topic Re: Negative experience with BCU in Personal Finance

Negative experience with BCU

SouthJamaica — Thu, 23 May 2024 03:56:38 GMT

My experience with Baxter Credit Union has been negative.

I opened my deposit accounts a while back. Today I wanted to set it up for direct deposit,

bill pay, external transfers and the like. When I tried to add external accounts I kept getting blocked.

So I called in, spent probably half an hour on the phone, was eventually told that my external transfer

function was restricted, he would put in a request to lift the restriction, and I would be notified by email

when it was lifted.

Then later I got an email that they would not remove the restriction and that if I wanted to make deposits I could mail checks.

So I closed my accounts, and put BCU in the rear view mirror.

I know a lot of people in this forum say BCU is good. But there have been a lot of weird things with them too.

But me, I'm done with them.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

Jeffster1 — Wed, 22 May 2024 21:11:50 GMT

@SouthJamaica wrote:
My experience with Baxter Credit Union has been negative.

I opened my deposit accounts a while back. Today I wanted to set it up for direct deposit,
bill pay, external transfers and the like. When I tried to add external accounts I kept getting blocked.
So I called in, spent probably half an hour on the phone, was eventually told that my external transfer
function was restricted, he would put in a request to lift the restriction, and I would be notified by email
when it was lifted.

Then later I got an email that they would not remove the restriction and that if I wanted to make deposits
I could mail checks.

So I closed my accounts, and put BCU in the rear view mirror.

I know a lot of people in this forum say BCU is good. But there have been a lot of weird things with them too.

But me, I'm done with them.

@SouthJamaica I agree. BCU can be weird AF. Mail a check? It's not 1985. After the snafu last week, I felt their service recovery was good but they still leave me uneasy.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

Guyatthebeach — Sat, 25 May 2024 18:57:41 GMT

@SouthJamaica ,

I'm sorry to hear you are having issues with BCU. This CU is starting to have too many issues. Your situation doesn't make sense to me. Why deny ACH transfer options to a member that isn't near a branch? Either there is a lot of questionable decision making or the CU does not want members that are near their branches, ie sounds like the CU wants to geo-fence without actually geo-fencing in my humble opinion.

I now have to call BCU next week, because I have a new issue. When I logged in earlier today to make a payment, it said I was past due. I am not because I pay in full or more depending on the balance. The payments due 6/13/24. I will monitor the CU weekly for a while cause this may be a sign to end my membership.

Guyatthebeach

Re: Negative experience with BCU

creditfan — Sun, 26 May 2024 04:32:36 GMT

I am so proud and keep telling people BCU everything is fast, from mobile deposit, push ach, etc. As a result, it became my fav and primary FI, however, one and only one I experienced so far is their internal payment/transfer from checking to credit card would take 2-3 days to post. For instance, I paid on my due date and I still get notation red mark "past due" on my credit card. However, I am okay confirmed by their CSR.

My auto loan is on the same due date, but it paid and post the same day. I don't know why on the credit card side can not do the same basic thing.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

SouthJamaica — Sun, 26 May 2024 15:39:39 GMT

@creditfan wrote:
I am so proud and keep telling people BCU everything is fast, from mobile deposit, push ach, etc. As a result, it became my fav and primary FI, however, one and only one I experienced so far is their internal payment/transfer from checking to credit card would take 2-3 days to post. For instance, I paid on my due date and I still get notation red mark "past due" on my credit card. However, I am okay confirmed by their CSR.

My auto loan is on the same due date, but it paid and post the same day. I don't know why on the credit card side can not do the same basic thing.

Probably the credit card management is subcontracted out to a different company, such as pscu, and there is a time lag in communication between the two entities.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

keekers — Sun, 26 May 2024 15:59:37 GMT

Sorry you had a bad experience but thanks for sharing.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

cashorcharge — Tue, 28 May 2024 02:17:18 GMT

@SouthJamaica wrote:
My experience with Baxter Credit Union has been negative.

I opened my deposit accounts a while back. Today I wanted to set it up for direct deposit,
bill pay, external transfers and the like. When I tried to add external accounts I kept getting blocked.
So I called in, spent probably half an hour on the phone, was eventually told that my external transfer
function was restricted, he would put in a request to lift the restriction, and I would be notified by email
when it was lifted.

