that no one knows who Mr. Green is and that there is no Mr. Green and that that name was just put on there as any old name. He is a fictitious person. So that calls to mind of how legal this letter and action truly is if the person is not even a real person? I was also informed that the reasons stated on the letter as to why the lowering of my credit line are incorrect and apologies were made however I was told that my credit line was being lowered to bring it up to speed with other financial institutions. I informed him that I have not had any other financial institutions do this to me however so I don't see why you would be? He then asked to speak to my husband in order to do a review or have my husband call him to authorize me as a user although I do have a general power of attorney over my husband. I called my husband who is currently out of state and he called to authorize me.
So I called back again to request a review be made to my account. Then I was informed that no, I could not ask for the review and in fact my husband would have to request it himself even tho' I am now an authorized user. Apologies were made to me for the run-around.
I gave my husband the information and he called to request a review. The return of the credit was denied and reason stated was that we owe too much on our other cards, despite us owing alot less than ever and making more money than ever!! He was told it was "due to the economy being so bad and that that was then and this is now." He was also told that all the other banking and credit card agencies were doing the same thing. This is just unacceptable and a load of crap to be frank. All pure lies. Not every bank is doing this, not every credit card agency is doing this. For example, since my phone calls to your bank, I have contacted two banks that are more than happy to take my business at more favorable terms than your bank has. Furthermore, unlike your bank in needing to beg the federal government for bailouts while feeding Congress, the Federal Reserve, and the U.S. Treasury a pack of lies, these banks were and are prudent lenders who are financially stable and have not accepted penny one from the government nor do they need to. We, the people, are not mushrooms, Mr. Lewis, we will not be kept in the dark and fed a line of horse manure.
Now, I currently make more money than I have last year and I have consistently been paying on this particular credit line $1,000.00 per month which is beyond the $734.00 minimum and I have not once ever been late. I started out with this line of credit for $53,000, using $51,000 and I now owe just over $39k. I have not ever used this line of credit nor do I intend upon doing so as it is a line of credit and not a credit card so I have no ability to even use it if I wanted to. Everyone at your banking facility has stated that I have EXCELLENT payment history with you for this account.
As for the rest of my revolving credit cards, I have not once, been late on any of them plus, I in fact, owe less than I have before.
Mr. Lewis, I find this very unfair and unjust of your financial institution to do this to one of your faithful and loyal and paying customers of over 6 years. I currently have two checking accounts, one line of credit and one Visa card with your financial institution. I will be receiving a commission check of over $5,000.00 this week and I was going to go down to my local branch and open up a savings account with your bank.
I have now, changed my decision and I will no longer be doing banking with your institution. I will be taking my business elsewhere to another bank that will treat me fairly. Granted, I am but one voice, in reality, I represent 4 voices directly of my immediate family, my husband, son, and daughter; but know that I will be telling every friend and family member as well as anyone else I may meet as well as all my political representatives to no longer do business with Bank of America and sharing my story with them. As CEO, I am sure you and the others of the board, do not care about me nor is this a personal attack, but your willy nilly decisions without any notice or due cause to alter my financial status and do harm to my credit scores for absolutely no reason or fault of my own, IS personal to me and I take great offense to the betrayal of the trust in the financial relationship we had established over the past 6 years.
This is but the tip of the iceberg over the past year and frankly, the last straw of unfair and unjust business practices of Bank of America.
Not only the above but last year, your employees advised me NOT to file a police report on a theft of one of my checks out of my mailbox. It was paying a utility bill but the thief copied my routing number and acct number and made his own checks with my information and used one in Walmart for over $1,000.00. Bank of America would NOT stop the pending action although I had quickly informed them of the theft. Not to mention holding my money captive for 3 months and told to just ignore the overdraft charges that would incur due to this. I cringed to watch this and worried over my credit rating. I found that whole situation highly unsafe that I could not stop payment on a check before it cleared on my own account and on top of that being told to NOT file a police report or get the police involved? Luckily, being the daughter of a police dispatcher of over 30 years, I knew better and so I filed that report with law enforcement and followed up with Walmart security who were able to capture the thief on video as they stopped him from utilizing another check with my routing and acct numbers on it at their jewelry counter.
Your on-line banking is also going down the tubes as it has recently on two separate occurrences, not reflected cashed checks paid to my credit cards on my on-line statement, although upon contacting the credit card companies, they inform me that they did receive the payments on time, no problem. In the meantime, I quickly sent them another payment when it did not show up on my on-line banking statement, that I watch very closely, just to be sure.
