TCF-- the Bamboozle Bank

My daughter gave me a TCF Visa gift card for my birthday in August. I recently read in the paper that sometimes they charge a fee on such cards.

I checked the teeny-tiny print at the bottom of the card and sure enough, the buggers charge $2 a month. Being a thrift-minded gal, I decided to exchange it for cash that I could hoard in a coffee can and spend at will--or, deposit in my savings account--something reasonable like that.

So, I took the card to the cashier at my TCF bank. She was a small Asian girl with a sweet face. Without blinking an eye, she told me there is a $20 fee for turning it into cash!

Arrrrgh! (That's pirate talk for those who aren't into banking.)

This means I have to use the card before they start attaching fees to it, whether I want to or not. I'm nonplussed at this turn of events, not to mention plenty ticked off.

After all the value I've lost on my retirement annuity in past quarters, I'm beginning to think coffee cans are a darn good idea.