Bank of the West

I have been a Bank of the West customer for more than 10 years. For the first 5 years, I was very low income and the checks I deposited reflected that. In 2010 I earned a degree and professional license. Subsequently, the dollar amount of my deposits increased dramatically. Unfortunately, even after 5 years of having my current income, BoW still scrutinizes each paycheck with a manager before depositing or cashing it. Sometimes, if I’ve worked a lot of OT, my checks are larger. Then the bank manager has to call and confirm that the funds are available. This would be understandable if I was a new customer or for the first 4,6,8, or even 10 checks deposited. But not every time. And not for this long. I’ve taken my banking to Redwood Credit Union and have been very satisfied. This is not the only problem that I’ve had with this company, but to me it is the most frustrating. Tonight I received a notice that my BoW account is overdrawn $ 7.47. This is strange as I have not been using it since I opened with RCU. Turns out that if you don’t use the ATM card 10 times in a month, you are charged an $ 8.00 service charge. Fuck You, Bank of the West!

I lied. Actually, I was duped. A bank was nice to me a few times I somehow thought they were humane.
Most recent interactions have been condescending, lame and otherwise very much in keeping with a big, corporate bank towing their big, corporate line
The amount of time they put holds on deposits is unnecessary and is driving this family (account holders for 22 years) away.
As much time as I have spent in the local branch, I would think my experience as a customer would be better.
We are researching local credit unions as well as Mechanics. Fuck this place.

2 months ago I tried to change my address. Well three trips to the bank and they still WILL NOT or can not give me a statement. Come on what the hell. I have a berkeley address and can’t get a damn statement. I don’t really want to open a new account but I don’t quite know what to do.

My first experience with loan broker very bad. They pre approved me then 30 days later based on same info denied me. But they did collect there loan fees and didn’t have to go to jail for stealing them from me.

Stuck in the 1970’s, and unfortunately not in a good way.
We signed up for business checking, but the process was heavy on paperwork, faxes and delays. The etimebanker app is just ancient, and won’t even work on Google Chrome. Bill pay is fine I suppose, but the checks take a week and a half to post, and you can’t enter more than 31 characters for each address line. The Berkeley office décor: like everything else: seems from a past era. I don’t need slick, I don’t even need great customer service. But I do expect modern.

I haven’t gotten around to closing my account yet — it’s more or less dormant, but I may have some transactions coming through. I welcome the day it is closed, which will be soon.
In the meantime, I want to add to my review the mind-​bogglingly stupidity of an ATM that requires that you leave your card in the machine for the duration of your transaction. I remember the days when this was common for banks, but ultimately they had the good sense to only require a swipe. Why? Because requiring the customer to leave the card in the ATM is an invitation to forgetting your card in the machine. I can only wonder how many times a week this happens with BoW customers.

Wow. Can’t believe the terrible reviews. Everyone that works in this particular location truly has their customers best interest in mind. They go out of their way to help. Unfortunately, it seems all the complainers have taken to Unilocal.But every time I’m in the branch, the interaction between customers and employees has been light, fun, helpful. BTW: Having worked in banking, I can tell you, if someone is sitting at their desk, they’re not just sitting there being lazy and not wanting to help you. They’re working on something for another customer. Maybe a proposal for an upcoming meeting. Maybe a customer that’s on hold. The employees get rated and PAID on how fast their service is. So, trust me. They DO want to help you. They’re busy.

