Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union

SCCFCU– not sure if they are into gentrification but their service sucks… I am constantly getting returned payments when there are funds available… this bank is ruining my credit and I’m losing my peace of mind… I CAN NEVER log onto my account without getting locked out, I can never get a straight forward answer from them… I did not know you can only make 6 payments per month on a saving account… his caused me major major financial grief and they just brushed it off as if it’s something I should have known… shouldn’t the bank at least send me a warning ON EXACTLY WHAT THE ISSUE IS and not scores of updated policies — they have the worst customer service the only reason I even force myself to bank with this institution is because — I don’t even know anymore… I should just close the account. THIS CU IS A JOKE
Thanks to this CU for messing up my credit
DO NOT BANK HERE

Terrible. I’m a Santa Clara County employee, figured I should get my paychecks deposited into an account here because I have an ATM in my work building. I opened up a checking and savings account (thank you to Khoa, who helped me set things up), and tried to set up external transfer so I can transfer money between my bank accounts (Bank of America and Capital One). Worst experience ever — you have to go through an online system, and then print out a confirmation form, sign it, and turn it into the bank directly. I had to go into the bank 3 times and they still denied my external transfer request because they stated the account number was incorrect. Not only did I provide 2 copies of void checks, I tried doing the stupid online process 3 times. The information desk attendant at the bank even saw me initial my name and sign my confirmation page, and told me it should be good to go. I get a denial request a few days later — Any other person with a brain can set up external transfer with a void check alone, all the information you need is on there! And in this day and age, WHY do I still have to turn in a stupid form at the bank — everything should be done online!
I lost it, went in and told the teller to withdraw everything I had and close my accounts. They tried telling me I had to pay $ 10 because I closed my accounts too early — supposedly you have to wait 6 months. The supervisor came out and told me to return in 6 months. Um, no. When I signed up, they did not tell me about this «fee» they pulled out of their behind and I told them I wasn’t going to pay. She reluctantly told the teller to waive it (literally, he had to click one button), and they printed me out stubs and told me my bank accounts were closed. No confirmation letter was given.
These people are unprofessional, rude, and have no idea what they’re doing. You have to go into the branch for EVERYTHING, I guess that’s one way to ensure job security for these monkeys. I realized how lucky I am to have the convenience that big, reputable banks (BofA, Chase, Capital One) have to offer. I also have accounts with USAA and Navy Federal Credit Union, which offer WAY better benefits, customer service, and services (I have never had to step foot inside the bank besides to set up the account), I HIGHLY recommend these credit unions over this joke of a bank. Never going back.

Employees are rude and lazy.
This make me realized Wells Fargo, Chase, BofA, are great employees and respectful to their clients. SCCFCU think they don’t need to please clients cuz they offer better than other banks. They’re rude, disrespectful and lazy.

Loan Officer ordered my equity checks with wrong # on the bottom so my checks bounce and fees was charged from other banks. Really, this is major error on their part and now my modeling project had to be on hold until new checks arrived. Lots of time spend trying to correct the mistake and loss the trust from my contractor.

This credit union is a predatory type bank, they profit from people by placing unnecessary and unusual holds on deposited checks (5 days was soonest a single check of mine cleared all the way to 12 days) they then charge you ucf fees while holding your money and sending your payments back to the company submitted. They give you two fees for every single transaction and leave you nsf. Th cash deposits I made also didn’t clear til following day even though my receipt from atm showed available. This credit union is the worst, and even though they admit fault or see that you are not the one that caused it they do not reverse fees. 31 in one statement period. How can I manage my money if they dont give me access to it…

This is the main branch at the credit union. It tends to have a long line, but parking is ample. What is nice is they have a member service office upstairs that offers discounts on various services. The people you’re always nice and helpful. There’s a great sandwich place next-​door as well.

This credit union has the worst customer service ever. I took out a loan with them once and it was a nightmare! It took for ever to get an error corrected and they do not know the meaning of customer service. I kept my savings because it is basically just for savings purposes but I don’t have to use the bank services. They need to improve the way they treat customers.

