Was able to call after hours and leave a voice mail for the person responsible for business online backing, outstanding! Hope they raise their interest rate on the Maximizer. read more

This is not directly to the customer service. This is the system process of FHB. I've given free monies of overdraft fee due to pending transactions that only apply to my end, but not FHBs end. Today, I got charged 90 for 3 transactions that were pending. Even though FHB transactions were pending, it doesn't matter if my transfer cleared before their pending. I still got charged. The messed-up part is that they can only do one reimbursement even though the others are wrong as well. Heads up, disect your overdrafts with this bank because I've been wrongfully charged on many counts that I had to call them out on. I'm always being told the app is not the same as what they are looking at on the phone. Here is an example..... Let's say I have 300 in my account Deposit 1000 (pending) Bill 300 (pending) Bill 200 (pending) Bill 50 (pending) Bill 50 (pending) Bill 20 (pending) No matter if my deposit went in first, their pending will always triumph my deposit even though it cleared before the transactions. Therefore, I will have now accrued 4 overdraft fees of $120, but out of these 4, I can only request a reimbursement of 1. I am looking to move banks because of this reason its bullshit and I'm always fighting them on this issue. Lastly, if my online says my deposit cleared first, I still take the overdraft fee, and I get the response, "On our side, it says pending on deposit and transactions" if that's the case why am I getting overdrafts before the transactions is even cleared? Response: Sorry, that is just how our system works. There is nothing we can do, but put in a request for one reimbursement of 30$. read more

I needed cash, so it was great that the FHB's ATM was accessible and in a convenient place, in a shopping mall.

The worst of all worlds, First Hawaiian has the terrible service of a large bank coupled with all the limitations of a small bank. You cannot call the local branch without being diverted to the main number, where you can expect 45-60 minute hold times. Once you finally get someone, they will likely either be incompetent or belligerent. Your issue will never be resolved, unless you get extremely lucky and manage to get the one manager who actually knows anything. I should have known when I walked into the Hilo branch, and saw that all of the desks, including the main teller counter, were eaten through by termites, that this bank has no standards. That's an apt metaphor for the entire bank, an institution that might have been decent many years ago, but has since rotted from the inside out. My particular issue was that my ACH payment to the State and County for taxes was rejected by First Hawaiian. I spent over 3 hours on hold and fighting with various representatives before finally getting a manager who acknowledged: 1) They migrated their systems in May, and now require customers to add 00 to the start of their account numbers for ACH payments. This isn't documented anywhere online, but supposedly they sent letters to this effect to customers. The manager told me to check my online messages, but (surprise, surprise), there was no such message. She was at a loss as to why I wasn't notified. She also acknowledged that First Hawaii had been working with the State, but hadn't quite gotten the issues resolved since May (five months ago). 2) Each ACH payment is checked by a human before being rejected. This means a bank employee deliberately rejected ACH payments with valid account numbers just because the customer didn't include the 00 prefix, even though prior to May numbers without the prefix were accepted. That's right, First Hawaiian changed their systems and then gave their customers NO grace period to change all of their saved payment methods. 3) The bank provided all new customers with starter checks that have invalid formatting for account numbers. These checks don't adhere to the ANSI X9 standard that all interstate banks are supposed to follow. The checks have the account number and check number transposed, have a special character interspersed with the account number (making the actual account number almost impossible for customers to deduce), and are missing the leading 00s that are now apparently required by First Hawaii's new system. The bank left these improperly-formatted checks in the hands of customers, only replacing them when the customer ordered new checks, and knowing that the old checks would result in issues with ACH and other forms of payment. These checks don't match any of the sample checks on any ACH processing websites, virtually guaranteeing First Hawaiian customers will have their payments rejected. The service I've received from First Hawaiian has been the worst from any bank, and I've been a Bank of America customer. THAT is saying something. Seriously, use any other bank. It can't possibly be as bad as this one. read more

11:15 am. 2 tellers with 8 people in line. Guess they all took lunch at the same time.

