When one of the major national banks (not to name names, but it starts with a Ch and ends with an ase) responded to our report of fraud on our account by freezing our accounts (appropriately) and proceeding to hold onto our remaining funds for over 3 months and refusing to release them until we filed a CFPB complaint (!!!), we decided that we'd put our money with a local credit union so if issues happen, we can talk with someone face-to-face instead of being referred to some disjointed international call center. We picked Desert Financial Credit Union and so far have been extremely happy with the service. Perks we've seen so far: 1) Savings certificates (CDs) with intro rates of 5%, competing with online-only banks and much better than those offered by most national banks 2) Trust establishment services (shout out to Deivy, who is a true joy to meet with) for a much better price than that offered by lawyers in the area (we're talking in the realm of $1500 instead of $6000) 3) Some points-based system where you get some cash back at the end of the year that already has me gamifying our finances to make sure we max out the potential benefits Only negatives so far seem to be a lower ATM daily allowance and some limitations on monthly transfers out of their checking account to external banks. For many people, though, these issues won't come into play. Very happy with our decision to open an account. read more

Carina was the teller that helped me start a account. She was polite, helpful, and a overall great example of a great customer service representative. I really appreciate the servant hearted service I received from her. May the Most High bless her. read more

Had a good experience... What I noticed the gentlemen at the desk I informed him I would like to open a new account and he asked that I take a seat; I did. Three minutes later I asked him if they offered HELOCs... the minute he told me he brought me to on of the desk to open... I can think if I did not tell him know that, I would be setting there for longer. In any case, he was very helpful read more

Terrible customer service..Tales forever to speak to someone. You can't call a local branch. I opened a CD with them and after a month of it being opened, they called and told me it was never funded. Again, you will be on hold FOREVER listening to terrible elevator music before speaking to someone! read more

I wish there was a negative star after the service I received from this institution. Firstly I refinanced a loan with a much better institution with 2% less of an interest rate. The bank that refinanced my request a pay off request multiple times. They were told I would have to be on the line to authorize this. Really come on. So we do the call. The person who answered the line is Brandon. He proceeded to ask for my name, DOB, social, and driver's license. Then proceeded to say you'll need to come in a prove you are male! The audacity that he says this. I asked and exactly how would you like me to do this drop my pants and show you? He then states that Desert Financial takes security very seriously and I am taking this wrong. He stars that my voice is not matching to a male voice. First and foremost that is something you should never say. The rep from my new bank states Brandon you were told you were speaking to Mr D and proceeded to say ma'am over and over again. We would like a manage. Said manger leaves on hold for 26 minutes. He comes on states he is Julian and stands behind Brandon's behavior. After 45 minutes of being insulted we finally obtained the payoff. My accounts that I had with Desert Financial will be closed by the 23 I will never ever do business with the Bigotry! For any business to behave this way is unacceptable. I was made to feel less than. My tenor of voice is due to a very traumatic incident from my early youth that caused multiple surgeries and disfigured scras. Do better Brandon and Julian. Do better! read more

They charge a $7 fee to cash a check drawn from their bank!!! Not a very good thing for your customers to give a check to someone, especially payroll checks and then that person be charged to get their own money. I was offered to open an account but not if that's how they do business. read more

Desert Financial Credit Union - Banks & Credit Unions Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

My debit card was skimmed for 500 and after disputing my claim denied if you work hard and value your savings don't trust this company I was with them 6 years until this security issues there's lot more fraud these days and they won't pay you back if your card gets skimmed so this the end of our relationship pulling everything out and going we're there better protect my investments and savings read more

So far so good! Haven't banked here long but the gal who signed me up was kind. I believe her name was Jody.* read more

Desert Financial Credit Union - Desert financial off of Missouri - Banks & Credit Unions Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

I've never been very impressed with this institution in general but today when I had to explain why I was taking my own money out of my own savings account that broke the camel's back. I told the teller it was private and I preferred not to answer and was told I had to. Then another teller chimed in that it's "bank policy". I insisted on speaking to a manager who then informed the teller to put "customer declined to answer". The same answer I gave originally. I get it, if I'm buying a car or doing home improvement you want me to get a loan where you can make interest. But when I insist it's none of your business that's where it ends. Then when the customer next to me did the same thing there were no questions asked? Seriously evaluating if I should pull all my banking and go elsewhere after this. read more

Never knew I would walk into a bank where I would be profiled as an individual. They denied my personal loan application because of insufficient income without checking my pay stubs. They assumed my income based on my looks as a person of African descent. read more

If DSFCU doesn't start stepping it up, I will be moving my accounts out. Tellers promise quick resolution but their background operations take far longer than promised. The availability of branches is spotty at best. My fiancé has had fraud committed on her DSFCU card twice now and DSFCU backs the fraud each time. My card experienced fraud (the most recent dealings) right before vacation. We stopped into the DSFCU on the way (I17 and Ocotillo; Phoenix, AZ). Their card maker was down so a replacement couldn't be provided that day. I figured no big deal I'm going on vacation I'll take out some cash (a bit inconvenient but better than nothing), the teller said it would be in the mail in 4-5 days, no card upon return 5 days later. Between all of the problems my fiancé has had with DSFCU and the small, but many inconveniences I have experienced, we are both actively shopping for a better bank to do business with. read more