If you are looking to do business with a bank, take my advice and stay far far away from Bank of the West as a whole and this branch in particular. I’ve been doing business with Bank of the West for about 3 years now and the experience has been nothing short of horrible. I’ve used most of the major banks (Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Chase) at some point in the last 10 years whether it was for business or personal. In the early 2000’s I was using Wells Fargo for my business and personal.
What I can tell you is that in 2001, Wells Fargo’s systems, online banking, and branch locations were far more modern than Bank of the West is in 2012. I know its hard to believe that Bank of the West could be so backward and has not made any advancements in 10+ years, but its absolutely true. Remember when your parents used to go to the bank with a bank book that they would hand write their balances in every time a deposit or withdrawal was made? This is how Bank of the West thinks of banking. They are in the Stone Ages.
I went to this bank to close my account and the manager and teller could care less. Three months ago I switched to Bank of America and had taken all the funds out of my Bank of the West account to leave it with zero. I hadn’t gotten around to closing it. I had sold something on Ebay, and forgot to change my billing account within Ebay, so they billed the Bank of the West account for $ 18. This obviously put it in a negative status of $ 18. Bank of the West immediately charged me a $ 35.00 overdraft fee. I never received anything in the mail or a phone call so I had no idea this was going on. 8 days later I got a notice in the mail about all the late fees I was incurring. Bank of the West had also been charging me $ 5 for everyday the account was overdrawn. Basically, when I got to the bank the late charges were over a $ 100. I asked the manager to waive some of the fees (Because paying $ 100 in fees for an $ 18 original charge is ridiculous), but he rudely refused telling me that he has no interest in doing so because I’m closing my account. Hey Bank of the West Manager, maybe you could do it to create some goodwill with a customer.
These are just some of the problems I had with Bank of the West:
Bank of the West’s online banking is disgustingly terrible. The site looks like it was designed by people with zero design skills and the usability is very flawed. On the business side, the reporting is terrible (read: hardly works), the navigation is poorly designed with report names that a seasoned banker wouldn’t know what to do with. When I go online to check my balance on a Monday it shows me my balance from Friday. Bank of the West customer service’s response to this: «Sorry sir that is how our systems work. They update on Tuesdays.» If you like to have up to date account balances you won’t be happy with Bank of the West.
Want a mobile app to keep track of your money? Sorry, Bank of the West does not have one even though mobile use is growing like crazy all over the world. (Bank of America’s mobile app is beautifully designed and gives me full control over my account. I can check my up to the minute balance (real time), transfer money between accounts and even transfer funds to the bank accounts of friends and associates with the touch of a button on my mobile app)
Have a business that uses a merchant account to collect funds and want quick access to the funds in your account? Sorry, Bank of the West takes 4 days to process the funds into your account because their systems are so outdated. (Bank of America takes 2 days)
Want to go into a branch and be greeted by happy, smiling, and efficient employees? Sorry, Bank of the West only hires slow and inept employees who hate being at their jobs and talk like robots. If you’re smart, have a nice smile, and are looking for a banking job, don’t bother applying here. You’re too overqualified to get hired.
Want a bank that charges you heavy fees for everything and basically wants to take your money from you? Congratulations! You’ve found the bank of your dreams. Bank of the West will nickel and dime you to no end. They will take every opportunity to charge you for anything and everything.
One of the worst things is how their customer service is setup. Even though its a large national bank, if I go into a branch that is not the one I opened my account in, the manager at that branch has no authority over my account. If a erroneous fee is added to my account, the manager at the branch closest to my home or office cannot do anything about it. He says I have to talk to the manager at the branch I opened my account at. With Bank of America I can go into any branch in the US or call their competent phone customer service and get my issues resolved quickly and efficiently.
If you want to keep the money you earn and reduce your frustration levels, stay away from Bank of the West. The worst run bank on the planet.

I am terribly disappointed in the service at this branch. The staff are very friendly but they are incompetent. I had to sign three signature cards before they got the information correct, and guess what? They can only make one change per day so I had to keep coming into the branch. The ZINGER: I sent in a large check to be deposited as a principal payment on a mortgage. They received the funds but have no idea where they applied them. If the core competency of a bank is to manage funds and keep accurate records of transactions, they FAIL.

Came in on a Saturday morning to close my checking account because of the new restrictions they are imposing. I was greeted by the manager who was sitting at her desk. She did some computer work while we talked about the pineapple that was serving as a desk decoration, and that was going to be taken home and made into a smoothie later that day. I then got my measly $ 2 that had been sitting pathetically in my checking account for months, all within 10 minutes.
Fast service and friendly staff. Thanks for being understanding, BotW!

I refinanced a 15-​year mortgage at this bank, because their rates were competitive and the mortgage banker was personally recommended by a trusted acquaintance. The loan came through, though over a week late, which created quite a problem. But that’s not the subject here.
The worse part started when I wanted to pay down principal on that mortgage from the checking account that I had also opened at Bank of the West. I transferred $ 15K from a local Mechanics Bank branch to the BankOfTheWest checking account, expecting to make an online transfer to the mortgage account in 2 – 3 business days.
Big mistake. It is now 10 calendar days after I wrote that check and the funds still show as «UNCOLLECTED». Meanwhile, Mechanics Bank shows that check as having been paid on the business day immediately following when I wrote the check. So all the while my money has been sitting at BankOfTheWest allegedly «uncollected.»
When I called the branch, a snippy customer rep gave me a song and dance about the large amount of the check and their 7-​business-​day hold. This on our own check from the equally local Mechanics bank, and after they had me produce 2 years of tax returns and countless brokerage statements to get the mortgage in the first place.
From now on I will no longer use their checking account and pay the mortgage directly from another bank. I have no intention of suffering antideluvian rules and bad customer service.

I have banked at this location on Shattuck Avenue for over 20 years. I think this current Bank of the West employees is the best group that has ever been at this location. They always greet me by name, are very helpful with any banking problems and I love that the ATM disperses $ 5.00 bills as well as $ 20.00’s. I highly recommend this branch. I think reviews which are three years old should be removed, as this doesn’t reflect the current employees or the service at this point in time.

