Chase Bank

There is only a business drive thru, really. No tellers ever working just machines, but no coin machine. Many people «working» in the branch but none useful, just greeters to tell you what they can’t help you with. Always, always, always long lines, waiting waiting waiting… A waste of space!

The branch I go to regularly is the one in Oswego, IL. off Rt. 34 (Ogden Ave.). When I first joined with this Chase Bank (about 2 years ago now), they seemed very much like a normal bank — nothing out of the ordinary. You walk in and there is a reception area where deposit/​withdrawal slips are available, personal bankers at their private desk areas on the right and left of the building and there — dead center — was the teller area where one or two tellers were available to help each customer in line with their withdrawals, deposits, change issues and general banking inquiries. If I were to close my eyes and imagine what a bank would look like inside (generally speaking), this bank filled the persona exactly. In fact, their on-​line banking options were far superior to any other banking institution I had previously had accounts at and this too played a large part in my defection to Chase from another local bank in the area.
SADLY, THE ABOVE DESCRIPTION NO LONGER FITS THIS CHASE BANK. In the last few months, Chase has decided that the human tellers in their inside lobby are no longer needed. They put little barriers up where the teller windows used to be and no human beings work in the front reception area except the personal bankers at their private desks. In place of the human tellers, Chase has added two ATM machines — seriously. The same ATM machines that can be found in two different outside drive-​through lanes are now duplicated inside the bank as well. If you want to speak with a human teller, you need to walk to the back of the building and stand in line for the ladies who operate the drive-​through area. These poor ladies — they are always busy — trying to keep-​up with the outside drive-​through lanes and now also trying to keep-​up with all the inside people too who spent the extra time to park their car, walk inside to speak with a human. If I wanted an ATM — I NEVER WOULD HAVE PARKED MY CAR AND WALKED INSIDE — I JUST WOULD HAVE PULLED INTO A LANE OUTSIDE WHERE I COULD AT LEAST LISTEN TO MY OWN MUSIC WHILE I WAITED.
Here’s another silly one for ya — do you have loose change that you need counted? You know — the kind of change you spend many months squirreling away in a jar until the day you cash it in? Picture the big machine they keep that sorts all the loose change and spits out a total in a few minutes? Well — THIS BRANCH DOESN’T HAVE HUMAN TELLERS ANYMORE IN THE FRONT, SO THEY NO LONGER COUNT YOUR CHANGE FOR YOU. Guess what they do? They hand you a bunch of loose paper change sleeves and TELL YOU TO COUNT YOUR OWN CHANGE AND JUST BRING IT BACK AFTER YOU HAVE HAND PACKED EACH SLEEVE.
As you can probably tell — this is very frustrating. I ask myself every time I come in to withdrawal money why I bother and the answer is that I come in not because I want to — BUT BECAUSE I WANT A ROLL OF QUARTERS OR SOME OTHER TYPE OF COIN WHICH AN ATM WON’T GIVE YOU. So, I walk to the back of the bank now (past those now empty teller windows in the front) to stand in a line with 7 – 10 other people who ALSO PROBABLY DIDN’T WANT TO COME INSIDE BUT HAD TO BECAUSE AN ATM DOESN’T GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT. Do you know what the teller said to me when I asked why they made this ridiculous move of closing the front teller windows — «statistics show that a large percentage of customers come in for basic withdrawals, so an ATM can handle that quicker for them — it’s a positive service for our customers». I almost choked on the puke coming up from my stomach over this line of BS. Tell the truth — you were looking for ways to cut costs, so you probably let a few employees go to add some machines in their place.
I’ve about had it with Chase.

In a previous review I rated this location with three stars. Today I will have to lower the rating to two stars, not at the fault of the Branch employees, but due to corporate decisions.
Pulling into the drive-​thru to have a transaction completed by an actual live person; an endangered species at Chase Banks, I was greeted with signs informing me that the future is coming… only business customers may access a drive-​thru teller… everyone else has to go inside. (Not kidding, large banners at the drive-​thru)
To be honest I rarely use the services of a teller, but it is nice to have the choice when you need one.
So for cutting services and making simple transactions harder, I am cutting my rating too… to two stars.