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June 5, 2009 at 4:24 pm #591137
JenVMemberI have been a customer of WaMu since I was a kid. The recent changeover to Chase has been so terrible, I am now switching banks. The weekend they switched over was Memorial Day weekend…I try to transfer funds from checking to savings, and they tell me I have no access to my funds during the switchover. Then this morning, I *try* to call my local branch, and get the giant Chase monster… “Good afternoon…can you spell See-at-ell for me, ma’am?”
Good lord.
June 5, 2009 at 4:44 pm #668944
miwsParticipantUgh! I’ve decided, for the time being, to just stay with them with my measly little old free checking account. Been a customer off and on since the school banking days, at Lafayette, back in the mid-60’s. This last stretch with them has been nearly ten years now. The only reason I left them around 30 years ago now, was my then employer drew their payroll on Seattle Trust (Key Bank), and there was a branch practically across the street from work.
A buddy of mine was telling me just yesterday that they are raising his CC rates by more than double. (I have only a debit card) Plus, if he wants to close out any of his accounts (he has business and personal) they want to charge a fee. And, it sounds like they want to pull the tack a fee on everything deal.
I’ll just keep an eye on things, and if they want to start messin’ with me ;-) it’ll be off to BECU for me!
And *if* they are indeed going to do this, it’s not a very nice way to “welcome” their new customers from a long standing, well respected instituition which they chose to buy, IMHO.
I *do* feel for the local branch level employees though, that didn’t have much say in this, and have to deal with some of the customers that may take it out on them.
Mike
June 5, 2009 at 6:20 pm #668945
KimberleyParticipantWe switched to BECU after the buy-out due to the massive layoffs, etc., and the general way in which Chase has treated WAMU employees. Unfortunately, we’ve yet to close our account, but it only contains about $20.
June 5, 2009 at 6:25 pm #668946
Lucile 2MemberI switched to BECU and could not be more pleased with the switch. When I call, it is moments before I talk to a real human. There are tons of deposit taking ATMs around, and when I make large deposits, they post IMMEDIATELY to my account, unlike some major banks who only post $100 for 24 hours.
I cannot wait to leave Bank of America too! Only a few months before the D*** car is paid off!
June 5, 2009 at 6:39 pm #668947
squareeyesParticipantI hate making changes so pulling my WaMu/Chase accounts feels like such a pain. I guess the first time they try to charge me for something that was previously free I’ll have to make the effort.
June 6, 2009 at 2:07 am #668948
AdmiralJanewayParticipantI noticed an ATM fee on my last statement for using their drive-thru ATM in the Junction. They reversed the charge when I showed them the ATM receipt with the Chase logo on it.
June 6, 2009 at 2:39 am #668949
alki_2008Participantmiws – excellent point about the branch employees. There is absolutely no need to exude the anti-Chase sentiment onto the branch employees, as they are in the same boat as the customers.
The branches underwent a lot of changes after the take-over, and the branch employees have had to endure all those changes along with the customers. These aren’t Chase tellers coming into the WAMU branches…it’s the WAMU tellers dressed in Chase clothing. There are many things that they have absolutely no control over, especially when it comes to the computer systems and such. It’s just as frustrating for the tellers when something they could do as WAMU is no longer an option for them.
If your WAMU account was opened in a non-bordering state, then be prepared because things will be especially difficult for a while longer. :(
June 6, 2009 at 2:55 am #668950
GenHillOneParticipantIn general, it seems all of the credit cards are raising rates and adding fees (for use, non-use, monthly pay-offs, whatever), especially now that they know the new rules are coming. There is an 800+ FICO score in the GenHillOne household that is annoyingly always balanced to the penny…one card just doubled the percentage rate after years of reponsible use. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. I love the new rules, but we need a protective addendum for the coming months.
June 6, 2009 at 4:05 am #668951
SemeleParticipantWe closed our accounts and moved to BECU after the massive layoffs and the way local employees were treated as well. We could not be happier with BECU. Now we just need to pay off the two CC we have left (and yes the rates got jacked) and say goodbye to them for good!
June 6, 2009 at 4:44 am #668952
saneyMembera friend of mine told me today that her free savings account that she opened with wamu is no longer free if she has under $300 in it. also, wamu used to give one free overdraft reversal per year…and you didnt even have to ask for it, it was automatic. now apparently you have to request it or else the charge will stand. i have a wamu checking and savings and will be calling them tomorrow to find out what exactly the new policies are….and if necessary, i will close the accounts and move to becu…where i already have a savings account.