On top of all of that, I had also received a notice in the mail recently that you would be upping my interest rate on the Visa card from 11% to 24.99%. The reason? Is due to the economy I was informed. That is also very unfair. I was given a chance to say no to this, however I could no longer use the card at all or if I did, I would have to pay the 24.99% interest on it. To more than double it?! Unacceptable. I of course, declined and I have no problem with not ever using that card as I had no intentions of using it. In fact, I will be sure and transfer that balance to another banking institution that is NOT doing what you are. So that line of 'bringing things up to speed with other financial institutions' and that 'all the other banks are doing this', is a pure load of horse manure! You can bet that I will be cutting this card and closing the account sooner than I had planned before receiving that letter. And the new card? Is offering me a higher line of credit than your Visa and with a much lower percentage rate. So much for that lie your employees are telling the people.
You can bet that as soon as possible, I will be transferring my Bank of America Visa card's balance over to another card as soon as I receive my new one with another banking agency that was already approved.
Your bank Sir, has gone downhill rapidly. I used to tout Bank of America as being one of the best banks I have ever done business with. That, is no more. Your reputation has quickly plummeted to the worst.
I will also be removing my two checking accounts from Bank of America which will remove my two direct deposits and I will not be opening up any other accounts with you. When I receive my $5,000.00 commission check, I will be going to another bank to deposit it in a brand new savings account and I will be opening up my checking accounts with them instead. That will leave my line of credit with you and as soon as I am able, I will be removing that as well. No longer will you able to utilize my money to overextend yourself and penalize me for being more financially capable and a better credit risk than your bank has proven to be.
The money you are to receive from the Federal Government is suppose to help you loosen the credit standards for the people but that is NOT what is happening. You are instead, customer wide, hurting everyone's credit rating by upsetting the balance of the credit utilization ratio with the credit bureaus by lowering their limits without just cause nor without any notice or warning. This is unacceptable.
If I were using that line of credit and had been late, that would be one thing, but I have not, not ONE time been late or unable to make a payment and I've paid more than minimum nearly every single time, check it out! I do not believe that is right if you offer me a line of credit at a certain amount, you shouldn't be able to change your mind mid-stream nor all of a sudden increase an interest rate on my Visa card without any reason or fault of my own but solely because you overextended yourself. That's not very fair of a deal. This was meant to help me, not to hold me up to a punching bag for you to take a shot at simply cause you are having a bad day or because you can't handle your finances properly. I should not have to be penalized for your mistakes, nor will I be any longer.
My apologies if this is all news to you as to what your employees are saying and doing to try to get the capital together for your bank. I have never written my U.S. representatives before, but you can bet your bippie that I am now. I am but one of thousands of voices Mr. Lewis that have had enough abuse and betrayal of trust with Bank of America.
My mattress is looking better and better all the time.
A copy of this letter will be sent to every one of my U.S. representatives from their secure homepages to make sure they know what is really happening with your bank and what your bank is doing to the common man.
Frustrated and angry,
And then I signed it with my name.
Bank of Texas offered to take over my line of credit, but I thanked them and said no, I would finish it out because I knew I didn't have much longer and I would pay Bank of America off.
I then heard that Bank of America was going to charge their customers a fee for every time they used their own debit card and I was ever so glad I no longer had a checking account with them.
I couldn't wait to pay them off! I worked diligently to do so....and then, the day came....
Bank of America Saga, Part 1--Stolen Check
Now, I really hate to post negative things. I really do. But this has been in the works for years about this particular bank. It's a very long story but it needs telling, if anything, to get it off my shoulders.
Bank of America, many years ago, back when I lived in Vegas, I got an account with them. Bank of "America", how can you go wrong? Right? WRONG!
At the time however, they were great! I can't complain about them at all.
Like many Americans, I got credit cards. Now my dad always fussed at me about it. He never had a single credit card all of his life. He hated the credit cards and he thought debit cards were stupid. Why you would want to stand in line to get your money when you can just go right into the bank with a check and write out what you want and they would give you the money right out of your account. He thought the cards were a dangerous thing, and a very bad idea. It was cash over the barrel or you got "payments on time" or you just didn't get it. He hated that I had credit cards and knew it was far too easy to get into trouble with them. How right he was! Because sure enough, I did, like many others, I got into debt and ended up with way too many cards with too high of an interest rate. Part of the downfall was yes, me being stupid and living beyond my means. Plus, my son's medical bills and things happening with the car like the a/c going out in my car while living in FL and well, you can't survive too well down there without it. And on top of all of that, I had to take a 13k loss on my home and the only way I could pay the bank that much was credit card cash withdrawals. Oh now that's such a bad move and let me tell you, it is nasty for the interest you are charged is outrageous!
So I was in a big mess by the time I got to Vegas.
But, Bank of America was there for me. I thank them for this. They came out with this special 50k line of credit, no questions asked, yadda yadda type of deal. Guaranteed interest of 8.5% for the life of the loan, etc etc and when I saw this, I knew I could get rid of all of my high interest credit cards!
So I signed up. They charged me 1k or so for processing...ahem....the start of it all....
but I didn't care a whole lot at the time (silly me!) because all I saw was all that interest I was not going to have to pay the other cards. But the whole deal was, I had to make my payments and I could not be late, not one time or else the interest rate would jack up to 26.99 or 29.99%. Holy crap right?
