An error inputting a bank account number cost an Andover man thousands of dollars.
Justin Marchand is a fan of Volkswagon.
“It’s good on gas and diesel” said Marchand.
But last April, Marchand had to sell his 2012 Passat back to the dealership after a major recall involving its diesel emissions meant that it couldn’t be fixed and it wouldn’t pass an inspection.
Marchand said Volkswagon refunded him $8,300 through a class-action settlement. The car company transferred the money using Chase payments. But when Marchand tried transferring the funds into his Bank of America account, he ran into trouble.
“I accepted it right away and that’s where I ended making the mistake and putting the wrong number in,” said Marchand.
The money went to someone else’s bank account. When he tried to get the money back, Merchand told us it was already withdrawn. He said neither Bank of America or Volkswagen could help him retrieve the funds.
NBC CT Responds
“They told me that the money was in that account. But there’s nothing they can do about it because it’s someone else’s account,” said Marchand.
Marchand said he filed a police report and that detectives tracked down the Bank of America account holder who withdrew the original deposit to a Waterbury address. But Marchand says police have told him that charges have not been filed.
When NBC Connecticut Responds asked Marchand what police said they could do moving forward, he said they told him there was nothing else they could do, and it was up to him to go to court.
Marchand said he had planned to use that $8,300 to put down on another car.
When Responds reached out to Bank of America, their spokesperson Tara Burke told us a statement:
“We advise our customers to be extra diligent to ensure they provide the correct account numbers. Once funds are transferred to another account pursuant to instructions provided by a customer, the person who receives the funds now owns them. We do not have the authority to pull out funds without the permission of the account holder.”
Marchand said he just wants to get his money back.
“I’m kind of at a dead end at this point. I don’t know where else to go.”
Always remember to double and triple check your information before entering your bank account number and verify the name on that account.
