Golden 1 Credit Union

After filling a complaint with the state, they reviewed the case and asked Golden1 to reverse the charges.
Golden1 did reverse the charges.

I should say that we have used Golden One for many years with no problem and have a checking account with them. Additionally, our local branch is first-​rate. However, the financial arm in Sacramento leaves much to be desired. Last summer we began the process of applying for an auto loan, only to discover that a credit reporting service had included other people – strangers with loans – on my report. A representative in Sacramento informed us that they could not process the loan until we straightened out the mess. Understandable.
It took many weeks to straighten it out and during the process we decided to purchase the car with our savings. No loan application, end of story, except not really. Last month we received a form letter from the financial arm in Sacramento letting us know they had denied our loan. What loan? We never actually applied for a loan. Furthermore, the letter informed us that we would be ineligible for future loans because we owed too much money on too many accounts. Say what? These «many accounts» belonged to the strangers on my credit report. I wrote back, asking that the non-​existent loan, and deleterious information be deleted from our file. No word back. Not holding my breath. Becoming more like a bank every day.

If you are thinking of getting a home loan with the Golden 1 Credit Union​I would strongly suggest you look elsewhere. I’ve been a loyal customer for nearly 20 years and had my home loan through them. We had a horrible tragedy at our house — a drunk driver plowed into it and caught fire and were out of our home for nine months — and through the process, the Golden 1 has been awful and frankly, incompetent. The latest indiscretion, one of many, is sitting on the insurance company’s final check to our contractor since Sept. 30 and nobody knows why. Every time I call, a different story and outcome, but still no money to pay him for his work. I have spent so much time calling and being placed on hold and never have had a call returned from a supervisor or manager after being told someone would call me back within 24 hours. I have recently refinanced with another mortgage company because I do not trust them and am considering closing all my accounts because of their shoddy business practices. I am also looking into filing a complaint. I don’t want anyone else to have to go through what we did. Update: I posted on their Facebook page on Monday and got a response that someone would contact me soon — it’s Friday and not a peep.

Good Lord, where do I begin?
I believe in credit unions over banks, but this credit union just sucks.
Credit unions offer better rates than banks. And they are about bringing people together to help each other. (whereas banks are about profiting off of you).
But between credit unions, the difference is pretty much just in service. And I’ve never been so frustrated with the service of a bank/​credit union in my life.
At the end of the day, It’s hard to understand how they get away with such bad service. My only guess is that they essentially have a captive customer base created by California state employees. So, there is no real incentive for them to operate efficiently.
Anyhoo, I’m going to move my direct deposit over to another institution. It’s such a hassle with all the automatic payments I’ve set up (something else maybe Golden1 is counting to keep customers tied to them). But its been such a long string of bad service (and even lost money when they completely screwed up a home appraisal) that I’m going to pull the plug.
If you’re thinking about where to centralize your banking, don’t do it here.

They’re not so great!

Golden 1 is by far the best thing out there for free checking

I have been a member– a proud member– of Golden 1 for many years. I have been especially happy with this small neighborhood branch for its walkable location and for the help I have received with a variety of tasks. When the job to be done is unfamiliar, the branch manager always takes it «under her wing» and researches the details to make sure we accomplish it correctly. When the task is merely a big fat amount of paperwork, we happily made arrangements to accomplish it in reasonable «bites» over a period of days.
Recent events, however, have made me consider moving all my accounts elsewhere. I strongly object to the Sacramento arena, and I just feel bad about being associated with a credit union whose name is to be plastered all over that project. I am sorry to leave G1.
If you don’t happen to share that objection, I can recommend Golden 1 to you.

This is the best credit union I’ve visited in the area, and best golden 1 branch I’ve visited.
The staff works quickly to reduce a line when one forms
Loans and new accounts are handled quickly
Each staff member treats you like an important client (I do not have a big account but just opened a car loan account)
I had only one odd experience that I couldn’t fully characterize as bad and turned out fine: when I completed my loan I worked with a loan officer that did not look me in the eye, seemed unhappy, and was aloof. I did not like it at all but kept a good attitude during the process. She eventually revealed to me she had just returned from vacation and felt like she was trying very hard to get her wits about her. Sure enough, she began to make eye contact, became much warmer, and the pace of the process increased. I got an email the next day to sign a document she overlooked. I dropped by unannounced and she made sure to get me on my way quickly.
Aside from that aberration in service, the ongoing interaction with this branch has been by far my best banking experience in Sacramento.

Love my G1 but sometimes struggle with their «local» footprint when I travel. My card tends to get flagged unless I tell them that I’ll be in another town. Trying to stay on top of that and my travel can be a challenge. I think they’ve recently added Sat & Sun live assistance, so that’s better. Maybe some kind of text or email alert that asks me if I charged something in a different town that then I log in to verify? Other than that, this has been a great bank (CU) for me.

I’ve been a Golden 1 member since like 1997, and have visited many of the branches around town in the last almost 20 years of membership. This is my favorite branch because it is always clean, quick (even when the line is kind of long), and the tellers and loan agents are friendly and helpful. Not that I look forward to trips here, since that means my paycheck will soon be gone, but I come to this branch whenever possible.