Worst customer service ever from a financial institution. All calls go to a central call center where you spend endless time on hold. Absolutely nobody cares about helping you. 5 hours on the phone to get a wire transfer done. Emails seldom get a response and the message online is a waste of time. Sad that people don't care as they are located in good spots. Left a message for a return call nothing read more

This brach is horrible!!! There ATM NEVER WORKS!!!! As a member I sometimes make my deposits on the weekends. Well, every other time I go the deposit part of the ATM doesn't work. Honestly this location and branch is the worst! Ever since the 16st and camelback location closed, I got stuck at this location. I think its time to find a different bank, that actually cares about there customers. read more

Staff is awesome they know what they're doing! I love this bank they help out so much!! Always clean and welcoming! Super quick service in and out the door. read more

Just thought I'd add an update: Name and branding change of this credit union doesn't happen when you have a stellar reputation- even w/different management/ownership. Can only surmise that I was not the only dissatisfied- done with DSFCU customer! read more

I have stayed with Desert Financial as a member for 7 years, but this institution has never tried to help me with anything, just take my money. I am in the middle of fighting with Social Security which has suspended my monthly check because Social Security believes they have been paying me too much. The politicians in Washington spend more on a DC luncheon than I got each month. Because I did not get an October deposit from Social Security, I called Desert Financial on Thursday asking them to stop payment on an ACH that was scheduled today, Friday. The agent helped me set that up, but when I checked my checking account balance this evening, there was nothing in my account, because the ACH was processed--even though the stop payment note is on the account. Thank you SO MUCH DESERT FINANCIAL. You are always looking out for YOURSELF. You customer service has gotten so sloppy. read more

We all need respect, it's our money, it's not from the bank employees. This Desert Financial Credit Union office is one of the worst that this company has. they treat clients very badly, the manager does not care about the clients. customers are the most important, we need respect and better treatment. some employees in this office are very rude. I hope the company does something about this problem. this office is the worst. read more

If you go into this branch ask for Anaceli Martinez Navarro. She was amazing helping me sort out a problem with my account. I have banked here for 10 years. Thank you Anaceli read more

Love this branch! We own a laundromat and we bring in a lot of cash a couple times a week. Any of the tellers at the branch help us with a smile even when they know we are going to take up their time helping us count $1 bills. Highly recommend! read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. Horrible experience! Branch at Apache Junction, AZ DOES NOT know how to take care of existing customers. The girl working on 1/21/22 Issued me another card but it was useless! At first I couldn't activate it. Spent 20 minutes waiting for someone to help me and try to BYPASS what they did. She called and I was able to activate the card.... try to use it 10 minutes after and had to cancel a $200 cause it kept saying I needed to contact the credit union. Ridiculous!!!! I had to go to another branch and get A DIFFERENT CARD! WAIT TIME OVER THE PHONE IS RIDICULOUS! WHY have the same number listed for EVERY Branch if you don't have enough employees to take care of your customers. read more

I've been handling a relatives estate and noticed that she had an account with this Credit Union. So, I went to the above named branch to see about it. I met with banker Tyler Gardner. He went over the account and explained a number of things I wasn't aware of, for example that I and another relative had been made co owners many years ago (I had at that time made many major changes in my life so forgot signing a form). Anyway, after explaining all this he met my request to close the account and divide the money so I could easily place the monies in accounts owned by myself and the other beneficiary. Tyler was friendly, helpful and professional. So, posting a review like this is what I do when I'm happy with a service (which doesn't happen often enough in this world). read more

An absolute joke of bankers and customer service. When I asked for a checking account with money in hand they gave me something like a prepaid account. Then when I had a cashiers check that bounced they blamed me instead of the bank or person that wrote it and charged me the fee's along with replacing the 200 they gave me when I deposited the check. I told them when I deposited it that this may be a fraud check and maybe can we research this before going down deposit. The banker said no it should be fine and basically did this so they could collect all the fees and pretty sure the check was good and they kept the money themselves. read more

The ahwatukee branch used to have 2 ATM's. they now have one and this morning it as OUT OF SERVICE,!,,!,! ONE TOP OF THAT THEY NOW CHAEGE 5$ for EACH OVERDRAFT TRANSACTION. wells fargo is starting to look better and better. read more

This 'bank' is masquerading as a 'credit union/' They have been steadily declining in service over the last 15 years while simultaneously raising rates and ultimately introduced a new plan to give people with the largest deposits free services and higher return interest rates. Sounds like Wells Fargo, doesn't it? Give the rich customers endless free services and benefits while charging ridiculous fees for every little transaction to the people who can least afford it! The spirit of what it means to be a credit union has been lost with this poorly lead organization. In fact, the service over the years has slowly eroded to the point that Desert Schools has no choice but to change their name in an effort to deceive potential new customers by hiding the reputation and Yelp reviews associated with them! Frankly, it disgusts me. Their credit union status should be revoked. They are dishonest and greedy, or simply incompetent. Either way, after the name change takes place on December 11, 2017, I'll be moving all of my finances to an ACTUAL credit union. If you don't heed this warning, accept responsibility for what you will sacrifice to bank here. read more