So I made SURE that I would never be late and I had the money withdrawn automatically each month and in fact, I paid them more than I needed to. My payments were 734 a month so I paid 1k a month. Yup, that's nasty, but I had a lot of credit cards (see 13k in debt from the loss of the house alone). But I made sure I would never ever be late. And for a few years, everything went well, everyone was happy...
Until....
I moved to Texas, continued with my payments and then, someone stole a check out of my mailbox, (an automatic felony for tampering with the mail) and they stole my routing number and account number off the check and duplicated a few blank checks and went down to a Walmart in White Settlement, TX (on the other side of Ft Worth from me) and this dude thought to buy himself a shiny new computer. Then he made a mistake and went over to the jewelry counter 5 minutes later and tried to buy himself some expensive jewelry.
Walmart denied his check. THANK YOU WALMART!
I thought I had blogged of this before, but don't see the post, so I'll explain now what happened and later, I'll make a blog post of what to do should you find your identity is stolen or a check or something like that. And I'll keep this short without pulling my file to go into too many details about this situation...
I had been saving some money in my checking account to pay Home Depot for the gutters they were installing on my house. I looked into the bank account online as I tend to do now and then and all of a sudden I saw my money was gone! I realized what had happened and saw pending this huge check for Walmart written just the day before!
Now, what flags this even more is that whenever I have gone to Walmart, I never ever use a check. I just don't carry checks with me, they are used only for bills. I always use my debit card at Walmart.
I knew if this check cleared my account, my other checks that were out, were going to bounce sky high! So I went to my bank to stop payment on that check that was still pending. To stop it in its tracks. Bank of America would not do that. They told me I had to let it clear. I was upset. They told me not to worry that any overdraft fees would all be returned to me eventually but I couldn't close the account out, I had to let it happen.
OK, I felt this was WRONG. They should have been able to reject the payment as it was PENDING. It would be different if it had cleared but if it's still pending, then I felt they could have disapproved it, denied it or whatever and stopped it, but nope.
So then, the lady I spoke to at the bank told me I shouldn't bother to file a police report. HUH?!
Yea....NOT!
Both of my parents were dispatchers for the police and so I knew that was wrong. Whether they catch the guy or not, I still had to file a report! It's wrong what happened and they need to know about it.
Well, I thought I could go locally to the police but no, they sent me to the police dept that the Walmart in question was under their jurisdiction. Well that took getting out my Sherlock Holmes hat to figure out what Walmart it was as the number listed on my online statement was to a Walmart that no longer existed! DOH!
I finally figured it out however and notified Walmart and they pulled the video tape and reviewed it with me on the phone and said yup, they could see the guy, described him to me and what he bought even! They made a copy of the video and told me to let the police detective know they had it if they wanted to come by and pick it up!! WOW! Good for Walmart again!
Bank of America did notify their upper management as to what was going on and put a hold on the account after the check cleared.
I contacted the Credit Bureau and reported the whole thing and then went down to White Settlement police dept and filed the report with the detective there.
I created a whole file of this entire mess. (smart move!) I documented everything!
The detective advised me to never ever mail your bills in a mailbox at your door. Putting the flag up is like a red flag to the criminals that you have checks in there too. Also to not ever mail your bills in any of the blue mailboxes as they too could be broken into. The only place safe is if we go into a post office and either slip the mail into the wall slot for outgoing mail or hand it directly to the teller.
It took me 3 months to get my money back. For 3 months my money was held hostage but it all finally got sorted out and yes, Bank of America returned to me all overdraft fees. Walmart returned the money seeing that yes, I had not ever used a check with them and telling me because I used a Debit card all the time, that was what saved me. Tho' later I found out they blackballed my account with them?? Such crap!
But the moment all my checks cleared however, I closed the checking account with Bank of America.
I closed ALL my accounts with Bank of America, except for the line of credit that I could not close out at the time. At one point they tried to make me keep a checking account because I had a line of credit but then they changed their stance and let it be.
I went straight over to Bank of Texas who were all too happy to have my account. So I just continued to pay Bank of America by either transfer or check.
And everything went well for a while......
Until....
Bank of America, many years ago, back when I lived in Vegas, I got an account with them. Bank of "America", how can you go wrong? Right? WRONG!
At the time however, they were great! I can't complain about them at all.
Like many Americans, I got credit cards. Now my dad always fussed at me about it. He never had a single credit card all of his life. He hated the credit cards and he thought debit cards were stupid. Why you would want to stand in line to get your money when you can just go right into the bank with a check and write out what you want and they would give you the money right out of your account. He thought the cards were a dangerous thing, and a very bad idea. It was cash over the barrel or you got "payments on time" or you just didn't get it. He hated that I had credit cards and knew it was far too easy to get into trouble with them. How right he was! Because sure enough, I did, like many others, I got into debt and ended up with way too many cards with too high of an interest rate. Part of the downfall was yes, me being stupid and living beyond my means. Plus, my son's medical bills and things happening with the car like the a/c going out in my car while living in FL and well, you can't survive too well down there without it. And on top of all of that, I had to take a 13k loss on my home and the only way I could pay the bank that much was credit card cash withdrawals. Oh now that's such a bad move and let me tell you, it is nasty for the interest you are charged is outrageous!
