Justice Federal Credit Unon S**Cks! (NO STARS!)

I cannot tell you how angry I am at how I have just been treated by Justice Federal Credit Union, at their Los Angeles branch. In the end, they would not open an account for me -- after me spending weeks preparing for it and spending money to do so to meet the requirements the people at the branch said were what I needed. I met those requirements to the T and then some.

Starting two weeks ago, I called the branch three times. Three times I was told that I could qualify for membership by producing merely the e-mailed receipt of payment of dues from National Native American Law Enforcement Assn. I was specifically told things can be a bit looser about meeting the sign-up qualification at the branches than joining online. That had been after me pointing out that if I join online, they apparently will NOT do so merely by me producing that e-mail, require I produce the actual welcome letter and membership card sent out some weeks later.

In fact, in addition to the e-mailed receipts of payment, I also got another e-mail from NNALEA providing me my membership number -- putting me over and above what I had been told I needed to join at the Los Angeles branch, what I had been told in three different phone calls before going in this morning.

I went in to join this morning. I produced copies of the e-mails, and I was taken over to an office to sign up and open my accounts. 

When I sought to add on two beneficiaries, I was told I MUST have their Social Security numbers. I had asked about that in all three previous phone calls. In the first two calls, I was told that was not mandatory, I could add them without their SS numbers. In the third call before I went in this morning, the woman said she believed I must have the SS numbers, but we agreed we would call in the manager to see about waiving that, as considering the previous phone calls I expected such a waiver would be routine. 

When I got to the branch, I produced my NNALEA membership e-mails, including the membership number. With that, we went to the office and started the signup. She copied my driver's license, the membership number, took all my personal info and input it in the computer. We called in the manager, who was quite short about saying no to adding the beneficiaries without the SS numbers. She would not even let me say anything, to point out that they don't even need to have a SS number to be my beneficiary, and I have been using them for decades and never needed such, etc. She just cut me right off, not letting me say anything, and said she didn't want to argue about it. How RUDE! I tried to speak again, and she just cut me off again. Clearly I was not going to get anywhere with her, and I dropped it. And she left. But I felt quite offended.

So, the person signing me up of course asked if I wanted to proceed. I decided to proceed anyway, maybe against my better judgement. But I did. (Just FYI, for private reasons, I can't get my beneficiaries' SS numbers because I can't even ask as I don't want them to even know they are beneficiaries, for various reasons. But my reason isn't important since they don't even need SS numbers to be my beneficiaries.)

We completed all the sign up and setting up of the accounts. Then, surprisingly, the person opening the accounts said now she had to turn it over to the manager to finish it. The manager came in, she looked first at the e-mails of membership. And she rejected that immediately! She said that was not sufficient, not even the membership number, that I needed BOTH those e-mails AND the welcome letter mailed by NNALEA! I tried to point out that I specifically had asked into that and was assured all along that those e-mails are sufficient for the BRANCH to sign me up. The manager again just cut me off short, said she didn't want to argue, and I can't open a membership there unless I provide that welcome letter. 

With this rude shortness of her's and this critical thing suddenly changed and undermining everything, I of course was quite unhappy and angry. I spoke a bit louder, but in no way was at any shouting level. I told her I had been assured in three phone calls that was sufficient, and specifically told that I did not need the mailed letter from NNALEA. She said those people I spoke with are not in the "department" that handles those matters so don't know. I pointed out that that is who they have me talk to when I call in and ask for someone to talk to about opening! I asked if that was the case, why didn't they at least say that when I came in the door and produced the papers! At this point, she just did not like my protest, and she told me I can go or she will call security! Security! How insulting! Why?! I hadn't made any threat or threatening moves, or anything. This manager women is just nuts! I said don't worry, I'm going, I won't open an account here, and I was picking up my papers to go. As I was picking them up, she threatened that I must go or she will call security! Again! This is insane, how insulting! I got up and starting walking out, and she followed right on top of me. I told her point blank as we went out that she should be ashamed how she is running that office and that she is incompetent.

I went to a lot of trouble to get everything in order for them, as THEY said they wanted it. I spent $17.50 to join NNALEA, which I would not have done if I had been informed I needed the welcome letter, as NNALEA at least told me up front that it could be three weeks before I would get that. I drove 30 miles round trip to the branch. I spent an hour there, only in the END, not the beginning, to be  told the e-mails were not sufficient. And the manager was rude at every turn. I felt like I was treated like a criminal by her.
 
And to sign up with this credit union online can take two weeks, without any rate being locked in the whole time, so you might get signed up only to not want an account there if rates fall over those two weeks!

This credit unions, and most especially this branch, S**CKS big time!

I cannot  tell you how offensive that manager is.

Alan, 4:52 p.m.: Re faxing, NNALEA told me the process would be faster if I did it online than it would if I faxed it. In fact, online I got the payment receipt immediately via e-mail, and shortly thereafter an e-mail stating my member number. They said I would not get a membership letter faster by faxing, and that that would take probably three weeks or so no matter what and that they could not just e-mail it over promptly. They surprised me after I signed up and paid online by e-mailing me my member number, which I did not expect until that welcome letter. I think they did that because I added a note on my application asking for the member number to be e-mailed promptly.

So you can see just how clear it was to the branch manager that I am now a member of NNALEA, here is the e-mail they sent me with my member number:


Dear XXXXXXX,

Thank you for supporting NNALEA.  Your Membership Number is XXXXX.  Soon you will receive a welcome letter and membership card.  Thank you again for your support.


NNALEA Membership Team


I can't complain about NNALEA, as they represented the time involved factually. And they provided what should have been more than enough promptly (the receipts fully saying my membership was now paid), and even more than I expected (my membership number). It is the JFCU branch that was full of misrepresentation -- and rudeness. Had the JFCU branch told me the truth up front, I would not have gone with the NNALEA, would have considered one of the other, more expensive organizations to join. I opted to join NNALEA because of the representations made by the JFCU branch, which were rudely rejected by the branch manager today. And now I'm out $17.50 -- for nothing. (And had they told me the truth about not allowing beneficiaries without their SS numbers, I would have dropped the entire matter right then as I won't do that, even though at that moment in the office I allowed them to proceed with opening my account.)

Bozo: yep. I've already looked up the name of the CEO. But there was no contact with it. I will now have to look up a contact for him. But while the branch manager was the problem today, I suspect the CEO is also part of the problem. In fact, I would not be surprised if he gave the branch manager a raise after he hears my complaint! After all, look how impossible he makes it to join even via online, all the hoops to jump through and utterly ridiculous rules.

So, I took my money to Habib American Bank. They treated me like a welcome customer, not like a criminal. They even negotiated up the rate on my one-year CD to 1.6%, one of the highest rates in the country (although less than this promotion at JFCU). They were gracious to me. They had no problem accepting my beneficiaries without SS numbers. What they told me on the phone is what the situation was when I got there, they did not mislead me, and then when I complain, threaten to call security and have me thrown out. The difference between dealing with them and dealing with that JFCU branch is like night and day. Habib is a foreign bank, but (or should I say "and") they are fine to deal with. JFCU S**cks!