MECU Of Baltimore

I have been a never of the credit union for years so I have been to all the branches at one time or another. Since I do most of my banking online I haven’t been to this one in a while. I just needed to come in yesterday and make a cash deposit. The parking lot was empty so I got a spot by the front door. I remembered that they used to be a very busy branch and always crowded. Maybe I just happened to get there at the right time 10:30 on a weekday. Inside I went right up to the counter with no wait. Dropped my deposit and was right back out. Not much time to chat but the cashier was nice enough.

Credit Unions are some of the best places to do business in this country. They are the awesome cousins of the banking industry.
But. MECU in Catonsville was a terrible experience. They are a shared branch in the CO-​OP system (whew… good thing I don’t have an account with them). So, if you’re thinking about doing shared branching there, read the rest of this.
Let me tell you why I rank them so low.
There were five employees at the cashier area. They were helping three people at a time. And when a customer would finish his/​her transaction, it took a long time to cycle to the next person. The line here was similar to that of the post office. Part of me was really happy to see a credit union this full – and besides, these inefficiencies normally don’t bother me.
But waiting in a long line DOES bother me when it’s followed by bad service. I got caddied into another line because apparently only one cashier was able to do shared branch stuff (okay… maybe it’s not something all are trained to do) When I finally got to my cashier, he didn’t even greet me.
There was this moment or two of awkward staring contest. Who will talk first?
I talked first. I mentioned what I was there for. He hands me this long form to deposit my check (okay… shared branching is a little inconvenient, I get it). He did give me a little guidance on filling out the form, but only a little.
I try to make a little small talk with the guy, you know, because he seemed as depressed as your average postal employee. I said, with a smile one of my standard I-​know-​your-​pain type remarks, «You guys are about done for the day, right?»
Apparently, all he could muster was a slightly sarcastic «Yessir». Sarcastic. Really, sir, I’m trying to connect to you on a human level, and your response to me is patronizing sarcasm?
OOOOOkay.
They were able to finish the transaction, without much of a hiccup. Not going back here. And if you are thinking about using this place as a shared branch, don’t. Find another credit union.