SCFCU is a great company if you live in Santa Clara only. If you live anywhere else and you are forced to use another ATM of another credit union your life will become a living nightmare. For example I made a cash deposit which was distinguished by the ATM as cash and SCFCU is putting a hold on the money for 5 business days. Seriously, 5 day hold on cash. SCFCU states you can use another credit union ATM with no issues and no fees. the fees part is correct but the issues never go away unless you want to keep calling and spending your time on the phone to resolve the issue. So how much is your time worth. Personally I am done.

this is the main branch that i go too & the team that they have here are super friendly.
even when im not there and i call asking questions, they are super friendly and try to be as knowledgeable as possible getting my questioned answered. i’ve been banking with them for a couple of years now and i have nothing bad to say about them but keep up the good work everyone is doing. =)

Dealing with a bunch of untrained idiots. Literally have had the account for less than a month. The chick who opened it failed to order a debit card for me when I opened the account and then proceeded to lie to me and told me that it had been «lost» another person at the bank then told me the truth that she forgot to do it. then when they finally did ordered it, it was back logged due to the stupid target issue. finally they rushed me a card which I didn’t really need but HOW dumb does a bank have to be to require dozens of emails just to get a bank card. oh and it gets better. so i decide alright I’ll just make some deposits and let the money sit there instead of having it sit in my WF account. so I deposit 3 checks. none of them endorsed… and I never endorsed, haven’t endorsed a check in YEARS. all of a sudden one of the 3 checks is removed from my account because I didn’t endorse it. clearly the check is written to ME from State of CA. so now who the hell knows where that check is and I’ll need all the luck in the world to get that check reissued from the State. Nothing but a headache from these idiots. RUN away. theres a reason big banks survive and most people stick to well known banks. Back to Wells Fargo I go, where at the least I’m not dealing with massive levels of incompetence

As explained in my other review about the service for this bank, it has made me realize that I love a credit union bank, just because it is personable and the staff members are extremely friendly.

Great Credit Union. I’ve been with them since the early 90s, when I worked for the County of Santa Clara.
BUT watch out for those «pitfalls», like Line of Credit, Auto Loans, etc. They’re not always easy to get out of, believe me. And they are inflexible on the rates. They’re not out to do any extra favors once you’re locked in. That’s business.
Just like any bank, you have to watch out for Numero Uno (that’s YOU). Because they want to make money and that’s not always done by playing fair.
Don’t evah forget it.
Anyhow, as far as banks go, this one’s pretty good. The staff at this location is very efficient, friendly and helpful. Right across the street from SJSU. Just watch that corner… I’ve almost been clipped by a red light runner and charged by a screaming halfway-​house guy. Not on the same day. Different days, same heart-​stopping response.
Never a dull moment.

This is the alternative to big banking which means a lot to me in this world of corporate thievery and blatant exploitation of American’s hard earned money.
Good competitve rates on loans. Great account options. Very helpful amd friendly staff.
Other than being closed on Saturday, there really hasn’t been any downfalls so far. I have family that have been banking here for 15+ years and have good things to say about it.

Great service, and very quick as well!

Update 2:
Don’t make a late payment on a credit card — seriously.
I made a late payment, only to be informed a few days later that my credit card was closed and to be paid out as a loan. I am continuously baffled by this credit union.
The payment was late because they require you to fill out paperwork to add an outside account to pay.
Update:
This bank continues to be inefficient and inconsistent. They change how you «Have» to pay your bills literally every month depending on who you’re talking to. They demand that you either pay via Credit Card, Debit Card, or Electronic Check — and they wont let you use whichever one, it’s whatever they Demand that you use that month. Depending on who you talk to you will get a different answer — this is hugely inconvenient depending on what answer you get, and because it changes every time I call I can never plan in advance.
It costs 15 $ to make a payment over the phone, per account.
Also, depending on who you talk to, they will give you inconsistent answers on how much you owe or what accounts are due. Since collections starts calling you almost as soon as you miss a payment, and wont stop calling you until you’ve paid, it’s very inconvenient to call them and have them tell you that you only owe on one account, and learn that you actually owe on several accounts when collections keeps calling you.
Plus, after having accounts with them for SEVERAL years, it’s always really irritating for the employees to talk to you like a child. «Just keep in mind that your bill is always due on this date every month» — Really? That’s how that works? Thanks for solving a great mystery for me. I don’t get paid the same days of the month, ever, because I get paid bi-​weekly. This seems to be hugely mysterious to the employees of County Federal, who cannot seem to grasp this concept.
Get your act together!
Original review:
This is possibly the worst bank I have ever used. When I first joined about 3 – 4 years ago when it was a really great credit union, unfortunately it has just gone way down hill since then.
To start, they randomly blocked my Debit card for no reason, when I called for a problem with my Credit Card they said ‘oh, we blocked and cancelled your debit card, it doesn’t say why, did you want us to send you another one?’. No, I don’t like having any access to my money, thanks for asking — what kind of bank Does that?
If you have a loan and a credit card through them, if you make a late payment on your loan then they block your credit card, and then you have to call them once you make the payment to get them to unblock it, so don’t bother getting a credit card through them if you actually want to use it.
The few times I have actually used my credit card through them, every single time, they flag the usage as ‘suspicious activity’, open a case, and call me to confirm every individual transaction.
When I withdraw money from an off-​network ATM they flag it as suspicious and call me, every single time.
I have basically stopped using this bank all together because of how inconvenient they have become, I’ve switched to another credit union that is much easier to use.
It is not as though I’ve made lots of late payments, I haven’t, not to mention I have great credit. I just thought I would move my banking out of the big banks and support a credit union instead — sadly this credit union does not live up to any of my expectations anymore, maybe someday they will be as good as they were a few years ago.
Edit/​Update:
DO NOT EXPECT CONSISTENCY OVER THE PHONE OR THE ABILITY TO USE YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNT!
Because of the way I get paid I am sometimes pseudo late on my payments. Meaning I can’t mail them in to be on time, and I usually try to make them over the phone so that they’re on time. The last several months this has become extremely aggravating as I keep getting different answers from different people every single time I call. I have recently been told:
«You can ONLY make late payments with a Credit Card, NEVER a debit card»
«You can ONLY make late payments with a Debit Card, NEVER a credit card»
«You can NOT make over the phone payments at all»
«You cannot use ANY cards to make payments, we ONLY accept electronic checks»
Fun, fun, fun. If you mention the inconsistencies they insist that what they’re telling you right now is correct, if you hang up and call back and get someone else they usually give you a completely different answer and then insist they don’t know where you’re getting the incorrect information from.
Also — NEVER EVER DEPEND ON YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNT!
I got locked out of my online account because I forgot my password. With NORMAL banks you just answer a few online questions and they reset your password. NOT with County Federal. With county federal I’ve been told I have to come IN to the bank and fill out paperwork, or fax them in paperwork to prove who I am and that I want my account password reset. That does not even make sensea

