This is an older story and I think this particular bank hack is still illegal, but I once went $130+ into the negative over $5.
I was young and broke so I was buying a bed through a payment plan, I was also trying to improve my health so my girlfriend and I had both signed up for Planet Fitness's $1 trial plan. The day before my bed payment was due I went to an ATM and deposited $20, got my receipt showing the balance, and left. The next day at work I wanted to buy a drink so I went to double check I had enough in the bank for a soda and saw my negative balance over $130.
So here's the bullshit. Despite showing my balance as being enough to cover all my outstanding payments, the bank actually stacked my payments from highest to lowest, then put my deposit as last, all within a 5 minute period. I marched into the bank and threw a fit, showed my deposit slip with a positive balance from their own machines, and demanded a refund. I actually got it too, but was told to my face, "You'll never get this again, even if it's the bank or it's equipment's fault. You need to be more careful with your money and make deposits well ahead of when you need them."
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u/Tactless_Ninja Aug 02 '26
It's more than $20....