So I was in a big mess by the time I got to Vegas.
But, Bank of America was there for me. I thank them for this. They came out with this special 50k line of credit, no questions asked, yadda yadda type of deal. Guaranteed interest of 8.5% for the life of the loan, etc etc and when I saw this, I knew I could get rid of all of my high interest credit cards!
So I signed up. They charged me 1k or so for processing...ahem....the start of it all....
but I didn't care a whole lot at the time (silly me!) because all I saw was all that interest I was not going to have to pay the other cards. But the whole deal was, I had to make my payments and I could not be late, not one time or else the interest rate would jack up to 26.99 or 29.99%. Holy crap right?
So I made SURE that I would never be late and I had the money withdrawn automatically each month and in fact, I paid them more than I needed to. My payments were 734 a month so I paid 1k a month. Yup, that's nasty, but I had a lot of credit cards (see 13k in debt from the loss of the house alone). But I made sure I would never ever be late. And for a few years, everything went well, everyone was happy...
Until....
I moved to Texas, continued with my payments and then, someone stole a check out of my mailbox, (an automatic felony for tampering with the mail) and they stole my routing number and account number off the check and duplicated a few blank checks and went down to a Walmart in White Settlement, TX (on the other side of Ft Worth from me) and this dude thought to buy himself a shiny new computer. Then he made a mistake and went over to the jewelry counter 5 minutes later and tried to buy himself some expensive jewelry.
Walmart denied his check. THANK YOU WALMART!
I thought I had blogged of this before, but don't see the post, so I'll explain now what happened and later, I'll make a blog post of what to do should you find your identity is stolen or a check or something like that. And I'll keep this short without pulling my file to go into too many details about this situation...
I had been saving some money in my checking account to pay Home Depot for the gutters they were installing on my house. I looked into the bank account online as I tend to do now and then and all of a sudden I saw my money was gone! I realized what had happened and saw pending this huge check for Walmart written just the day before!
Now, what flags this even more is that whenever I have gone to Walmart, I never ever use a check. I just don't carry checks with me, they are used only for bills. I always use my debit card at Walmart.
I knew if this check cleared my account, my other checks that were out, were going to bounce sky high! So I went to my bank to stop payment on that check that was still pending. To stop it in its tracks. Bank of America would not do that. They told me I had to let it clear. I was upset. They told me not to worry that any overdraft fees would all be returned to me eventually but I couldn't close the account out, I had to let it happen.
OK, I felt this was WRONG. They should have been able to reject the payment as it was PENDING. It would be different if it had cleared but if it's still pending, then I felt they could have disapproved it, denied it or whatever and stopped it, but nope.
So then, the lady I spoke to at the bank told me I shouldn't bother to file a police report. HUH?!
Yea....NOT!
Both of my parents were dispatchers for the police and so I knew that was wrong. Whether they catch the guy or not, I still had to file a report! It's wrong what happened and they need to know about it.
Well, I thought I could go locally to the police but no, they sent me to the police dept that the Walmart in question was under their jurisdiction. Well that took getting out my Sherlock Holmes hat to figure out what Walmart it was as the number listed on my online statement was to a Walmart that no longer existed! DOH!
I finally figured it out however and notified Walmart and they pulled the video tape and reviewed it with me on the phone and said yup, they could see the guy, described him to me and what he bought even! They made a copy of the video and told me to let the police detective know they had it if they wanted to come by and pick it up!! WOW! Good for Walmart again!
Bank of America did notify their upper management as to what was going on and put a hold on the account after the check cleared.
I contacted the Credit Bureau and reported the whole thing and then went down to White Settlement police dept and filed the report with the detective there.
I created a whole file of this entire mess. (smart move!) I documented everything!
The detective advised me to never ever mail your bills in a mailbox at your door. Putting the flag up is like a red flag to the criminals that you have checks in there too. Also to not ever mail your bills in any of the blue mailboxes as they too could be broken into. The only place safe is if we go into a post office and either slip the mail into the wall slot for outgoing mail or hand it directly to the teller.
It took me 3 months to get my money back. For 3 months my money was held hostage but it all finally got sorted out and yes, Bank of America returned to me all overdraft fees. Walmart returned the money seeing that yes, I had not ever used a check with them and telling me because I used a Debit card all the time, that was what saved me. Tho' later I found out they blackballed my account with them?? Such crap!
But the moment all my checks cleared however, I closed the checking account with Bank of America.
