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Colonial Bank Sucks

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by HeinekenMan, Dec 12, 2006.

  1. HeinekenMan

    HeinekenMan Active Member

    I had to get a new bank last year, and I didn't know shit about them. So I picked Colonial Bank because it wasn't far from the house and seemed to have branches in both places I spent my time.

    Since then, it's been an absolute friggin' nightmare, which boiled to a head on Monday.

    The details: The wife writes a check for the rent. The bank denied it, noting that our checks were out of sequence and that her signature didn't match the one they had on file. Never mind the fact that we write a check to this place every month.

    And how do we find out? Well, on Sunday, we're shopping for clothing for the kids, and the debit card is denied. I figure that it's just some odd mix-up. But I was really worried that we were overdrawn somehow, which seemed odd since the online system showed that our rent check hadn't been paid yet.

    Jump ahead to Monday. The wife goes Christmas shopping. She's gone about 30 minutes when she calls to say that her card was denied again.

    So I get online and discover that I can't log in. There's a message explaining that something has happened to the account. So I call the toll-free number, which has one of the most annoying series of requests I've ever faced while trying to talk to a living, breathing human. Finally, I get to tell a lady about my problem. She says that she doesn't know a thing and that I have to call the branch, which is closed.

    So, I call this morning and get the news. Apparently, they tried to call but didn't have our newest number. This, of course, despite the fact that the lady at the toll-free number had it in her files.

    This isn't the first time. I've tried to deposit checks, and they've refused to credit our account or allow me to withdraw a portion of the amount until the checks clear. They have three drive-thru lanes but only one drive-thru teller, and she's almost never there when you pull up because she's busy serving walk-ins. And the walk-ins can't even walk in until the bank activates the door. That's right. You can't just walk into the bank. You have to wait until you're buzzed into the place. And I won't go into the whole deal where everyone treats you like a criminal these days, including the Wal-Mart guys who scurry to the door because the freakin' drugged-out moron at the register forgot to remove the tag from the thing that you just bought.

    I haven't kept a diary, but you should trust me on this. Never, ever bank with Colonial. You'll regret it. The wife starts her vacation on Monday, and we're going in there to close that damned account. I'd rather deal with a loan shark.
     
  2. Bobby Lowder: More than an Auburn University problem.
     
  3. Rufino

    Rufino Active Member

    Unless I'm mistaken, Colonial Bank is controlled by fanatical Auburn booster/board of regents puppetmaster Bobby Lowder. If so, Terry Bowden endorses your decision.
     
  4. Bubba Fett

    Bubba Fett Active Member

    I haven't been in a bank in about 10 years. All my banking is through my money market account.

    The last time I was in a bank I was trying to open a new account, with an initial deposit of about $5,000. It was about 11:30 a.m. at a small branch and I tell the lady that I want to open a checking account.

    She looks around and says "Can you go to the downtown branch because we're trying to get some people to lunch?"

    I was stunned, and haven't done anything with a bank since.
     
  5. OTD

    OTD Well-Known Member

    Is there a credit union you can join? They treat their members much better than banks, and they're usually much better about fees. Their only downside is that you sometimes don't have the 24-hour availability that you have with some banks, but it doesn't sound like you're getting that now anyway.
     
  6. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    So they just flat fucked up and locked up your accounts? No reason other than they didn't think the signature matched?
     
  7. Lamar Mundane

    Lamar Mundane Member

    Bobby Petrino says they have nice corporate planes.
     
  8. grrlhack

    grrlhack Member

    Bobby Petrino didn't actually fly in the corporate planes. But David Housel and the trustees really loved them on that trip to see the Bobster!

    WDE!
     
  9. KYSportsWriter

    KYSportsWriter Well-Known Member

    The U.S. Bank branch I used in Lexington was the same way with having to be buzzed in just to get in the bank. It wasn't that much of a hassle, but I didn't like it when I first started banking there.

    But thank God for direct deposit. The closest U.S. Bank to me is over an hour away...
     
  10. I have never had a problem at Wells Fargo. Not once in six years. Before that, I was having all sorts of nonsense like you described at PNC Bank. ...
     
  11. HeinekenMan

    HeinekenMan Active Member

    Okay, one post, many replies here.

    I was not aware of the Auburn booster tie-in, but I did discover one day that there is some sort of link between Colonial Bank and Adam Wainwright. They were serving popcorn and hot dogs one day, and everyone was wearing Cardinals hats...in Central Florida. The wife asked, and the mentioned Wainwright. A quick Google search shows that a Mrs. Wainwright works at a branch not far from mine.

    Moddy, yes. You're correct. The signature didn't match, and the checks were out of sequence, possibly by a few hundred because I tend to have three or four checkbooks scattered around the house. But I only live a mile from the bank. They easily could have called the management of my little community to ask if I lived there.

    Bubba, please tell me that this took place in the south. They seem to have a completely different concept of customer service down here, but that's somewhat a generalization that probably isn't as accurate as I would like to believe that it is.

    And, yes, I have heard great things about credit unions. My wife is about to sign us up for her teachers credit union. Then I'm going to open a business checking account at a more reputable place to help me with managing the millions rolling in from the freelance work I'm doing these days.

    A money market account sounds like a safe way to go if you have that much cash on hand. I don't, but I would gladly accept $5,000. I won't go out to lunch until I have the cash in hand. Then I shall go out for a prolonged lunch, as in forever.

    I know a guy who handles all of his transactions with a credit card. He earns bonus points and such, and he pays everything off with a check written to the bank before the bank is able to assess finance charges. I guess it works fairly well for him, but I'd be far too tempted to let a few payments slide.
     
  12. I'll never tell

    I'll never tell Active Member

    My mother does that. Puts the rent, car note, water, gas, power ... everything and writes one big check. She gets points like crazy. She could fly around the world twice by now.
     
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