ComplaintsforFreedom Credit Union

• Initial Complaint

  01/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was sent an email about a Skip A Pay promotion that was running from December-January. I was approved for the promotion, yet $307 was taken from my account and my car payment was still marked late. I called first at 12:30 and Im STILL on hold at 5:46, 4 hours and 26 minutes later. I just want to speak with someone on why money was pulled from my account on the same day I got paid and why Im on hold for 4 going on 5 hours. This is terribly unprofessional and shows horrendous customer service. Who is the call center manager also to look into why my call is being placed on hold for so long.

  Business response

  01/11/2023

  January 11, 2023

  Dear ********,
  
  We have reviewed ***** *******’s complaint and appreciate the opportunity to respond. 
  
  ***** ******* stated in her complaint that she applied for the winter Skip A Pay promotion for her auto loan, but that her payment was still debited from her checking account.  She also stated her payment was marked late, and that she waited on hold for an extended period of time trying to find out what went wrong.
  
  To be eligible to participate in the Skip A Pay promotion, a loan must be in good standing at the time of enrollment.  ***** *******’s enrollment for Skip A Pay did not process on 12/29/2022 because she had a vehicle insurance deficiency on her auto loan.  After several unsuccessful attempts to establish contact with ***** ****** to resolve the insurance deficiency, a collateral protection policy was added to her auto loan on 12/14/2022. 
  
  On 1/6/2023, ***** ****** called our call center and was transferred to our Loan Servicing Department.  The Loan Serving Specialist explained why the Skip A Pay did not process on 12/29/22.  As a courtesy to our member, the Loan Servicing Specialist approved a Skip A Pay for ***** *******’s January payment.  As an additional courtesy, we waived the late fee assessed on 12/22/22.
  
  If you have any questions, please contact me directly at ###-###-####
  
  Sincerely,

  Maida E*******
  Loan Servicing Manager 

• Initial Complaint

  06/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am a member of the Freedom Credit Union. I have been a customer for over 20 years. In May I sent 2 payments for a new credit card to be paid on time. The credit union sent the payments of $500 adn $300 to a wrong account. They work with ******************* to process their payments. Once the credit card company notified me that the first payment did not reach them, I immediately reached out to the *** and ******************* to seek a resolution. It has been very frustrating that to date I have not been able to get either the $500 or $300 payemts returned. They will not share with me where the payments went, How to reach them by email, phone or mail. I am completely powerless in helping myself get my money back. I am constantly getting passed back and forth with *** and *******************. Neither willing to devise an actionable plan to get a resolution. In the mean time my credit score is dropping and I have no way of resolving this problem.Please advise.***************************

  Business response

  07/15/2022

  July 12, 2022

  Dear *** *******,
  
  Thank you for the opportunity to reply to the above referenced complaint.  We value our member’s opinions and strive to provide the best service possible.
  
  *** ******* contacted us on 5/27/22 requesting proof that a merchant was paid via Bill Payer. Before we had the opportunity to fulfill her request, *** ******* ended the call. On 6/6/22, *** ******* contacted us again regarding a bill payment she made to ****** on 5/12/22 for $500 and an additional payment made on 5/27/22 for $300. After researching internally, we confirmed the payment was in fact sent to ****** but was sent to an account number not associated with *** *******. The payee was immediately deleted from her Bill Payer account and a credit was requested from Amazon. All payees within the Bill Payer system are set up by our members via online self-service. 
  
  The payee in question was listed on *** *******’s account since 2016. *** ******* stated she never added the payee since she just recently acquired an ****** credit card. Due to system limitations, we are not able to research how this payee was added to her account as we cannot go back prior to 2016 due to a Bill Payer conversion in 2016.  We have sent *** ******* a list of all of her payees to confirm all the account information is valid to avoid any payment issues in the future. We have also provided both *** ******* and ****** a letter informing them of the discrepancy (the letter also included a payment incorrectly made to ****** on 4/4/22). On 6/27/22, the merchant credited *** *******’s checking account for the $300 payment. Instead of waiting for the other two merchant refunds, we credited *** ******* the additional funds ($200 from 4/4/22 and $500 from 5/12/22) directly on 7/11/2022. The merchant credits will be applied directly to our settlement account when received. 
  
  We believe our above actions have satisfied the members concerns and have made the member whole.  If you have any questions regarding this matter please contact me directly at ###-###-####. 
  
  Sincerely,
  Miguel D*****                                                                                   
  Call Center Manager
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  11:28 all Done 37 of 37 To whom it may concern,On March 8.2022 a United States federal inspection service agent came to my home to inform me that a check was fraudulently processed in my name. The check was intercepted and stolen while it was in the process of being mailed to the City of Philadelphia. The check was written over and processed in the amount of $350. I was unaware of any of this occurring until the inspector notified me. On March 9,2022, l contacted my bank's fraudulent department to dispute and to be compensated for the $350 that the person had written the check out for, but was told there was nothing they could do since the crime occurred on June 31, 2021. There was no empathy or sympathy expressed for my loss in finances nor were any alternatives offered. I'm hoping that you would be able to resolve this matter on my behalf and get back for me what is rightly mine. I appreciate your time and patience.Best,***********************

  Business response

  04/06/2022

  Thank you for contacting Freedom Credit Union.  We value our members opinions and strive to provide the best service possible.
  
