Filed against :
First PREMIER Bank

Complaint Description:
Many web sites are dedicated to this institution providing poor customer service and excessive fines. To validate this all one has to do is google First Premier Bank and visit the sites of individuals providing reviews about service. I have dealt with this company for a month and have suffered rude, short, and painfully ill rapport with customer service from this "bank". The issue that truly needs to be addressed is the excessive poorly represented fees attached to my account and additionally excessive fees for what would be standard account service. The most ludicrous fees are the program fee, account set up fee, and participation fee. Overall activation of the account was in excess of $170.00 in fees that are not normal credit charges. In short someone sat down and decided to attach as many fees as possible to their clients. The biggest slap in the face is the monthly fee to view your account online. This is just outrageous! I have never had to pay for account access with any bank I have held an account with! It gets worse from there: if you make a payment via telephone you get charged a "convenience fee" in the double digits, and large fee is attached to making a payment online. It is known that banks may charge such fees legally . . . as long as they are competitive within the market. Once these fees are excessive and beyond what the average instition charges within the shared market it does become a dance a bank will do on the line of enforcable law. I believe First Premier Bank is crossing the legal line and a class action lawsuit may be a viable option. It should also be noted a new consumer law is expected to pass on January 2010 that will go directly at banks that have excessive fees towards their clients like First Premier Bank. At a time of people falling deeper in debt the fees First Premier Bank are almost, if not, criminal. I am a 100% disabled veteran that fought in Iraq, and my credit went from good to bad because of the time it took for the government to process and adjust my income. I have bad credit now and I understand that that creates issues with banks. I also understand when I am getting taken advantage of. I expect the BBB to confront this institution about the business practices it has and to press First Premier Bank into fair competitive services and fees within the industry. It would be best for First Premier Bank to stop the excessive fees before the new laws are passed that protect the consumer in a few months.

Your Desired Resolution:
A complete review of business practices, dealing specifically with excessive fines and charges that would make the products provided discontinue over-zealous fines and fees for expected practical standard service; (i.e. charges for on-line account management).

This case will be reviewed by a complaint specialist at the Better Business Bureau, and then forwarded to the business for their response. It is our policy to allow the business no more than thirty working days to respond to your complaint. Within those thirty days, we will write, fax, email or phone the company in an effort to seek a resolution to your case. You will be notified when the business has responded.