San Mateo Credit Union

My complain, although two years old. I had an auto loan with SMCU, paid it off promptly and applied for a new loan for a new car. My credit is excellent, as was my auto loan account with SMCU. I was quoted a rate of 2.39% for the new car loan and the paperwork was initiated over the phone and I was approved. I asked if that was the best rate of interest I could get and was told, «yes». I went to Honda with the loan approval and it is their policy that I also have to fill out Honda loan paperwork in case anything goes wrong with the loan guarantee I had from SMCU. Honda came back to me, saying I was approved for their best interest rate of 1.99%. I did some calculations and the difference in interest over the life of the loan was equivalent to a monthly car payment, so I switched to Honda financing. I called SMCU, thanked them for the work they did on my loan and explained why I would be taking out the loan with Honda instead of them. The loan officer said, «oh, we can match their 1.99% financing». To me, that was a problem, as I had asked earlier if 2.39% was the best and told it was. They only lowered the rate thinking they would lose my loan. They did!

Mark bolano branch mgr handled my problem and kept me a happy customer since 87 i almost left becuz of my experience from another branch (ssf) 5 stars mark

CALL 24 SYSTEM is the WORST!!!
The only good thing from this bank are Loans. Other than that this is the worst bank to have.
I’ve been a member since the 90’s & Their CALL 24 Service is the banks downfall.
I’ve been Left Stranded due to their system going down all the F’n Time.
Have had multipule embarrassing moments at restaurants, due to their system being down.
Could not pay the bill because the bank system has shutdown/​Failed «again».
Takes hours to restore.
I have missed flights coming home Because their Call 24 is unreliable.
I was not able to fuel up the rental car because, Yes you guessed it CALL 24 was down.
I say look elsewhere. Only use them if you need an Auto loan, or a Home loan.
That’s about it.
Again, Their CALL 24 Automated Bank System is the most Unreliable system there is, & will have you hanging out to dry when you need your funds at most.
Dont Use this bank if you need to use your funds on everyday transaction.
I «Hate» this Bank.

I LOVE credit unions!
I came to this location as I needed a Cashier’s check and the location that I usually go to is closed on Mondays.
In and out cusotmer service is how I like it! I walked in here and was walking out with my cashier check in my hand 5 minutes later.
No long lines. Parking building is RIGHT next door and the staff her are all super nice!
What else can you ask for? You need somewhere to eat? No worries if you around behind the back there are tons of food places! Chipotle, Pizza My Heart, movie theater, Five Guys… the list can go on and on…
Check it out! You wont be disappointed. I wouldnt mind coming back here if my favorite location is ever closed.

To all those that are customers of the credit union and those that are thinking about it. When you open a loan or a credit card and they ask if you want the credit insurance; you should say no. I opened a credit card here and elected to take the insurance. I was laid off in November of last year and continued to pay more than my minimum payments and in most cases paid double. Last month I elected to use the insurance and was advised I would get a full payout by the insurer. He calculated this out as per the terms and conditions and they are going to send the credit union a check for $ 163.00! This represents less than a 10% payout or A 90% profit margin for the credit insurer. When inquiries were made to the insurer; they referred me to the credit union. When I contacted the credit union, I was told to call the insurer and transferred 3 times. The terms and conditions that I was not given and had to ask for after the fact, states that the insurance will only pay six months minimum payments, and then their are additional extractions. This was never told to me at the outset at anytime during the payment of more than $ 1,000 in premiums. This is now with the insurance commissioner as well as the better business bureau, and the consumer affairs.
I had to call and get a copy of the the terms and conditions, and had to have them emailed which confirmed they were never presented to me or I would not have elected to take the insurance.
In fact their staff when I called in to let them know I wanted the credit insurance; the credit union employee stated «wow, you can get some money back!» obviously their staff in not aware of the terms and conditions either.
BE VERY CAREFUL AND AWARE, AND ASK QUESTIONS! I asked how they could market a product which preys on people at some of the lowest times of their lifes, being death, disability, and unemployment; to date I haven’t received an answer.

