ComplaintsforTropical Financial Credit Union

• Initial Complaint

  09/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I don't know what's going on but when I went inside my bank to sign my loan documents for my home my banker gave me a copy of my credit report and I notice TROPICAL FINANCIAL CU listed on my EQUIFAX 3 times on the same day on August 04, 2024. This letter is yourformal notice to cease yourunauthorized hard inquiries into mycredit report and, aformal demand that you immediatelycontact the credit reporting agencies and credit bureaus, where your organization has made inquiries into my credithistory, to have yourillegal inquiries removed. Be advised that I will be checking my reports to ensure you have hadthe following unauthorized inquiries removed. To myknowledge, I have not signed any documents authorizing your organization to view my credit history therefore, your inquiry intomy credit report violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Section1681b(c): Transactions Not Initiated by Consumer.If you are inpossession of any document that you believe authorizes you or your organization to make inquiries into mycredit report,I respectfully request a copy of this document be sent to my address listed above so that I may verify its validity. Given the amount of identity theft,I'msure you'll agree that verifyingyour information is in your best interest. Finally, assuming you do notpossess inquiry authorization, I request that,after removing your unauthorized inquiries from my credit profiles, you also remove allof my personal information from yourrecords and sendme confirmation that you have complied with myrequests. I'm also asking for security footage for the day of August 04, 2024 and any documentation you may have for the person who tried to open an account in my name. I filed a police report, and my next complaint will be to the **** and The State Attorney.

  Business response

  10/01/2024

  October 1, 2024
  
  
  Better Business Bureau
  ******************
  ***************, **
  33407
  
  RE:  Complaint #********
  
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau Team
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to the complaint brought forth by Mr. ******** *****.
  We appreciate the opportunity to reply to his concern.  We have contacted him, and at this time we believe he is now satisfied with our response and recommendations for further follow-up.
  
  Tropical Financial received an online application for a personal loan on August 4,2024.  The application was for a ******** *****.  Because it seemed like a legitimate application, credit was run on the application.  It was subsequently denied.
  
  As Mr. ***** is claiming this was not him, we reached out to him today through our Security and Fraud investigation team. We will follow-up with the credit agencies to remove the inquiries ******** made mention of in his complaint.
  
  We will also be happy to assist Mr. ***** in working with local authorities or with any other questions he may have pertaining to this unfortunate event.  We have provided him with details on how to continue to work with the Security Team here at Tropical.
  
  Please let us know if there is anything further we can assist with.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Tropical Financial C.U.

  Customer response

  10/01/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** *****

• Initial Complaint

  09/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I rented a car from **** that I prepaid for &picked up on 9/11/24. I always rent from **** but from ************** location. This is the first time I used the ****************** in ** location. On 9/11/24 a $250. hold was taken from my ************ available funds. I was scheduled to return the car on 9/16/24 but I extended it to another day and returned it on 9/17/24. When I returned the car on 9/17/24 my funds of $250. was to be returned to my account. Over 5 business days past and I still didn't get my $250. I called **** & they explained to me that I need to get my banks fax number so that **** can submit a form for the bank to return my funds. I called to get the fax number. I was on the phone for over an hour because instead of the representative giving me the fax number she tried to tell me there was never a hold. After she reviewed she saw there was a hold on 9/11/24. After speaking to a supervisor I finally got the fax number. **** submitted the fax and I called the bank to follow up. They received it and said the form has to be sent to operations & to give them 2 business days to get back to me. Instead of sending the paperwork to operations the manager called me back twice trying to tell me that the money was returned when I told him it wasn't and I believe that something fraudulent has occurred on **** end. I asked him to please submit the paperwork to operations. I'm confused as to why employees aren't following procedures and sending the paperwork to operations. As they are instructed to do. When they first called me back they said again they don't see a hold. After I got irate then they admitted they see the hold. I am out of $250.00 and it appears that the bank is okay with this or they are in on it. I know how much should be in my account if the $250.00 was released back it wouldn't cause my account to be overdrawn because I had a charge coming out that would of been covered if the $250.00 was returned.

  Business response

  09/26/2024

  
  September 26, 2024
  
  
  Better Business Bureau
  ******************
  ***************, **
  33407
  
  RE:  Complaint #********
  
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau Team
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to the complaint brought forth by Ms. ****** *********.
  We appreciate the opportunity to reply to her concern. 
  