The line is a 45 minute or more wait to process with the teller there are no accommodations for senior citizens or handicap. The branch located off puainako the tellers spend more time spraying and wiping the counters than with the customer. It's a miserable experience every time. Worst bank horrible customer service in Hilo . Try any other bank but this one read more

Been banking here nearly 10 years. Today was the last straw and officially switching banks. The phone app is horrible, doesn't even show your running balance after each transaction, among many other flaws... setting up any auto pay is a nightmare. Calling customer service is further disappointing and frustrating. Tech help seems rather untrained, and just explains that the app has issues as though that's the solution. Then I recently received over $130 in overdraft fees... which I decided to go into the bank to see if they could refund any of them as $60 of it was for the same exact auto payment, which they never paid anyway. I asked the woman if there's any protection I could adjust my account to avoid such hefty fees, cold hard No. She said she "could" request a refund but since it was almost a month ago they probably won't. I explained to her I tried coming into the bank twice however both times the line was out the door and I didn't have enough hours to spend there. I would have called but due to past experiences also knew that was a nightmare, she agreed with me the phone service is horrible but that the overdraft fees were in the book I received when I signed up 10 years ago. She clearly had no desire to help me with the fees, but did offer me another book of their rules to read. The way I was treated felt clearly unvalued as a customer. I told her she can keep her book as I'll just switch banks. Looking back at all the numerous issues I've had with this bank throughout the years I'm relieved to end this bad relationship. Worst bank overall I've ever had... And I have many many others in multiple areas to compare to. read more

This is an update from my first review. The customer service is getting slightly better from the new system. Not much but a little better. It's still very slow and a little frustrating. They had almost 5 months to get it right but it's been a slow learning process. I'm beginning to think that even though the employees are learning the new system, it still is frustrating for the customers to wait that long. Perhaps the system is too complicated. I just hope that it was worth it for the bank but I don't see it. Oftentimes I will notice frustrated customers walk out. This is not good. Please get it together before it's too late. I would love to upgrade my reviews to 5 stars but I need to see a dramatic improvement in the wait time. Mahalo. read more

My father banked here for several several years and loved this bank. He never had any problems and always received excellent customer service. Recently my father passed away and we have had to deal with all his accounts and such. We have been treated with excellent care and service. They have taken the time to explain everything throughly and suggest different options for us. They have made the situation as easy as possible. I highly recommend this bank. read more

WARNING!!! They charged me every month when I didn't use my account regularly!!! They had been debiting my account after around a year of no transactions even when I have money in their bank!!! No warning given by phone nor by mail. They aren't my primary bank and lost my trust in them. read more

I have been banking with First Hawaiian for over 10 years and today a teller (da one with the big mole on her face) I forgot her name. Told me it was her choice not to cash a check because it was $100 over my balance. She did not give me the option to deposit some, to check and see that I had deposited/cashed that check from the same person and same bank for the last 5 months there. I talked to another teller and supervisor who were at least considerate. In the end I closed my account and went to American Saving where they were more than happy to help and even helped me refinance and get a new car! I recommend American savings and stay away from the teller with the mole on her face. read more

This bank sucks. They close at 4pm on Fridays now. The wait times for a teller are unbelievable. No sense of urgency no matter how long the line is. You used to be able to get service with the first teller if you had mobility issues but no longer. That line is a mile long with business customers. The people that sit at their desks near the front won't even look your way. They are NOT going to help you even though they have no customers. You can't pay your credit card bill online unless you have a checking account with them. They don't have a branch in Hilo with drive thru service. read more

Horrible bank service , the teller was not resolving my issue and wasted my time by contacting online mobile banking and discussing the circumstance with her supervisor. My problem was not resolved and my mobile deposit is still not being released in my account after it was approved monday night but decline the funds Tuesday afternoon. Therefore I had access to my money but now the bank refuses to give me my funds. I would recommend going for American Savings , Bank of Hawaii , or an actual free banking online instead of banking with First Hawaiian. As well as never depositing your checks through mobile banking here because they can hold your check for 8 business days. read more

Kind of shocked that teller Maya refused to cash a $25 check written on their bank using my temporary Hawaii state ID. This is supposed to be valid ID. The TSA accepts it to fly on airplanes. However Maya told me that First Hawaiian Bank does not accept temporary state IDs as being valid proof of ID. I guess I start to understand why, when I ask my local friends "where should I bank?" not a single person has recommended First Hawaiian. Also their Hilo lobbies all seem to close at 4 PM except on Friday. This is kind of antiquated compared to the hours I have gotten used to at other local banks. read more