I have been a member of the SMCU for nearly 40 years and I highly recommend anyone to do their banking there. They have great service, they are open on Saturdays, have ATM’s all over the place, they are very active in the community, you can get loans, credit cards, checking and savings accounts and anything else you may need financially. I have always had good experiences with just about everyone there. I understand that nothing is perfect and someone may be having a bad day now and again, but they consistently give good service and I am very happy with them. You can’t go wrong with the Credit Union.

If, after what happened in 2008 and 2011 you still have your money in a Smells Fargo or a Stank of America, do consider moving it here, into a local community credit union.
I opened up a personal account with SMCU some years ago, but only now after just recently opening a second account and moving my money in earnest into the first account am I truly experiencing the difference firsthand. Service is definitely way better here at a credit union, and I don’t see any appreciable difference in posting times for deposits.
My only gripe, which is minor, is the online site. It certainly could be designed a lot better and made to be more user-​friendly, but it does the job fine.

Great customer service, remember your name and basic information. Really a great place to bank if your a credit union member of any bank.

The employees look at the computer screen like it’s the first time they ever saw one. My experience was similar to others who complain about simple transactions taking forever, long holds, different answers from different employees. It’s not like they don’t care about the customers, they just don’t know how to use computers to exercise that care. These dinosaurs really need to get with the program.

I recently opened an account at SMCU because I started a new job nearby. My overall opinion is that the folks are nice but not very well trained, nor comfortable with technology. I agree with a previous reviewer’s comment about the folks not knowing what they are doing. I don’t think the institution uses technology very well either.
I first attempted to open an account on-​line. The system had problems and gave me a message that I had to complete the process in person. (One of the security questions they presented was the birth date of my sister-​in-​law. I didn’t get past that security «safeguard».) Strike 1.
No one from the CU followed up with a call. I eventually visited the branch 2 weeks later. I had to wait for service, which was no problem. However, there was no «sign in» process. When the rep came to the waiting area, she immediately invited another gentleman to their desk, despite the fact that he arrived after me. Strike 2.
When I started to set up the account, I told the rep that I had attempted to open an account on line. She found a little evidence of my existence in the system, but we essentially started from scratch. She was pleasant, but the process of opening an account took about 3 times longer than it has at my local commercial banks and my favorite credit union. Strike 3.
I attempted to deposit a check about a week later. To my surprise, the ATM on Middlefield Road, across from the Middlefield Parking lot in Redwood City, did not accept deposits. I had to walk about 600 feet to the ATM at 830 Jefferson to deposit the check. Strike 4. When I deposited the check, I expected some of the funds to be available immediately, the same as the other credit unions and banks I deal with. (I have a high credit score which implies low risk, at least at other institutions.) Nope. They put a hold on the entire deposit amount. I couldn’t even get $ 20 for lunch. Strike 5.
Today a customer service agent called to welcome me. She asked if I had questions. I did. I asked about the hold on new checks. She said all new members are treated the same and they put a hold on 100% of the ATM check deposits for new accounts regardless of their credit scores and other risk factors. Then I asked about the ATM that doesn’t accept deposits. I could not convince her that there was a second ATM on Middlefield Road at that branch, let alone discern if there were plans to upgrade the ATM. Strike 6. Then I asked her to quote the current rate on a HELOC. She said 8.99%. I repeated HELOC a couple of times, saying that the quoted rate was way too high for a «Home Equity Line of Credit.» She kept saying that the rate was correct for a Personal Line of Credit. Finally, after I repeated HOME EQUITY loan, she said, «Oh, that would be the mortgage department. Do you want me to transfer you?» I told her that I just wanted a rate quote, but she didn’t have one. Is it unreasonable to expect a bank employee on a reachout call to know the rate on the HELOC products? Or even know what a HELOC is?!? Strike 7.
Well, I paid my $ 5 fee to open the account so that I have a convenient place to deposit small checks and get a little cash. But I won’t be depositing my payroll check with them or moving my CD’s when they mature. I have little faith in this institution’s ability to execute.

I hate having to do business here. Everything is paper mandated while my other financial institutions are electronic based, making life sooo much easier! It takes forever to get anything accomplished and I feel like I’m always having to correct them on the way to complete a process– I thought they were supposed to be the expert?