  The request for a refund of $250 is denied, as there was never $250 removed from her account.
  In reference to the details of her complaint, **** did (at one time) place a hold of $250 on her Checking Account.  Even with prepaid vehicle rentals, a hold is normally placed by all rental car agencies as an abundance of caution against damage, late return, etc.
  
  In reviewing the account as of Thursday, September 26, the hold from **** is no longer there. We welcome Ms. ********* to review her account history in detail.  There was a $30 debit assessed to her account which represented a Courtesy Pay Fee.  This fee was assessed, by Tropical Financial, because we paid an item on her account in the amount of $707.00.  At the time this charge hit her account, the balance in the account was $320.20.  A review of the account will clearly show this.
  
  As a courtesy to the member, we refunded this $30 Courtesy Pay fee today, and therefore, she incurred no fees associated with us paying the item for $707.00.  There was never a charge of $250 assessed on her account by ****. This was simply a hold on the account, and ********************** did not charge any fees associated with this hold during the time frame Ms. ********* is referring.
  Again,a complete history of transactions will provide this level of proof to her.  We recommend her reviewing the account history herself.
  
  As it specifically relates to any fees associated with ****, they are as follows:
              Point of Sale charge on 9/18 in the amount of $58.13
  Then,on 9/24, there is a CREDIT from **** in the amount of $44.23.
  
  Should you require anything else, please let us know.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Tropical Financial C.U.

  Customer response

  09/27/2024

  I reject this decision.  The hold was taken and it was never released.  **** verified this and submitted paperwork to support this which was sent to your office and needed to be submitted to Operations.  I have reviewed the account numerous times and I have also rented from **** numerous times.  The money was removed on 9/11/24 and it was released on ****'s end on 9/17/2024.  To state that the money and hold was never done is false.  Because if you review the account you will see that on 9/17/2024 the balance amount was never increased by $******.  If you review the transactions you can see that the $****** was unavailable from 9/11/24 and was never put back.  You can tell that by deducting all transactions from my pay check that was deposited on 9/11/24  along with the original balance that was there.  Along with deducting the ****** that was held and wasn't available for me to use and it was never returned back.  Even **** verified it.  I will be going into the branch to address this and if my money isn't refunded back to me I will be closing my account.  Because for the account to show the hold as a withdrawal on 9/11/2024 and then to suddenly disappear after 9/17/24.  To where I have to consistency asked the representatives to look deeper to see the original hold that they claim never occurred and then to go back and say yes it did on 9/11/24 is ridiculous.  No other bank just wipes out holds that are held as charges and then once its suppose to be released doesn't reflect the $250 charge, gives consumers issues with proving they need their refund back.  This is what I am dealing with now.  Because my account is missing $****** which is unfair and illegal.  Banks have been exposed for their illegal activities and I see that this company is doing the same.  I will be withdrawing my funds and closing my account with you all.  I would like my complaint to be listed with the better business bureau so that other consumers don't get taken advantage of and stolen from like I have.  I will also be letting the school district and the *** know that this bank should not be a sponsoring partner.  Especially since you are refusing to provide the paperwork here showing the $****** hold/withdrawl and showing that it wasn't returned.  If you all did release the funds back to me than showing the documentation would be the proof of that.  

