Emory Alliance Credit Union

Let me just say that I finished reading all of the negative comments about this credit union and I’m seriously shocked. I can only assume that people are upset because they were denied for a loan or incurred fees for some reason. I closed on my mortgage here at the Credit Union and the process was simple. Due to the great service I received, I came back and financed my auto loan through them as well. Great rate, great service, so I opened up a checking account with them as well. I’ve been a member of Emory Alliance now for close to 10 years and I’ve never had an issue that wasn’t resolved quickly and easily. I didn’t realize how good a credit union was until I joined one.
Previously, I used Wells Fargo for all my banking needs until I realized that they could honestly care less about me or any of their other customers for that matter. They are only concerned with their shareholders and their profit margins. Don’t believe me? Just look at their skyscrapers in various cities. Where do you think they got the money to keep building these? When was the last time you saw a Credit Union Skyscraper? I’m a credit union fan for life.

The only reason I’ve stuck around with these guys for so long is because my wife, an employee at (you got it) Emory lives and dies by credit unions and has a deep hatred for the big banks. Well, I get all these generally positive, locally grown, for the good of the little guy qualities that CU’s are well known for. But, after 3 years being a member, Emory Alliance has yet to surprise me with just one of these qualities. And for someone who lives JUST far enough away that driving to the branch is «out-​of-​the-​way», I turn to the Internet.
Their website has not been updated since perhaps Myspace was a thing. Or maybe it is, but isn’t updated to help the user whatsoever. The whole thing just makes you frustrated that you get to kind of ‘play’ with your money. Transfer money to an outside account or person? Nope. See what payments are currently pending in your transactions? Nope. Be able to live chat with a teller? Download a smartphone app? Order checks? Nope. Nope. Triple nope. If you’re looking for good ol’, pre-​Internet (possibly pre-​ATM) banking where you got to stroll all the way to the teller to ask them to let you see your routing and account numbers, then this credit union probably suits you.
One other thing that completely baffled me was that in all my days having an account at a most widely untrusted international bank of the devil, they had ALWAYS been vigilant over scammers and the such, yet a purchase for a one-​way plane ticket on AIR OMAN was not a big enough red flag for Emory ACU to halt payment.
I’ll give them an inch, though. Half of the people I get on the phone are a delight and do anything they can to help you, (the other half, well…) Also, they really did get us a great rate for our car loans. All in all, it’s a pain in the neck just even thinking about money around these guys.

They would like you to think they’re a bank but they don’t really do anything. If you ever go to them for help, they’ll tell you you need to log into your account online because they don’t have access to information (e.g. about charges that have shown up on your card, or to help change to paperless billing because they’ve suddenly started charging you $ 5 a month). I have one SIM-​PLE thing I need to do– I have been trying to switch to paperless billing for three days now– two trips to the credit union, 2 hours online, and 25 minutes on hold later, I have officially made no progress. I have been on hold now for 25 minutes, and for at least 20 the voice says «you’re estimated wait time is less than 1 minute». The rest of the time I have to listen to SOLID advertisements. So I guess they have an incentive to leave me on hold and subject me to this crap for as long as possible.

I was completely lied to by the mortgage broker who contacted me through Emory, He swore that I would have my mortgage with Emory Credit Union, but when it came to the closing, I ended up with Flagstar and have been sold since. I will never trust this institution again.

I’ve had accounts at the credit union for almost 30 years, and the last year and a half has been a nightmare. On four occasions my card was blocked for reasons that included the fact I was in another state. This is despite the fact it’s where I grew up and where my parents still live and I travel there at least four times a year. Was TOTALLY embarrassed in front of my son who I was trying to purchase clothes for before he returned to college. When I called card services, they said I should call the credit union and let them know when I plan to travel out of state to prevent in the future. Are you kidding??? Representative on site at the credit union just keeps making excuses. I just opened an account at Regions and plan to move everything there soon.

I find the service to be so-​so. The Visa credit card they offer is particularly awful. I got one specifically for an overseas trip and made all the necessary notifications to that effect, but it was still declined practically every time I used it. Fortunately I also had an American Express card and a longtime banking relationship with Suntrust, or I would have been sleeping on a park bench.

I have been a member of credit unions for years. Whenever I move to a new location i always join a local credit union. I love credit unions.
That being said: this is the WORST CREDIT UNION OF ALL TIME. Seriously, I don’t know who runs this place but they are obviously spending more time picking their nose than trying to figure out how to make their organization sync with the lives of its members.
–Their hours are obscenely limited, and the people who answer their phones are pretty rude. I have encountered this on a number of occasions during my 5 years of membership.
–The online baking is like something out of the first ever version of the internet. Utterly cumbersome interface, clearly a product of people who don’t know what the possibilities are and aren’t willin gto hire someone who knows what they are doing.
–The «auto-​bill-​pay service costs 3.50 a month if for some reason you don’t use it. They said it was free to sign up for and then I started getting this charge. When i tried to remove it I couldn’t find a way online. When I called the guy who answered acted like it was my fault they were charging me, and after a long conversation he still didn’t take the charge off of my account.
–The only decent thing about this credit union is that the teller staff is extremely friendly.
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a credit union in the decatur area, I would suggest Delta Credit union. I just switched and it’s like night and day. I forgot what it was like to be a member of a credit union that actually functions with a degree of efficiency.

Terrible, terrible, terrible… I wanted to join a local credit union for all the same reasons as most. Emory was close to my home so I decided to join there. I read the membership requirements and went to their main office to fill out the application — three times. Each time, before I even submitted the application they added more items to the list of things I needed to prove that I am a DeKalb County resident. Following today’s visit — leaving with yet another unsubmitted application in hand — I’ve decided that these folks are even less together, and more bureaucratic, than my current bank (BofA). This is not the kind of place where I want to leave my money…

I have been using this place since I was a student at Emory starting back in ’99, and they have been wonderful. Competitive rates on CDs and savings. Amazing staff that truly offer personalized service. We do also have accounts at BOA and Chase for convenience and for business purposes, but for my day to day banking EACU is my top choice. Just go in and speak with one of the bank officers and tell me they are not the nicest group of people you have met. Over the years I have had a few financial issues come up, including having my identity stolen, and the EACU staff have been incredibly accomodating. Hands down best customer service I have ever received from a financial institution.