Freedom First Credit Union

Review: I am writing to file a formal complaint about an issue that took place with Freedom First Credit Union (branch location-Williamson Road). I will explain the circumstances that led up to me having to file a formal complaint. On July 3, 2013, I entered the Williamson Road branch location in order to receive monies so that I could pay my bills. My bills came up to $783.23 therefore I asked the teller to give me $783.23 in cash from my state unemployment benefits debit card; that which, she did. I then proceeded to prepare my bills by giving the teller, one-by-one, the dollar amount for each bill and requested a money order as needed. On July 18, 2013 I noticed that there was a cash advance given to me for the exact amount of what my bills were for the month of July which was $783.23, but I also noticed that on July 3, 2013 on the same date that I received a cash advance from my unemployment benefits debit card, a cash withdrawal in the amount of $107.23 was made and also a cash withdrawal on July 3, 2013 in the amount of $69.00 was made. In addition, I noticed that there was $112.00 transferred from my checking account into the share secured loan account. I distinctly asked the teller to take the cash monies that I had given her and place those monies towards the share secured loan account. The teller did not comply and therefore transferred funds from my savings account. NOTE: When confronted with the issue of transferring monies from my checking account into the share secured loan account which was the opposite of what I had asked the teller to do; the teller informed me that tellers cannot take cash for the share secured loan account therefore it has to come out of a member’s checking account despite the fact that I gave the teller cash money to go towards the share secured loan account in the amount of $112.00. Therefore, the share secured loan was paid twice but was not indicated as being paid twice on any paperwork given to me. It was later revealed to me that the statement made by the teller about members not being able to pay a share secured loan in cash was incorrect and that members can in fact pay towards a share secured loan account with cash monies which is what I did on July 3, 2013. On July 18, 2013, I was looking at my bank statement and noticed that there were some discrepancies on my bank account. I called a branch location of Freedom First Credit Union, spoke with a teller and inquired over the phone about these discrepancies and the teller tried to explain to me what the discrepancy were and the teller came to the conclusion that the matter needed to be resolved by me coming to a Freedom First branch location in person and speaking with a teller or a bank employee in person. Therefore, I left home directly after speaking with this teller and went to the Freedom First Credit Union branch on Williamson Road. I let the tellers there know that there were some discrepancies in my account and would like an explanation as to why. The tellers were not willing to help because they informed me that it was almost closing time. I informed the tellers that if there is a discrepancy in a member’s account that they should be willing to take the time out to assist the member in figuring out what the discrepancy was and therefore assisting with a solution to the problem. The tellers and Freedom First Credit Union’s Personal Banking Representative [redacted] attempted to assist me with the matter of the discrepancies. My mother, who is 69 years of age, was with me also inquired about the discrepancies as well with [redacted] and Mr. [redacted] became agitated and annoyed with my mother and spoke to my mother in a very demeaning and degrading tone. Mr. [redacted] then asked me if I was accusing one of his tellers of stealing money. I informed Mr. [redacted] that if there is a discrepancy in my account and I have no clue how it got there then I have no other recourse than to assume that someone stole my money from my account until otherwise stated and proven. Mr. [redacted] then informed me that since that was the case I should speak with the branch manager. Therefore, the issue did not get resolved and I was simply given some papers that I was told were in reference to the discrepancies and was told to make an appointment with the bank manager. I made the appointment to speak with the branch manager for July 19, 2013 at 2:00 pm and then left the Williamson Road branch building. On July 19, 2013 I arrived at the Williamson Road branch of Freedom First Credit Union and was approached by the branch manager [redacted]. I was escorted by Ms. [redacted] to her office and attempted to explain to Ms. [redacted] what the issue was with my account and Ms. [redacted] immediately began raising her voice and began to yell at me in response. I asked Ms. [redacted] why was she yelling and she stated that she was already told by her employees that I had come into the bank with an attitude and I had no right to come into her bank and accuse an employee of stealing money. I informed