I’m not a Bank of West Customer, but sometimes withdraw cash from their ATM. The parking lot is also convenient for a quick run to the Cheese Board and other Gourmet Ghetto locations after I’ve done my business. I don’t stay long because I don’t want to abuse the opportunity. But even if I decided to stay around a little longer, the minimally paid Securitas Guard that is sometimes minding the lot isn’t really a credible deterrent.

Easily the worst customer service experience at a bank I’ve ever experienced.
Given the issues surrounding our nation’s «Too Big To Fail» banking institutions, I convinced my girlfriend to move her hard earned dollars out of Bank of America and into a local, community bank.
We walked into this BotW location yesterday afternoon and needless the say, the interior definitely isn’t as modern as your TBTF banks. Not exactly confidence-​inspiring, but whatever, we figured we’d let it slide and it’s probably just this branch that suffers the dated 1970s décor. Besides, all we needed them to do is open an account and take our money. Not so simple as it seems, apparently…
Upon walking in to a virtually empty bank (there were a total of 2 customers – one with a teller and another talking with a banker), not a single one of the unoccupied employees bothered greeting us.
It wasn’t until we walked up to the «Branch Manager» who was sitting at her desk idling and said «We’d like to open an account» did we receive any human interaction. Her response? «Please go have a seat over there *points to the other side of the bank*. Thanks.»
«Umm alright…»
My girlfriend and I waited for 15 minutes. None of the other bank employees even acknowledged our presence. One stood there fiddling with her nails and the other stared blankly at his computer screen picking his nose. And the «Branch Manager»? She just sat her desk staring dumbly at her computer, pretending as if we didn’t exist.
Eventually, frustrated, we walked over to the «Branch Manager» and asked her «Can you help us? We’re on a bit of a time crunch and we’d just like to open an account and deposit money.» Any sensible banker would have simply interpreted this as «WE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU MONEY. PLEASE TAKE IT.» But not this woman! Her response: «Look folks, I’m going on lunch in a few minutes. If you could, please have a seat and wait for another person to assist you. Thank you.»
WTF??!
Apparently, this woman – who is the highest ranking employee @ this bank mind you – couldn’t be bothered with the simple task of opening an account (and thus earning her branch MORE BUSINESS). Very disappointed, and perhaps even more disturbed at this point, we simply walked out with these parting words: «Sorry, we can’t sit here and wait any longer for horrible customer service. You just cost your business $ 20,000 in deposits and perhaps even worse, any chance that we’d ever recommend your bank to any of our friends, family, and colleagues. Thanks for wasting our time. Goodbye.»
* * *
Apparently, we’re not the only ones who have had such experiences at this branch. There’s a page full of 1-​star Unilocal reviews with similar stories. Bottom line: if you want a banker who’s more interested in her facebook feed and lunch break, as opposed to good customer service, then Bank of the Worst should be at the top of your list.
Otherwise, don’t bother.

BANK OF THE WORST.
The name says it all, not only the worst bank in Berkeley,
but probably the entire Bay Area.
I had one banking error/​mistake made by another bad bank,
WAMU, that caused a report to Chex Systems. (Something
not easy to refute)
I went to this bad excuse for a bank, was very up front with
the previous issue, and asked if I could open an account
with no over draft protection, so that only my money was
associated with the account.
Half an hour later, after filling out forms and giving up all
kinds of personal info, they decided not to open an account.
This could have been done in under 5 minutes, but since they
have no customers, they decided to waste as much of my time
as possible, before turning me down. I called them on the
phone and got more time wasted
I agree with others, WAMU and Bank of the West are bad
business on any level.
Like most, I realize Banks are necessary evils, but these two
must be avoided by everyone

I highly recommend Bank of the West.
They are a honest bank, that truly cares about their customers.
I had banked at big, nationwide banks for far too long. The banking fees at Bank of the West are totally reasonable, shop around, you’ll see.
Bank of the West doesn’t try to get you buy services you don’t need, unlike most big banks.

wonderful branch and bank! Excellent customer service!

Yes I agree, bad customer service, if you can even mention «customer service». It do. esnt exist here!
They have this one guy there that is a joke. He fumbles all around and always makes mistakes counting. Once he gave me the incorrect change. I always count now.
But really! WAMU is worse. No fees, but be ware of the terrible service, frowns, and they wont cover your checks if they are one penny over!

No one at the counters has authority to do anything.
Want a roll of quarters for your $ 10, but aren’t a client? Nope– they’re not allowed. Sorry.
Need cash out of your checking account but didn’t bring checks? .70 for them to print out a «check» for you to fill out. (wtf?)
Short hours.
Lots of fees.
No matter what you want, the teller’s hands are tied– no can do.
It’s too bad because I’d rather support my local bank, and smaller chains, but their advantage is supposed to be more personalized service, not more indifference and impotence.
I took my money out and put it in Washington Mutual. Compared to Bank of the West, Wamu’s customer service is smokin’. (How’s THAT as commentary on Bank of the West?)