Posts by Emily Gomez3

rowdypilot19 said:The thing is, the real issue here is that you didn't actually tell them what you needed in the first place.

You never mentioned having that second account over at a different bank, so... I mean, how are they supposed to know? It’s not like they have mind readers on staff, and obviously, that’s why they couldn't process your payment.

I guess JPMorgan Chase might be one of the biggest headaches on the market right now, but honestly, looking at this whole situation, you're kind of more at fault than anyone else.

Anyway, like someone already pointed out to you, you're basically asking for trouble by not having a personal account. If things go sideways because of that, you'll probably end up back here complaining, even though you already know the fix.

All of that aside, my refusal to present a state ID is purely an act of civil disobedience against a law that is fundamentally flawed and needs to be overhauled. I think it's unfair—not to mention completely illogical—that a citizen is expected to go out and BUY a document every five years as a mandatory requirement when I already possess another valid document of equal value containing all the necessary data.

My stance is that if the government expects me to hold such a document regardless of whether I have another equally valid one on hand, then that document should be free.

The bigger point is that I failed to mention that when I first walked into the bank, my mother was with me—she was the one who had been depositing the savings—and I wanted to transfer the funds to her account first.

The bottleneck was simply that JPMorgan Chase insisted I fill out their little survey before anything else could happen, which kept getting rejected because of my lack of an ID. That is strictly a failure of the bank itself; I don't want any of their products or services, I just want the money that, by chance, happened to be deposited in my name at their branch instead of somewhere else.

I have some lawyers in my circle, and look, since I started voting and encouraging others to vote from the moment we hit adulthood fifteen years ago, I haven't seen much change in society, other than the fact that our numbers are dwindling. And as long as I refuse to be one of those people who runs away from the idiots inhabiting this part of the country, the only thing I can do is try to spark change through my own actions, even if that change is limited to the small circle around me...

Not using banks except in emergencies, refusing to respect laws that defy common sense—without breaking them in a way that harms the people around me—and consistently showing up to the polls, no matter how pathetic the system feels, I’m going to stick to my "stance." My only regret in this whole ordeal is that you somehow have to take it out on the "merchandise" behind the counter, putting them in an awkward spot by asking "where's your manager?" just because they're enforcing a stupid policy.

It’s the same deal with the police, customs agents, or clerks in any other government institution, etc. But personally, I don't see any other way to try and nudge things toward actual change.

I look at my parents and I've seen for years how they've given up on everything, but I still can't do that, and I won't. I don't want to reach a point where I feel like I fully and consciously bent over for the system. Sure, the system might get a well-deserved slap in the face once in a while since it isn't entirely without fault, and maybe I'll occasionally turn a blind eye to some nonsense. But when it comes to banks, that's not happening anytime soon from me...🙂

darkorca12 said:Look, I’m not entirely sure what the current protocol is at the Department of Justice—since the Orepic crew used to fudge the numbers on everything—but if you don't want two agents showing up at your door every couple of weeks breathing down your neck over some nonsense... just play the fool. Act like a modern-day Don Quixote. But you actually need an ID, man. Most likely, places like JPMorgan Chase won't even look at you without one—I haven't read the fine print, but that's how it works. You already admitted you know yours is expired, so just go get it sorted. Basically, that temporary paper they give you along with your old ID counts as valid documentation. It’s a fifteen-minute job if you catch them when it isn't busy. Now, tell me: is it really worth wasting your time being stubborn for no reason when you're going to have to renew that ID anyway?

Writing this with a little less exhaustion today—this whole ordeal only took me about two hours. I called the bank ahead of time and explained the situation: I don't want to open an account, I don't want any services, I just want the money that was accidentally deposited into a housing savings account under my name at JPMorgan Chase rather than my actual bank.

After some back-and-forth over the phone, they gave me the names of the branch manager and the director, so I headed down to the branch with that info in hand.

I explain that this is clearly a matter of identifying me as a US citizen who has funds held at their institution, and because they can't "verify" me, they won't release the cash. Suddenly, the conversation shifts to this specific questionnaire, where the entire digital form hits a dead end at the field for the ID number, and the clerk literally cannot click "NEXT."

I reiterate again: I am not trying to open an account or sign up for anything. The staff tells me, "But we have to pay the funds out somewhere," to which I respond that I have an account at my primary bank where I filled out every single form perfectly, and if they have questions about my identity, they can contact the Department of Justice or my own bank since they already have my Social Security number.

At that exact moment, the tone changes. The questionnaire is suddenly no longer an issue. The branch issues me a Contract to terminate the savings account and close it, transferring the funds directly to my main bank account.

They added, of course, with a little side remark, that the request is now being processed by the department in charge of savings accounts, and they'll contact me if there are any further issues.

I head over to my primary bank with that termination Contract, which explicitly states that identification was completed using a: "PASSPORT," and I ask if there is any reason why JPMorgan Chase would block the transfer to my account.

The answer I got was that if that ever happens, I should come to the legal department at my home branch, where I'll be provided with all the documents and specific items from that "questionnaire" that another bank is legally allowed to request from me...

All in all, it's depressing that you have to spend three or four hours reading up on your own rights just to deal with such trivial things. I get that ignorance isn't an excuse, but I really don't understand why banks have become so incredibly arrogant when dealing with money that is my private property.

Thanks for the support and the advice!

Man, this is actually pretty hard for me to write... But honestly, I don't know how else to fight against this system except through these little battles where I actually have a shot. So, here’s the deal: I have a housing savings account over at JPMorgan Chase that my relatives used to contribute to, and it’s finally ready to be tapped. It’s not like I’m talking about life-changing wealth here, just $2,000. Anyway, it's time to withdraw it. I don't even have an active checking account with them anymore; I just have this specific savings account sitting there under my name.

I walk into the branch and sit down with one of their employees, who immediately starts grilling me with some questionnaire. They want to know if I have dual citizenship, where I live, if I've ever been to the US... and I'm just sitting there thinking, "Why on earth do you need to know all this?" but fine, I'll play along just so I can get this over with and go home. It is scorching hot outside and I really didn't sign up for this level of hassle today. Then comes the moment they ask for my state ID, which I don't have on me—I only have my current passport. But the teller refuses to release the funds because her system won't let her authorize anything based on my passport.

Look, part of this is just pure stubbornness, but the truth is I haven't renewed my state ID because, as I mentioned, I have a perfectly valid passport. And yeah, I realize I'm technically stretching the rules regarding mandatory identification, but I'm going to keep doing it. If a document is "mandatory" for a citizen of this country, then it should be provided for free. Especially when I already hold a valid federal document that allows me to enter any other country in the world—which is really the only thing I actually need (unless we're counting visas, which are just stamped inside the passport anyway, so potato poteto story)...

So, what am I supposed to do? Does anyone have any legal advice? I just want my money. I want the bank to shut the hell up with all these questions and just identify me based on my Social Security number, my photo, my name, my DOB, and my address, and B O M !

p.s.
Resistance to this modern-day servitude... Sorry for the venting, I'm just a little heated right now...