Ms. [redacted] that until I know otherwise then I have no other choice but to assume that the money was stolen or misplaced. I also informed Ms. [redacted] that people make mistakes and computers make mistakes and the issue could have come from either one of those instances as well. I asked Ms. [redacted] why was she behaving in such an unpleasant manner and Ms. [redacted] continued to speak to me in a very harsh tone and at one point got up out of her chair and came very close to my face and came within my personal space in a very threatening manner and stated that “I am not the one acting unpleasant, you are the one acting unpleasant. My bank tellers already informed me about how you were acting yesterday so I feel like you are the one that has an attitude problem.” I informed Ms. [redacted] that the bank tellers information in reference to my behavior was false and in fact it was the bank employees that were surprisingly acting in an unprofessional manner and my mother was witness to this behavior, and my mother did comment on their negative behavior and informed me that it was that type of behavior that forced her to end her membership at Freedom First Credit Union. I also informed Ms. [redacted] that she was basing this whole meeting on preconceived notions about what actually took place in the bank on the prior date of July 18, 2013 and was therefore not giving me a chance to tell my side of the story. Ms. [redacted] immediately dismissed my multiple attempts to try to explain to her what I felt the discrepancies were and was not willing to listen to me at all and stated that she was going to inform Ms. [redacted], her supervisor about the matter despite me wanting to rectify the situation with her on that date of July 19, 2013, in order to avoid having to escalate the matter to upper level employees. In addition, Ms. [redacted] ignored my request for assistance with coming up with a solution to the problem and therefore told me that I could speak with her supervisor and that she was no longer going to speak with me about the matter. I asked Ms. [redacted] for her supervisor’s contact information as well as the CEO/President of Freedom First Credit Union’s contact information. NOTE: The contact information that she gave me for the CEO/President was false. Ms. [redacted] gave me the correct contact information for her supervisor namely Ms. [redacted] who is the Vice President of Retail Development. Ms. [redacted] gave me the correct name of the CEO/President but the contact number was incorrect. On July 19, 2013 I left directly from Freedom First Credit Union’s Williamson Road branch and went to the main office on Valleypark Drive. I informed the individuals there about the matter of the discrepancies in my account as well as the behavior displayed by [redacted], bank manager of Freedom First Credit Union on Williamson Road. I requested to speak with an upper level employee but requested to not speak with [redacted], due to Ms. [redacted] having stated while in her office on the date of July 19, 2013 that she was emailing Ms. [redacted] about the matter therefore I wanted to avoid being screamed and yelled at again and having to speak with someone who would be biased which is how Ms. [redacted] had behaved and treated me on the date of July 19, 2013. On July 19, 2013 Ms. [redacted] came out to speak with me and I informed Ms. [redacted] why I did not want to speak with her and Ms. [redacted] informed me that she could and would help me. I informed Ms. [redacted] that I would speak with her if she would be willing to listen and to not yell and scream as did the Williamson Road branch manager, Ms. [redacted] had done. I explained to Ms. [redacted] about the discrepancies in my account in detail as well as the negative behaviors displayed by Freedom First Credit Union’s Williamson Road branch employees. Ms. [redacted] requested that I give her time to review the information given to her and she would be getting back with me as soon as possible. In reference to Ms. [redacted]’s negative behavior, Ms. [redacted] attempted to convince me that I may have possibly misconstrued Ms. [redacted]’s actions as being threatening. I and my mother informed Ms. [redacted] that I did not misconstrue Ms. [redacted]’s actions as being threatening and I went on to inform Ms. [redacted] that Ms. [redacted]’s behavior towards me on the date of July 19, 2013 as well as the behaviors displayed by various bank employees on July 18, 2013 was not only inappropriate but it was also unprofessional and extremely uncivilized. I did inform Ms. [redacted] that I was thinking about possibly filing charges against Ms. [redacted] for approaching me in a threatening manner but had decided against it at the advice of my mother. I did contact the Roanoke City Police Department and spoke with them about the matter. NOTE: If any individuals question the validity of my statement about the negative behaviors displayed by Ms. [redacted], Mr. [redacted] and various Williamson Road branch employees on the dates of July 18 and July 19, 2013, I therefore, suggest