Philadelphia Federal Credit Union

June 19, 2015
eResponse to Case ID #[redacted]
Please be advised that the recent letter has been received and reviewed by the Supervisory Committee for the Philadelphia Federal Credit Union. The Supervisory Committee is an independent committee charged with the duty of...

investigating member issues and responding as to the outcome of our investigation.
Our investigation revealed that [redacted] did schedule another payment in Bill Payer which presented on his account causing the additional Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF) fees. Since the extra payment was initiated by [redacted], this was not an error caused by the credit union.
(2) NSF fees were reversed for a total of $50.00. Please note that [redacted] has an extensive history of NSF's and that this is a one-time courtesy that we are extending to him. If he needs help financially, we offer free and confidential access to credit counseling through our affiliate, BALANCE. He can visit pfcu.com and click on the Financial Education tab on the left, then click FREE Credit Counseling, which will take him to the BALANCE website.
Carla W[redacted]
Internal Audit Manager

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I believe customers should be warned. I was in a car accident in which I became paralyzed so I honestly wasn't aware that it would be cut off if I didn't "withdrawal from a ATM". I don't accept this at all.
Regards,
[redacted]...

Hello,There was a communications error in reference to the hold on the check that [redacted] deposited remotely. [redacted] provided the necessary paperwork for us to release the hold of his funds and we also refunded him the $25.00 fee that he incurred. I spoke to [redacted] personally today and he...

was completely satisfied of the outcome of our investigation. Our determination is that this complaint has been resolved. Thank you.

eResponse to Complaint ID #[redacted]
[redacted]
 
If [redacted] agrees to pays the amount of $158.98 for the items that were paid on his behalf, the Collections Department will remove the 3 Overdraft privilege charges totaling $75.00 and the additional $15.00 [redacted] Collections fee from his account. Since there is a dispute in Check Systems we are unable to make any changes on [redacted]'s behalf. Once he pays the negative amount and contacts Check Systems to cancel the dispute, we can make the necessary changes in our network system to delete the Check Systems record. We will also require something in writing to close out his account for our records. If he would like to contact the Collections department to make the payment, they can be reached at ###-###-####.

January 22,
">eResponse to Complaint ID #[redacted]
Please be advised that the recent letter has been received and reviewed by the Supervisory Committee for the Philadelphia Federal Credit UnionThe Supervisory Committee is an independent committee charged with the duty of investigating member issues and responding as to the outcome of our investigation
Our investigation revealed that [redacted]'s account is no longer on hold and she has been working with a representative in our Loss Prevention area to remedy the situationThe Supervisory Committee is considering this case as being resolved

November 21, 2016 eResponse to Complaint ID [redacted]   Please be advised that the recent letter from [redacted] has been received and reviewed by the Supervisory Committee for the Philadelphia Federal Credit Union. The Supervisory Committee is an independent...

committee charged with the duty of investigating member issues and responding as to the outcome of our investigation.   The following is a timeline of events that occurred with [redacted]’s loan/account:   ·         [redacted] signed insurance agreement & loan note on 5/7/2014 ·         [redacted] updated his address on Tellernet (our secure online baking application) on 3/29/2016 ·         PFCU received notice that [redacted]’s insurance for his motorcycle was cancelled on 6/14/2016 ·         The first notice that force placed insurance was going to be added to his loan was sent to the address on file on 7/4/2016 ·         The second notice that force placed insurance was going to be added to his loan was sent to the address on file on 8/1/2016 ·         The final notice that force placed insurance was going to be added to his loan was sent to the address on file on 8/18/2016 ·         On 9/15/2016 the force placed insurance was added for the time period of 6/14/2016 -6/14/2017 ·         [redacted] provided proof of insurance on 10/27/2016 with the effective date of 10/27/2016 ·         Once the proof of insurance was received a partial refund was credited to [redacted]’s account in the amount of $771.00 due to the lapse in coverage from 6/14/2016 – 10/27/2016.   Our insurance carrier supplied their refund schedule to show how the refunds are calculated. It was explained to [redacted] that since he had this insurance coverage for 125 days that he would fall into the 52% refund percentage.   Days in force refund percentage   1 – 30 days – 100% 31 – 49 days – 82% 50 – 64 days – 76% 65 – 79 days – 70% 80 – 94 days – 64% 95 – 110 days – 58% 111 – 127 days – 52%     It is [redacted]’s responsibility to adhere to the signed Agreement to Provide Property Insurance on his motorcycle.  Also, on page 3 of [redacted]’s signed Closed-End Note, Disclosure, Loan and Security Agreement it states under the “Borrower’s Responsibility” that the borrower promises to notify the credit union of any change in name, address or employment.  [redacted] updated his address online in March of 2016. The force placed insurance notices were sent to the address on file in his account.   After reviewing the supplied documentation, the Supervisory committee is in agreement with the outcome of the refund due to the fact that he was insured for 125 days. We also suggest that he ensure that his account reflects his current address. If it has changed since he last updated it through our online banking application, Tellernet in March 2016, he can call our main number at 215-934-3500 and request a Change of Address form, go in to a branch location or login to his account and securely update it there. Sincerely,Carla W[redacted], Internal Audit Manager

