My boyfriend and I used to bank with Rogue FCU when we lived in Medford years ago and the service there was great, but due to moving out of the area, we chose to close our accounts. Now that we're back in Klamath, we figured we'd reestablish.
I was able to open my accounts online, but needed to go into the branch to get a debit card. While there, my boyfriend decided to open his accounts. This was our first experience with their banker, Carmen. Printing my card didn't seem to be too hard for her, but opening checking and savings accounts seemed to be a real chore. She couldn't explain to us what an ownership account was, but just kept RUDELY insisting that one was required to open the others. Fine. When my boyfriend tried to fund all three accounts with $100 each, she kept telling him he only needed $5 in one account and $10 in another. It was like she couldn't be bothered (or maybe didn't know how?) to put more than the basic amount in. Finally we gave up, had her fund the accounts with the minimum, and decided we just needed to get out and as far away from her as we could.
Her crappy service left a sour taste in our mouths, neither of us ended up really using our accounts (this was about 6 months ago). This past weekend was unfortunately my second encounter with Carmen. She must be the Saturday banker, because I wished I could have spoke with ANYONE else, but she was the only one there. I went in to see about getting pre-approved for a car loan. I had all of my documents ready, and was feeling pretty positive, until I quickly was reminded about how horribly unhelpful she is.
I started the conversation out with, "I'd like to see about getting pre-approved for a car loan. This would be my first one, and I'm not really sure how the process works." She pulled me up and asked who I have my current car loan through. I told her I didn't have one, and (again) this would be my first. She asked what vehicle I had recently purchased that I needed Rogue to finance. (This caught me off guard, since it seemed like a really a stupid question. Why would I have bought a vehicle, then needed a bank to finance me? Do people do that? I have no idea!) I told her I hadn't bought anything, and showed her the paperwork for what car I was looking at and how much I wanted to finance. At this point, she was a fun mix of confused, rude, condescending, AND judgmental that I could have the audacity to come to her without a purchase agreement (which I didn't know I apparently needed, as like I'd stated, I was here to get help with a first time car loan). After asking me my credit score, she pulled out some interest rate charts and gave me a very wide range of percentages. Then AGAIN asked me where my current car loan is from. AGAIN I told her that I have never had to have a car loan before and this would be MY FIRST NEW CAR PURCHASE AND FINANCING EXPERIENCE. Honesty, here's where I started to get pretty frustrated, as it was clear she wasn't actually listening to me. She finally say, "Oh, well if this is your first loan, I can't do pre-approvals for first time buyers" and started listing off requirements for Rogue financing to a lowly first timer like me. When I think about the horrible, condescending tone she took with me, it makes my blood boil. At this point, I started to just grab my things and leave. There was no way I could sit in front of her while she continued to make me seem like I was some piece of shit for not having a car loan before, and keep my cool. I told her that I'd called the branch the day before, and they assured me a banker could help me through this process, but if I knew it would have been her manning the banker side on Saturday, I wouldn't have wasted my time coming down, and that she really needed to work on her customer service. Aaaaaand I left. I was so mad I was shaking.
I closed my accounts the following business day. I've talked to a handful of my friends and family that bank at Rogue, and here's a funny thing, EVERY SINGLE ONE of them has had a similar experience with Carmen. Most of which ending with them not getting the help they need, and leaving saying "What an idiot!"
Long story short, bank with Rogue, whatever. But if you have to do anything with a banker, AVOID CARMEN AT ALL COSTS. Nothing is worth the laziness, lack of knowledge and service, and pure frustration of having to deal with Carmen. read more