Wonder why a credit union sends you a PREAPPROVED credit card and then when you go take advantage of it, and told you would get card in 7 – 10 days. Three weeks later call to find out that your not really pre-​approved and it was denied. HUH??? Then don’t send out Pre Approved paperwork. Not happy with them right now.

I am not a member, but as a customer, they certainly weren’t making me happy when I wanted to cash a member’s check and was charged $ 3 for the privilege of doing so. This makes no sense!

I would be careful about putting cash into a Golden 1 ATM. Chances are it will not make it. Either their armored car people or theeit cash counters are thieves. So, when your cash disappears, what does Golden 1 do? They hit you with a deposit reversal and a $ 15 empty envelop fee. When you call them, they give you some song and dance that there was an error (and we are aware of it) and they will submit a claim. Your claim will take 48 hours to process. WTF? There is an error AND you are aware of the error, BUT it take 48 hours to return my stolen money? Golden 1 circles the wagons around thieves and makes its customers pay. Either bank some place else, or do not trust Golden 1 employee and their agents with your cash. You do not want the hassle of disappearing cash.

The Golden1 is a Credit Union in every since. If you work for a living and don’t make BIG BUCKS, the Golden1 is the place to keep your money. Checking and Savings are free without any crazy limitations or ristrictions like a traditional Bank. Also, Customer Serivce at the Branch level is very good!
However…that being said, all other services tend to be ho-​hum at best. Auto and Boat/​RV Loans tend to have really HIGH interest rates and require that you have a 700+ FICO score to qualify… which seems pointless because with that score, you can go to a Bank and get an even better rate.
My last Auto loan and RV loan I ended up going outside the golden1 as I got a better rate. For RV’s, the Golden1 wanted 7.25% interest while another Bank set me up at 5.25%. When I bought my Truck, the Golden1 wouldn’t even talk to me, but another Bank again set me up at 5.75%.
The Golden1, a great place to stash your dough, but that’s about all you’ll want to do.

I bank here and other places and Golden1 overall is pretty good. Why I’m giving this branch 2 stars: PARKING. Seriously, it sucks all the time… HOWEVER, that is the only reason why. No other.

Limited customer service, phone service only available during limited hours monday through friday. Way over aggressive anti fraud checking, results in refused charges, and deactivation of your card until they clear it. And in some cases (happened to me, was told by representative it happens about 1% of the time) the card cannot be properly reattached to your account after reactivation and they have to reissue you a new card, taking 5 – 7 business days, meanwhile your only access to your funds is by going into the branch itself. And there seems to be no urgency to do anything to make it up to the customer when this happens. I insisted that since this was a problem with THEIR system, that they expedite a replacement, and was told that the representative couldn’t authorize that, and would have to submit for permission, but couldn’t do that while I was on the phone… yeah right.
Online and mobile banking setup is excellent, and provides everything you would need from them for the most part.
But the lack of on demand online chat customer service or phone service except during slightly extended business hours is very much a negative in my book.

Very conveniently located to where I work, and this ATM accepts deposits for non-​Golden 1 credit unions (like mine). I’ve always preferred credit unions to banks, and will continue to do so.

Worst Experience Ever!
I worked for a local community bank for four years, so when I left I moved all my accounts to Golden 1. I was expecting better service because when Credit Unions don’t have to worry about profits, they should worry about their members. Not once have I felt anything but an inconvenience to these people.
The event that sent me to write this review was when I tried to get a simple pre-​approval letter for a first mortgage. First I was told 5 days, then it was 7 – 10 days, then it was 7 – 10 business days, now we are pushing 15 business days and I still do not have a letter. When I called to inquire, I was told that I always have the option to go to another lender. What? After 2 and half weeks, you tell me I should go somewhere else? How hard is it to input my information into your software program? I’ll tell you, it’s not hard; I worked for a bank for 4 years!
Absolutely Horrible!

Can it get even better? Yes, it can!
Golden 1 now has a smartphone app that allows you to deposit checks via smartphone photograph. Take a pic, send it in, money in the bank – er – credit union!
This is the only credit union I know of that takes full advantage of technology and fiercely competes with the likes of Chase (which has a similar app.) Everything you get from the big banks at a fraction of the cost.
Convinced yet?

Golden 1 gets the job done — if you are a state employee here in Sactown (a pretty decent bet in most cases) then you probably have an ATM in your building. I do. I hate my crap state building, but I love my ATM by the door.
Online they have all the free bill-​pay stuff — which if you aren’t using then you need to take a look. So between online and the cash machine in my daily walking route I need to actually run to the bank about once every NEVER. Okay, when I buy a car.
They are on the STAR system so I can tap into my cash in Puerto Vallarta and at the casino in Sint Maarten where I’m going to drop a bunch next fall. :-)
The downside is that they are a credit union — so you have to be employed by a member company to get in. Otherwise — they have been just great for my bank for over 20 years.