  Customer response

  09/27/2024

   
  Complaint: 22340211
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I reject this decision.  The hold was taken and it was never released.  **** verified this and submitted paperwork to support this which was sent to your office and needed to be submitted to Operations.  I have reviewed the account numerous times and I have also rented from **** numerous times.  The money was removed on 9/11/24 and it was released on ****'s end on 9/17/2024.  To state that the money and hold was never done is false.  Because if you review the account you will see that on 9/17/2024 the balance amount was never increased by $******.  If you review the transactions you can see that the $****** was unavailable from 9/11/24 and was never put back.  You can tell that by deducting all transactions from my pay check that was deposited on 9/11/24  along with the original balance that was there.  Along with deducting the ****** that was held and wasn't available for me to use and it was never returned back.  Even **** verified it.  I will be going into the branch to address this and if my money isn't refunded back to me I will be closing my account.  Because for the account to show the hold as a withdrawal on 9/11/2024 and then to suddenly disappear after 9/17/24.  To where I have to consistency asked the representatives to look deeper to see the original hold that they claim never occurred and then to go back and say yes it did on 9/11/24 is ridiculous.  No other bank just wipes out holds that are held as charges and then once its suppose to be released doesn't reflect the $250 charge, gives consumers issues with proving they need their refund back.  This is what I am dealing with now.  Because my account is missing $****** which is unfair and illegal.  Banks have been exposed for their illegal activities and I see that this company is doing the same.  I will be withdrawing my funds and closing my account with you all.  I would like my complaint to be listed with the better business bureau so that other consumers don't get taken advantage of and stolen from like I have.  I will also be letting the school district and the *** know that this bank should not be a sponsoring partner.  Especially since you are refusing to provide the paperwork here showing the $****** hold/withdrawl and showing that it wasn't returned.  If you all did release the funds back to me than showing the documentation would be the proof of that.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *********

  Business response

  09/30/2024

  September 30, 2024
  
  
  Better Business Bureau
  ******************
  ***************, **
  33407
  
  RE:  Complaint #********
  
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau Team
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to the complaint brought forth by Ms. ****** *********.
  We are sorry, and apologize if the response we provided previously was not acceptable or clear.
  
  We will be happy to send Ms. ********* a copy of her September Transactional Statement from Tropical.  Her September Transactional Statement will provide a day by day account of all of the activity on her Daily Rewards Checking, which is the account in question.
  
  A line by line itemization of account activity will again provide clear proof that during the time frame she is referencing in her complaint, that neither **** nor Tropical Financial debited her account for $250.00.
  There is no other more precise way of communicating this message. 
  
  We also welcome Ms. ********* to visit one of our local branches (we have an office in the *************** market).  Our branch team will be happy to review, line by line, the activity on her account.
  
  If at that time, Ms. ********* is still not satisfied, she is not obligated to continue her relationship with us.  Our relationships with members is a mutually exclusive one.  At any time, either party can sever their relationship.  We strive every day to meet the needs of our members, and are trying very hard to assist Ms. ********* in clarifying exactly what took place with the **** Car Rental. Tropical Financial has done nothing to cause Ms. ********* a financial loss.  On the contrary, we refunded a $30 fee for her, as a courtesy.
  
  Again,a complete history of transactions will provide this level of proof to her.  We recommend her reviewing the account history herself.
  
  Should you require anything else, please let us know.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Tropical Financial C.U.

• Initial Complaint

  09/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid off my car loan on August 15, 2024 -----Loan # *******-20 and requested my account to be closed and your company send me my $ 5.00. The girl who took my payment was made clear of this ********** 1.46pm on August 29th I called back in and spoke with ******. My original request to close the account on August 15 was ignored. Can you explain that ?She stated she would close the account and send me the $ 5 in a check. Today is Sept 6 and so far nothing has been done. I have cc my congressman's office and I will call them on Monday.

  Business response

  09/12/2024

  September 12, 2024
  
  
  Better Business Bureau
  ******************
  ***************, **
  33407
  
  RE:  Complaint #********
  
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau Team
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to the complaint brought forth by Mr. ****** ******.
  We appreciate the opportunity to reply to his concern. 
  
  Mr.****** indicated that he paid off his vehicle loan with us on August 15,2024.  He requested at the time the loan was paid off for us to close his Member Share account, which had a remaining balance of $5.00 in the account.
  
  Unfortunately,and we take responsibility for this error, the Member Share account was not closed out.  This caused Mr. ****** to have to call us back again on August 29th and request this a second time.
  
  On September 6, 2024 the account was closed, and a final check was mailed to the member.
  Upon receipt of ****************** Business complaint, I called the number he provided in his complaint.  I received his voicemail, and I left him a message explaining the account was closed.
  
  I provided him with two (2) options since it is obvious that he had not received our check in the mail.  I am awaiting his response on how to proceed.
  