My wife was a customer since 1980s. She developed dementia and I went to the bank to have my name added to accounts and make me beneficiary. They refused to let me assist her till I sought legal advice. Filed paper work in 2014. My wife recently passed and now they have no record of these papers. You would be better digging a hole in the back yard for your money. They will lie right to your face and tell you it is all fine. Please learn from my mistake. Do not trust this bank. No matter how many of there employees give them 5* ratings, do not fall for it. read more

We opened up a savings account here about eight months ago with an insurance settlement that we had received from a car accident. This was our first joint account after getting married about a year ago. After being given the runaround from another bank when trying to set up a joint checking account, we came back to Desert Schools and talked with our personal banker. We both had Visa Debit Checking Cards within five minutes of coming inside the bank. Literally five minutes. I'm going to be a Desert Schools customer for life. read more

Incompetent. I signed up for auto-pay for my APS bill, which is no longer the same amount every month now that I'm off the equalizer plan. It would really be nice if they could notify me of the amount but no.....too much trouble, I guess. Then, they didn't pay the bill until two days after the due date. By then, I'd already paid manually, so the payment went out of my account twice. This is on top of the many times their ATMs don't work, or the ATM won't accept deposits after hours. I don't like banks but I think a bank is the better alternative. read more

Went in to pay off a loan via shared branching. Needed to have them fax confirmation of cash payment to my credit union to expedite a title release. I've now called five times and still not had the confirmation sent to the proper receiving party. When I called the fifth time, I reached a central hub and spoke with an extremely rude female who hung up on me when I requested to be transferred to someone at the specific branch I'd gone to earlier in the day. Long story short: I will NEVER do business with this institution again. I know financial institutions are notorious for bad customer service, and I've dealt with my fair share of banks and credit unions in the past; this one takes the cake for absolute worst customer service. read more

Horrible, horrible customer service!! You can never speak to anyone in your branch over the phone - instead you have "the pleasure" to speak to people in the call center who are posing as customer service reps. They lack basic communication skills and have absolutely no idea how to assist a customer. Instead you'll hear, "I dont know", "the policy usually is".....and the last two people wanted the password for my online banking!!! FOR REAL???? Told them i wasnt comfortable giving that info but would verify any other way they needed, and guess what?! I cant help you then........better off with a ceramic piggy jar than this hot mess of a "banking" institution. read more

Unable to process an account closure, still waiting after 20 minutes. An account holder for 10 plus years suddenly began assessing fees. Unacceptable. read more

Lindsay, the Branch Manager at Arrowhead Mall Branch is awesome! We cannot count the number of times she has gone above and beyond. Lindsay has stayed late to helps us out. She is very positive and compassionate about her work. We want everyone to know about her. She is a blessing to us. We have been members since 1990. read more

Been a member for over 15 years, in December of 2014 went to re-fi my home. Submitted my application, NEVER heard from them, so went with a larger mtg company, then 7 weeks later, I received a customer survey asking how my loan officer did? REALLY,I never heard anything from any Loan Officer! Sad,, they used to have good customer service read more

CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE WAS THE WORST PEOPLE IVE EVER TALKED TO IN MY LIFE.... Worst bank I've ever had to deal with... I called to get business account number, simple task, after numerous attempts of having to hang up and call back, they finally gave me a number, the WRONG number on purpose after we exchanged words.... That's got to be illegal and she needs to be fired. Then she even has the nerve to freeze my account while I'm out of town and can't go into a branch when they're clearly in the wrong.. Grow up and get better employees. I'm making sure everyone knows how I feel about this credit union. I definitely would not ever bank here for anyone in the future. read more

I've been a Desert Schools (now Desert Financial) members for 25 years, and back then, we joined what credit union we could to get better rates and fewer fees than banks. Since then, eligibility for credit unions has been widened, and there are more competitive credit unions out there. Desert Financial is conveniently big, but not the best, although they're not bad. But their rates could be better, so shop around. And they do try to sneak in hidden fees from time to time, reminiscent of the banks that lead me to switch to a credit union in the first place! read more

They want seven dollars to cash a certified bank check drawn from their bank. It's a freaking certified check

This isn't my normal branch. When I walked in there was a line but it moved pretty quick and the teller was extremely friendly. I accidentally put an extra $100 in my deposit. The teller caught it and added it. Thanks doll!!! read more

I believe there is still an exclusivity in belonging to a credit union. Desert schools has always been good to us. Any fees are minimal in comparison to other banks. I have been banking with them for about ten years. In that time, any issues I had were resolved promptly. read more

Friendly people, good service. It's like they actually don't mind being at work. Unlike their 16th and Camelback location.

Horrible bank and service. Employees refuses to help you and are confrontational . Pull your money out of here

Desert Schools is run like a pirate den. They will attempt to take money from your account for any possible reasons. They have very high monthly service charges if you do not maintain qualifications. They will also take money without notifying you. Beware this place, it will be a bad experience for you. read more