I closed ALL my accounts with Bank of America, except for the line of credit that I could not close out at the time. At one point they tried to make me keep a checking account because I had a line of credit but then they changed their stance and let it be.
I went straight over to Bank of Texas who were all too happy to have my account. So I just continued to pay Bank of America by either transfer or check.
And everything went well for a while......
Until....
Everyday Products You've Been Using Wrong
Ok now, you are going to just smack your brow when you take a look at this link!
I looked at it and the first thing I had to do was go running to the aluminum foil, Reynolds Wrap, and see if it was there. And yup! It IS!!
What was really bad was that my daughter already knew about it! Hahaha and I never did, not all these years!?
Scary!
One thing for your kids to know more about technology than you, but to know something of an older product that's been around for like forever?
Oh boy!
Ok, so without further ado, check out this link!! It's awesome and try out some of those eye openers and tell me what you think!?
http://www.buzzfeed.com/gabbynoone/18-everyday-products-youve-been-using-wrong
I looked at it and the first thing I had to do was go running to the aluminum foil, Reynolds Wrap, and see if it was there. And yup! It IS!!
What was really bad was that my daughter already knew about it! Hahaha and I never did, not all these years!?
Scary!
One thing for your kids to know more about technology than you, but to know something of an older product that's been around for like forever?
Oh boy!
Ok, so without further ado, check out this link!! It's awesome and try out some of those eye openers and tell me what you think!?
http://www.buzzfeed.com/gabbynoone/18-everyday-products-youve-been-using-wrong
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Shopping Changes for Black Friday
Normally, my daughter and I get up like around 3 am, and out the door by 4 to head to JCP and get our free Mickey snowglobe and toodle about, buying clothes for us and whatnot. Then we head to a couple of other stores nearby, then to Ihop for breakfast and done usually by around 9 or 10. That's been our routine for years now and I've loved it.
This year, with the stores opening Thanksgiving afternoon/evening/night, she went out with her bf and shopped and then they slept in Friday.
I stayed home and had a Grimm marathon after the big Turkey dinner.
I slept in a bit more Friday morning cause I knew I only needed to go to like 2-3 stores. I still expected to see a crowd but as I got out there, probably more like 5:30, I went to JCP first and the parking lot wasn't jammed full. Inside, it was like almost no one was there? I had gone in without a jacket expecting to get hot with all the people like usual and nope. They still had plenty of stuff there, had carts even! No snowglobe but I didn't need that, but...wow...so after I walked around, picked up a couple things and then left. Normally I think I spend several hundred there and this year, like $60?
Then off to Bed, Bath, & Beyond. (Gotta love that store!) Now there, I shopped! They always have the neatest stuff in there. They had 20% off your entire purchase! I was like wow! Plus gave you a coupon for World Market and so I popped over there (didn't stand in line for the free teacup *snorts*) and picked up a few stocking stuffers in there as they always have the old fashioned and new innovative things there. Then one other stop and again, it wasn't jammed or overloaded with people. Amazing.
Off to IHOP and swung by to pick up a friend to go with me and got a seat right away no problem. Waitress there said she heard the police had to step in at a Walmart in Lewisville cause people were fighting over stuff. It's really not worth that. She also told us that they were not packed full this morning like they usually are.
She felt the stores ruined things by opening up Thanksgiving night. I have to agree in a way. On one hand, it was so nice to go out and not battle crowds Black Friday morning or stand in these hour long lines to checkout. I went right up to every register and they still had pretty much all I was looking for.
But on the other hand, I find the timing of it is really bad. To open on Thanksgiving night? Really? After your turkey dinner, it's nice to relax and watch shows together with the family. We still did that a little but I think its a shame to have the stores start their Black Friday deals on Thursday. Trying to prolong their sales and thinking to increase their revenue for this time of the year. But you know, more and more, I hear people sit home and just order it all online, wait for Monday, Cyber Monday now it's called and just wake up for their deals, click-click, sip of your hot chocolate and then go back to bed and sleep.
It just seems to be getting crazier and crazier all the time!
Most things I don't need to run around for and can order much of it online. I think tho' I may still end up at Bed, Bath & Beyond as they had the best deals I've seen and always a pleasure to shop there.
But I still don't need to wake up and OHMYGODEARLYAM to get anything.
I hope your experience shopping yesterday was as nice and relaxed and my own! :)
This year, with the stores opening Thanksgiving afternoon/evening/night, she went out with her bf and shopped and then they slept in Friday.
I stayed home and had a Grimm marathon after the big Turkey dinner.
I slept in a bit more Friday morning cause I knew I only needed to go to like 2-3 stores. I still expected to see a crowd but as I got out there, probably more like 5:30, I went to JCP first and the parking lot wasn't jammed full. Inside, it was like almost no one was there? I had gone in without a jacket expecting to get hot with all the people like usual and nope. They still had plenty of stuff there, had carts even! No snowglobe but I didn't need that, but...wow...so after I walked around, picked up a couple things and then left. Normally I think I spend several hundred there and this year, like $60?
