Goodbye AOPA and Bank of America

[Grumman-581[_1_]]

Although I never really liked the MBNA web page for the AOPA credit card,
I somehow managed to put up with it while convincing myself that it was
worth it for the added discount that I got on certain aviation
purchases... Well, I was attempting to log onto the Bank of America site
last night in order to see if the AOPA charge had been posted and
encountered enough problems with both the site and subsequently their
tech support line that it finally pushed me over the edge... In order to
reset my password, I had answered all the security questions, but I did
not know the exact date of my most charge (since these days, it's only
getting charged the automatic AOPA renewal amount)... After getting fed up
with them, I asked if I had provided enough information in order to be
able to *cancel* my account... Turns out I had... Goodbye Bank of
America... AOPA, well, you get got caught in the fallout...

[Jay Beckman]

"Grumman-581" > wrote in message
...
> Although I never really liked the MBNA web page for the AOPA credit card,
> I somehow managed to put up with it while convincing myself that it was
> worth it for the added discount that I got on certain aviation
> purchases... Well, I was attempting to log onto the Bank of America site
> last night in order to see if the AOPA charge had been posted and
> encountered enough problems with both the site and subsequently their
> tech support line that it finally pushed me over the edge... In order to
> reset my password, I had answered all the security questions, but I did
> not know the exact date of my most charge (since these days, it's only
> getting charged the automatic AOPA renewal amount)... After getting fed up
> with them, I asked if I had provided enough information in order to be
> able to *cancel* my account... Turns out I had... Goodbye Bank of
> America... AOPA, well, you get got caught in the fallout...

AOPA would probably like to know about this. I hope you drop them a note as
well.

Jay B

[Jim[_11_]]

"Jay Beckman" > wrote
> AOPA would probably like to know about this. I hope you drop them a note
as
> well.
>
> Jay B

You're right, AOPA should hear about it, but they'd probably give you the
BOA customer service number where you'd here:

"We at BOA, as well as our card sponsor and your fine association, AOPA,
take your personal financial security very seriously. We sincerely
apologize if our security measures have caused you any inconvenience, but
we're sure that you'll agree that with the added risks of today's
technologically complex society, your financial and identity security are
our number one concerns."

Barf. The problem is that they don't give a rat's ass.

I had the same type of problem with my mutual fund account. I had several
accounts that didn't have my name exactly the same. Some used my middle
initial, some my first initial and middle name, some with a III at the
end... but ALL under the same SS#, joint tenant with the same wife, with the
same SS#, and all at the same address where we receive 1099's and statements
for all accounts.

I couldn't log in because they said I wasn't me. It took me 2 months and
about a dozen phone calls. All I kept getting was a statement similar to
the above.

Jim

[Skylune]

Grumman-581 wrote:
> Although I never really liked the MBNA web page for the AOPA credit card,
> I somehow managed to put up with it while convincing myself that it was
> worth it for the added discount that I got on certain aviation
> purchases... Well, I was attempting to log onto the Bank of America site
> last night in order to see if the AOPA charge had been posted and
> encountered enough problems with both the site and subsequently their
> tech support line that it finally pushed me over the edge... In order to
> reset my password, I had answered all the security questions, but I did
> not know the exact date of my most charge (since these days, it's only
> getting charged the automatic AOPA renewal amount)... After getting fed up
> with them, I asked if I had provided enough information in order to be
> able to *cancel* my account... Turns out I had... Goodbye Bank of
> America... AOPA, well, you get got caught in the fallout...

You have made a wise choice to dump AOPA. Anyone that can publish
illiterate statements like this: ""Airspace restrictions do nothing
more then negatively impact the users of the national airspace system
whom are law abiding citizens" deserve to be dumped. Paging Mrs.
Crabapple, 8th grade grammar teacher....

[buttman]

On Jan 24, 8:48 am, Grumman-581 >
wrote:
> Although I never really liked the MBNA web page for the AOPA credit card,
> I somehow managed to put up with it while convincing myself that it was
> worth it for the added discount that I got on certain aviation
> purchases... Well, I was attempting to log onto the Bank of America site
> last night in order to see if the AOPA charge had been posted and
> encountered enough problems with both the site and subsequently their
> tech support line that it finally pushed me over the edge... In order to
> reset my password, I had answered all the security questions, but I did
> not know the exact date of my most charge (since these days, it's only
> getting charged the automatic AOPA renewal amount)... After getting fed up
> with them, I asked if I had provided enough information in order to be
> able to *cancel* my account... Turns out I had... Goodbye Bank of
> America... AOPA, well, you get got caught in the fallout...

