Scottrade

Scottrade itself, is kinda boring, but this is about the office itself. I went to complete an account transfer from Principal, which is even more boring; the woman Michele was very friendly and help. This was in fact my second visit; the process had taken longer due to confusion on my part over an old account.
Anyway, I would definitely go back — if I had a need (which I probably don’t) — but great service anyway.

This is my «designated» branch that was assigned to me since its the closest location to where I live. To be honest, the people who work here are great and I have no hassles whatsoever. However, just the logistics to get to this branch are challenging. The only reason why I goto any Scottrade branch in person is to drop off deposit checks for my IRA. It only takes less than a minute and I’m gone. There is no free parking anywhere near this branch. I have no reason to park in a garage so I park on the nearby streets where you have to pay for the meters, and you have to pay them fast since the city of Oakland tickets anyone whose time expired. You can BART in, but that’s another hassle. I have just skipped this branch all together and goto the Union City location.

Easily the worst customer service experience of my life with the most repercussions.
Is it important to you that your bank honors your checks?
Then don’t bank here.
This branch rejected several checks of mine because the the signatures looked «too different.» I have never had this happen to me before anywhere.
The worst part is that the manager sees the requirement that they contact you and figure out what is going on as a mere formality. He called me three times in a row within 90 seconds when I was in the shower and immediately sent the checks back.
Do you really need this concern in your life?

I have had much more pleasant of a time dealing with other branches. Unfortunately this is the closest branch to me.

I opened my account with only $ 500, and was treated with respect and dignity.
While Scottrade mostly advertises its low commissions ($ 7 per online stock trade), they also offer real people working in real branches. At the 1200 Clay Street office in Oakland, Branch Manager Jeff Snyder’s staff has proved professional and effective in my dealings with them.

I had to come into the office to verify my identity, and the guys that work here are really cool, friendly & knowledgeable. This isn’t a stiff super serious place like you’d think. I felt like I was hanging out with a friend… a very educational one! Being a total noob, the friendliness & ability to explain things clearly so everyone can understand is really nice. The guy explained how to use some of the website features, and even drew me diagrams to help visualize what he was talking about!
If I needed more help, I’d definitely stop back in here, after I make sure I pay for 2 hrs parking (just in case), because once you get talking, it’s hard to stop!
Due to the great advice & education I received in here, I’ve made a lot of wise decisions & I’m so glad I got started with Scottrade!

I got into online trading years ago with eTrade (when trades cost $ 35 or $ 45 EACH.) But to curtail a potentially long story, I migrated to Scottrade in about 2006(?) and am pretty happy about it. I liken them to AOL, in that they are a newbie-​friendly company. I’ve never had any issue at all with phone delays or dealing with anyone at their office, as two earlier posters mentioned. In my experience, it’s been exactly the opposite. They’ve always been attentive and helpful and have responded well to me in whatever situation which has arisen. As a result, I’ve encouraged some of my friends to open accounts with them.
The only reason I’m not giving a full 5-​stars is because there was a time when the online trading glitched – this happens apparently not only with Scottrade, but with others too – when the market was super-​crazy intense, like for example in the 10 – 15 minutes after GM announced bankruptcy. Anyway, these glitches adversely affected me, and the nice folks at Scottrade assured me that it was only my system, not theirs. Ultimately however, it WAS theirs. I would have avoided a lot of aggravation if they’d just have owned up to it right off. But in their defense, what I experienced was a deep IT technical issue, and they actually may not have had knowledge or expertise at THAT level. Whatever the case, it’s now water under the bridge. I learned lessons from it. And Tim at the local branch was actually the one to basically correct this issue for me by genuinely recognizing my side, and then honestly and knowledgeably sharing the perspective of their side. The bottom line is that I feel I have a good relationship with the people at the Oakland branch, and my trust in Scottrade went up a lot.
The net result of my experience is that I am comfortable to advocate their service to anyone – with the EXCEPTION of one group, whom should not deal with Scottrade (but I doubt they’re going to read a Unilocal review in this context anyway.) This would be the professional day-​trader. If you are pushing the limits and actively trading, then that is – IN MY OPINION – where you might max out the capabilities of Scottrade and possibly run into some issues. But for 99% of people, it is perfect.

I agree with Belinda. The phones are terrible. I average a 12 – 15 min wait whenever I try to call there offices.

I dont really like this branch. The customer service on the phone isn’t that great. I’ve had problems with them depositing money into the wrong account.
I would like to switch to another branch, but that means I would actually have to call them and talk to them. Ick.