ComplaintsforMeriwest Credit Union

• Initial Complaint

  07/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I want to know why I cant get into my account

  

  Business response

  08/07/2024

  Dear **************,
  
  Thank you for reaching out regarding online access to your Meriwest Credit Union accounts. We strive to have our systems operational and accessible 100% of the time for our members.Unfortunately, with the rise in security breaches and fraud, there are times that we need to restrict online access to protect our members from loss. This was the situation that you experienced on July 31st.     
  
  We apologize for any inconvenience or concern this may have caused you at that time. We can confirm that as of August 1, 2024, you have full access to your Meriwest Credit Union membership via Online and Mobile Banking, and that the fraud indicators have been resolved.
  
  We thank you for your membership with us and invite you to contact us directly at 877-MERIWEST (637-4937)should you have any questions or ever experience a technology issue.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Meriwest Credit Union

• Initial Complaint

  01/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I'd like to file a complaint regarding Meriwest denying a $200 New Member Bonus. According to their promotion ads and their Operational Support Manager *********************************** email, new customers will earn $200 if they open a checking account and another qualifying product, with at least $1000 per month direct deposit, and a $5000 average daily balance in the first 3 months (see attachment). I opened two accounts ************** *** ************** and made $2000 payroll direct deposits each month and maintained at least $5000 in my accounts, and satisfied all the required criteria. HOWEVER, there is NO $200 New Member Bonus as promised. And the Support Manager ******************************* never responded my inquiries. Typical bait and switch scam!

  

  Business response

  02/02/2023

  We are in receipt of your recent complaint with the Better Business Bureau of *********** and ************** dated January 23, 2023, regarding a Bonus that was not credited to your account with Meriwest Credit Union. On January 31, 2023, we have credited your account $300 pursuant to the terms of our New Checking/Level Up Bonus.
  
  Our records indicate that due to a delay when opening your account, that was not your error, the New Checking/Level Up Bonus promotion that was available when you first submitted your application had expired; however, we agreed to honor the Bonus as a courtesy. Our records indicate that you qualified for the initial $100 New Checking Bonus by opening a checking account with a direct deposit of at least $1,000 per month within two months of account opening, and then an additional $200 Level Up Bonus for reaching MeritGOLD within the first three months. Therefore, we have credited your account $300 which will be reported as a dividend for tax year 2023.
  
  As the Bonus promotion had ended, honoring the Bonus after the fact required manual review to ensure the criteria had been met. It is unclear whether your account was being monitored in order to credit the Bonus accordingly. Additionally, we failed to respond to your inquiries in a timely manner, as is our commitment to all of our members.
  
  Please accept our sincerest apologies for this oversight. We will ensure we are able to honor any expired bonus promotions, if needed, via an automated process in the future to avoid any manual monitoring.
  
