I realize that it is bad form to write a check when you don't actually have money in the account. However, since I had cash in my pocket, I wasn't concerned.
After spending all weekend trying to give them money, without success, I started to become concerned.
I couldn't actually speak to anyone at USAA all weekend, but I did talk to my little credit union here.
after speaking to my credit union, and then to the super nice person who answered my questions when I called Monday morning, I learned of the way to make cash deposits to USAA from Alaska.
it's convoluted, but in order to make a cash deposit, I have to buy a money order and then bring it to the UPS store with my ATM card. They scan the money order, and use my ATM card to treat the money order as cash.
in fact, the first deposit I made that way was instantly credited to my account.
So, I bought a money order for all the cash I had and deposited it the same way.
It wasn't until several hours later, and after USAA closed (they're three hours behind me), that I thought that a hold had been placed on that cash. A four day hold.
So I called and pleaded my case that the hold should be listed in this one specific case.
They knew that the money was in the form of a Western Union money order. I told them that that money represented all my cash at the moment, but that direct deposits were coming their way quickly.
I went up the food chain with my requests and case.
When I finally got a person on the "executive board", she sounded like she was reading a script based on keywords I was using instead of actually looking at the problem and trying to solve it. It was only in an aside that she mentioned the possibility of wiring the money.
Of course by now it was too late, because all of my money was tied up in the hold.
They do all of their check clearing overnight. The hold on my funds was released at midnight. Between 11 o'clock and midnight, I bounced three checks, at a fee of $29 per.
worse than the fee, (which totally ruined my birthday because now I'm broke and can afford my new phone) are the bounced checks and the reputation that comes with that.
Plus, each of those bounced checks will bring a charge on the other side too.