I love this branch. It really can’t get any better than this. Not only is it open late but the customer service is great.

I’ve been a member for as long as I can remember and I’ve never had any issues. Most of my friends complain about their bank or an issue that their bank was not willing to help to resolve… I’m happy to say that is not the case with me.
Recently, my card information was stolen. SMCU caught the activity before I did and placed a hold on my card. I was stressed out about not having a card for the weekend, and then I realized the Jefferson location does not close until 7pm which was extremely convenient considering I live in Alameda.
I received a new debit card that day, and it only took him 5 minutes. Michael was the representative that help me, and he was very pleasant!
THANK YOU SAN MATEO CREDIT UNION!!! Continue being awesome!!!

HOLY CRAP this place SUCKS so badly!!! You would think if the credit union knows someone has started using your account not only from one place (lucky self check out) and then from another they would NOTIFY you ASAP? No not the case here they stop all use on our card. Including for us without any notification at all. We found this out by calling when our card would not work for our business. We should have been notified right away and given a new card. It’s been over two weeks we finally went in bank to pick up a new card in person, since the card sent via mail still has not arrived. So I go use new activated bank card and of course not activated. I’m so beyond WTF it’s get the hell away from this terrible credit union. They lack customer service BIG TIME. If you’re looking for a credit union you can trust AVOID this one!

I LOVE SMCU and you will too!!!

I have been a SMCU customer since November 2009, and I am very unhappy with their «service.» While the individuals who work there may be friendly when the occasion demands, no one seems to know what they are doing.
I have had multiple issues with returned checks, deposits that take forever to clear, and different responses from employees there when asked the same questions. If I hadn’t moved my entire financial life over to SMCU (bill pay, paycheck, etc) I would be outta here.
Definitely DO NOT recommend to anyone.

I opened a car loan in 2006 with SMCU. It’s been the most difficult bank to work with. Will never use them again and don’t recommend them.
1) Their online access is insufficient compared to other banking (I’ve had car loans with 3 other banks so far with no issues).
2) Service: Phone services only 5 days a week in business hours, you can’t get anyone on the phone in the evening or weekends which is very inconvenient if you work.
3) They automatically opening a savings account when I opened by auto loan that I didn’t even know.
4) When I paid my car off, I inadvertently paid it by +$ 35, they automatically put it in the Savings Account I didn’t know I had and took $ 5 every month because it didn’t have a $ 50 minimum (again didn’t know). After 6 months I got my quarterly statement where I see the charges and now I only have $ 2.69 left. Nice. They did agree to mail me the $ 2.69, but of course they kept the other $ 30+. Terrible service.

This might be one of the best credit unions I have ever dealt with. The staff is incredibly helpful and will go beyond their immediate capabilities to try and accomodate their members. They treat every individual, well from what I’ve seen, personally and attend to each individuals needs. They are not like these commercial banks (bleh!) that try to sell you all these credit cards and loans when you dont need them. SMCU actually inquires with their members what is beneficial to them. The staff at all locations are great but here at the Jefferson Ave. brancht they seem to be even more in tuned with their members. They are so friendly and not to mention the free coffee that helps jump start my morning. I truly have a warm sensation every time I step foot into this branch as I am welcomed with a warm hello every time. This credit union rocks!!!

What? Open til 3pm on a Saturday? What, are they trying to serve their customers? This is ridiculous!
Yes, this is my favorite branch of my favorite banking institution and it’s open late-​ish on Saturdays. This is a brand new branch, on the Jeff Ave side of the new Theatre complex.
The people who work here are really friendly and fast, so even when you see a long line on a Saturday, it runs through pretty quickly. What I also like is that the people who are at desks, not behind the counter, pitch in and take as many transactions as they can and I never hear the kind of officious or bored tones that you hear in other banks from the staff – they are truly friendly and eager to help.
I’ve found at most of their branches they have a kind of reception desk to find out what you need and direct you to the best person to help you, whether it’s someone to open an account or just transfer some dough.
It’s close to a Peet’s, a Beard Papa, Pamplemousse bakery, the Farmer’s Market on Saturday, Cost Plus – what a great place.