Have I mentioned that the financial system is evil?

The thing was supposed to, by it's very nature, just say, "No," if I didn't have the money.  Hidden pages deep in the electronic maze of financial esotericism that was the online documentation was a little tiny setting that said if I didn't have the money it would reach across banking systems and ask my credit union to cover the difference.  It's not related to my credit union.  It's not in the same system as my credit union.  It's not on the same fucking plane of existence as my credit union.

So here's the deal:

Every month I don't have enough money.  If I'm lucky I can work something out somehow, I seem to have a lot of luck, which is nice.  If I'm not I slip deeper and deeper into debt.  (Social Security is still dragging its heels on the fucking review that has the potential to get me out of this fucked up situation.)

My accounts at my credit union (linked savings and checking) are thus empty almost all of the time.  No balance in checking, minimum balance in savings.  I would never, ever, authorize something to try to draw money from either without me manually checking that there was such money first because I know that having money in them is exception instead of rule.

But the little tiny setting was apparently ticked automatically.

So here I am paying for my medication because without it I become a hopeless helpless mass.  I've got good insurance, only a 6 dollar co-pay for two meds being filled for the next month.

Turns out I only had four dollars and four cents in the debit account.  It's supposed to say, "No."  Debit isn't credit.  Debit is only supposed to use money you actually have.

If it had done that I would have used a credit card to pay the six bucks.

No, this debit card with no connection to my credit union whatsover decided to make the payment and make up the missing $1.96 via a wire transfer from my credit union.  My credit union that doesn't have money in it.

Thus $1.96 overdraft, thus a fee of $30.

For those who can't do percents in their heads:

1. Don't worry about it, I can't either.
2. The fee was 1,530.61% of the overdraft.

When things go beyond one thousand percent, I tend to find them excessive.

The financial system is evil.