reviewing any camera footage that the bank may have in reference to the dates of July 18, 2013 and July 19, 2013. I did contact the incorrect number that was given to me by Ms. [redacted] as being the CEO’s contact information and left a message on that individual’s voicemail who was stated as being a “[redacted]” (sp?). I later contacted a branch office and received the correct contact information for the CEO’s secretary, namely “[redacted]” and informed [redacted] about the matter and requested to speak directly with the CEO, Mr. [redacted]. Mr. [redacted] did give me a call and left a message on my voicemail on July 22, 2013. Ms. [redacted] had also called me on July 22, 2013 to inform me that she had a “resolution on the disputed dollar amounts” that had been formerly stated to Ms. [redacted] on July 19, 2013. I spoke with Ms. [redacted] and scheduled to meet with Ms. [redacted] on July 25, 2013. In addition, I spoke with the CEO of Freedom First Credit Union, Mr. [redacted], who informed me that if I was not satisfied with the outcome of my meeting on July 25, 2013 that I could escalate the matter by writing a complaint to the supervisory committee. I met with [redacted], Vice President of Retail Development and Mr. [redacted], whom I was told was a teller on July 25, 2013. Ms. [redacted] and Mr. [redacted] went over the exact same paperwork that had previously been given to me by Mr. [redacted] on July 18, 2013. I informed both Ms. [redacted] and Mr. [redacted] that the paperwork still did not explain what happened to the two (2) cash withdrawals that were taken from my account on July 3, 2013 in the amount of $107.23 and $69.00 without my authorization. In addition, the paperwork shown to me did not explain why the teller did not comply with my request to NOT take monies from my checking account and transfer $112 towards payment for my share secured loan account when I had given the teller cash for this amount. I informed Ms. [redacted] and Mr. [redacted] that I did not need $107.23 nor did I need $69.00 to be removed from my account because I had cash in the amount of $783.23 in my hand that which was the exact dollar amount needed to pay my bills and therefore no additional monies should have been taken out of my bank account because those transactions were not needed nor were they necessary due to the fact that I had $783.23 cash in hand that would cover payment for all of my bills. Therefore, why was extra taken out when $783.23 cash was in my hand that would cover my bills and no more monies were needed by me. The meeting with Ms. [redacted] and Mr. [redacted] did not bring forth a solution nor did the meeting remedy the problem. I am still missing monies from my account in the amount of $107.23 and $69.00 that I did not authorize. In addition, the unauthorized transactions have not been corrected by Freedom First Credit Union of which the bank employee transferred funds from my checking account in the amount of $112.00 and placing those monies towards payment of my share secured loan account despite having given the teller cash for this transaction.Desired Settlement: I am very disappointed by the negative, unprofessional, uncivilized and somewhat barbaric behavior of Freedom First Credit Union employees. The branch manager in addition to the other employees at the Williamson Road Freedom First Credit Union branch that I inquired with about this matter, should have taken out time with me and explained to me what exactly took place and where the discrepancies came from, instead of behaving in a manner that was a very a hostile, argumentative and contentious manner. That behavior should not be tolerated in a professional place of business, especially with a customer/member. The individuals at the branch, on Williamson Road, decided to handle the matter in an opposite manner and began to yell at me and were extremely disrespectful towards myself as well as my elderly mother. I am very ashamed for them knowing that they would behave in this manner at their place of business and I am now ashamed to say that I am a member of this bank. In addition, I would like for the monetary activity that took place on July 3, 2013 to be investigated further and explained to me in detail why additional monies were withdrawn from my account on July 3, 2013 when these monies were not authorized to be withdrawn because I had all monies needed by me in cash in my hand and also why monies were transferred from my checking account into my share secured loan as a payment towards the loan when I paid the loan with cash money and also informed the teller to not remove monies from my checking account for any reason. I would like for the unauthorized transactions to be returned back into my checking account, therefore correcting the error. In addition, I would like for disciplinary actions to be taken towards Ms. [redacted], Mr. [redacted] and various Freedom First Credit Union Williamson Road branch employees involved, due their indignant behaviors as well as an apology given not only to me but to my elderly mother.

