Jen said Chase left a message on her phone asking her to call back. Thinking it was about fraud, she did three times, and when she finally reached the person who called her, she got a creepy and misleading pitch for overdraft protection. They wanted her to come into her local branch and “go over her overdraft protection choices.” Who has time for this crap?

Jenn writes:

hello.

thought i would share my story with you guys over the latest tactics that chase is taking to sign people up for over draft protection.

i got a voicemail from “tara” [name changed] at my local chase branch in chicago, with a message to call back. freaking out a bit, i checked my balance – things looked fine and in order. i called back. was transferred to her line which rang and rang. this can’t be good. i waited ten minutes and called back again, a gentleman picked up the phone, i asked for tara, was informed she was with a client and could she call me back. i asked what this was regarding, figuring now that it was probably in regards to the over draft protection, he said “i’m not tara. i can’t tell you what it’s about.” nice, right? i told him i didn’t know what this was regarding, so she can call me back. over and hour and a half later, around 5:30pm, she calls back. i was away from my phone so she left another message, this time stating it was “not urgent, but important”.

i called the bank, for the third time now, and finally got a hold of tara. she apologized for worrying me, that this was just important, nothing urgent, still not stating what this was regarding. at this point i don’t remember if i asked or if she finally said that this was about the over draft protection – i was just irritated that so much time was being wasted already. tara then explained how she wanted me to COME IN to the branch and sit down with someone to go over my overdraft protection choices. i said that my branch didn’t have hours that worked for me, and that i didn’t have time to come in. she said i needed to, that she couldn’t access my account without me being present (???). i asked what happens if i don’t come in. she said the decision is then made for me. i asked which decision that was. she said to be opted out of the protection. i said that was what i wanted, so i clearly didn’t need to come in. she said they had to do this with everyone, and that i could go to any chase branch and do this since their hours didn’t work for me.

if chase really wants to talk to everyone about their choices, then perhaps they shouldn’t state on the 27 letters and 36 emails about over draft protection that by not taking action you are automatically not enrolled…

– jenn in chicago

No thanks, how about instead of charging me $34 if I try to buy a $2.50 Snickers and I only have $1.50 in the account, you DECLINE THE TRANSACTION.

The August 15 deadline to snooker customers into singing up for overdrafts is looming, and banks are pulling out all the stops to try to hold onto this lucrative fee stream.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.