  Should you require anything else, please let us know.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Tropical Financial C.U.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 9/6/2022, I entered into a financing agreement with Tropical Financial Credit Union ("Lender") for a 2017 Chevrolet Volt refinance. I purchased Guaranteed Asset Protection coverage issued through the Lender to protect any remaining balance caused by negative equity in the event of a total loss. On 05/31/2024, I suffered a car accident in the 2017 Chevrolet Volt which Progressive deemed a total loss. Progressive has paid the Lender for the current cash value of the vehicle, but there is a remaining balance on the loan caused by negative equity. I was informed that my *** would cover the balance that was due, less any past due payments, and that the department was aware of the loss. The lender is telling me to continue making payments, but when I asked if they would reimburse me any payments over the 2 payments I owed prior to the date of loss, I was told no, so I told the lender that I will only catch up those two payments after the *** is credited. I have reached out to the appropriate department to have *** credited on 7/11/2024, 7/30/2024, and 8/2/2024, but I have not received a response and the amount has not been credited. I am continuing to incur late fees and negative reporting on my credit, but the lender is failing in their duty to apply the *** coverage I purchased. I would like the lender reverse the late fees that were incurred beyond 5/31/2024, reduce the balance of the loan to the appropriate amount due of $811.21, which represents the 2 missed payments, plus one late fee. I also request an adjustment to my credit report to reflect only late 30 days.

  Business response

  08/09/2024

  August 9, 2024
  
  
  Better Business Bureau
  ******************
  ***************, **
  33407
  
  RE:  Complaint #********
  
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau Team
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to the complaint brought forth by ***********************************.
  We appreciate the opportunity to reply to her concern. 
  
  On July 12, 2024, we received notice of a total loss on ****************** vehicle,which was financed through Tropical Financial. The settlement for the loss, by her insurance company was less than the balance owed on the remaining loan balance. 
  
  On this same day, we followed up with a letter to the member explaining the process of moving forward with the total loss claim.  We explained that while she did have the *** protection covering her vehicle, it can take up to 45 days for all the appropriate claims to be processed.  We reminded her that continuing to make normal payments during this time was required and critical to ensure the loan did not become past due.
  
  On August 8, 2024 we received a final *** claim of $7,516.81.  Applying this to the current balance of her loan is leaving a remaining balance of $781.64 on her Tropical loan.
  
  With this being said, there are other pertinent details related to ****************.  The last payment we received from her was on April 15, 2024, and this payment was used to cover her March 2024 payment.  No other payments from **************** have been received since that time, which places **************** at 90 past due on her vehicle payments.  This is why she is being reported to the credit bureau agencies.
  
  Should you require anything else, please let us know.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Tropical Financial C.U.
  
  

  Customer response

  08/09/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **************************************

• Initial Complaint

  05/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been a member of Tropical Financial since 2023, there services have been phenomenal despite having gotten charged some unexpected overdraft fees on my accounts that were taken care of but on May 14, 2024 I requested to have some fees waived despite certain circumstances, I spoke to a few representatives on May 15, ********************************************************************************************************************************************************** place, however I explained to them that I was having difficulty with employment, etc. I won a work trip from the employer I was recently terminated from with me being responsible for my car rental and other expenses in which I was looking forward to that vacation. I have no family or friends as they have turned their backs on me due to personal circumstances and not being able to maintain steady employment as well as overall stability. I am homeless without a car, resources, I was denied unemployment benefits multiple times, I do not have any money, family or anything to go to another state nor I do not feel safe in any shelters due to having my property stolen and being almost beaten/raped. I will admit that I said some choice and colorful words that I have immensely regret and apologized for in hopes of not having my membership terminated as I am not able to get another bank account and I cannot afford to pay for any monthly fees nor anything. There are times that I do not eat, shower or anything. I do not get any assistance from anyone and I am on a strict diet as I am borderline diabetic. The turn of events have made me angry, depressed and thoughts of committing suicide. All I want is my membership back along with $270.00 credited back to my accounts and $500.00 for the trip interruption as I could not enjoy anything due to a lack of funds. But I will settle for just having my membership not being terminated. I take full responsibility for my actions amidst having freedom of speech.

  Business response

  06/04/2024

  June 3, 2024
  
  
  Better Business Bureau
  ****************************************************************************
  33407
  
  RE:  Complaint #********
  
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau Team
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to the complaint brought forth by ****************.
  We appreciate the opportunity to reply to his concern. 
  
