A subtle rebuttal...
Written: Mar 25 '01 (Updated Mar 25 '01)
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Pros: Personal touch
Cons: None really
The Bottom Line: Of the few things I will miss...
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| amidknight's Full Review: Wright-Patt Credit Union |
*Who Can Join?
Persons eligible for membership in Wright-Patt Credit Union include:
Military and civilian employees of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Military personnel residing in a 14-county area adjacent to the Fairborn area who do not have a credit union available.
Government employees residing near WPAFB who do not have credit union facilities at their places of employment.
Retired members who retain membership in Wright-Patt Credit Union.
Select employee groups made up of people associated through employment, geographic location, or other organizational affiliation.
Spouses, children, and certain other relatives of those eligible for WPCU membership.
*Taken from the Wright-Patt Creddit union website 3/25/01(www.wright-pattcu.com)
I have been a member of Wright-Patt Credit Union since I moved to the Dayton area ten years ago. Since then I have had additional accounts with other banks, and heard the horror stories of friends.
The personal touch of the tellers is wonderful; they treat you like a human instead of just another account. Being able to walk up to the counter and tell the teller what I want to do with my money is a plus. I used to be a member of a bank that used deposit/withdraw sheets, with this method I found that the tellers wouldn't talk to me, in some cases wouldn't even look at me, and filling them out just took too long. This made me feel like they did not care about me as a member of the bank, rather I was just another account.
WPCU (Wright-Patt Credit Union) has recently enhanced the aesthetic appearance of their branches in Fairborn (branch office), and Beavercreek (administrative building). I like the enhancements, because it feels like WPCU is trying to keep with the times, while other banks seem so far behind it's frightening.
I feel when talking about banks, banking, and credit cards a story paints the picture much better than bland words:
MY LOAN EXPERIENCE
At the age of 20 I had NO credit (I didn't have a credit card, because I used cash for everything). I needed $3,000 for a car and a computer (to do my artwork and web design); I called around to various banks to see what the APR would be. After calling every bank, that was in driving distance, in the book (quite literally) I found that no bank could compete with WPCUs 9.4% APR as well as their service (some banks didn't even answer the phone when I called). This was a personal loan; which is to say that it has one of the highest APRs compared to car loans, and home loans. The woman that I talked to about the loan was very helpful, and very fast (in the matter of 15 minutes we were done). I did not have to fill out a pile of forms, signed in triplicate, which would then be sent to an underwriter, who would then pass it on to the senior vice president of accounting, and then in 3-5 business I could call to find out the progress; it was just her, she used her computer, asked me some quick questions, and deposited the amount directly into my account (I could've had it printed as a check, or cashed). There was no penalty for paying it off early (this was a plus since I paid it off in 6 months instead of 2 years). Interest for the loan was tacked on every day (i.e. 9.4 divided by 365), instead of with some banks where it is a lump monthly sum.
BOUNCED CHECK...UH OH (this was bad but every cloud has a silver lining)
It was tax season and I owed the school some money. I wrote a check, knowing that I had deposited enough in my checking. I received a notice that my check bounced in the mail (this happened before I knew what overdraft protection was). I had just paid my loan off when I got the notice, so having a check bounce right after that was scary to say the least. What I was told happened when a check bounces is, the bank charges you for it, then the state charges you for it, then the bank sends the check back for it to be re-sent (this is a bad system). Within a matter of a day the state had already re-sent the check; I was charged by the bank and the state again. I received another notice of the check bouncing the following day. I went to the bank to ask what was happening (having never bounced a check before I was curious). What had happened, was when I deposited my check the woman got confused and put the money I wanted in checking into savings and the vice-versa. They were courteous and let me know what all happened, set me up with overdraft protection, and took away one of the fines.
OVERDRAFT PROTECTION
For those that don't know, overdraft protection is like a loan that is always there in case of a bounced check. I don't usually bounce checks so I've never had to use it; however it is nice to know that if a mix-up happens I am protected. Another wonderful service from WPCU.
As with any bank that has a ton of members knowing when to do your banking is crucial. I have never had to wait in line longer than 4 minutes, because as the line grows more tellers come out of the wood work.
The interest on savings accounts is one of the highest of any bank of which I, or someone I know, have been a member. Also the interest is deposited on a monthly basis. This is a wonderful way to do things, because I've been part of banks that only pay interest after a year, and you have to have a minimum of $100 to qualify.
WPCU has various checking accounts with so many options it's unbelievable.
Free checking:checks are free, you can write as many as you want, and they get to you quickly.
Select checking:requires a minimum monthly balance of $1,000 dollars to open and costs $5 a month. This is interesting so let me explain. As long as you have $1,000 in your account you receive dividends every month. If you have under this amount you do not lose your select checking status; however the $5 is deducted from your account every month. With select checking you are also eligible for discounts on products, services, etc. not just through WPCU but other businesses like Lens Crafters, Sony, etc.
Checking with Dividends:this checking account is like a savings account. As long as your balance is $1,000 dollars you will receive dividends every month, like a savings account; however you get all the spending benefits of a checking account.
I have only called the bank one in which I was greeted with anything less than kindness, but we all have those days.
The bad side, for non-members, is that you have to meet certain requirements to join. I say this because for non-members they do not get the benefits of being a member (like USAA). For members however this is a great advantage, because members will not be punished (with lower dividend rates, high APRs, etc.) for the misfortunes and abuses of other members. This list of requirements is like a screening process, the bank has compiled it using people they have seen to be responsible individuals.
Trying to list and describe all of the services provided by WPCU would be ludicrous to do here. If you want more information about the services provided go to their website at www.wright-pattcu.com.
All in all when I move from Ohio WPCU is going to be one of the only things I will miss. However even though I won't live here anymore I don't have to close my accounts, because of all the long distance services they provide. I don't know anyone who doesn't like the service they receive from WPCU from college students, to bums like myself. The employees in general are nice and wonderful to do business with. And like I've said about USAA if there is a certain aspect, of just about anything you want changed, just ask them (calmly) and they'll usually bend over backward to satisfy you.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
amidknight
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Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Student (Computer Art focus), artist, storyteller, music lover, all around kind of person.
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