2005-09-09 webmail to BB&T
Original Message-----
Dear Ms. Hall:
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As a reminder, check images are available for 60 days only. If the desired check is over 30 days old but less than 60 days old, you may enter a specific date range in the From and To boxes beside your account number.
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Thank you for using BB&T OnLine.
Yolanda Barnes BB&T E-Mail Support
end of original message (from BB&T) ----
"As a reminder"? Using the word "reminder" implies that I was given this information in the first place. No where on the Account page OR in the check window is there ANY mention of this 60 day limitation. Rest assured that if I had been aware that I had only 60 days to save the images of my checks, I certainly would have made more of an effort to make sure I had done so.
First I was told that I would have to pay extra, with this type of account, to get my original checks back. Then I was told that original checks would no longer be available, as the banks were switching over to using images for interbank transfer, but that these images would be available on the web site at no extra charge. I naturally assumed that the images would be either automatically downloaded or else available indefinitely, or that (at the *very* least) there would be some clear warning or indication of a time-limit before they were deleted.
When the banks were trying to sell everyone on the new process of returning the checks only as images instead of as physical documents, the claim was that there would be no decrease in the quality of the service AND that it would save money for the banks, which could then be (at least partly) passed on to the customer.
Some points to consider:
- The check images we now receive are very low quality. When I scan physical checks for my own archives, I use at *least* 200 dpi, full color. Your checks are scanned sometimes in greyscale at about 100 dpi and sometimes in black-and-white at about 200 dpi.
- For each check I want to keep a copy of, I have to save the images one at a time -- a process involving about half a dozen clicks for each side of the check. This is rather more time-consuming than the old-fashioned process of pulling the checks out of the bank statement and plopping them into a check storage box. If these images are intended to replace the old process, there should be a way to download all new checks simultaneously.
- In the past, I knew I would always automatically end up with the original checks; no extra work was required. Even if I neglected to open my bank statements and sort the checks into their proper storage location, they would still be waiting there in the envelope if I needed them. With this new process, I have a deadline to meet, and a tedious process to go through if I don't want to completely lose that same information which used to arrive effortlessly.
And finally, you did not answer my question about retrieving the check images which have already been removed. Could you please restore those?
Thank you,
Sandy