  As we must protect the privacy of our customers, I cannot go into a great amount of detail as to the exact nature of this complaint.  We have sent this member communication that we will be terminating his relationship with us.  With respect to refunding some of his fees,we have completed this today, and there were three (3) $30 fees which were credited to his account for a total of $90.
  
  In addition to refunding some of his service fees, **************** also requested us to keep his account relationship open, which we will not be able to accommodate.Based on our internal investigation and due to the nature of the concerns we have, we stand by this decision. 
  
  With all due respect, and again, to maintain the privacy of ****************, we will refrain from going into further details.
  
  Should you require anything else, please let us know.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Tropical Financial C.U.
  
  

  Customer response

  06/04/2024

   
  Complaint: 21787467
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  I do not have any other bank accounts at the moment and I cannot afford a bank with monthly fees. I am currently looking for work and I want to have this account for savings to pay for a vehicle and a home once I have financial stability and creditworthiness to do (I do not have anyone else to help and I have been on my own since the age of 15 years old without any support from anyone). Please reconsider that decision as I have apologized multiple times for my actions that occurred and will go to anger management upon re employment to deal with those issues.

  With Kind Regards,

  *********************

  Business response

  06/07/2024

  June 6, 2024
  
  
  Better Business Bureau
  ****************************************************************************
  33407
  
  RE:  Complaint #********
  
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau Team
  
  We are sorry that **************** did not accept our original response, but we thank you again for allowing us to respond to his concerns.
  
  We are a not for profit organization which is proud to be in business for over 84 years.  We serve our communities with the best possible service.  We also have a strong commitment to our teammates and associates who work here, and do not tolerate abusive or inappropriate treatment of these hardworking employees.
  
  Attachment to this response is a copy of an email received by **************** to our Online Banking and Mobile team.  We have blocked out verbiage which we did not want to burden you with.  We believe the nature of this document will speak for itself.  **************** himself has alluded to apologizing for his outburst, and clearly understands the severity of his actions.
  
  However,we cannot tolerate this.  Additionally,**************** has, on several occasions not handled his accounts in an appropriate manner, and has requested refunds on multiple occasions.  As we mentioned in our previous response, and to accommodate him on his last complaint, we refunded three (3) additional fees to him, totaling $90. Based on our internal investigation and due to the nature of the concerns we have, we stand by our original decision and consider this matter closed.
  
  Should you require anything else, please let us know.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Tropical Financial C.U.
  
  

  Customer response

  06/07/2024

   
  Complaint: 21787467
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I apologized multiple times and I am very remorseful for my actions. I am on the verge of losing everything and this year has been awful to me and I am homeless on top of everything else with no money to move. I need this account badly but if your decision still stands I will close out my accounts and just pay for the loan. They never told me what when I can reapply and I have apologized immensely I am not the person who has written such inappropriate comments, etc. I am the type of person to give someone my last of everything and go without. I have given everything to everyone and no one else has given anything back in return so I am asking for forgiveness. 

  Thank you for understanding.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Customer response

  06/07/2024

  Hello there, I have sent this and I guess this never got through. But I have apologized several times and explained that it will not happen again. I need this bank account/membership and I have nothing now.

  Customer response

  06/07/2024

  In addition to them saying I have not handled my account properly is due to multiple job losses and not being paid enough or on time. I have paid my bills timely and I have worked since the age of 15 as I have explained.

  Kindly,

   

  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  05/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I when to the Tropical Financial Credit Union in ******* on April 27 at 12 pm because I will be traveling to Two countries in **** ***** and *********** and I need to inform to the institution that I will be using my debit card in these countries and the lady who attended me told me she cant help me and either help me to comuncate with the right department I made a complaint for the issues that I had had have in others occasions and she said me that I can leave to other bank different to Tropical Financial I felt offended unfortunately I dont know her name.Them another lady try to help me and told me I can go to my account online and put the information and I did that and right now I am in ***** and I cant use my debit card and also I am calling to the bank and not answer the phone all the time waiting with the music hold and my phone company charge me a lot of money and I am outside the country without use my money, mine , thank you very much for support in some way to the clients I appreciate that.I am very sorry that I be using this bank I am extremely frustrated and unhappy. they dont work like financial institutions should be, they work with our money, we deserve respect and good services they have me stressed out in my vacation with my money I have personal and business accounts with then I when to Tropical Financial looking pece and found nightmare I am surviving for **** of America and ***** Fargo, thanks God, but my vacation money was in Tropical Financial.If they try to contact me I will be traveling until May 22 and I have 13 hours the difference with USA

