Timberland Federal Credit Union

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below [redacted] Regards, [redacted] **

[redacted],I personally have looked into this matter.  As a small credit union, we are dependent on third party providers for our ATM machine, maintenance and processing.  Our internet provider hosts a secure connection for the ATM machines.  As we are in a rural area, internet service is...

not always reliable, and we are limited to the providers that we can choose.  Although we aim for 24-hour service, when the internet connections are down, so are some of our ancillary services.  Sometimes, ATM machines have mechanical issues.  Most recently, we had a card reader failure at the ATM.  We pay to have a maintenance contract on the machine to provide expedited repairs.  Unfortunately, machines do malfunction and it takes time to repair them.  To assist members when we have equipment or technical failure, we have extended our office hours, opening earlier in the day to accommodate members who are traveling to work, and a bit later to accommodate members heading home.  Further, we implemented the Timberland 10 – and we leave our offices open 10 minutes after advertised closing time, as well as opening 10 minutes earlier for the convenience of our members.  Additionally, we opened our Clearfield location on Saturdays, and continue to provide our members a nationwide surcharge free ATM network.  In the case that our ATM is not functioning due to connectivity issues or replenishment, our members have the convenience of at least 3 surcharge free ATMs in the local area.  On the second matter, I have contacted our website provider and verified that our website has not been down or unavailable, except for an occasional update, in the past 12 months.  Approximately 18-24 months ago, we did upgrade to a higher level of security on our website, converting from HTTP to a HTTPS for the protection of our members.  If the incorrect security protocol is present on the member’s machine, the website may not display properly.  Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.  We strive to provide exceptional service to our members, and I hope this has answered your questions. Sincerely yours, Carrie * W[redacted]

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

Review: When I first joined Timberland FCU and they did have an ATM deposit it would take up to 24hours to credit the deposit so they sold me on their night drop system stating that nightdrops are credited before anything else. Well as times have changed and debit become so much more frequent they have changed their policy (which is understandable) and they did send out information on these changes but it is not well explained. Using terms like POS and ACH but because I have no other after hours deposit options until I move my accounts I am forced to use the night drop frequently. (At this time they no longer have ATM deposits available at all. )On June 22 I deposited a check for just over $700 into the Timberland nightdrop. On June 23rd while my check was sitting on their floor they took out 4 payments I had made using my debit as credit (I did not realize these considered were POS payments)and one I thought was a monthly ACH but apparently isn't (again these need to be better defined). The bills I paid weren't even due till the end of June and while I was trying to be a productive member of society paying my bill ahead of time they took $150.00 in charges from my account. If I had used my card at [redacted] they would have just declined it. End of story. Instead of declining them they have "overdraft protection" which protected me from nothing. It just left me $150.00 poorer and all they have done is justify their behavior when I feel like they reached into my pocket and stole money from me. I think new customers need to be aware of their lack of deposit options and Timberland needs to be much clearer on their banking terms and policies. This is not the first time I have had this issue and again, not because I didn't have the money available but because it was sitting on their floor rather than being deposited first, however up until now they have been very courteous about handling the issue. Now, when It is such a big and costly issue their attitude has been very poor.Desired Settlement: I would like my money back and then I would remove their Overdraft Protection. I did not realize that removing it was an option until this situation occurred. I assumed it was their standard practice. Because my overdrafts seem to be deposit timing related rather funds related and I can't seem to sort out what is and is not credited first I think this would solve future issues.

Review: The week of May 18-24 I went to Timberland Credit Union to make my vehicle payment that was due May 31. When I went thru the drive up I was informed that the system was down and was asked if I would like a receipt mailed to me. I say that would be fine. I also payed in cash. On June 10th I received a letter from Timberland stating my loan payment was 10 days pass due. I called them and told them that it was paid. I told them the employees name that greeted me that day and gave the cash too. They looked for a week for the amount to be in the system and it can not be found. I called a number of times the week of June 16, not to get a call back until July 2nd asking me if it was ok to run my credit. They were trying to consolidate my vehicle and personal loan to make it easier, but nothing about the missing $557. I called the following week (July 7) to see if they were able to locate the money and the status of the consolidating my loans were going to find the lady was on vacation until July 14. They called me on July 16th to tell me that they stopped looking for the payment it was no where in the system. I called back left a voicemail to have them check the security cameras that someone must have pocketed the cash. Today is July 21 and have yet to hear back from them. I decided to call the main office in DuBois, PA and left her a message to call me back and they have yet to return my phone call. I have been a good customer making my payments on time up until February when my unemployment ran out.Desired Settlement: I would like that the payment amount of $557 plus the late fee of $25 that charged to me to be credited to my loan. That they watch the security camera the day I came thru the drive thru to see where that money went.

Review: Requested both in writing and via the credit union's e-banking system that my account be closed and all assets be frozen until it was. This was in early/mid April. In late May an overdraft notice was mailed to my new address 2400 miles away and dated for over a month after the account was supposed to be closed. The fact that it was sent to my new address indicates that they had received my requests to close the account and chose to ignore them. A charge was made by PayPal which they have refunded to me because the charges were unauthorized. This charge should never have been allowed as it was several weeks after the account was supposedly frozen.Desired Settlement: I wish to receive in writing that the account [redacted] has been closed and that all overdraft/late fees are removed. Upon receipt I will have PayPal release the funds they charged back to the credit union.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern:

After research on this matter, please find our response:

Mr. [redacted] visited our office prior to his move to [redacted]. The staff there provided Mr. [redacted] with our standard closure form for the account in question. To date, we have not received that form back. He continued to use the account actively after that time and the move to [redacted].

On May 13, 2013, via the internet banking system, Mr. [redacted] requested a withdrawal check, which was mailed to his new home address. The withdrawal request brought his checking account to a zero balance. However, a withdrawal request does not constitute a closure request. As we explained to Mr. [redacted], and he acknowledged, we needed the signed closure form returned to us.

On May 14, 2013, a paypal payment was initiated by Mr. [redacted] through the ACH system. The payment for $34.95 was paid through overdraft courtesy pay. We have not received notification that the item was unauthorized, nor authorization from the member that it needed to be returned.

I reviewed our online banking email system and have attached our correspondence with Mr. [redacted] from May 3 and May 14. May 14 was the last correspondence that I can see that we had with Mr. [redacted]. As we stated, upon satisfaction of the deficient balance for the item that was paid and receiving signed authorization to close the account, we will be most happy to comply with his request. Additionally, as a courtesy, we already have agreed to refund the fee.

If you should need anything further, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely yours,

Review: see Attached documentDesired Settlement: see Attached document