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by PFCU in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  In addition I did receive a call back from someone at PFCU regarding this matter. Thank you so much for your assistance . 
Regards,
[redacted]

Good afternoon,   Our collections manager, Joan S[redacted], called [redacted] and left a message stating that we need to go over some information with her in order for our investigation to continue. To date we have not heard back from her. Please have [redacted] contact Joan S[redacted] at ###-###-#### at her earliest convenience.  Thank you, Carla W[redacted], Internal Audit Manager

Hello,We received an email complaint from [redacted] with an attachment. All mail that is received by the credit union with an attachment is sent to our Information Services department to be scanned. [redacted]'s attachment had a virus attached to it and we are unable to open it. If she...

could please send a copy the physical documents to our main headquarters at [redacted], Philadelphia, PA [redacted] or fax it to ###-###-#### we would be happy to review and advise [redacted] of the outcome of our investigation and if we might need any other information from her.  Regards,Carla W[redacted]Internal Audit Manager------ Forwarded message ----------From: Carla WalmsleyDate: Wed, Jul 12, 2017 at 1:27 PMSubject: Complaint ID of 12244374 - [redacted]To: Cynthia Cameron Hi Cynthia, I gave the incorrect fax number in my response to this complaint. The correct number is ###-###-####. Could you please pass this along to [redacted]? Thank you! Carla Walmsley

December 2, 2016 eResponse to Complaint ID #[redacted] Ms. [redacted]   Please be advised that the recent complaint letter from Ms. [redacted] has been received and reviewed by the Supervisory Committee for the Philadelphia Federal Credit Union. The Supervisory Committee is an independent...

committee charged with the duty of investigating member issues and responding as to the outcome of our investigation.   In Ms. [redacted]’s letter she states that she deposited a check through our eDeposit Service and is unhappy with the timing in which her transaction was posted to her account resulting in Non-Sufficient Funds fees. She also stated that she incurred 2 fees and that only one was reversed.    Due to the fact that the deposit was transacted after business hours on Friday, October 28, 2016, the next business day was considered to be Monday. According to the welcome email for eDeposit that all members receive, the following refers to when the funds will become available: Funds Availability Funds will be available for deposit by the end of business each day.  Any check deposited after 3pm EST, will post to the account the following business day. Regular check holds will apply. According to the disclosure above, her funds would have become available by end of business on Monday, October 31, 2016.  As a valued member and as a one-time courtesy, her second fee was reversed.  We apologize for any inconvenience that she may have encountered. We look forward to serving all of her financial needs in the future, and thank her for being a member of PFCU.

[redacted]'s complaint was addressed by our Member Service Manager this morning. The $25.00 NSF fee was reversed. A message on the phone number listed on her account was placed to alert her of the actions taken to satisfy her complaint. We apologize for any inconvenience that this...

may have caused [redacted]. We look forward to serving all of her financial needs in the near future, and thank her for being a member of PFCU.
Sincerely,
Carla W[redacted], Internal Audit Manager

