Vancity

Nice to feel like one is doing one’s part as far as socially responsible banking — BUT the insane number of times in the past year that they’ve had skimming operations or other security breaches hit their account holders are making me think twice about banking here.

I am happy with my account from Vancity. It’s great — fees are super low and I do online banking for no charge (pay bills etc). Also, the just introduced mobile banking — yup, banking from your cel phone. They were actually way ahead of the banks in terms of a lot of technology — like cheque imaging.
Why no five stars? Well, I am holding a grudge against a «customer service representative» at this branch — my branch. Credit unions are supposed to be known for their friendly customer service. I went into this branch to get a roll of quarters for laundry. The guy (dressed in a rugby shirt) rolled his eyes at me and asked if I was a member. I said yes. «Are you a member of this branch?» I said yes. «Do you have your member card?» I said yes, and gave it to him. He checked out my info, made a comment about my shirt before giving me my change.
A) He didn’t need to confirm my membership in the CU to give me change. B) Buying quarters with cash does not require him snooping in my account info. C) He shouldn’t have made a snide comment about a member’s choice of apparel. D) It was obviously laundry day, cut me some slack! (I was wearing a bright green shirt that said «Green shirts are for pimps.»)
Although that guy needs some customer service tune-​up sessions, my other experiences with Vancity have been fine — I rarely need to visit the branch since everything is available online. There’s also free transfers to other Vancity members (handy for paying back a friend who bought lunch) and ding-​free ATM use at any Credit Union in the province.