7/16- We went in to open a new business checking account for our new trucking company. Had a great chat w/Victoria while she was reviewing our paperwork & getting our info in the system. We talked about our other business where we are firearms instructors. She started talking about wanting lessons. She told us about a man who recently opened an account there, that also has a trucking company & how COD's were new types of accounts for her. Also talked about a place that couldn't get their liquor license & had to rent out a liquor license from another company b/c of how strict the city of Brookhaven is. During our chat, I asked her what would the process be in the event we changed our business name? She said it wouldn't be a problem, they'd be able to see it on the SOS site. She told us since we'd be out of town the following week, she'd send us all of the info on Docusign and we could just come in on the 25th to pick up the debit cards & to make a deposit. Said we'd hear from them within 48 hours about status. This never happened.
7/21- I called to follow up because I hadn't heard anything. I was told Victoria was busy, but would call back that day. Never heard from her. 7/25- Follow up again to be told Victoria was busy doing something w/the manager, but she would call me back that day. Closing time was approaching & nothing. I called their 1800 number, she apologized & got the branch on the phone. I spoke w/someone who told me Victoria told her it was ok to tell me that our app was denied. When I asked why, she told me to hold for Victoria. Victoria gets on the phone 10 mins later & apologizes for not calling me back, but the app was denied & that the manager, Pam, was there w/her. Pam starts to explain about this system they have that checks for everything. So, even if the simplest thing is off w/your information, it'll deny you. They both kept saying it could be the address, even though it was correct & the same w/the SOS. We asked her to look deeper to see why b/c this is a brand new business and has no mishaps whatsoever.
7/26- Pam calls us back to tell us that our app was denied due to our business name being changed and b/c it's registered on the SOS site as a firearms/sporting goods company. She was very long winded and short to listen, but quick to over talk. I explained to her this was the very reason I asked Victoria about the name change in the office, as we had already initiated the name amendment w/the state. Of course we'd rather go ahead and change our name now vs later down the line, when it'd be more difficult. As far as the trucking company being registered as a firearms business, this was a complete lie. I input the info myself and was looking on the SOS site while on the phone with Pam, to know that it is indeed registered as a general freight trucking company. Only way she could've found out about our firearms business and tried to associate it w/our trucking company, would be through Victoria. There isn't even an NAICS code for firearms on the SOS site. Either way, just say that Bank OZK doesn't want to do business w/people who own a firearms company vs giving false, incorrect information and blaming it on us, as if we did something wrong. Our firearms business has nothing to do w/this bank, we bank elsewhere w/people who don't mind that we teach firearm safety. This is discrimination at its finest.
If our trucking company is in their system as a firearms company, it's b/c Victoria put it in there that way. While I appreciate Pam taking the time to look into why it was denied vs giving us the generic we don't know like she was trying to do the first time, it is still absolutely unacceptable, considering these were faults of their own. All we kept hearing from Pam was that they wouldn't be moving forward, as if we did something wrong. And there was no talk that they would rectify the situation, just that she would have a talk w/Victoria about getting back to customers in a timely manner and about me telling Victoria about our business name change. They handled us and our business horribly. read more