Then off to Bed, Bath, & Beyond. (Gotta love that store!) Now there, I shopped! They always have the neatest stuff in there. They had 20% off your entire purchase! I was like wow! Plus gave you a coupon for World Market and so I popped over there (didn't stand in line for the free teacup *snorts*) and picked up a few stocking stuffers in there as they always have the old fashioned and new innovative things there. Then one other stop and again, it wasn't jammed or overloaded with people. Amazing.
Off to IHOP and swung by to pick up a friend to go with me and got a seat right away no problem. Waitress there said she heard the police had to step in at a Walmart in Lewisville cause people were fighting over stuff. It's really not worth that. She also told us that they were not packed full this morning like they usually are.
She felt the stores ruined things by opening up Thanksgiving night. I have to agree in a way. On one hand, it was so nice to go out and not battle crowds Black Friday morning or stand in these hour long lines to checkout. I went right up to every register and they still had pretty much all I was looking for.
But on the other hand, I find the timing of it is really bad. To open on Thanksgiving night? Really? After your turkey dinner, it's nice to relax and watch shows together with the family. We still did that a little but I think its a shame to have the stores start their Black Friday deals on Thursday. Trying to prolong their sales and thinking to increase their revenue for this time of the year. But you know, more and more, I hear people sit home and just order it all online, wait for Monday, Cyber Monday now it's called and just wake up for their deals, click-click, sip of your hot chocolate and then go back to bed and sleep.
It just seems to be getting crazier and crazier all the time!
Most things I don't need to run around for and can order much of it online. I think tho' I may still end up at Bed, Bath & Beyond as they had the best deals I've seen and always a pleasure to shop there.
But I still don't need to wake up and OHMYGODEARLYAM to get anything.
I hope your experience shopping yesterday was as nice and relaxed and my own! :)
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Adding or Taking Dirt Away
Lately, I've noticed that this one road near me was closed off as they are wanting to widen it and cut it down.
I couldn't help but be reminded of when they did that in my community. The hill in front of me was too high so they cut some of it down and then went straight ahead and poured foundation down for the houses built there.
My house is at the bottom of the hill and so they did not remove any dirt at all, nor did they add any either for that matter.
Every house that had dirt moved or added to, had foundation issues. Each one had to have their foundations repaired. To date, my foundation has been fine.
So when I saw this road being cut away and the hill lowered, I couldn't help but think that they would then experience shifts and that means potholes and cracks and all that fun stuff and it means, they will be repairing that road for a long time before the dirt settles down.
It was another reminder to me for when I go to purchase my land and if I have the house built for me, to make sure the land is not needing to be disturbed, at least not much so that I won't have to worry about the foundation.
Here are ways I found on the internet that you can damage your foundation:
http://www.superiorfoundationrepair.com/steel-pier-foundation-repair-house-leveling-austin-and-san-antonio-texas/326/foundation-repair/5-ways-homeowners-cause-foundation-problems/
And also, to back up what I wrote, here is also other ways that your foundation can have issues and to note, the clay soil shifting....that is the type of soil we have here where I am at, clay soil.
http://foundationrepairs.com/foundationmaintenance/v-what-causes-foundation-problems.php
All things to remember and think about when purchasing/building a home and then, maintaining it! :)
I couldn't help but be reminded of when they did that in my community. The hill in front of me was too high so they cut some of it down and then went straight ahead and poured foundation down for the houses built there.
My house is at the bottom of the hill and so they did not remove any dirt at all, nor did they add any either for that matter.
Every house that had dirt moved or added to, had foundation issues. Each one had to have their foundations repaired. To date, my foundation has been fine.
So when I saw this road being cut away and the hill lowered, I couldn't help but think that they would then experience shifts and that means potholes and cracks and all that fun stuff and it means, they will be repairing that road for a long time before the dirt settles down.
It was another reminder to me for when I go to purchase my land and if I have the house built for me, to make sure the land is not needing to be disturbed, at least not much so that I won't have to worry about the foundation.
Here are ways I found on the internet that you can damage your foundation:
http://www.superiorfoundationrepair.com/steel-pier-foundation-repair-house-leveling-austin-and-san-antonio-texas/326/foundation-repair/5-ways-homeowners-cause-foundation-problems/
And also, to back up what I wrote, here is also other ways that your foundation can have issues and to note, the clay soil shifting....that is the type of soil we have here where I am at, clay soil.
http://foundationrepairs.com/foundationmaintenance/v-what-causes-foundation-problems.php
All things to remember and think about when purchasing/building a home and then, maintaining it! :)
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Heroes
I have had this particular blog post on a few different blogs and not quite sure where it would fit best. But, it IS a wonderful tip, an ideal that seems almost lost amongst the newer generations
So here, is where I have moved it to.
My hero, or rather, Richard Widmark, who played one of my heroes in the movies, Jim Bowie.