Then later I got an email that they would not remove the restriction and that if I wanted to make deposits I could mail checks.

So I closed my accounts, and put BCU in the rear view mirror.

I know a lot of people in this forum say BCU is good. But there have been a lot of weird things with them too.

But me, I'm done with them.

What a PITA! I would have done the same...

Re: Negative experience with BCU

SouthJamaica — Tue, 28 May 2024 03:42:19 GMT

@cashorcharge wrote:
@SouthJamaica wrote:
My experience with Baxter Credit Union has been negative.

I opened my deposit accounts a while back. Today I wanted to set it up for direct deposit,
bill pay, external transfers and the like. When I tried to add external accounts I kept getting blocked.
So I called in, spent probably half an hour on the phone, was eventually told that my external transfer
function was restricted, he would put in a request to lift the restriction, and I would be notified by email
when it was lifted.

Then later I got an email that they would not remove the restriction and that if I wanted to make deposits I could mail checks.

So I closed my accounts, and put BCU in the rear view mirror.

I know a lot of people in this forum say BCU is good. But there have been a lot of weird things with them too.

But me, I'm done with them.

What a PITA! I would have done the same...

Well it was nice of them to allow me to send paper checks.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

northway — Sun, 02 Jun 2024 02:39:43 GMT

I dealt with restrictions with BCU at one point. Took a few months, but they eventually unrestricted everything. It's a fraud prevention procedure for them.

I recently opened a Travis CU account and they did the same thing. I'll just wait it out and they'll eventually unrestrict.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

Jenmarick — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 14:35:10 GMT

The same thing happened to me except I didn't close the account. I just stopped using it and have .58 sitting in there. My credit card is with them.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

SouthJamaica — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 15:20:18 GMT

@Jenmarick wrote:
The same thing happened to me except I didn't close the account. I just stopped using it and have .58 sitting in there. My credit card is with them.

Welcome to the forum.

Yeah, if I had a credit card with them I probably wouldn't have bothered closing the deposit accounts. But I didn't. The two useless deposit accounts were my only tie to this institution.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 16:38:53 GMT

@SouthJamaica wrote:
My experience with Baxter Credit Union has been negative.

So I closed my accounts, and put BCU in the rear view mirror.

I know a lot of people in this forum say BCU is good. But there have been a lot of weird things with them too.

But me, I'm done with them.

10 days from now last year I applied for their visa and opened a savings account with them. Without telling the story; my experiance with them was exactly the same as yours, only different.

I didn't need their games, and they don't want our business it seems.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 19:26:14 GMT

But, I will say in hindsight I appreciate BCUs and BOAs tomfoolery.

All.. I.. wanted.. at that time was a Visa for my card portfolio.

I had my bucket list of future cards that I wasn't going to apply for until this year, but after BOA and then BCU seriously annoyed me with their antics I hit the bucket list.

Over the course of 68 days I had added (with no denials):

Citi Custom
Chase Prime Visa <- yes visa
Amex Hilton
Sams MC

And then I was denied for the USB Cash+, but on the recon call was advised to reapp in April of this year.
I reapped in April and was approved for the Cash+ at $7500 SL

So, All Hail BCU !!

Re: Negative experience with BCU

Anonymous — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 11:34:20 GMT

@SouthJamaica wrote:
My experience with Baxter Credit Union has been negative.

I opened my deposit accounts a while back.

I am curious how long, there abouts, was a while back?

Re: Negative experience with BCU

SouthJamaica — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 15:50:27 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@SouthJamaica wrote:
My experience with Baxter Credit Union has been negative.

I opened my deposit accounts a while back.
I am curious how long, there abouts, was a while back?

I don't recall. Probably 6 months to a year, I would guess.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

Adkins — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 06:20:36 GMT

I joined them a bit ago, but lately I'd had an issue not being able to log in to my account online. I didn't think anything of it and reminded myself to call during business hours and find out what's up. When I finally remembered to call in, they couldn't find my account or that I'd ever been a member. 😐 I got shuffled through two departments to eventually reach someone that informed me I'd have to resubmit all my paperwork again, since they couldn't verify my membership in Life Money You. 🙄 Yeah, no.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

SouthJamaica — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 13:53:27 GMT

@Adkins wrote:
I joined them a bit ago, but lately I'd had an issue not being able to log in to my account online. I didn't think anything of it and reminded myself to call during business hours and find out what's up. When I finally remembered to call in, they couldn't find my account or that I'd ever been a member. 😐 I got shuffled through two departments to eventually reach someone that informed me I'd have to resubmit all my paperwork again, since they couldn't verify my membership in Life Money You. 🙄 Yeah, no.