I thought I would write a quick update. As of April 2015 I am no longer a customer of FHB. When I signed up I opted out of paperless bank statements as I could easily access them online. Recently I attempted to go online to retrieve those transactions for necessary paperwork for my business taxes and self employment income. When I couldn't gain access I called FHB who informed me that once I closed the account I no longer had access to online banking. -_- They told me they could send me my bank statements for $2.50 a page. I only needed about 18 pages worth but still, apparently I need to spend $45 dollars to get access to my records. This bank is a f&^*ing joke. Pardon my language.... and somehow still manages to screw me left and right. read more

A person could probably die while waiting for a representative at this location. Molasses service. Don't bother signing in on the check in sheet, they will take their friends first. They used to have another location in Hilo but they closed it. Beware, and bring some food for the long, long, long wait. read more

If you are looking for a bank... this is the first and last stop you need to make. Service with aloha. The tellers are always friendly. If you think the line is moving slow... it's because they care about everyone they are helping. Attention to detail for all your banking needs and not to mention staying connected on a personal note asking how life and family are. Every banker there is ready to assist and always greeting you with a smile. There are no favorites but Maria is a great person to go to if you need to open up a new account. They have a private business section for small/local business owners and I hear they also have great services in home loans and portfolio for future retirements. Happy to call this "My Bank" read more

I had a great experience here, I had friendly staff greet me and head me to the right counters. Customer service must be important here, it shows. Parking is good here, lots of space. By the way, I also worked with Maya, she was a very nice teller, kudos. read more

Honestly the worst branch I've ever been to. The lady that "helped" me had the worst customer service I have ever seen in my life. I signed in on the paper and sat down to wait for service and a few seconds after sitting down a lady sitting at her desk without moving shouted at me "What are you doing here?" as if I wasn't allowed there or was seen as a nuisance. I asked if I could schedule an appointment for a notary and she said come back during our notary hours and didn't tell me the hours, so to specify I asked "I don't need to schedule an appointment? I just come in during the notary time?" And she answered, all bothered, "Yes". She didn't even tell me the hours until later and pointed out the sign I missed as if I was bothering her too much. She could have kindly told me the hours and say they are also posted on the sign next to the sign in sheet. After that I asked a quick question on what I need for the notary since it's my first time doing this and I'm not a US citizen and my state ID and passport expired at the same time and she said she can't help me because of policies, which I understand after listening to her, but she didn't even care to explain on how I can get my stuff notarized. I need to get my paper notarized to renew my passport so I can renew my state ID and I'm stuck in this endless loop where I can't do anything. Then she told me without a care in the world "YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE THAT BEFORE THEY EXPIRED". I tried to, but she didn't even try to put herself in my shoes. If you're not a US citizen you have to jump through so many hoops. I've been trying to do all this for months before they expired. I'm a second class citizen, I have all the same rights and a social security card. The only thing I can't do is vote. She told me she can't help me because of policies and because I wasn't a customer and to go to my bank if I had one. I was strongly going to consider opening an account with them if she had even a bit of decent customer service. I know she couldn't help me because of policies, but just because I don't have an account with them doesn't mean I'm not a customer. She could of at least gave me a hint or tip on what to do, if she knew one, that would have helped or if she didn't know what I can do then just tell me that. Don't shove me out the door before I even ask anything. I didn't even take up 5 minutes of her time so I don't know why she was so bothered. Never opening an account with this branch because of her customer service. I'm a full-time student at the University and have been working in customer service a majority of my life. You treat everyone as a "customer" whether they are one or not and WELCOME them so that they feel like they belong there and keep coming back to you. read more

I went in to the Hilo Branch to get a copy of my loan statement for tax purposes and make a $30,000 deposit for a new checking account for my 15-year old business, besides having a personal account at FHB for over 20 years. I signed in and waited. No one present. Then 5 minutes later two new account reps walk in and both not even acknowledging me sitting there waiting. Then another customer walks in and goes directly to one of the new accounts rep without signing in and they do business. Another 5 minutes goes by. The other Portuguese lady is doing her catchup paperwork and still does not acknowledge. After another 5 minutes I stand up, look at her while she is balancing her checking account statement???? Then she looks at me at sternly says "I'll be right with you!" Like I am bothering her. Another 5 minutes, and nothing happens..... I walk out disgusted after waiting for over 20 minutes. (I worked in bank management for over 25 years). The P Lady's been there for many years. Looks like she's getting tired of servicing her bank's customers well. I am going to Bank of Hawaii. read more