Business

Response:

Sent: Thursday, August 01, 2013 3:20 PMTo: Revdex.com Western VirginiaSubject: Website: Complaint ResponseBusiness Response to a ComplaintComplaint ID#: [redacted]Company Name: Freedom First Credit UnionCompany Contact: Paul PhillipsCompany Phone: ###-###-####Company Email: [redacted]Person Who Sent the Review: [redacted] L [redacted] Response:Upon receipt of complaint ID # [redacted] an investigation has been conducted with the following determination: Ms. [redacted] visited the Freedom First Williamson Road Branch 3 separate times on July 3, 2013. Each interaction was captured by video surveillance. At approximately 12:06pm she approached a teller and presented a form of identification and her state unemployment benefit card for which we performed a cash advance and placed the funds into her account with no exchange of cash. The teller did not open a cash drawer and count back $783.23, all funds were placed on deposit. Ms. [redacted] then purchased a money order, transferred a loan payment, and made 2 separate cash withdrawals each of which were counted out of the teller’s cash drawer, all transactions coming from the funds deposited to her account. The teller handed Ms. [redacted] 2 empty standard mail envelopes. Ms. [redacted] placed each of the two cash withdrawals into the envelopes. Following these transactions Ms. [redacted]’s mother joined her at the teller line and handed her a different envelope of cash. At this time 4 additional money orders where purchased using the cash from the exchanged envelope on behalf of her mother. At approximately 1:05pm Ms. [redacted] came back to the Freedom First Williamson Road drive thru and cashed one of the money orders that had been purchased earlier in the day. At approximately 3:54pm Ms. [redacted] returned to the lobby of the Freedom First Williamson Road Branch and purchased a money order with cash. After a thorough review of all transactions by signed receipts, chronological order of transactions, and video surveillance we did not identify any unauthorized transactions on Ms. [redacted]’s account or a double posting of a loan payment. Freedom Frist prides itself on exceptional service and a higher delivery standard. Every member should feel valuable when interacting with members of our team. Freedom First actively trains and develops our employee’s skill set to ensure each member is offered a WOW experience. To demonstrate the Credit Union’s commitment to service we employ an independent third party to survey members with recent transactions randomly to gauge our level of success and best practices. At Ms. [redacted]’s request a letter of apology will be sent from the Freedom First Williamson Road Branch and appropriate conversations have taken place with Branch employees where applicable. Sent on: 8/1/2013 3:19:53 PM

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. It states that "they" which means Freedom First Credit Union reviewed video surveillance; not I, nor my mother, nor the Revdex.com itself has had an opportunity to review this video surveillance in order to question the validity of the statements made by Freedom First Credit Union in reference to the monetary transactions that took place on the dates in question therefore, Freedom First Credit Union can say anything about what happened on that day. In addition, I know that the monetary transactions that I stated in my original complaint were factual and until otherwise proven I know them to be fact. I have read the reviews about Freedom First Credit Union and in my opinion they have a history of being evasive when it comes to handling unsatisfactory behaviors and unsatisfactory transactions made by their bank employees. In addition, I have discovered, through researching this company, that they can also be somewhat deceptive when it comes to giving and receiving information in reference to bank transactions and inappropriate behaviors of their bank employees. Therefore, I will not accept a statement from them stating that the company itself are the only individuals that has seen this video surveillance footage and take what Freedom First Credit Union stated that "they" saw as being fact. I also do not and will not accept a written apology because the persons that behaved inappropriately and approached me in a threatening manner and also the individual that was rude and spoke to my elderly mother in a demeaning manner did not do so via a letter. These individuals behaved in this manner in a public forum while I was at their place of business, namely Freedom First Credit Union, therefore I want an apology from the actual individuals involved, in person to both me and also to my mother. Now, after stating what I want, I can assure you that I, nor my mother will be getting an apology in person from any of these individuals that treated us so inappropriately at Freedom First Credit Union, and nor will I be allowed to review any video surveillance footage that took place on the dates in question at Freedom First Credit Union because, I have become apprised of the fact that that is how Freedom First Credit Union handles any issue or problem that arises with their company. They pretty much don't handle them at all; they ignore them and send their members on a paper chase. I have been with this bank for years and years, every since I was a small child and my parents opened a bank account for me, before this company became Freedom First Credit Union, and I have been a loyal customer for all that time; and it is ridiculous that I have to file complaints, write letters and be treated as less than human by a company that I have been with for so long. It is unacceptable to me to be treated in such an improper manner and it is even more unacceptable to me that my mother who is an elderly woman be treated with such disrespect. I do not want to be affiliated with a company that allows their bank employees to behave in such a manner, in a public place no less and at their place place of business. I also do not want to be affiliated with a company that is not willing to properly and professionally handle matters that involve monetary transactions that a bank member holds in question. Therefore I will be removing my monies from Freedom First Credit Union as soon as I possibly can. In addition, I will be watching my bank account very closely until such time as I am able to move my monies to a different bank, in order that no other "unauthorized transactions" take place with my bank account at Freedom First Credit Union in retaliation for me filing a complaint. In closing, I would like to highly suggest that Freedom First Credit Union acquire and receive the assistance from a separate and independent Human Resources Consultant to train Freedom First Credit Union employees on how to effectively and appropriately handle matters and issues in regards to members feeling as though their services are unsatisfactory. Thank you so very much to the Revdex.com for your assistance with addressing this matter, it was so greatly appreciated. Regards,[redacted]

