| 5 star: | (8) | |
| 4 star: | (4) | |
| 3 star: | (1) | |
| 2 star: | (2) | |
| 1 star: | (3) |
This credit union took care of all of my immediate family's needs as well as much of my extended family. I also had many friends that trust their finances with this institution as well. There was some fraud that occurred on our checking account a couple of times, and they made it really easy to go in and report the fraud and return the funds to our account as well as get us new debit cards super fast. Their online features made it really convenient and easy to do banking without having to go into a location and transfer funds between accounts. They had us on a great set-up where if we accidentally went over in our checking account, it would pull from another one of our accounts so we wouldn't ever have a fee. They are very community oriented and even sponsored a team for Ragnar, a relay race, I was on.
We have banked with America First for the 12 years we have been married. We have a savings and a checking account with them. We have always been impressed with their customer service. Any time we have had any issues, they happily resolve them in a professional manner. We always feel that they are trustworthy and are looking out for our best interests. Overall, I would highly recommend America's First and have done so with my family.
I've been with America First Credit Union for over 4 years now. In that time, things have been pretty steadily good. Our interactions with the staff, however, has been pretty phenomenal. They are always very attentive at their locations and have always been extremely friendly. I live in a friendly city, but they are more than normal and it's a breath of fresh air to get an institution that treats you so nicely. As far as the banking aspects, however, they don't offer the most competitive rates when compared to an online bank. Their web experience is not too shabby, but their mobile experience could use some revision. It's just really hard to navigate and doesn't contain all the features that are accessible if you were to use their website.
I opened my account with this credit union about six months or so ago after royally being screwed over by a different credit union. At the time I was picking credit unions I really really didn't want to open another account. After going to several banks and credit unions I finally decided on America First. So far I have had a great experience with them, I have been able to use their account protection several times without any issues and even if my account goes in the negative for more than 30 days they keep my account open (most other banks close your account). My credit isn't good enough to get a loan with them so thus far I have not even tried to do so but I imagine if I did it would be easy and they would be very helpful. I had an over draft fee come out because of a bank check from ebay and the credit union was awesome and reversed the charge even though I had already been in the negative that month from using my account protection.
I have used American First Credit Union for years. I have had good times with them, and some bad times with them. When I had recently started at a new job I was being paid in checks. The company had not moved to using direct deposit yet. When I took my checks into American First they would berate me for not depositing my checks online. Every time I was paid I was lectured on how direct deposit was better, and how I needed to make the switch. This was not appreciated, as I explained every time this is how I was paid and that my new company did not do direct deposit.
We have been members of the America First Credit Union for over ten years. They have always provided great customer service and a good overall experience. One time in particular, we were notified of possible a possible bank account fraud. Because they keep an eye out for suspicious activity they were able to help us avoid a complete disaster. Also, I love the mobile app they provide. The fact that we can easily monitor our account from our phones it great. Also, we love being able to deposit checks right from our phones! We live about 15 minutes away from the nearest branch and I have two small children, so I have found this very useful. When it comes to their interest rates, i think that they are very competitive.
One thing that sets AFCU apart from other credit unions that I have used in the past is the level of customer service. They really do put the customer first. It was a breeze to open a new shared savings account for my 1 year old son, and it was even easier to add my wife as a joint owner of my saving and checking accounts after we got married. The customer service representatives were very friendly and "held our hands" as we went through the process.
I am also impressed by their mobile banking app. AFCU is located predominately in Utah, and since I no longer live in the region, having an efficient mobile app to access my savings and checking accounts is a must. The app allows you to access all of your accounts, transfer money, and deposit checks.
My one area of complaint is the fairly small savings rate within their money market and shared savings account. I am currently only earning .09% interest which seems to be lower than other credit unions or online banks. If this rate was raised to be a little more competitive, I would have absolutely no complaints about my time with AFCU.
If customer service is what you are after, definitely take a look at AFCU!
