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Meriwest Credit Union
4 reviews for Meriwest Credit Union
I loved them more when they were IBM Credit Union, but they seem to be doing alright as Meriwest, although I no longer have a personal relationship with the people who work at this branch. They offer free checking, online bill pay, all the usual stuff that banks do. I've never had an account with a regular bank so I can't make a comparison, though.
There are other credit unions out there that offer better interest rates for car loans and such, so if that's why you're interested in joining a credit union, try Provident (I've an account there, too).
I have a car loan with them and it has been helpful since they are local to me and I can make a payment during or after business hours.
When I saw they were installing Coinstar machines that were free to members and had a lower fee than store machines for non-members, I decided to sign up since, again, they are local to me.
Now I regret this decision and will be closing the checking account I opened this coming Friday.
The tellers are friendly and helpful but as I've unfortunately found out they tie all accounts together.
Why is this a bad thing?
I'll share with you an instance that happened to me a short time ago that caused me embarrassment: I went to a drive-through restaurant near work to use my debit card that I ordered for the account. I made sure my order came to significantly less than what was in my checking account. The card was declined.
Thankfully, I had cash on me and was still able to pay for my order, but by the time I was done, my mind was racing: Was it fraud? Did I mis-read the amount available (checked online before leaving for said restaurant)?
None of the above. Here's a tip: If you have any kind of loan product with them (car, credit card, you name it) and you are slightly past-due (even if it was an oversight on your part), they will freeze your debit card even thought two accounts are not technically related.
When I called Meriwest for an explanation, the "customer service" rep(who had a major attitude), explained this to me. I said to her I did not see this mentioned in all the paperwork they gave me and asked why members weren't told of this.
She said to me that it's "not something they advertise" to their members. I told her that I understood they had a right to make the rules but felt what they did was unprofessional.
As for their Coinstar machine, when it's not broken it's a great time-saver. Unless, again, you have a loan product that is even slightly past-due. You cannot cash out, since they require you to deposit the funds before withdrawing them. Any funds deposited automatically go to the loan, even if it's not enough to make a dent in the paydown.
Normally, things like this would be no problem, but if you are like 99.99% of us residents of the Bay Area affected by the current economy and will need to occasionally pay a loan late (but not so late that it shows as a neg on your credit report) , perhaps you're better off searching for another place to park what's left of your money.
Changing this back to 4 stars. They've been very nice to work with over the 30+ years since I've been a customer.
They are great, been a member since it was IBM credit union. My favorite teller is Natalie she is so sweet and always has me in and out with no problems. I also take use of the credit union service for my other banks like Patelco & Pacific Marine. Thanks Meriwest tellers you're the best!