Review: On 10/23/14, my brother, husband and I entered Freedom First. My mother, [redacted], had unexpectedly died the day prior and we were seeking to reconcile and close her accounts as we now faced numerous major expenses. Ms. [redacted], Branch Manager and personal banker to my mother met with us. She expressed her condolences and even attended my mother's funeral a few days later. My brother and I knew that we were listed on our mother's accounts and Ms. [redacted] confirmed this. She informed us of the balances in our accounts, gave us a 1 month print out of each account, but told us that she could not help us and turned the computer screen away. Over the next 3 months my brother spoke with Ms. [redacted] many times about freezing, reconciling and closing these accounts as some automatic payments, including a mortgage payment were being withdrawn each month. Toward the end of this time period, Ms. [redacted] finally froze the accounts and in order to withdraw all the funds directed him to a form on their website. She instructed him to complete the form, including a signature guarantee and return it to her. Shortly after this, she referred him to a di**erent form with the same instructions. Upon completion of the 2nd form, my brother contacted Ms. [redacted] and was told that ** had seized the remaining funds in our accounts to render payment on my mother's outstanding credit card. She profusely apologized and said that the entire matter was a misunderstanding and expressed concern at how "upset my mother would be about the situation". My brother then spent the next week speaking with different managers about this situation, including the fact that I had made a nearly $3000 deposit into one of the accounts a month prior to my mother's death. Ultimately and yet again, he was denied the return of this money and all money from my mother's, OUR accounts. We trusted **, but we were completely deceived and misled and have now experienced an even further loss at the hands of Ms. [redacted].Desired Settlement: 1.) an apology letter2.) a complete refund of all money from all of our accounts from the balance date of 10/23/14

Business

Response:

Upon receipt of complaint ID # [redacted], a thorough review of

this matter was conducted.

We recognize their difficult circumstances and apologize for any

misunderstanding we caused.

It was determined that Mrs. [redacted]’s brother did in fact speak

with multiple people at the Credit Union regarding this matter including a Manager in January 2015. It was explained to him that the

funds in question were being used to render partial payment on the credit card

mentioned by Mrs. [redacted] in her complaint. This action was in accordance

with the Account Agreement and Disclosure which includes the right of set-off against any amount(s) owed to us.

Again, we sincerely apologize for Mrs. [redacted]’s frustration

with Freedom First. Our goal is to impact every member in a positive

manner while delivering a high standard of service.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Ms. [redacted] denied my brother and I access to our bank accounts in a face-to-face (video surveillance and witnesses available) meeting on October 23, 2014 and continually choose (phone records available) not to freeze or stop any automatic deductions from our accounts upon repeated request. Prior to my mother's death certificate (proof of death) being issued we were mislead, sandbagged and deceived.

Regards,

Upon receipt of complaint ID # [redacted], a thorough review of

this matter was conducted.

We recognize their difficult circumstances and apologize for any

misunderstanding we caused.