I woke up this morning and thought to myself "I wonder if Grumman-581
from usenet is happy with his Bank of America/AOPA credit card?". Lo
and behold, you posted this informative thread, so I don't have to
wonder anymore. Thanks.

[M[_1_]]

This reminded me. I just cancelled my AOPA MBNA now BOA card 15
minutes ago. That 5% fuel discount used to be worth it, but now the
earning points thing is totally not worth the trouble.


On Jan 24, 8:48 am, Grumman-581 >
wrote:
> Although I never really liked the MBNA web page for the AOPA credit card,
> I somehow managed to put up with it while convincing myself that it was
> worth it for the added discount that I got on certain aviation
> purchases...

[Jack Cunniff[_1_]]

Ditto. I'm done with that card.

-Jack

"M" > writes:

>This reminded me. I just cancelled my AOPA MBNA now BOA card 15
>minutes ago. That 5% fuel discount used to be worth it, but now the
>earning points thing is totally not worth the trouble.


>On Jan 24, 8:48 am, Grumman-581 >
>wrote:
>> Although I never really liked the MBNA web page for the AOPA credit card,
>> I somehow managed to put up with it while convincing myself that it was
>> worth it for the added discount that I got on certain aviation
>> purchases...

[C J Campbell]

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 08:48:24 -0800, Grumman-581 wrote
(in article >):

> Although I never really liked the MBNA web page for the AOPA credit card,
> I somehow managed to put up with it while convincing myself that it was
> worth it for the added discount that I got on certain aviation
> purchases... Well, I was attempting to log onto the Bank of America site
> last night in order to see if the AOPA charge had been posted and
> encountered enough problems with both the site and subsequently their
> tech support line that it finally pushed me over the edge... In order to
> reset my password, I had answered all the security questions, but I did
> not know the exact date of my most charge (since these days, it's only
> getting charged the automatic AOPA renewal amount)... After getting fed up
> with them, I asked if I had provided enough information in order to be
> able to *cancel* my account... Turns out I had... Goodbye Bank of
> America... AOPA, well, you get got caught in the fallout...

USAA is a lot easier to work with.

--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

[ktbr]

Skylune wrote:

> You have made a wise choice to dump AOPA. Anyone that can publish
> illiterate statements like this: ""Airspace restrictions do nothing
> more then negatively impact the users of the national airspace system
> whom are law abiding citizens" deserve to be dumped. Paging Mrs.
> Crabapple, 8th grade grammar teacher....
>

It is pitiful that your most productive characteristic is to
comment negatively on someone elses grammar while offering
nothing else in return for the bandwidth you wasted.

[ktbr]

M wrote:

> This reminded me. I just cancelled my AOPA MBNA now BOA card 15
> minutes ago. That 5% fuel discount used to be worth it, but now the
> earning points thing is totally not worth the trouble.

Well we're all payy for you. Perhaps Phil Boyer should have
personally flown to your airport pumped the free gas into your
airplane...

[John Galban]

On Jan 24, 9:59 am, "Jay Beckman" > wrote:
>...AOPA would probably like to know about this. I hope you drop them a note as
> well.
>

AOPA has been hearing about this ever since the cutover. I know
dozens that have emailed AOPA about the BOA card. Most often the
problem was getting bills within 1 or 2 days of the due date (i.e.
automatic $39 late fee). AOPA doesn't care, as long as BOA sends
their check on time.

John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)

[Dan Luke]

"Jim" wrote:
> I had the same type of problem with my mutual fund account. I had several
> accounts that didn't have my name exactly the same. Some used my middle
> initial, some my first initial and middle name, some with a III at the
> end... but ALL under the same SS#, joint tenant with the same wife, with
> the
> same SS#, and all at the same address where we receive 1099's and
> statements
> for all accounts.
>
> I couldn't log in because they said I wasn't me. It took me 2 months and
> about a dozen phone calls.

That is a *good* thing, I'd say. Would you have felt secure if it had been
easy?

--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

[Casey Wilson]

"C J Campbell" > wrote in message
e.com...