I’ve worked for the county & VTA since Dec. 1983 & have had an account with SCCCU on 2 different occation’s & was less than impressed. There were alway’s dispute’s over my avail. balance & having to have them refund the overdraft fee’s they would try & hit me with.

Excellent staff, excellent service and a great place to bank.

Since Im a county employee, I decided to take advantage of signing up with SCCFCU. I came in to set up my accounts everyone there was helpful. Although I had to wait for a bit for a rep to help me, they checked in with me just so I was not getting bored. Dennis was the rep who helped me out and set up my accounts. Process went by fast and easy. Another plus too is if you want to get car loans check out their rates as they have some good competitive rates. You even get better rates if you use some of their services. Also when I needed to set up my online banking, Tammy was very helpful.
I still have my regular bank account but having a good credit union account helps since they are more personalized when it comes to services.
Location is not too bad and the reps have been nice and helpful to me so I give them 5 stars!

i really do love this bank.
some years ago, i left bank of america and set up shop with SCCFU. i was tired of bank of america’s BS — mainly their credit card policies.
SCCFCU offers many services to better you and your money. their credit cards come with fixed APR’s, even if you are late with your payment. i got a good car loan with them too. the only downside with credit unions are ATMs. they don’t have a bank on every corner like B of A, but, SCCFCU has a partnership with 7 – 11 — credit union ATM availability solved!
if any credit card activity looks suspicious to them, they automatically disable the card and call me to verify. never got that from B of A, never. in fact, if i forget to tell them that i’m traveling, they will shut my card down with the quickness until i confirm my travels. they are very protective of my credit card and i love them for that.
just recently, a buddy of mine told me of a 50″ plasma on sale at fry’s. i attempted to buy it with my credit card but it didn’t work at fry’s. this credit union informed me of a work around (cash advance) that typically carries a fee but since they realize it’s going to take a week to get a new credit card and i would lose out on this crazy sale fry’s was having plus it’s not my fault my card doesn’t work, they waved it without me asking them to.
they made it happen and i’m watching HD on my new 50″ thanks to them.
the only complaint i have with them is very minor to me. i rarely carry cash, so i use my check card often. this means i have to replace my check card 1 – 2 times a year. with B of A, it was about every couple years. other than that, they have a great operation!

As far as financial institutions go and I’ve been with a few, such as Wells Fargo and Washington Mutual, I love SCCFCU the best!
SCCFCU was my first bank ever. My parents got me an account when I was still in school. And while I opened accounts with those other banks, SCCFCU never failed me. As I began to get older I closed my other accounts and transferred everything to this credit union.
SCCFCU is a great bank because they have programs that teach you how to save and invest your money. They even had workshops for first time home buyers.
Not to mention, they have great rates!
I am a happy and long time member since 1996 and plan on sticking with them for the rest of my life because they have great programs. I would suggest that if you could join a credit union, you should. I personally love mine the most, maybe it’s the because of the purple ATM card!