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:This response from PFCU illustrates exactly why I filed this complaint in the first place.  I attempted to resolve this matter several times over the phone and they refused to work with me to resolve this.  When I responded via. email, I receive no response at all from the bank.  This is the first time that someone in management has even bothered to acknowledge my email.The main issue that I have is that they made a mistake by not closing my account when I was told at the branch that this was done.  Conveniently, they now have "no record of this".  What led me to close my account in the first place is the fact that although they claim to be a credit union, their policies are very much those of a large bank with numerous fees, etc. charged for normal banking.  I got frustrated with this, moved my funds to another bank with less fees and closed this account because of that.It seems very odd to me that PFCU even admits in this response that they allowed multiple identical charges to be drafted on this account over a one month period some even within days of one another.  Along with this they of course also charged a $30 fee for each instance of this "courtesy".  No other bank does this, ESPECIALLY ON AN OVERDRAFTED CLOSED ACCOUNT.  This seems clearly to only reinforce my impression of them that their policies are directly framed in such a way to increase the fees that they can charge their customers.I stated numerous times on the phone that I would be willing to pay the initial charge that they allowed to go through but am not willing to pay the other numerous repeat charges and the absorbent fees that they also charged for this "member privilege".  These fees do not represent a charged off "loss" to the bank.I am still willing to work with the bank if they are willing to offer a reasonable compromise and assurance of my removal of their reporting to Chex Systems.Regards,
[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
The 1099C was issued to me in the beginning of January 2012 to file with my 2011 tax return.  It was not sent in 2009.  I had already filed my taxes, so I had to do an amended tax filing.  They say that they sent it to me in error, but the bottom line is, they sent it to me, and I filed it as part of my 2011 income and paid the penalty for it.  Now almost four years later, they want to say it was done in error.  I feel that if it was done in error, they should be held accountable for that.  When I received the loan forgiveness letter and the 1099C form to file with my taxes, I did what was required of me to do with the 1099C form.  When I filed that form, that $4,400 debt went on record as part of my 2011 income.  A friend of my neighbor, who works for ** [redacted], told me that if I filed a 1099C for that debt, that it should not still be on my credit.  This is why I contacted PFCU to see why it has not been removed.   
Please be advised that I do agree that I owed them a balance of $4,400 from a $6,500 loan, that at the time I applied for the loan, I asked for $500 and they approved me for $6,500.  During that time, I was over joyed that I got approved and tried my best to pay the loan back.  I paid every month on time for years until I was out of a job and couldn't pay, and five months later when I finaly found a job, I was getting over $6 an hour pay cut, so my finances were shot.  I still tried to pay the loan back, but I kept falling into hardship trying to maintain a home and bills.  Yes, I did make an agreement with them to pay $125 per month, which a did for a few months, but I was struggling, and could not continue to pay $125 per month.  After all of this, I received the loan forgiveness letter with a 1099C Form attached to it two years after I made the agreement.  I breathed a sigh of relief thinking that this debt was over until I applied for a mortgage and see that it is still on my credit, and finding out that same night, that if I filed a 1099C Form, it should have been removed.  I just cant understand how a bank can make such a mistake as to send someone a loan forgivness and 1099C Form to file with their taxes as annual income, and then three years later want to reverse it.   
Regards,
[redacted]

April 30, 2015
eResponse to Case ID #[redacted]
Ms. [redacted]
Please be advised that the recent letter has been received and reviewed by the Supervisory Committee for the Philadelphia Federal Credit Union. The Supervisory Committee is an independent committee charged with the duty of investigating member issues and responding as to the outcome of our investigation.
 
Our investigation revealed that Ms. [redacted] filed for disability on 11/30/14 and made a loan payment on 11/28/14 which satisfied December’s payment and the first 30 day payment period. [redacted] made payments on this loan for January on 02/02/15 and for February on 03/25/15 causing two reportable delinquencies.  A claim of benefit statement was sent to Ms. [redacted] stating that the claim was being terminated as of 2/26/15 because she was no longer totally disabled as defined by the policy.
 
The Supervisory Committee requested that the trade line that is being reported as delinquent be reversed. Our collections manager is in the process of contacting Ms. [redacted] in reference to possibly determining a solution for her situation. If Ms. [redacted] has any questions, please have her contact our Collection’s Manager, Joan S[redacted] at ###-###-####.