<<snip>>

>> able to *cancel* my account... Turns out I had... Goodbye Bank of
>> America... AOPA, well, you get got caught in the fallout...
>
> USAA is a lot easier to work with.
>

This does, of course, apply only to those eligible for USAA
services. I spent at least 35 minutes to find out that I wasn't.

[Jim[_11_]]

It would have been a good thing it it was the initial setup. This happened
out of the blue after each account was several years old and I hadn't had
any other problems. The part that made me furious was that they weren't
knowledgeable enough to realize that they sent 1099's to me on each account,
with the same SS#, so I must be the same person.

They actually told me that I DIDN"T get 1099's until I told them I was
looking at them and could fax them to them. They believed their computer to
the point of admitting that they were stupid.

Jim

[Grumman-581[_1_]]

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 11:50:53 -0800, in
. com>, John Galban
wrote:
> AOPA has been hearing about this ever since the cutover. I know
> dozens that have emailed AOPA about the BOA card. Most often the
> problem was getting bills within 1 or 2 days of the due date (i.e.
> automatic $39 late fee).

Hmmmm... Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen a bill from BOA
yet... Perhaps they don't send one if you don't have a current balance?

Then again, I didn't reliably get the MBNA ones either... I suspect that
my postman just put it in someone else's mailbox by mistake... I seem to
get a bit of other people's mail, it's only logical to assume that someone
else is getting some of my mail...

[Grumman-581[_1_]]

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 11:17:17 -0800, in
om>, M wrote:
> This reminded me. I just cancelled my AOPA MBNA now BOA card 15 minutes
> ago. That 5% fuel discount used to be worth it, but now the earning
> points thing is totally not worth the trouble.

I put an engine overhaul on it and as such, it was probably worth it at
the time... Since that time, I only used the MBNA card when I was not
refilling at my hangar (i.e. not being able to use mogas)... Since most of
my flights for the last year have been within the range of my tanks and I
haven't needed to refill at remote airports, I haven't had to use it since
BOA tookover... Actually, what made me start wondering about the card was
that the MBNA card that was in my wallet had already expired and I started
thinking that BOA should have received a replacement card from BOA by this
time... Initially, I told them to send me a new card and I had given them
enough information to satisfy them that I was the owner of the card at
that point... But after I had numerous problems logging onto their site
and had to resort to calling them to get them to fix it, it turned out
that the amount of information required for changing my password was more
than it took to get a new card... At this point, I was a bit ****ed at
their website and the various transfers from person to person and the wait
on hold, so I sarcastically asked if I had given them enough information
that I could cancel my card... Turns out that I had, so I cut my losses
and just cancelled the card... AOPA just got caught in the fallout, I
guess...

[Grumman-581[_1_]]

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 09:59:25 -0700, in >,
Jay Beckman wrote:
> AOPA would probably like to know about this. I hope you drop them a
> note as well.

Since this happened after AOPA's member services voice line was closed for
the day, I sent them an email instructing them to cancel my membership and
reverse the charge that they had put on the credit card for the upcoming
year's membership fees... I explained the reasoning for it, albeit in
probably a bit less detail than I've done here... I just told them that I
had had numerous problems with the BOA website, was rather displeased
with their customer service, and whereas I had been dissatisfied with the
MBNA website, the BOA one finally pushed me to the point of not wanting to
put up with it anymore...

[Roger[_4_]]

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 10:48:24 -0600, Grumman-581
> wrote:

>Although I never really liked the MBNA web page for the AOPA credit card,
>I somehow managed to put up with it while convincing myself that it was
>worth it for the added discount that I got on certain aviation
>purchases... Well, I was attempting to log onto the Bank of America site
>last night in order to see if the AOPA charge had been posted and
>encountered enough problems with both the site and subsequently their
>tech support line that it finally pushed me over the edge... In order to
>reset my password, I had answered all the security questions, but I did
>not know the exact date of my most charge (since these days, it's only
>getting charged the automatic AOPA renewal amount)... After getting fed up
>with them, I asked if I had provided enough information in order to be
>able to *cancel* my account... Turns out I had... Goodbye Bank of
>America... AOPA, well, you get got caught in the fallout...

NBNA is one of the least secure, Internet savvy financial institutions
I've run into. They even send out e-mails to customers that could be a
blueprint for phishing schemes.

They send a person though all this to make a change and then they send
out e-mails with a link for you to use to log in.

