quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

No one refuses cash...yet.

^^^^^
Thanks to problems with money laundering, brokerage firms will not take cash deposits. I had to go back and get checks from my office. A few doctors offices are skittish about that as well.

I just read an article a day or two ago about how multiple states have passed laws or have bills pending that require cash to be accepted as a form of payment.

When I pay with cash, I ask the owner or cashier if they need ID. It leaves them speechless...

Switch to a small, local bank or credit union.

USAA -

The few times I priced them, they were high.

It renews my vow to F them since they didn't want my business back in the 80s when I was enlisted scum.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Switch to a small, local bank or credit union.

I agree, but it seems like the little ones keep getting bought out by the bigger ones!

Funny thing is, they were an AMAZING company to deal with when they only served the officer corps. They were small, customer service centric, and priced very well. When they opened up business to everyone they have been downhill ever since.

If I wasn’t a 30 year customer and lazy I would move everything somewhere else.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
Funny thing is, they were an AMAZING company to deal with when they only served the officer corps. They were small, customer service centric, and priced very well. When they opened up business to everyone they have been downhill ever since.

If I wasn’t a 30 year customer and lazy I would move everything somewhere else.

Absolutely agree.

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
Funny thing is, they were an AMAZING company to deal with when they only served the officer corps. They were small, customer service centric, and priced very well. When they opened up business to everyone they have been downhill ever since.

If I wasn’t a 30 year customer and lazy I would move everything somewhere else.

Absolutely agree.

My thoughts exactly although I'm a 40+ year customer.

Went to local HEB and bought gas, got meds from pharmacy then went grocery shopping.

At check out card declined. Of course big line waiting behind. Had to get manager and set basket full of groceries aside.

Went out to car and called Frost Bank emergency number on card. Got the goddamn phone tree runaround and hold. When finally got the no service human was told they automatically put accounts on hold when 3 charges are made in a row at the same business.

I realize some security precautions are needed but damn. Insult to injury was the goddamn customer service bullshit.

9 months ago we decided to buy a new truck and get a loan to finance part of it. I have top credit and they should be begging for my business. Their interest rate wasn’t so hot.
Another bank gave me a much better rate based on my credit rating and I wasn’t even their customer.

Frost Bank is a Texas chain that advertises how they’re customer friendly unlike the big banks. You know, that “we’re just local folks like you, aw shucks” kind of bullshit. They play up that Texas friendly local folks stuff.

I’m not seeing it.

Time for a change. I hate hucksters.

quote:

Originally posted by IntrepidTraveler:
USAA -

It renews my vow to F them since they didn't want my business back in the 80s when I was enlisted scum.

Same for me in the mid-90's - yet they had retired chiefs working as their salespeople in the office I went to. I thought that was weird.

I have a bank debit card. It's stuffed in my safe with other stuff I don't use.

I pay for almost everything with a credit card these days. I carry cash if I need it but more and more those bills just stay in my wallet.

There are many reasons to use a credit card over a debit card. If something happens and my card is compromised I am not out anything. My bank account, with my money, stay untouched. At the worst, they freeze my credit card. I carry a second card I use very rarely but have it just in case.

I use a rewards card, pay it off every month. Every two years or so I get enough points for a free flight to some island. Makes a nice dive trip cheaper and for nothing but using a credit card to pay for things.

There are many stories and videos of experts that investigate fraud explains why to use credit or debit cards.

Ya, I would dump USAA after that. Seems like an insane overreaction and no simple way to fix it.

Heck of a contrast to Citi Bank. They contacted me to ask whether I was making purchases at auto supply stores in the Miami area. Nope, it has been several years since I have been in that area.

OK, they said, we are freezing that card immediately and sending you a new one. In the meantime, they told me the new card number, CVV code, and expiration date, in case I needed to use that information for online purchases or recurring automatic payments. Very accommodating they were, once we did the complete song-and-dance routine to verify that it was me with whom they were communicating.

I have the Citi rewards card because it's the Costco card. To date, their customer service (rarely needed) has been even better than the old American Express customer service, which was always excellent.

The only positive part of my experience is my bank covers all debit card fraud with no loss to my account, same as a credit card.

What he said. The debit cards that say visa or m/c on them have arguably the same protections your cc do.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Last month, I entered a password incorrectly on the SunTrust Bank website. I did it more than once and the bastages locked me out of online access. Not so bad, you say? Online Bill Pay, no access. Write a paper check? Yeah, but first I want to verify funds in the account. SunTrust had nagged me into going with online statements, instead of paper statements.

OK, I'll take time to go to a branch. Sat on my kosher ass in the waiting area for about an hour, waiting my turn to see a customer NO-Service rep, who told me that I needed to contact the online people. Catch-22 here, I need to be able to log in, in order to send a "secure message."

He told me how to raise somebody on "chat" without logging in. OK, I chatted EVERY DAY, for a whole week. Each chat session resulted in a promise to get everything straightened out within 24 hours. Of course, that never happened.

After a week of this, I marched back in to the branch, asked how much the balance was in each account (one business account and two personal accounts), and said, "OK, give it to me. Now."

Branch manager came out and asked if I would like to come into her office. I answered with one word: "NO!"

Walked across the driveway in the same parking lot to a different bank, sat down, opened new accounts, and we're off and running.

Fuck SunTrust.

I ended up doing the same with American Express long ago. In the military and AMEX had the on-base banking sewed up tight.

We were getting ready to get out of the army and had several 1000s in our accounts. Local branch of AMEX refused to cash a $25 check, saying I had no money in the account. Told them to contact the HQ in downtown Frankfurt that I was coming down to close my account. Manager met me at the door and started his BS. Told him I was not interested, that I was closing ALL my accounts. Got to the counter where I told the clerk that I was closing all my accounts, and wanted it in CASH. Argument ensued, they lost. Got my money in cash and walked across the street to a Chase Manhattan branch and opened my account.

Strangely, I continued to cash checks at AMEX and they never called to verify anything.

Oh, and a buddy of mine who was on the same inspection team also did the same thing. Closed AMEX opened Chase account, and he had some 150,000 due to the sale of some land in the US.

Recently, we sold some property and had about $150K to deposit. We wanted it in a separate account, and our credit union told us we could not open another account. OK, we will take it to another bank and put it there. I decided I wanted to make some smoke and went to see the manager about it. Since when did financial institutions decide to limit your accounts to 4?

He tried the BS approach which got him nothing and we left and opened the account in another bank. Got several calls from the credit union trying to get us to open another account there. Seems they discovered there was a way after all. All our monthly income checks go to the credit union, but only because it is too much trouble to change it all. And we don't get paid shit there either. AIR, .3%

As to USAA, and not for banking, is it worth my time to get a quote for homeowner's and auto insurance from them?[/QUOTE]

Wasn't for me. Went through the trouble of becoming a member only to spend a day on the phone with someone from USAA/Liberty Mutual to tell me they can't beat what I pay State Farm for all of my insurance. By hundreds of dollars a year....