June 7, 2009 at 5:14 am #668953
mom2sorenMemberMy paychecks at WAMU would always deposit immediately.
I deposited a check at the new Chase today, and didn’t realize that it doesn’t go through until up to a week later!!!! I had bills to pay. This sucks. The paycheck is from a very well-known, large, established organization, so it’s not like the check needs verification or anything. I called the 1800 number to complain, since the branch was already closed before I realized the deposit hold thing.
I hate Chase. I hate the new bullet-proof windows, the ugly signage, the ugly shirts. It’s so sterile. And customer service is in the pits. I can’t wait to change to another bank. I’ll look at BECU.
June 7, 2009 at 2:49 pm #668954
MagpieParticipantThe most important difference between banks and credit unions is who they are beholding to. Banks are beholding to shareholders, credit unions are beholding to their member/owners. I have too many horror stories to tell about banks (my credit card payment was moved from the 15th to the 8th last month with no explanation, my daughter was out of town and had to check her balance at US bank, before she could proceed she had to agree to a $2.50 charge, but since she had only $2.30 in her account, they charged her a $35 overdraft fee that they refused to remove.)
There are a lot of really good Credit Unions in the Seattle area. Their rate and fee structures can be found on their websites. Generally, instead of that nasty overdraft protection that banks offer, you can actually get an overdraft line of credit that has a minimal cost (usually around 10% interest). Also, if you belong to a local credit union, you can use all of the 7-11 cash machines for free and most of them you can deposit in to also.
As of June 1, BECU machines will no longer be free unless you are a credit union member.
Everyone talks about BECU and they are good, but they aren’t the only credit union around. If you do your homework, you can get some really good loan rates at many of the credit unions in the area. Some of them are Washington St Emp CU if you are in education or work for the state, School Employees Credit union if you are in education, Watermark, Prevail, Seattle Metro, GHCU, Alaska federal and more.
Credit card rates can be particularly good at credit unions and they often don’t have a cash advance fee or a higher interest rate on the cash advance. You might not get a ton of perks, but the rates are really good if you are a revolver.
If you are interested in how they are doing, you can go out and look at all credit union finanical information at http://www.ncua.gov.
June 7, 2009 at 3:58 pm #668955
KimberleyParticipantWe closed our joint account with Chase yesterday and weren’t charged a penny, though the other half still has a checking account there that we don’t want to cancel whilst he’s still receiving unemployment. I overheard a conversation between a banker and an older lady. It sounded like the older lady was handling accounts for several family members and had a genuine concern about the sudden fees incurred by several accounts. The banker was extremely nice and took the time to go over each account and switch said account to one that wouldn’t incur fees or transfer money to a seldom used account so it would no longer incur fees. It also sounded like they reversed the fees the accounts had been hit with.
So the customer service is still there, and they seem to be doing what they can to assist customers, but obviously don’t have any control over the higher fees, percentage rates, etc.
June 7, 2009 at 10:15 pm #668956
jessuwMemberI really do feel very bad for the employees…I worked for wamu as a teller for 3 years and I know how hard it is when people are angry at you just because you are wearing the brand. People would get very mad a wamu too…afterall they did really screw up and that’s why they failed. My husband is still working them and he says that the chase transition has been bad because they do not respect the old wamu employees at all. He is looking for a new job. Seriously though, be nice to the tellers if you can, I imagine they are also looking for new jobs.
June 7, 2009 at 11:00 pm #668957
angelescrestParticipantYes, the WAMU/CHASE things has been a mess. The employess are stressed, and I have been too, since I could not access my account by phone, since the money I deposited had to be sent to CA FEDEX and did not post immediately–or even after four days, since I was told that a good-sized amount (to me) was not posting because (told by phone) “there was a levy against my acct.” Huh? What? I had to open a new Chase acct. just so I could get money, but the new debit card has taken over a week to arrive (has not arrived!!!). And, anything I want to deposit in the old acct. will be an experiment in terms of the delay in deposits for those of us, especially, who opened accounts in CA. Iam seriously stressed out because of the WAMU/Chase conversion.
The bank managers at the Admiral branch, Deanna and Martin, could not be more helpful, and for that reason alone, I am sticking with Chase for the time being.
