Nothing in life is 'free'

I've been question our banking institute lately. Compass has commmercials saturating this region advertising no fee, free checking, re-imbursement on all ATM fees, and overdraft protection. I balance our checkbook meticulously every 3 or 4 days. And almost every month, I forget to deduct the free 'fee' from our checking account. That frustrates me. I've called and questioned it, and they say that it's for overdraft protection... which we never use or need. But I told them that last year, when I accidentally scheduled a payment for the wrong date, and we had to utilize the overdraft protection, they still charged a fee of $12. So where is the 'free' there, people? Like I said, I'm looking for another place to have our checking account. Maybe then, free will be free.