  Business response

  05/07/2024

  
  May 7, 2024
  
  
  Better Business Bureau
  ****************************************************************************
  33407
  
  RE:  Complaint #********
  
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau Team
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to the complaint brought forth by *********************************.
  We appreciate the opportunity to reply to her concern.  We have contacted her, via email, as she is traveling outside the country.  We will await feedback and communication from her, however, we responded to her as soon as we received her concern, and believe we have settled this matter.
  
  ***************** made multiple attempts to ensure travel settings were set correctly on her debit/credit card while out of the country. Unfortunately, when she attempted to use her card, the card was declined at the merchant terminal.  There were clearly some miscues on our part, and we take responsibility for this. 
  
  Traveling outside the country is challenging and can be a stressful time, especially when money and finances are involved.  We apologize for making this difficult for her. We highly recommend (and suggest) that members use credit cards while outside ******************  Using debit cards is much more risky, and not recommended.
  
  We have opened her card for the time frame she communicated she would be outside the U.S.  We set the new guidelines for her card on Saturday, May 4, upon receiving her complaint on Friday, May 3rd.
  
  Please let us know if there is anything further we can assist with.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Tropical Financial C.U.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was told that I will skip the payment seen November and the have not skipped a auto loan payment at all and tropical financial credit union is full of lies when are there going honor their word they told me I was approved and I have documents and they have not done nothing about it

  Business response

  03/11/2024

  March 11, 2024
  
  
  Better Business Bureau
  ***********************************************************************
  33407
  
  RE:  Complaint #********
  
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau Team
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to the complaint brought forth by *******************************.
  We appreciate the opportunity to reply to his concern.  We have contacted him, and at this time we believe he is now satisfied with our resolution.
  
  Tropical Financial offers, as a courtesy, a Skip a Payment program.  This allows members to skip one consumer loan payment, for a small fee, once a year.  Members must be in good standing and approved for this program.  ************ was eligible for this program.  The challenge was that the loan he wanted to do the Skip a Payment on, was a joint loan. In other words, there were two (2) parties on the loan. 
  
  We require both parties who are on the loan to approve and sign our documentation.  The form we received from him only had his signature.  Last week we were able to reach him and we explained this process with him.  Subsequently, we were able to get both parties to sign the form, and the Skip a Payment was successfully applied to his account.
  
  Please let us know if there is anything further we can assist with.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Tropical Financial C.U.

• Initial Complaint

  01/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Ok , this is not a financial institution . Atleast not one abiding by any sort of actual laws I can understand .Basically I have two accounts with this poor excuse for a bank , my personal account , and my BUSINESS ACCOUNT . So as for my personal account I dont use it , i used to before I had a business for 5 years . This bank has closed my personal account and because I had a credit card balance amounting to **** dollars they will not allow me to access my funds for my BUSINESS account two completely seperate entities . I have an ein number for the business and have been operating for 5 years . I have a social security number for my personal account ( completely seperate things) . I now cannot pay my employees out of my business account because they closed my personal account . This has to be ILLEGAL considering every law Ive ever heard about the separation of a corporation and person . But regardless of all that , today when I went to the branch to get my business re activated they essentially extorted me by saying I can either pay off my personal credit balance or I cannot access my business funds . Its a crime . I hope this place goes out of business and Ive been a member personally since **** . I thought I could trust them to run a business that does over 60k a month through thier bank . Over 2 million dollars year to date . But after this attempted extortion of my funds , I hope the personal in charge not only gets fired but criminally charged . My **** dollar balance (which should be and will be paid off) is worth losing a business account then the place wont be around much longer , its crazy to me that incompetent managers and whoever else can run free with peoples money and livelyhoods . I cant be the only person who this tiny bank has tried to extort if anyone else has a similar situation please reach out to me

  Business response

  01/15/2024

  January 15, 2024
  
  
  Better Business Bureau
  ***********************************************************************
  33407
  
  RE:  Complaint #********
  
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau Team
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to the complaint brought forth by **********************
  We appreciate the opportunity to reply to his concern.
  