May 11, 2016 eResponse to Complaint ID #[redacted] Ms. [redacted] Please be advised that the recent complaint from Ms. [redacted] has been received and reviewed by the Supervisory Committee for the Philadelphia Federal Credit Union. The Supervisory Committee is an...

independent committee charged with the duty of investigating member issues and responding as to the outcome of our investigation. In Ms. [redacted]’s letter she states that she received poor member service while in our Germantown Branch. The Germantown Branch Manager reached out to Ms. [redacted] in reference to the issue at hand. He contacted her via phone and apologized for the poor service that she received from the Member Service Representative (MSR). He stated that she was satisfied with their conversation.We take member service and the training of our employees very seriously. The manager reviewed ways that the MSR could assist our members going forward, so this does not occur in the future. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused Ms. [redacted]. We look forward to serving all of her financial needs in the future, and thank her for being a member of PFCU.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

------- Forwarded message ----------From: Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC<[email protected]>Date: Fri, Sep 26, 2014 at 9:27 AMSubject: Fwd: You have a new message from the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania in regards to your complaint #[redacted].To: [redacted]>
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [redacted]>
Date: Thu, Sep 25, 2014 at 11:26 AM
Subject: Re: You have a new message from the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania in regards to your complaint #[redacted].
To: [email protected] morning,
Please note that an adjuster was sent to my home. I will keep BB posted on the outcome.Thanks

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  please  read letter
[redacted]
Philadelphia, PA [redacted] direct
Joan S[redacted], Collections Manager
Philadelphia Federal Credit Union
[redacted]
Philadelphia, PA [redacted]
December 11, 2014
Dear Ms.  S[redacted],
       I am in receipt of your apology on behalf of the Philadelphia Federal Credit Union in regards to 
the error made to my credit report.  I am relieved that it has been corrected with all three credit bureaus.  I appreciate your diligence in ensuring this was completed.
      In regards to my disputes with the credit bureau I do not agree with your statement that I did not follow the procedure as dictated by PFCU.  I have provided results from an investigation dated 1/20/14 from [redacted].  Please note the auto loan I secured from PFCU was researched and updated accordingly.   I called PFCU sometime last year after pulling my credit report and someone from PFCU explained to me the credit dispute process.  During this time I sent letters to the other two bureaus [redacted] and Experian but did not receive a response, so I contacted them via phone and attempted to dispute via telephone to no avail.  These bureaus actually requested a letter from PFCU.  I called back PFCU and maybe I did not explain myself properly, and again I was told to dispute via the credit bureau.  
     In regards to the conversation with your CSR, please note, I do not have a problem with her.   She did attempt to obtain a letter but the auto department said they could not issue one.  I do have a problem with the process.  I am a full time student with three jobs and have been very patient. Even though she said she could did say “we are credit union not a bank” and “we don’t have the same rules” when I mentioned my aunt worked at a bank and was helping me out, I don’t have a problem with her.  I did mention I was going to file a complaint with the Revdex.com, but you probably heard that too!  But I do not have the time or the inclination to continue to chase down information or become an expert on the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  
While I do appreciate the outcome, I just think all of this including this apology could have been handled better.
Sincerely,
Simoene J[redacted]
CC:  Consumer Finance Protection Bureau,NCUA

