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Conference 7.286::dcu

Title:DCU
Notice:1996 BoD Election results in 1004
Moderator:CPEEDY::BRADLEY
Created:Sat Feb 07 1987
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1041
Total number of notes:18759

803.0. "A former member's story" by ASABET::JOYCE () Thu Mar 31 1994 18:43

I'm not sure where to put this note since it doesn't directly 
match an existing topic.   Mods, if you think there's a more
appropriate place, please move this there. 

Today, at a break in the cafe, wanting to start a discussion 
about the DCU election, I asked one of my co-workers if she 
belongs to the credit union.  She told me that she and the credit
union broke up because of what the DCU did to her. She and her
husband went through bankruptcy in 1991.  Within the *last few
of months*, DCU decided, because of the bankruptcy *3 years ago*,
to close her checking account!  They moved all her funds into her
savings account and bounced checks written on the checking
account.  They did all this without notifying her they were going 
to do it.

She subsequently went to a local bank, who was only too happy to
have her as a customer. She won't be back to the DCU.  After
hearing her story, I'm questioning whether or not DCU is an
organization with whom I want to do business.  I suspect others 
to whom she's told the story have wondered the same thing.

This is the kind of experience which promotes the negative view 
of the DCU by current and former members.  However, I remember 
reading in another note (which I don't have time to track down to 
reference exactly) that Chuck Cockburn thinks that people don't
view the DCU negatively.  But then, this person is no longer a
member so I don't think she was part of the member survey.  I 
guess her account closure was listed under "Other" in the list of 
why accounts were closed.  Somehow that doesn't tell the whole 
story.

Maryellen
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
803.1People firstSMAUG::GARRODDCU Board of Directors CandidateThu Mar 31 1994 22:5210
    RE .0
    
    This is precisely the sort of thing that shouldn't happen. In DCU's
    zest to "clean up" the accounts I believe that good customers have been
    driven away due to mistakes like. This sort of thing should never
    happen. I believe the credit union needs to start worrying more about
    how it is perceived by its customers/owners rather than how tidy it
    looks on computer printouts.
    
    Dave
803.2EVMS::GODDARDFri Apr 01 1994 10:126
Maryellen,
>>However, I remember 
>>reading in another note (which I don't have time to track down to 
>>reference exactly) that Chuck Cockburn thinks that people don't
>>view the DCU negatively.
I definitely depends which end of the stick youre on.
803.3my feelingsPCBOPS::ROBICHAUDWed Apr 06 1994 07:4824
    -.2
      Its to bad Chuck Cockburn does'nt read any of this.
    I don't write in here much if at all, but I do read it daily.
    since this Fee crap started I have had to have the DCU fix
    errors on there part at least once a month. heres just the 
    good ones. back in Feb I CLOSED the holiday club yesterday
    i go to DCU to get a balance on my saving and find out i
    got intrest in the holiday club, I said to the tell how can
    there be any money there I closed this in Feb, she then ask
    if i filled out the paper work, I told her Don'T make go through
    this again I'm not paying the $5.00 take the money out and if 
    want to know about the paper work go look it up.
       Then theres problem about the auto loan (i cant wait to pay off)
    it seems when I closed the holiday club they also (by mistake of
    course) then she told me it would take 3-4 weeks to fix. my question
    is how come no noticed the loan wasnt getting paid till i went 
    to them.
    
        all i know it won't be and i'll be gone, if i dont see thing
    getting better in 3-6 months.
    
     boy I feel better.
    
    joe
803.4Their computer is broken They are accountants not computer people!SSDEVO::RMCLEANWed Apr 06 1994 13:198
  You think that is bad...  Last month my checking account was -$7.99 and they
haven't noticed yet.  By the end of this month my checking account debit should
exceed my total value of my DCU accounts!  It seems that they can't close an
account when they are asked so you still get charged the $4 per month on a
closed account!!!

  Sigh...  No wonder they are worried DEC will move them out.   Maybe we
should start our own Credit Union and get DEC to give us the facilities ;-.]
803.5BEIRUT::SUNNAAWed Apr 06 1994 14:139
    
    
    re: -1 
    
    DCU agreed to close my checking account over the phone..mind you, I
    wasn't in a good mood..so it might have helped convince the DCU service
    person to just close it and send me a notice of it's closure.
803.6I know what you meanSSDEVO::RMCLEANWed Apr 06 1994 17:444
  I wasn't either... And it was Friday so maybe they just did nothing...

  In anycase an obviously inactive one should be closed when the balance is
reduced below 0 with these (*&&%$%#$%^& Fees
803.7APACHE::MYERSWed Apr 06 1994 17:5322
    I left the DCU about 2 or 3 years ago. This was around the time of the
    original brouhaha about checking account fees, etc. I was getting sick
    and tired of what I felt was a moving target of rules, regs and fees.

    When I looked around I found the DCU was not very competitive with
    commercial banks. I ended up with higher interest earnings on my NOW and
    savings accounts and much lower fees on ATM transactions, and other
    services. I also receive canceled checks in my monthly statement (a
    valuable service in my opinion). I have MUCH greater access to the
    various branches; regarding both number of locations and hours.
    Strictly from an aesthetic point of view, I find the tellers at my bank
    to be more professional, both in their interactions with customers and
    each other. My bank holds out of state checks greater than $500 for 48
    hours, the DCU holds it for the maximum allowable under the law (Grrr). 

    Currently I am back with the DCU. I've got $5.00 in shares and a
    minuscule EPP computer loan. That's as far as I'll go. With this unique
    exception I can't think of a single thing that would coax me back. My
    savings, checking, term deposits, IRA and mortgage will remain with an
    institution I can trust... my bank. 

    	Eric