Bank of America

I love online banking because it’s efficient… so when I go to the actual bank I like it to be an efficient process as well. Bank of America – like Chase across the street – has a pretty good handle on this. I’ve never had to wait very long at any other B of A (or Chase) on Capitol Hill, and even though this location is very new, it is just like the others:
*Smiley person in a suit greeting people as they enter
*Busy location
*Plenty of staff to handle it
*Boring retail store location turned into a bank.
Nothin’ fancy, but who needs fancy when you are just trying to get some quarters for laundry day?

Profits before people.

Now what’s B and A up to?
New automatic bank machines… and lines outside them, with perplexed customers unable to deposit or withdraw money from their own bank accounts.
But BINGO! After 5 – 10 minutes, you actually CAN get them to work for you.
(These long, sluggish queues indicate just how popular B of A has become since they put in those new machines).
I do like the added convenience of successive screens of totally unnecessary, if picturesque, advertising – in high-​resolution 1080p color! – on these new bank machines, too.
After all, the old ones – which worked fine – were just TOO fast (I could do a withdrawal in 15 – 20 seconds).
You’re trying just us to slow down, relax (and enjoy life).
There’s B and A for you: Always thinking of others. Or of country (red, white, and blue). Never of yourself (oh, those tiresome greenbacks).
* * * * *
Thank you, B of A. You’ve made life easier, once again, for all of your loyal customers.

Yes, BOA is a large, humongous, gigantic, no human touch bank. I dont do online bill pay, I don’t need to call them ever, and online balance checking is slow. But you know what? I’ve come into this location repeatedly with large, out of state checks from the Grandparents– yes, I know they love me, and no, I won’t share– to pay tuition. and not ONCE have I had a hold placed on any of them. The only time I have had a hold placed on a check from the GP’s was at the 14^th and Madison BOA… But the manager there is short, so he must have been pissed i was taller than him or something (and by a good three.5 inches, too).
The branch manager here is *fabulously* adorable, and he’s always in a really good mood. i wonder how much coffee he drinks, or what he puts in it, cause I wish i was that happy.

The Billpay service through BofA is not so great. I’ve had issues where I was unable to pay my bill online because of some weird technical service issue on their end and I had the option of:
— paying over the phone for $ 15.00
— walking into a branch to make my payment
I have class and work all day during normal business hours, which is why I do online banking. Missing class or being late to work is not an option for myself, as I commute using the bus and time is something I do not have during the week. Also, there are no Bank of America branches near the end of campus where I usually am at the UW. I asked if they can waive the $ 15.00 charge as I’ve been a great credit customer for over 10+ years, and the lady was very rude to me since not being able to pay online (the way I have been for years) was literally, technically not my problem, but a computer problem on Bank of America’s end.
–2 Stars:
The banking manager over the phone was very sassy, and actually told me her name was «Tiffany, T-​i-​f-​f-​a-​n-​y», which was a bit much for me to hear when I asked for her name.
Customer service with Bank of America is a bit of an oxymoron in my book.
.if I drop this to 1 or 2 stars… I’m AFRAID BofA will mysteriously raise my APR rate. Better safe than high interest rates, which they will raise on your for no reason, even if you’re a good credit customer with no late payments or have paid things off in full.

Basically it’s a bank. But it’s been a bank that has been good to me over all. I get my frequent flyer miles off my debt and credit card (looove those free trips), the customer service is pretty good here to both from the mgt and the tellers and they usually play good music in the lobby like Madonna which makes my banking a whole lot more enjoyable: P The only thing I would change about this location or any bank for that matter is that thick bullet proof wall. Really it is impersonal and communicating can be strained at times. But I do understand why it’s there and can appreciate that.

Since Bank of America sent me a coupon for $ 75 upon the opening of a new account and I just moved here, I figured I’d let them provide my checking needs.
So I headed in to the Broadway location. This is a no frills branch, and the customer service was fantastic… but we had some problems…
1. Before I could open an account, I had to use their ATM machine to get money for my new account. They hit me with a $ 3 ATM charge… add the $ 2 Chase charged, and that’s some serious fees! I forgive them since they’re hooking me up with $ 75, but $ 3 is seriously out of control.
2. The machine that assigns pin numbers wasn’t working. At all. So I need to go back to the bank at some point to get my pin numbers — and that’s a hassle I could do without.
Ultimately, eh, typical irritations. But you gotta bank somewhere, right?
UPDATE: 3 Stars to 4 Stars. They had free chocolate cake in the lobby today. With frosting. SO GOOD.