I became a new member of this credit union in 2015 and applied for a small personal loan. I signed for the loan back in June 2015 and I never received the loan information promised from the credit union employee (named Amanda) who met with me at the Fishtown branch after signing for the loan. She frantically called me to me to drive back into the branch and get the information 15 minutes after I left. She said she would mail it per my request so I didn't have to drive back and it never came in the mail. Things can get lost in the mail but this credit union has had more than 3 important things not come in the mail to me now (see below for more on that) so I'm guessing it's not the Post Office's error since I seem to get all my other mail promptly and on time without incident.
This credit union also never sent checks for my checking account after I ordered them. I had to call and reorder the checks while they essentially called me a liar in the customer service department. Why would I open up a checking account and not want any checks? I opened the account for the sole purpose of moving costs and writing initial first and last month rent and security deposit checks to a new landlord. I most definitely ordered checks.
This credit union also didn't sent the loan coupon book for my loan repayments that was promised to me in the beginning so that I could make loan payments on time. In the beginning I did not sign up for automatic payments hence why I was getting the coupon book. Finally got the loan coupon book for payments after my second phone call request for PFCU to send one (TWO requests post loan signing when I had initially asked for the loan payment coupon books). Both loan payment coupon books came in the mail on exactly the same day which was this week - the week of 7/20/2015. I signed for my loan back in June 2015 and the first payment was due on July 20, 2015. The loan coupon book came way too late to even use for my first loan payment so I had to call back in and set up automatic loan payments prior to July 20th as to not miss a payment or mess up my credit score. Had I not been on the ball with that personally I would have missed my first loan payment and it would have affected my credit.
I then wanted automatic loan payments set up to avoid this issue having any chance of happening in the future. I called on a Friday and PFCU customer service employee named Jasmine LIED to me about signing me up for automatic bill pay on our phone call. She also got snippy with me on the call about sending the loan coupons to me when I requested them once again since they were never sent to me at that point. She claimed they were already sent. I said they were not. She then got back on the line after checking with a manager and told me she'd send another batch of coupons even though the first batch was sent out. I told her at that point I was realizing I wouldn't get the coupons until after the loan payment was due since PFCU dragged their feet for so much time at that point (I'd get the coupons after my first loan payment on July 20, 2015) so I HAD to do automatic loan pay. She told me she'd handle singing me up for automatic loan pay but to also call in the next week on Monday to double check when I asked for a confirmation number or email confirming automatic bill pay. I thought that was strange.
So I called back in to check in on the status of my automatic loan pay setup the next week before my loan payment was due because I had a fishy feeling Jasmine who I spoke with screwed up and/or didn't know what she was doing. The female customer service rep I spoke with at PFCU that day confirmed that Jasmine did not set up automatic loan pay for me on our previous call and told her manager about the incident because it was a breach of the credit union's protocol. This Jasmine girl could have single handedly destroyed my credit score with this lie about setting up my automatic loan pay. I have to sign paperwork to do automatic loan payments which is still coming in the mail for me to sign and that was never even mentioned or sent out to me with Jasmine until this second call with another employee following up. Jasmine never mentioned or sent this form to sign for automatic loan pay. How do they train these people?
Lastly, PFCU ATMs and debit services were not accessible over the weekend of 7/18/2015 and I was unable to use my debit card to make returns of items. I was told in Walmart and Target that my card which has more than a grand on it was NOT VALID. That was a huge mistake on the credit unions part, incredibly inconvenient for a customer, and embarrassing when you do actually have the funds. I called in on Monday to find out what gives and that's when I found out debit was down and atms. NO proactive notice was sent or anything letting customers know that I received. Nothing.
Today my online account was not accessible for some reason and I was locked out after trying to use two replacement passwords provided to me through PFCU's automatic phone system. I attempted to get new passwords twice through an automated phone call system. Both passwords given to me from the automated password phone call system did not work when I tried them so I called into live customer service to figure it out. I was told by the rep named Anne that she couldn't do anything about it except keep sending the new passwords (that were not working) until I threatened to speak with a manager. Then she tried to figure things out for me. No call came. I then contacted customer service chat at PFCU and there a supervisor named Brian with employee number 1123 claims they called me with another password after our call - but I did not see any calls come in. He kept arguing with me about it and asked if I had another phone number to provide at a branch. No I don't it's not my phone it's PFCU's customer service. When I went back into the PFCU customer service chat option to find out what was up they just told me to keep calling back into customer service in this giant ring around the rosie game. I was told to just keep trying the passwords that PFCU kept sending me even if I called back into customer service. What a mess.

February 14, 2014

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eResponse to Revdex.com on behalf of [redacted]
Please be advised that the recent complaint from **. [redacted] has been received and reviewed by the Supervisory Committee for the Philadelphia Federal Credit Union.  The Supervisory Committee is an independent committee charged with the duty of investigating member complaints and responding as to the outcome of our investigation.
The overdraft fee that occurred on her account was taken due to insufficient funds being in the account. This fee is disclosed in our fee schedule that is given to all new members upon account opening. There is no Line of Credit associated with her account, so when scheduling bills or payments, it is the member’s responsibility to ensure that the funds are available to cover the transactions or their account will go negative and result in NSF fees.  
The negative activity was cleared up when an ACH deposit posted to her account on 2/11/2014. Due to the fact that there were insufficient funds to cover the scheduled transaction in the account, the overdraft fees will not be returned at this time.
Sincerely,
                                        ...⇄
[redacted]
Internal Audit Manager