  Should you have any additional questions, please contact us at 877-MERIWEST *************).
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  Meriwest Credit Union
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hi, I am filing a fraud/forgery claim and possibly Federal Financial rules broken after filing a **********. I was making regular payments****************************************************************** On 2021 I filed **********, however,******** *********, the collection manager on Meriwest Credit Union who I have to mention He has been very supportive and help me during this bad season,******** and me, agreed to allow me to make lower payments to be able to keep the car because I was unemployed and then pandemic happened for the 2 years, I couldn't find a decent job to allow me to pay for the car. Making payments on and off due to economic reasons. Fast forward, this year on September 21 I called Meriwest to make a car payment over the phone, the person who takes care of my account didn't pick up the phone, someone else answered, **************** answered the phone, I told her I wanted to pay $300.00 which is the amount agreed before. She made the charged on my debit card, after that I told her I wanted to pay 1,250 dollars. She told me the system doesn't allow her to make payments on a debit card higher than 500 dollars. She asked me for my bank account number and routing number. I gave the information to her thinking the transaction as authorized for 1,250 dollars. She told me I could pay 1279. and I was thinking it's only 29 dollars difference. that's fine. On the same day, I had to switch phone number, I got logged out of my ******* app, so I couldn't see what transactions were processed on my account. On Sep 27 I called my bank ******* to ask again to update my phone number we review the transactions and that's how I found out that this lady took 12,790 dollars out of my account. I reported that on the phone as fraud with *******. This lady never sent me a receipt or called me to tell me the transaction was made on the other amount she took from me or neither confirm I was authorizing that huge amount. I contacted Meriwest on the same day Sep 27, I spoked with******** ********* who is the manager in collections department. He agreed there was a mistake. He told me he would help me to get the money back to my account, I explained to him I have moved to ** to study and that money is for the student loan I just got approved to pay my college. After that this lady called me again and tells me she will not reimburse me the money because she thinks they give me the money and I will complain to my bank and my bank will ask them to give me the money back twice. She told me to file a "dispute amount claim" with *******, I did on the same day. I send the paperwork to******** and******** told me as soon as ******* gets back to me I will get my money back. From That date on I will be calling both institutions to resolve this issue. ******* manager here in ******** discover that******** issued an electronic check and******** printed the check under my name, this lady from Meriwest,********, did all that without my authorization and me living here in ******* while she is in **********. ******* manager told me that what******** has done is considered fraud. So my case went from "Dispute amount claim" to "fraud". I have tried to reason this with Meriwest Credit Union, ******* Manager also has been in contact with Meriwest and Meriwest has not been willing to cooperate with ******* either. However Meriwest have asked me to drop the fraud claim, and that Us bank needs to sign a released form that exonerates them of any liability. ******* Manger **************, has also contacted Meriwest and still Meriwest has denied to return the money. ******* manger ******** advised me to file a police report because this is fraud. I did, ********, ** police did contacted Meriwest but did not explained to the officer what exaclty happened and how this lady committed fraud against me. I have spent hours and days on the phone trying to get Meriwest to return my money back. One of the employees on Customer care even yelled at me and told me "I deserved to have my money stollen because I owed them money". This other lady******** who I also contacted her to get my money back on Seo 27 2022 also yelled at as well. I have suffered*************************************** while on the phone with them trying to resolve this and it has been 2 months now and I am still here waiting for Meriwest to return my money. On Oct 20, 21, 22, and 23 I tried to get ALL the statements from my car loan from Meriwest since 2018 until oct 2022, they sent me an email that doesn't open any attachments and says "access denied". And stopped answering my calls, and stopped answering my emails. My online account from Meriwest is blocked, I can't see my statements, and since I filed for ********** on 2021, Meriwest has my car loan as "write off" status on my Credit Report, I recheck y credit report and no the car loan account status is "account closed". But I am still making payments late and some payments have been made regularly and if the account is closed how is my money been processed to my car loan then? I am also concerned that this credit union is not only taking money from me after ********** but also violating the rules. Additional to that, on my******** credit report even after ********** filed, Meriwest is still reporting my car with 2 repo claims, which should have been taken out of the credit report after filing ********** and making an agreement with Meriwest. Meriwest have denied access to my online account, and don't have a way to communicate with them anymore because they are not answering my phone calls, or emails anymore. If they want me to drop the fraud claim, then how come******** is making all this more difficult for me and intentionally hurting me not only financially but also emotionally and affecting other areas of my life. I just need this to be resolved and get my money back the amount I authorized this lady was only 1,250 dollars. Now it's been almost 2 months of me trying to fix this with Meriwest, but Meriwest doesn't want to return my money and it's just making more difficult and hurting me more. I am barely putting my life back again after 3 years of being homeless and without a decent job. I am grateful to******** ********* who was very supportive and always help me while I was without job and I was sleeping on this car with my dog, I know******** understood how bad the situation has been for me and I am so grateful that he was the only human with a kind heart when I was going thru hell this recent years.

  

  Business response

  12/23/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/12/08) */ Dear Ms.**********, We are in receipt of your recent complaint with the ******************************************************** dated November 26, 2022, regarding a check-by-phone payment that you claimed was intended to be for $1,250 and was instead processed for $12,750.92 for your charged-off auto loan. In your complaint you expressed that the Credit Union was committing fraud; however, the payment was applied towards your loan obligation and debt with Meriwest Credit Union. Upon our review, it appears there was ultimately a misunderstanding regarding the payment amount and we have made our best efforts to correct the transaction with *******, who has been unresponsive in this matter. Below is a summary of the sequence of events in this case. Our records indicate that you spoke with our Collections Specialist on September 21, 2022 and authorized a $300 payment with your debit card. You then requested to make another payment for the delinquency amount, which was $12,750.92. Our Collections Specialist informed you that because this amount was greater than $5,000, our limit to accept payments by card, it needed to be made via a check-by-phone payment using the information from your ******* account. The $12,750.92 amount was confirmed with you twice when collecting the payment information. The $12,750.92 payment was processed and applied towards your principal loan balance on September 22, 2022, effective September 21, 2022. We are unable to confirm whether a receipt was requested when you made your payment; however, we can provide copies of your statements, including your September 2022 statement reflecting the payment was applied to your loan, as stated below. On September 27, 2022, you called the Credit Union to dispute the payment amount and indicated that you only meant to authorize a payment of $1,250 and not $12,750.92. Our ********* Administration called you back and went over the payment transaction on September 21st that was made with our Collections Specialist who confirmed the payment amount with you before it was processed; however, as you were now disputing the amount, we would work with you to correct the payment. Later that day, you were advised via follow ups calls from our ********* Administration and Collections Specialist that, because the payment was processed by check and you were disputing the check amount that cleared your checking account at *******, you would need to file a check dispute with *******, as that is where the payment cleared, for an incorrect check amount so that the adjustment could be made via the proper channels to correct the transaction on your ******* account and your Meriwest Credit Union loan accordingly. You proceeded to contact ******* to dispute the check amount. On October 14, 2022, in an attempt to help resolve this issue, our VP Operational Support contacted the ******* Branch Manager you were working with in ***************** and learned that you disputed the check with ******* on September 27th, however, ******* incorrectly disputed the check as a fraudulent**** transaction. Once ******* realized that the check was not processed as an**** transaction, the *********** Fraud Team moved the dispute to the ******* Paper Fraud Department who was processing the dispute as fraud rather than an incorrect check amount. Our VP Operational Support inquired why this was being disputed as fraud if the transaction was authorized, but the amount was incorrect. The ******* Manager responded that it is in the Paper Fraud Department now and they have to follow this process. We offered to credit you the difference via a Cashier's Check if ******* would complete an Indemnification Agreement to prevent the possibility of ******* disputing the check at a later date. However, we were informed by the Bank Manager you have been working with, that ******* does not execute Indemnification Agreements and the dispute now needed to be handled through their Fraud Department. On October 20, 2022, you emailed our ********* Administration requesting statement copies to confirm past payments had been applied to your auto loan. These were sent to you via secure email that same day, however you responded that you were unable to open the attachments. The attachments were sent to you again via another secure channel and there was no response when we asked if you would like the statements mailed to you instead. If you would like the statements mailed, please let us know where to mail them as you have had multiple addresses on file. On December 5, 2022, in another effort to resolve this issue with *******, our VP Operational Support obtained alternate contact information for individuals at ******* through our internal resources. Upon calling these individuals, the call was routed to the Fraud Department, who would not discuss any details of the case and advised that you would need to call them directly. You also indicated that your credit report references having two repossession claims on your auto loan, even though you filed for*********** in April 2021. Our records show that all three credit bureaus (*********************************) are reporting the loan as a "********** Discharge." We have confirmed that the auto loan will be updated to a status of a "Paid Charge Off" once the loan reaches a zero balance. Additionally, you stated that you were concerned about whether Meriwest should have been continuing to collect payments on the vehicle. Our research indicates that you chose to continue making voluntary payments after filing for*********** and would contact the Credit Union each time you wanted to make a payment. Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to come to a quick resolution with ******* and, as of today's date, we have not received an adjustment from them. We continue to stand prepared to correct the transaction to your loan as soon as we receive the adjustment request from ******* through the proper channels. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and encourage you to contact ******* to correct your dispute to a check amount dispute, not fraud, and expedite your claim. Should you have any additional questions, please contact us******************************** Sincerely, Meriwest Credit Union

