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In the past few days I made more phone calls to different people who might be able to help. I finally reached the president of the bank in question only to have him talk down to me, like I was a dumb kid. He just infuriated me further when he told me the bank was not the one at fault. Then why did they take the $35 over draft fee? The money was there to pay the initial debit transaction. The “frozen” money should have been UNFROZEN and taken away. Not an over draft fee attached! Literally, the bank STOLE that $35 from me.

I also reached Mr. Becker, who is a representative of Shell. He told me banks will do this type of freeze, but it’s mainly because the credit card companies who issue the debit cards insist this be done. In my case it’s a Mastercard. The gas stations have no ability to reach into the bank accounts to put this freeze on the account. Mastercard (and Visa) do this because they are not getting their fees due to the person using the card as a debit card. So they attach the freeze onto the checking account, hoping to trap the person using the card. Mr. Becker told me he feels this is illegal. I totally agree.

I was also told by the local legislature representative’s office to file a complaint through the attorney generals office. I did this last evening. I also intend to file with the Better Business Bureau and the FTC. I am also going to post on Ripoffreports.com and Consumerist.com. No one should be ripped off like I was.