Richard Widmark 1914-2008
Hearing about Richard Widmark's death, was like hearing of my father dying all over again. For it was my father who introduced me to it all and instilled this within me as I was growing up.
To me, these men, all of them, were about honesty, integrity and standing up for what you believe in. Fighting for it no matter what, even if it means dying for it. I have held onto those thoughts for all my life.
I read how some said they don't make actors like Richard Widmark anymore and that many were sad to hear of his death for to them, it felt like it was one of the last ones to pass away who were from that time when men were men. Even Richard Widmark himself said that today, Hollywood movies are about the bottom line...they lost the intellectual storytelling and I know I am paraphrasing here, but I understand what he was saying.
You just don't see too many or at least not hear of too many 'dramas'. Now if you hear that, you think daytime drama or soap operas and not some of the movies they made back then like Pickup on South Street or The Bedford Incident.
I watched a few videos on-line about Richard Widmark, one was a game show called: "What's My Line?". I saw a glimpse into the man behind the name and his humor and easy smile as he tried to disguise his voice. The 'gentle' man behind all those great roles both hero and villain alike.
I only wish I had had the chance to meet him. Just to say thank you for giving up that pool and being in the movies he was, for the ones I saw as I was growing up, had such an impact on me. Ones that I will never forget and will hold close to my heart always.
Thank you Mr. Widmark. You were a fine actor and handsome gentleman and you will always be remembered.
My father had three brothers. Two are passed as well and I would be remiss to not speak of them. The two that are gone, one younger, I don't remember a great deal as he died when I was very young. I can barely remember him holding my hand and I remember coming across a castle he had made out of paper that I thought was just the most magnificent castle I had ever seen. It was tucked away in our attic in a closet.
The older brother who has passed, I was not very close to but he too, like my father was a man's man and also served in the military. We had a shared interest in our family ancestry and I was never more touched than to have received a letter with pics of the shore place from him while I was in basic training.
The other brother who is still living, my other uncle, is one who I always idolized and looked up to as I was growing up. Seeing him on our home movies on the rings and diving alongside my father always had me enthralled. My father used to tease me as he knew I looked up to his brother. They were both very close growing up and often our families would go camping together and do things together. When my father died, it was he who stood at my side and was there for me. I know I could not have gotten through it all were it not for him. We have grown very close and he has become like a second father to me. He also instills that same honesty and integrity and strength. Kind, thoughtful and would do anything for you, he reminds me alot of my father. With all he has been thru in his life and how he is, he too, has been a hero to me. I have been so very lucky to have had these men in my life as my family.
When I saw this one about Jim Bowie's earlier life as a young man, I was enthralled and had to learn how to throw a Bowie knife just like he did and used to go up into the woods with my own Bowie knife strapped to my hip and practice. I learned all I could about Jim Bowie and the Alamo, where he died on March 6th, 1836.
John Wayne Talks of the Alamo
John Wayne's The Alamo 50th Anniversary Tribute
Marty Robbins' Ballad of the Alamo
So here, is where I have moved it to.
My hero, or rather, Richard Widmark, who played one of my heroes in the movies, Jim Bowie.
Richard Widmark 1914-2008
Richard Widmark was a very fine actor that I had come to admire since I was a little girl. I spent the morning he had died reading all the links I could find on-line about him and his life and all the while, the tears just flowed.
One of the things he was quoted for having said was how tough it was in thinking that he would be remembered for a giggle as he played Johnny Udo in Kiss of Death. A wonderful movie and made him a star. Here is a pic of the scene in that movie where he pushes the lady in the wheelchair down the stairs.
One of the things he was quoted for having said was how tough it was in thinking that he would be remembered for a giggle as he played Johnny Udo in Kiss of Death. A wonderful movie and made him a star. Here is a pic of the scene in that movie where he pushes the lady in the wheelchair down the stairs.
To me, I will remember him most as playing Jim Bowie in The Alamo. That is when I first saw him when I was about 9 years old. That is when Jim Bowie became my hero and Richard Widmark became one of my favorite actors.
One of his favorite films he did was Cheyenne Autumn where he brought the plight of the American Indians, the Cheyenne to light.
It got me to thinking that day of how the time for heroes has long gone. Who are our children's heroes today? What sort of qualities or morals or values do they give our children?
My father's hero was Hopalong Cassidy. My father had always encouraged us to have a hero.
Hearing about Richard Widmark's death, was like hearing of my father dying all over again. For it was my father who introduced me to it all and instilled this within me as I was growing up.
To me, these men, all of them, were about honesty, integrity and standing up for what you believe in. Fighting for it no matter what, even if it means dying for it. I have held onto those thoughts for all my life.
I read how some said they don't make actors like Richard Widmark anymore and that many were sad to hear of his death for to them, it felt like it was one of the last ones to pass away who were from that time when men were men. Even Richard Widmark himself said that today, Hollywood movies are about the bottom line...they lost the intellectual storytelling and I know I am paraphrasing here, but I understand what he was saying.