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Jul 30, I ********** submitted an application ************* to open accounts with Meriwest Credit Union. On Aug 2nd, the Membership Officer called ********* asked me to complete the form W-8 ***. I responded that I am ********************* supposed to complete form W-9 not W-8 ***, according to the *** Guidance ********************************************************************************** (quote) "Do not use Form W-8*** if: You are a U.S. citizen (even if you reside outside the United States) or other U.S. person (including a resident alien individual). Instead, use Form W-9". However, ********* insisted that I should complete W-8 ***, and threatened me that if the account will not be opened if I do not submit W-8. Again, I had explained to this employee multiple times on Aug 3rd and 9th that I am **************************** the right form per ***. I have been filing taxes ****************************** and I am **************** by all definitions. Instead of forcing applicant to complete a wrong form and to threaten applicants, this employee and the bank Meriwest should look up the *** Guidance to confirm which form should be completed *******************

  

  Business response

  09/08/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/31) */ August 30, 2022 ************************************************************************ Re: *** Complaint Case# ******* (Ref#********6-*************) - *** Dear Mr. ***, We are in receipt of your recent complaint with the********************************************************* dated August 16, 2022, regarding your recent experience with one of our Membership Officers while trying to complete an application for membership and open accounts with Meriwest Credit Union. In your complaint, you indicated that you received incorrect information on August 2, 2022, that a Form W-8*** was required ******************* in order to complete your application to become a member of Meriwest Credit Union and open an account. You also indicated that you felt threatened that the account would not be opened unless you submitted a Form W-8***. Our research indicates that, what was perceived to be a threat, was truly a misunderstanding based on unclear internal procedures wherein the Membership Officer assisting you believed that a Form W-8 *** was required, instead of a Form W-9, in order to proceed with your application. Please accept our sincerest apologies for this confusion and for feeling threatened, as it is never our intent for potential or existing members to feel threatened in any situation. We can confirm that a Form W-9 is the correct form that a ************** individual should complete. We will also be updating our procedures to make any necessary clarifications and reviewing with staff to ensure there is proper understanding and consistency on this subject moving forward. Thank you for sharing your experience and allowing us the opportunity to correct this error. If you still wish to procced with opening an account with Meriwest, we would be able to do so with an executed Form W-9. Should you have any additional questions, please contact us at 877-MERIWEST *************** Sincerely, Meriwest Credit Union Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/09/01) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Finally you have apologized for your mistake. Thanks for encouraging me to continue my application. However, that employee already CLOSED my application, without even an apology. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/09/07) */ Dear Mr. ***, On September 6, 2022, our Operational Support Manager reached out to you by phone to confirm that we will be updating our procedures to clarify what needs to be collected for a ************** and Non-************** individual and also apologized again for any inconvenience with your application. They also offered to assist you with opening your account and honoring the New Member Bonus that was available during the time your application was first submitted. As discussed during your conversation, we will just need a completed Form W-9 to proceed. Once your account is opened, our Operational Support Manager will contact you to arrange your opening deposit. Should you have any additional questions, please contact our Operational Support Manager************************************* Thank you, Meriwest Credit Union

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