America First is a great credit union! Setting up an account with them was easy, and they made sure to explain all the steps involved in great enough detail for me to understand completely what I was getting myself into. They even gave me tips on how to improve my credit and otherwise keep my account with them in good standing. There are multiple branches located in the area, all of which are staffed by friendly, helpful employees whom I never feel uncomfortable speaking with. Their 24-hour ATM was a bit of a shock at first, as it is very noisy and is on a timer, but this may be the case for all ATM machines- I've only experienced America First's. The money I put into the ATM was put into my account promptly, though, so the ATMs work well. They have great over-the-phone customer service as well, and have been more than happy to help me on several occasions. Their website and mobile app (iOS) both work wonderfully and are very user-friendly.
The level of incompetence and stupidity at this credit union is unsurpassed. Trying to get a loan to purchase a property that appraises at above $100K, we're buying it at $80K, we're putting down 20%, FICO score 750, charging us 4.25% points just because it is not owner occupied (basically stealing over $2500 from us) and it's been 6 months of jumping through hoops and still not done. For the past 2 weeks wasting time about our tax returns they finally talked to my accountant, and my accountant says they don't seem to be able to read your tax return! Which is btw a fairly simple return. They make me throw up!
Contrary to these other reviewers, I actually have had a terrific experience banking with America First. I got my first loan from them while still in high school, which was only made possible by their ability to underwrite their own loans. In my early twenties, I came into financial struggles that could've have damaged my credit, but America First actually under-reported the payments I missed and cut me a break. I love their online bill pay and find that their online services are quite good (you can even export all your online transaction data to spreadsheets or Quicken files, in case you manage your money with those tools).
I have never had a problem with them. They have always been helpful and good to work with.
When I lost my card it took them an entire month to issue me a new one. They apologized for the screw up and blamed it on the manufacturer but I had to do a month without my debit and a month without money. When I tried to contact customer service a new person would answer every time, a new person that didn't know anything about my case. I had to explain it all over again. "It should be here in a few days," they said. It showed up a month later! That meant no food for a month because most places don't take checks. Horrible bank.
I have been a member of AFCU for over 8 years. I have always had good experiences with the tellers and have received good services at good rates. I have been educated by the newsletters. The automated phone teller and the on-line banking have been easy to use. I have a safety deposit box which has a low rate and came with insurance. I have had CDs in the past and was pleased with the rate I received. I will continue to use AFCU for its convenience, good services, and personal touch.
We moved to Utah 2 years ago and moved our banking to America First because it seemed like a small-town bank that would provide good service. Our experience has been nothing but a sequence of poor service mixed with strange experiences. It began with not getting any checks when we opened our account. We wanted to setup direct deposit and needed checks so we called in to see what we needed to do. The customer service people told us to go to the branch and ask the tellers. We did so, but the tellers (3 of them, not just 1) wouldn't help us. Instead, the claimed that they didn't know what I was talking about. They said I would need to go "somewhere else" but wouldn't tell me where. I asked them to talk to the customer service people that sent me to them. After a lot of attitude, they called customer service and confirmed what I had been told. Then they suddenly knew what to do and gave me the checks. At first I thought they were just untrained, but one explained that they knew what I was asking for, but said a policy had changed and they were supposed to give the initial checks to customers. It was a crazy experience. They spent 10 minutes acting like they had no idea what I was requesting and were going to just send me away, then all of a sudden knew exactly what to do. That was just the tip of the ice berg. Our experience with the bank since then has been just a poor at every turn. Their online banking system Is very odd and can't do half the things a normal bank can do online. It doesn't work with any of the applications on an iPhone. We opened a business account with them as well and setting up online bill pay has been almost impossible. We gave up on the process only to find that they did set it up for us and then the next month received a notice that if we didn't use it every month, we would be charged $10 per month. At the end of the day, we have been so disappointed with this bank that we are going through the trouble of moving back to Wells Fargo. At first we thought it was just the people at our branch, but as we have worked more with others, it seems poor service is just part of their culture.