You just don't see too many or at least not hear of too many 'dramas'. Now if you hear that, you think daytime drama or soap operas and not some of the movies they made back then like Pickup on South Street or The Bedford Incident.
I watched a few videos on-line about Richard Widmark, one was a game show called: "What's My Line?". I saw a glimpse into the man behind the name and his humor and easy smile as he tried to disguise his voice. The 'gentle' man behind all those great roles both hero and villain alike.
I only wish I had had the chance to meet him. Just to say thank you for giving up that pool and being in the movies he was, for the ones I saw as I was growing up, had such an impact on me. Ones that I will never forget and will hold close to my heart always.
Thank you Mr. Widmark. You were a fine actor and handsome gentleman and you will always be remembered.
Of course, I could not talk of heroes or Richard Widmark, without talking about my own father. I do miss him a great deal. He was such a large part of my life and when he died so unexpectedly 8 years ago, it just broke my heart. I was very close to my father throughout my life, as his first born, I was the apple of his eye. He often teased me of Jim Bowie being my hero but what he may not have known, was that he too, was also my hero.
My father taught me many things in life and I used to follow him around when he was fixing things in the house or out cutting wood for the woodstove or making things with his hands. He was a roofer's son and he also was a roofer himself and worked as a dispatcher for the police for over 30 years. I was always so proud of my father and his name. He took us travelling and camping all across the U.S. and taught us how to fish and even shoot, how to play games that really sharpened our minds and how to have fun and kid around. I had a rich childhood for all the wonderful and joyous memories growing up. I have been most blessed in my life to have been brought up with such a solid foundation.
He instilled in me the worth of honesty and integrity and gave me such values that I carry to this day. He never liked to owe anyone a penny and he would keep his word as best as he could. He too, was a strong man and of a time as Richard Widmark said, when men were men.
Thank you Daddy, for such a grand childhood and being such a great father! I love you!
My father taught me many things in life and I used to follow him around when he was fixing things in the house or out cutting wood for the woodstove or making things with his hands. He was a roofer's son and he also was a roofer himself and worked as a dispatcher for the police for over 30 years. I was always so proud of my father and his name. He took us travelling and camping all across the U.S. and taught us how to fish and even shoot, how to play games that really sharpened our minds and how to have fun and kid around. I had a rich childhood for all the wonderful and joyous memories growing up. I have been most blessed in my life to have been brought up with such a solid foundation.
He instilled in me the worth of honesty and integrity and gave me such values that I carry to this day. He never liked to owe anyone a penny and he would keep his word as best as he could. He too, was a strong man and of a time as Richard Widmark said, when men were men.
Thank you Daddy, for such a grand childhood and being such a great father! I love you!
My father had three brothers. Two are passed as well and I would be remiss to not speak of them. The two that are gone, one younger, I don't remember a great deal as he died when I was very young. I can barely remember him holding my hand and I remember coming across a castle he had made out of paper that I thought was just the most magnificent castle I had ever seen. It was tucked away in our attic in a closet.
The older brother who has passed, I was not very close to but he too, like my father was a man's man and also served in the military. We had a shared interest in our family ancestry and I was never more touched than to have received a letter with pics of the shore place from him while I was in basic training.
The other brother who is still living, my other uncle, is one who I always idolized and looked up to as I was growing up. Seeing him on our home movies on the rings and diving alongside my father always had me enthralled. My father used to tease me as he knew I looked up to his brother. They were both very close growing up and often our families would go camping together and do things together. When my father died, it was he who stood at my side and was there for me. I know I could not have gotten through it all were it not for him. We have grown very close and he has become like a second father to me. He also instills that same honesty and integrity and strength. Kind, thoughtful and would do anything for you, he reminds me alot of my father. With all he has been thru in his life and how he is, he too, has been a hero to me. I have been so very lucky to have had these men in my life as my family.
Lastly, my other hero, Jim Bowie. Jim Bowie has been portrayed in the movies and tv series over the years and another fine actor who played him was Alan Ladd in The Iron Mistress. What a great movie that is too and Alan Ladd also became a favorite actor of mine!
When I saw this one about Jim Bowie's earlier life as a young man, I was enthralled and had to learn how to throw a Bowie knife just like he did and used to go up into the woods with my own Bowie knife strapped to my hip and practice. I learned all I could about Jim Bowie and the Alamo, where he died on March 6th, 1836.
I have visited San Antonio many times over and of course always take time out to step inside the mission itself. Often, I feel a tear fall as I stand in the center and close my eyes and remember. A huge thank you to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas for taking care of the Alamo so that all who may come to her doors, may remember.
Lest we forget...John Wayne Talks of the Alamo
John Wayne's The Alamo 50th Anniversary Tribute
Marty Robbins' Ballad of the Alamo
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