It's funny. I posted my original post just because so many people had been raving about BCU, and I thought I should present my contrary experience. But it seems that BCU is not so great after all, as many other people are reporting weird goings on there.

My nomination for most interesting BCU glitch goes to the time that a whole bunch of people found their credit cards and personal lines of credit suddenly closed for no apparent reason

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/BCU-closed-my-5k-Visa-and-20k-LOC-without-noticed/m-p/6760224

BCU later claimed that it had been conducting an annual review and "took a file or files in from third party sources and accidentally closed out some good risks/cardholders on mistake" That explanation doesn't really explain what happened, since all credit reviews rely on files from third party sources.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

SouthJamaica — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 13:49:55 GMT

@SouthJamaica wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@SouthJamaica wrote:
My experience with Baxter Credit Union has been negative.

I opened my deposit accounts a while back.
I am curious how long, there abouts, was a while back?

~~I don't recall. Probably 6 months to a year, I would guess.~~

Actually it was around a year.

-

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 19:01:48 GMT

@SouthJamaica wrote:
Actually it was around a year.

The timeline was rebuilt using my email archives and call logs which I do not delete.
The details of the exact words from the BCU phone calls are hazy since I immediately put it all out of my head.
Unlike BOA that is burned in my brain with visuals and a running commentary.

---------------------------------

*June 16th Friday*
I apply for their Visa and it comes back as pending. So I opened a "'tupid Life, Money, You" account then opened a savings account with the free $1 they give you. I set the whole account up for proper alerts and such. Then I added my 5/3 checking as an external account. Then had to wait the expected (x+2-1=z) days for the verification pennies transfers.

*3 days later on June 19th Monday morning*
Receive a call from BCU and had a pleasant chat (7 min 23sec) with the woman about my new account.
I explained I had applied for the Visa and then opened the savings account.
The call ended with her saying something to the effect of looking into the Visa application for me and then calling me back later that day.
That return call never happened.

*2 days later on June 21st Wednesday*
I log in to 5/3 and see the .01 and .10 verification transfers.
Head to the BCU site and... can't login. Nothing I try works.
I can not remember if it said no account found, username or password error, or if a flashing "you deserve a seizure" gif popped up.
So I call and find my account is locked down with no explanation of why AND no way to remedy it.
Told her to just close the savings account down then. No point in any of this.
She says it is closed and we end the (8 min 51sec) phone call.

I get an email the same day.

"We appreciated the opportunity to assist your financial needs. At your request we have closed your membership.
Should you wish to reopen your account, please visit our website at havetobe@kiddingme.com"

Some days after this I received the denial letter for the Visa, and I could not have cared less.

*Sometime in August*
Receive a letter from BCU with some reference to the savings account.
Wasn't a statement. Something like term changes or some such circular file fodder.
Threw it away and figured if I received another letter I would call and ask whats up.

*Oct 10th*
I receive a letter from BCU and it is a statement for my savings account with $1 in it.......

Call them up and the CSR says there is no records of the account being closed.
I said well close it please and keep the dollar, it was yours to begin with.
She said they couldn't keep it and the $1 would be mailed to me in a check.

---------------------------------

So I ended up with a $1 check and this 'tupid story to post here.

Re: Negative experience with BCU

Guyatthebeach — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 21:45:29 GMT

@SouthJamaica,

BCU is on my watch list and it's number 2 on financial institutions to close list.

The week after my Visa and POC were reopened following BCU closing them, I got a past due message when I logged in. Note I already paid the statement balance the day after the statement cycled and the balance was paid in full on the due date.

When I called BCU, the representative said that was an error and my account was in good standing. Well the next day, the same error message appeared. I got an email survey and I included that issue.

I got another email asking for more details. I sent them screenshots I saved. They have responded with the opened a help ticket with the credit vendor and are awaiting a response. When I get an update, I will let you know.

Guyatthebeach