June 8, 2009 at 12:02 am #668958
JillParticipantCount me in the mass exodus from WaMu. I can’t freakin’ stand all of the new hovering robots in the branches now, who insist on mechanically trying to chat you up while you are just trying to get your sh** done. God help you if there’s a line. Plus, my hubby had to call to straighten out something with the “available” vs. “actual” balance, and the person’s phone-answer spiel was, “Hi this is [whatevername]. How can I provide you with outstanding customer service today?” All slurred together. In the end, no one he talked to could answer his questions. I’ve already gotten rid of the cc. Can’t wait to find a new bank for my checking/savings.
June 8, 2009 at 3:51 am #668959
ellenaterMemberI am head over heals in love with BECU. They aren’t perfect. They are HUMAN though. Oh it is so refreshing. Recently I had to stop payment on a check. They not only didn’t charge me, they refunded the money from billpay INSTANTLY. It took all of three minutes on a very pleasant phone call to accomplish this. They rule. I cannot recommend them enough!
June 8, 2009 at 7:21 am #668960
alki_2008Participantangelescrest – The “opened in CA” thing shouldn’t be an issue after November…if you can deal with the local branch mailing your deposits to CA until then. :(
January 20, 2011 at 4:05 pm #668961
DavidBernhardMemberI was a WaMu’er, relegated to Chase who will start the fees in earnest beginning February 8th 2011. INGDirect Electric Orange looks excellent for paperless online banking. It looks like BECU is the best option for local banking in West Seattle. Does anyone else have other opinions?
January 20, 2011 at 5:46 pm #668962
TDeParticipant“JPMorgan, the first of the major U.S. banks to report earnings for the fourth quarter, said profit increased to $4.8 billion…”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41072604/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/
Just sayin…..
January 20, 2011 at 6:45 pm #668963
365StairsParticipantAahh…the great Chase debate…
After experiencing many of the the pains described above we quit too…but not before I “successful” in contacting Chase’s CEO – Jamie Dimon via email…jamie.dimon@chase.com – to let him know about the 28+ 800 #’s we were directed to for Mortgage Lending (many that go nowhere), the hold times, then being directed to their website after talking to a human for 10 seconds…their website…WTF really…the lack of training of their reps to handle basic mortgage lending options…piss poor suggestions telling thousands of their clients NOT to pay their mortgage to get more attention sooner…(added dilinquency fee$)
I did receive response from his exectutive team within 24 hours – classic – “We are truly sorry for the inconviences you described. We thank you for pointing out these issues and will review them closely for corrective measures…”
Bye Bye Chase…big dummies!
January 20, 2011 at 10:03 pm #668964
DianeParticipantI started another Chase thread about a month ago, when those nasty Chase letters arrived announcing $10 fee for “free” checking; and yeh, just read in PSBJ they made almost $5 billion profit in 4th quarter; the Chase greed is overwhelming; I asked a couple Chase managers if they had any options to keep my business; nope
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for any of you who are 55+, I just opened free checking at US Bank, free checks, half off safety deposit boxes, and other benefits; so I’ll be closing my Chase acct soon as I get fully set up with new US Bank acct
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I also have BECU, but don’t use checking, and I needed bank with branches in California for easy access with my dad
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so if you’re 55+, go see US Bank across from Jefferson Square
January 21, 2011 at 5:30 am #668965
ForestParticipantShould I expect Chase to impose a service fee when I close my account next week? I’m thinking maybe I should first cash a check for my entire balance so there’s nothing left for Chase to take from it.
January 21, 2011 at 5:39 am #668966
redblackParticipant365stairs: i’m not quite sure, but i think you might be my hero.
is that really jamie dimon’s email address? he’s gonna get so many spider bot spams…
and he’s gonna be piiiiissed!
then again, that address seems pretty obvious.
never mind.
January 21, 2011 at 3:53 pm #668967
365StairsParticipantredblack – I can honestly say that from July to Oct 2010 – that email address went to Jamie Dimon at Chase (or at least someone who is checking his email), because I got several of his exec. team from Columbus, OH to call back in 24 hours.
Of no real value…I also had a fine conversation with one of his direct personal assistants on her way home one day. She stated that “Mr. Dimon was sympathetic to the current economic state of affairs to all Chase clients and is working diligent with the Chase senior leadership to make it easier to do business”
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