  Dating back to August of 2023, our ********************** began making attempts to reach ************ because of delinquencies on his personal accounts.  Throughout the fall of 2023, Mr. ***** personal accounts (checking and credit card) were past due, and he owed outstanding balances on both.
  
  Multiple promises to pay were broken, and on November 29, 2023, Tropical Financial had to charge-off both of these accounts. The credit card was charged off and created a loss to our organization of $2,166.27.  The checking account was charged off, and created a loss of $104.23.
  
  *********** also has a business account with our institution.  He is a signer on this business account.  It is true that he went into our Plantation Branch to have a new debit card on his business account re-issued.  However, our staff at the branch was unable to do this because, by law, we have the right of offset when a loss is created on an account with us.
  
  Since ************ is a signer on both the personal accounts, which caused a loss to our organization, we can, by law, close any and all other depository accounts he is a signer on, with the exception of *** accounts.
  
  We are in the process of closing his remaining accounts with us, and he was refused service by our Security Department.
  
  Please let us know if there is anything further we can assist with.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Tropical Financial C.U.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On October 13 I had ******* taken out of my account by a company Transak *** in ***** ******* . I was notified of the transaction and if was mine. I reached out to them saying this was not me . The transaction was in pending status, and I asked them to stop it but they say said they could not not . They said the company got all my information and made the transaction . I have never heard of the company at all. Tropical only gave me ****** back as a favor . I lost the rest and do not feel this is fair

  Business response

  12/28/2023

  December 28, 2023
  
  
  Better Business Bureau
  ***********************************************************************
  33407
  
  RE:  Complaint #********
  
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau Team
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to the complaint brought forth by **************************************
  We appreciate the opportunity to reply to his concern.
  
  *********************** was a victim of a fraudulent attack on personal computer/phone devices.  The perpetrator(s) was successfully able to maneuver $2,400 from his bank accounts.  This type of activity is most common/prevalent when the victim receives an email or text with a link or attachment, which they subsequently respond to.
  
  The loss of funds, and the hack to his devices had nothing whatsoever to do with Tropical Financial.  ************************ spoke to our fraud and security department, and was informed of this.
  However,he wanted the matter escalated further.
  
  On December 18, at approximately 4:10pm, *************************, VP of our Member Relations Team, and *****************, Manager of our Security and **************** jointly reached out to ************************ and discussed his concerns.  In this ***** minute conversation, ************** asked ************************ several questions regarding the security of his personal computer and phone devices.
  *********************** denied any wrongdoing, and said he had never clicked on anything suspicious.
  
  *********************** was also asked if he had filed a police report, as again, this was a criminal issue, and had nothing to do with Tropical.  ************************ confirmed that he had filed a police report, but had not heard anything.
  
  In addition to this, it was also recommended that in order to protect ***********************, he also should reach out to the credit bureaus and place alerts and possibly freeze his credit.  ******************,after the phone conversation, emailed ************************ with complete details on the email addresses of the three (3) major credit agencies.  A copy of this email is being placed at the very end of this response.
  
  Because ************************ was a long time member, and had multiple accounts with Tropical,as a goodwill gesture, ****************** informed ************************ that we would credit his account with $800, which was 1/3 of this total loss.  ************************ was informed again, that Tropical Financial was in no way liable for his loss, and that we had nothing to do his loss.  The only recovery he could obtain was through legal measures on his own.  The credit we were providing was coming from a Member Relations general ledger account used for the sole purposes of providing members goodwill for going through a personal hardship.  As a not for profit organization, we are here for the communities we serve, and try to assist those members going through a difficult situation.
  
  Because of the extenuating circumstances of this case, we believed this was the right thing to do.  On the call with ***********************, he seemed genuinely pleased with the outcome, and thanked ***************** and ************** for their time and follow-up.
  