It

was determined that Mrs. [redacted]’s brother did in fact speak

with multiple people at the Credit Union regarding this matter including

a Manager in January 2015. It was explained to him that the

funds in question were being used to render partial payment on the

credit card

mentioned by Mrs. [redacted] in her complaint. This action was in

accordance

with the Account Agreement and Disclosure which includes the right

of set-off against any amount(s) owed to us.

Again, we sincerely apologize for Mrs. [redacted]’s frustration

with Freedom First. Our goal is to impact every member in a positive

manner while delivering a high standard of service.

Review: I deposited a check into my account via the mobile deposit method on July 9. When I deposited it, I was in the red due to some financial issues I am trying to correct. When I deposited the check, my account showed that the check was taken and that I had available funds. Due to this, I paid for a couple of things. 2 $5 charges and 1 $53 charge. This morning, when I opened my account, it showed I was negative for $200. I was very upset and called to see what happened. I was charged $32 overdraft for each of these charges. I was then told that they weren't going to release my funds to me for 5 days. I have bills to pay and they won't allow me to use the money that I worked for. They finally refunded 2 of the overdraft fees for me but I would like all of them refunded since it is not made known noticeably or when you deposit the check that it can take so long. Had I known this, I would have driven all the way up there to deposit my check. I intend to close my account but I want all of my money back. Due to all of this, I have no option for putting gas in my car or anything this week. I could have taken the check to [redacted] and paid a small fee so I could have my money instantly. I am left with nothing until Monday now and there was no warning that they would do this with my money.Desired Settlement: I want to get all of my money back for these overdraft fees and the company needs to make it so that there is a warning when using this means of deposit that they may not have their money for a week. I also made a purchase this morning prior to finding all of this out and there will be an overdraft fee for this. I would like that to be refunded.

Business

Response:

In response to claim [redacted], our records indicate that Mr. [redacted]

enrolled in the Mobile Deposit service and accepted the terms and conditions on

January 15, 2015 at 10:27 am. The terms and conditions explain our Funds

Availability policy and do not guarantee immediate availability of

deposits.

When mobile deposits are posted, the account history displays

both the check hold amount and release date in the online banking system.

The deposit Mr. [redacted] references was posted to his account with a 2 business day

hold in accordance with our Funds Availability Policy and a release date

shown of 7/13/15. Our records indicate he logged into his account online

on 7/9 at the time of the deposit and again on 7/10 at 12:23 PM in addition to

his logins on 7/13 where the deposit and hold could easily be viewed.

As a result, no additional fees will be refunded to Mr. [redacted]’s

accounts at this time.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I do not feel that there was enough information making me aware that they could or would hold my check for 5 days. How can anyone afford this? People have bills to pay. Freedom First prides themselves on being member centered but when a member has something like this happen, rather than helping them get out of the hole, they force them further into it. I ask that Freedom First think about it from this perspective. Also, once this is cleared up, I will be closing my account and leaving your bank, so you will not have to deal with me any longer. Also, I am not a Mr.

Regards,

Review: My credit union is holding withdraws in order to generate insufficient fund charges. They hold check card transactions in my checking account and then release them all at once to insure charges to my account. I have a negative balance of $176.00 in my account of which $167.00 is insufficient fund charges. I had the money in there to cover the withdraws but the way they are holding the withdraws and releasing them all at once is creating these charges. It is a scam.Desired Settlement: Refund the charges and stop using this practice.

Business

Response:

Upon receipt of complaint #[redacted], a thorough review was

conducted.

In addition, there have been subsequent discussions between Mr.

[redacted] and [redacted], the [redacted] Branch Manager.

Mr. [redacted] does not dispute opting in to participate in the

overdraft service. Mr. [redacted] communicated that he values the service and

does not want to be opted out.

As a courtesy, Freedom First has refunded Mr. [redacted] $167.00 in

insufficient fund charges.

Mr. [redacted] appears to be disputing the order in which debit

card transactions are posted to his account. His claim is that the Credit Union

is structuring the posting order to maximize insufficient fund charges. Mr.

[redacted]’s assertion is incorrect. The Credit Union posts debit card transactions

to each member’s account in the exact order they are received from the

merchant.

Should you require anything further, please don’t hesitate to

contact the Credit Union.

Regards,Member Services