Standard Bank and Trust Co.

Best To Avoid The Hassle
- ctgottapee - Friday, August 6, 2010 - 2:25 AM

overall this bank has provided probably one of the worst experiences all around as far as starting an account

 

the online application is not really much of one. it just prods you for the fields on their standard paper applicatoin, prefills them, and then you have to mail it in. you have no account until it is received and acted upon...

that is a further problem as the bank didn't seem to bother with my application, no phone call, no email, nothing

so i call the 800 number and nobody seems to have any clue; i wait on hold for 20 minutes as i bounce around operators. i provide a confirmation code i received from the online application process and nobody seems to know what that code means or does. one rep says my information is not in their system, another easily finds me and provides details of my app. i finally get referred to a specific person, but of course that person never answers the phone in several days of calls. after finally reaching them, i get told to reapply, even though they have my information. the two customer service reps i speak to are actually quite rude, one i can hear flipping through a binder to find some excuse for all the mistakes and inactions on their end.

i finally ask to just have my information removed form their system and i'm denied, so now i'll get spammed with eventual cold calls. i sorta have an account with no accounts  ;(

the web site is mediocre, late to the game and mostly a bundle of third party apps; other small banks are like that too though.

there is probably something to say about their Local rules; while i did qualify for, but i don't live close to a branch and being a small bank not concerned with customer service, they'll let rate chasers and small fish flounder to go after the big fee generators. they won't open an account without a return phone call to hard sell you on other products or a branch visit.

bankrate is not very bullish on them, so maybe it is better than not; would like to have my wasted time back.

 

the fine print has an early termination fee for account closings, and the phone reps mention more restrictions not mentioned in the fine print. i asked for a physical reference to their claims but none is provided.