  Please let us know if there is anything further we can assist with.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Tropical Financial C.U.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  From: *************************
  Sent: Monday, December 18, 2023 4:35 PM
  To: '*********************************' <**************************>;******************** <********************>
  Subject: RE: Important: Tropical
  
  ************************
  
  As a follow-up to our conversation, here are the credit bureau agencies:
  
             Equifax.com
  
             Transunion.com
  
             Experian.com
  
  Here are the phone numbers we also spoke of.  
  They can assist you with setting up Card Valet
  
  Just let them know you spoke with *** and myself:
  
             *******************;                 ************
             *******************;         ************
             *********************;       ************
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  Vice President
  Member Relationship Team
  Tropical Financial Credit Union
  *******************************
  *******, **  33025
  
  Office:************
  Cell:    ************
  Fax:     ************
  Email:  **********************
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Tropical refuse to send me instructions to remove an authorized user on my account. They have forms to add an authorize user but not a form to remove a person from the account. I tired 3 times to settle this. Now I want my Tropical Credit Rewards Card closed permanently. Your service is horrible. This my 2nd time filling a complaint against Tropical. Please dont call me. I cant deal with your customer service.

  Business response

  10/12/2023

  October 12, 2023
  
  
  Better Business Bureau
  ********************************br>Suite 4
  ***************, **
  33407
  
  RE:  Complaint #********
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau Team
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to *************************** complaint.  We have left a message for **************** at approximately 10:00 am on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023.  We are trying to understand the full scope of his concern.
  
  He specifically mentions: Tropical refuse to send me instructions to remove an authorized user on my account
  We have reviewed all of his account relationships, and as of 10/12/2023, *************** is the only signer we see on his bank accounts with us.  So, either this has already been resolved, or there is some confusion here.
  
  We are in hopes he will call us back in order to gain further clarity on this subject.
  
  As to his second concern, which was the closing of his credit card, we have completed this request as of 11:00 am, on October 12, 2023.  There is still a remaining balance on his credit card, but it has been officially closed, and no further purchases will be allowed to go through on this card.
  
  Should you have any further questions, regarding this matter, please contact us.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  VP Member Relations Team
  Tropical Financial CU
  ********************

  Customer response

  10/18/2023

   
  Complaint: 20725535
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Did you just cancel my car before removing the authorize user? This is not what I was asking for. Here's proof of there is an authorize user on that card, I MEAN WAS because you just cancel it while there was an authorize user. This is Bad.

  There's is a form called  TFCU CC **** to add authorize user on the card. How come there isn't one for removal? 
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Business response

  10/23/2023

  October 23, 2023
  
  
  Better Business Bureau
  ********************************br>Suite 4
  ***************, **
  33407
  
  RE:  Complaint #******** (second response)
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau Team
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond, a second time, to *************************** complaint.  As we mentioned in our previous response, we left a message for **************** at approximately 10:00 am on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023.  We never heard back from him.  We have now left him a second message, which, as of the date of this response, we have also not heard back from.  In addition, we have sent him an email which he has not responded to.
  
  In reviewing our transcripts and logs, we did not find any requests to remove a signer or signers from his account.  This being said, we take full responsibility if this was his intention, and it did not get processed by us.  However, we need his authorization to do so, and if he does not respond to us, it is not possible to gain further clarity on this subject.
  
  As it relates to his other concern about closing his credit card, we reviewed his original complaint to the BBB which was dated 10/11/2023.  In the body of his complaint, we are copying here his exact words:
  
  Now I want my Tropical Credit Rewards Card closed permanently. 
  
  We did exactly what **************** asked us to do. On October 12, at 11:00 am, we closed his Tropical Credit Rewards Card.  No activity has occurred since closing this card, and if **************** is concerned about the other signers, once the card is closed, they do not have access to the card(s).
  
  Further questions by **************** should be addressed to us, and if he would respond to us, we would be happy to provide him with any information he might need.
  
  Should you have any further questions, regarding this matter, please contact us.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  Tropical Financial CU
  Loan Servicing Team

  Customer response

  10/29/2023

   
  Complaint: 20725535
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

  
  You haven't answered any of my questions in my last message. Once more, you've neglected to fulfill my request.

  
  It was a simple ask when I contacted you the first, second, and third time via email, requesting the removal of an authorized user from my ********************** Card account. As a bank, you certainly have the capability to access the account information.

  
  Why is this happening? Your mishandling might have caused damage to multiple individuals. How do you plan to rectify this situation?
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

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