I think we all need to give AOPA a call.
AOPA is worth the money as far as I'm concerned. They've done a great
deal for many of us keeping our airports open.
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

[Grumman-581[_1_]]

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:50:27 -0500, in
>, Roger wrote:
> NBNA is one of the least secure, Internet savvy financial institutions
> I've run into. They even send out e-mails to customers that could be a
> blueprint for phishing schemes.
>
> They send a person though all this to make a change and then they send
> out e-mails with a link for you to use to log in.

What irritated me on the MBNA site was that not only could they not be
setup for automatically deducting the monthly charges from my bank
account, but if you went to their site to make a payment, it defaulted to
the minimum payment required instead of to pay it in full... I had been
right at the edge of cancelling it for awhile, but the BOA incident
finally pushed me over the edge...

> I think we all need to give AOPA a call. AOPA is worth the money as far
> as I'm concerned. They've done a great deal for many of us keeping our
> airports open.

If they provided a DVD with all the airport information on it instead of
the paper edition in addition to a database format that I could use for my
own software, I would probably reconsider my membership... As it is, I
just don't have the time to read their magazine that much anymore and as
such, I just don't get that much out of the membership these days...

[John Godwin]

"M" > wrote in
ups.com:

> This reminded me. I just cancelled my AOPA MBNA now BOA card 15
> minutes ago. That 5% fuel discount used to be worth it, but now
> the earning points thing is totally not worth the trouble.

Oh, I don't know about that ... got on the bus this morning and asked
the driver how many "points" for the fare. :-)

Airline miles and cash have some sort of tangible connotation
associated with them; but "points" seem to have an undefined value of
their own.

--

[Matt Barrow]

"Grumman-581" > wrote in message
...
> Although I never really liked the MBNA web page for the AOPA credit card,
> I somehow managed to put up with it while convincing myself that it was
> worth it for the added discount that I got on certain aviation
> purchases... Well, I was attempting to log onto the Bank of America site
> last night in order to see if the AOPA charge had been posted and
> encountered enough problems with both the site and subsequently their
> tech support line that it finally pushed me over the edge... In order to
> reset my password, I had answered all the security questions, but I did
> not know the exact date of my most charge (since these days, it's only
> getting charged the automatic AOPA renewal amount)... After getting fed up
> with them, I asked if I had provided enough information in order to be
> able to *cancel* my account... Turns out I had... Goodbye Bank of
> America... AOPA, well, you get got caught in the fallout...

Hmmm...I've been with BofA since college and, more recently, have had fewer
issues with their webpages than just about anyone else I do eBusiness with.

As well, I've had nothing but exemplary service from their techies (and
that's 180 degrees from just about anyone else).


--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Performance Homes, LLC.

[[email protected]]

On Jan 24, 9:59 am, "Jay Beckman" > wrote:
AOPA would probably like to know about this. I hope you drop them a
note as
> well.
>
> Jay B

I had reason to let AOPA know that I was unhappy with the changeover
and loss of the 5% rebate. (Just when I'd started flying again, too!)
They didn't seem to concerned, but did hope I would continue using the
card since it provides an income to AOPA.

I don't mind that, but....
Personally, I'd rather just send AOPA a larger donation instead of
having another credit card. I've had identity theft issues twice, and
although they were minor issues in my case, I don't need lots of cards
hanging out there. I get nothing from the AOPA program (I LOVE the way
BofA tried to convince me that the points were a good deal!!!! bleah.)
I haven't cancelled, because I have a credit coming. But my old
Discover card still give me a reliable 1% on everything.
(In general, I don't trust ANY credit card company, but that's another
newsgroup...)

Jay, you back in town yet??

[Skylune]

ktbr wrote:
> Skylune wrote:
>
> > You have made a wise choice to dump AOPA. Anyone that can publish
> > illiterate statements like this: ""Airspace restrictions do nothing
> > more then negatively impact the users of the national airspace system
> > whom are law abiding citizens" deserve to be dumped. Paging Mrs.
> > Crabapple, 8th grade grammar teacher....
> >
>
> It is pitiful that your most productive characteristic is to
> comment negatively on someone elses grammar while offering
> nothing else in return for the bandwidth you wasted.

Come on now, that statement could have been better written by a third
grader. It is "pitiful."

I gotta say though, the article on the upcoming user fees is much
better written. I even agree with conclusion AOPA has reached.

Over and out.