  Unfortunately, ************** did not notify us of the fraudulent incident on her account until eight months after it occurred. As we are in no position to recoup the stolen funds, we have advised ************** that the best course of action would be for her to  file for restitution with the Philadelphia court system.
  
  If you have any questions regarding this matter please contact me directly at ************. 
  
  ***************************, Loan Servicing Manager

• Initial Complaint

  01/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am trying to have the bank initiate a dispute. I was kidnapped and robbed and force to make transactions. I have sent them proof of everything and they are still giving me a hard time. They keep stating I need a police report. I gave them the police report number, my official denial letter for requesting the police report and two law enforcement officers stating they are more than willing to help and will answer any of the bank's questions. I sent them proof of the app stating the bank needs to initiate the dispute. I sent over the court documents for the defendants and their charges matching the provided police report number. They keep making up more excuses. I have called them numerous times and also went into a branch. They also stated there is no way to dispute a $500 ATM withdraw completed by another person relating to this event. I was only greeted with attitude and the run around after trying to get them to just try to process the dispute. It's concerning that they are unaware of the fact that you cannot obtain a police report for an ongoing criminal investigation. I have sent them everything I am attaching as my supporting documents.

  Business response

  01/25/2022

  January 25, 2022

  Dear *** *******,
  
  The following is a response to the complaint received from *** *******.  I hope this response is satisfactory as we value our members’ opinions and we strive to provide the best service possible.
  
  On November 12, 2021, *** ******* contacted us regarding fraudulent transactions on her account.  She informed us that she was a victim of a crime and was forced to do transactions against her will. As part of our investigation, we asked *** ******* to provide a police report along with any other documentation supporting the fraudulent transactions. The fraudulent transactions in question were initiated using an application called *******. *** *******’s Freedom Credit Union **** Debit card is registered with *******.
  
  In assisting *** ******* with her situation, we first asked her to file a dispute directly with ******* since her physical Freedom Credit Union **** Debit card was not directly used in these transactions. ******* denied her dispute stating that these transactions were properly authorized by *** ******* through use of her mobile device.
  
  We confirmed with *** ******* that she is still in possession of her Freedom Credit Union **** Debit card and further confirmed that the physical card was not utilized to conduct the ******* transactions.  Unfortunately, when a transaction is not initiated with the physical card or is not initiated online with the card numbers, it is not a disputable transaction and does not fall under the **** Zero Liability policy. 
  
  We spoke with *** ******* on January 18, 2022.  We advised her that these transactions do not fall under the **** Zero Liability policy and explained that we would not be refunding these transactions.  We encouraged *** ******* to seek restitution through the courts as there is a criminal case pending. 
  
  If you have any questions regarding this matter please contact me directly at ###-###-####. 
  
  Sincerely,

  Miguel D.

  Call Center Manager

  Customer response

  02/10/2022

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  

  I was told from the beginning I couldnt dispute ATM charges but then you said I can. I am attaching a picture of that transaction. Like I said multiple times before, a police report is not available for ongoing criminal investigations. You can look at the court docket of criminal charges the defendants are charge with. They are charged for using my ATM card. I also provide multiple detectives numbers where you can call to confirm this. 

  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************
  

  Business response

  02/25/2022

  February 25, 2022

  Dear *** *******,
  
  Thank you for contacting Freedom Credit Union.  We value our member’s opinions and strive to provide the best service possible.
  
  *** ******* filed a second rebuttal to our response relating to her original complaint with your office. Her rebuttal was in regards to a $500 fraudulent ATM transaction. In our previous response, we asked *** ******* to contact us in order to initiate the formal dispute for this transaction. ** ******* has not reached out to us so that we may properly dispute this transaction for her. In order to process this dispute on our end, *** ******* must complete the Fraudulent ATM Transaction Affidavit which was sent to her via USPS certified mail on 2/22/22.  We also included a postage paid envelope to return the completed document to us. Once we receive all completed documentation, we will process the dispute and her account will be credited. 
  
  If you have any questions regarding this matter please contact me directly at ###-###-####. 
  
  Sincerely,

  Miguel D*****                                                                                   
  Call Center Manager

• Initial Complaint

  08/19/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am not liable for the debt with FREEDOM CU. I do not have a contract with FREEDOM CU You guys need to handle this issue. This has been going on for a long time now that I have seen my information. That's messing my Character & name up as a person.They are in violation & told me 30 days when I had fraud. A identity theft with police report I had attatched as well, they are in major violation.

  Business response

  09/27/2021

  September 27, 2021

  Dear *** *******,
  
  The following is a response to the complaint received from *** *****. I hope this response is satisfactory as we value our members’ opinions and we strive to provide the best service possible.
  
  Our records indicate ****** ***** is the co-maker of a personal loan for ****** ******. The $12,000 loan originated in November of 2017. The documents were emailed to *** ***** at [email protected] for electronic signature. The loan documents were received at this email address and electronically signed on 11/09/2017. Our notes suggest *** ***** and Ms. Brooks were in a relationship and made arrangements for *** ***** to make the payments for this loan.
  
  On 12/19/2017, *** ***** contacted us to set up reoccurring payments for this loan via e-check. On 10/20/2020 *** ***** called in and said he was unemployed. He requested help and we offered a payment plan.  He said he was going to call around and try to refinance the personal loan.   He then called back stating he and Fatima are no longer together.  He stated he wants to make payments, but has been out of work for six months. We offered a 3-month deferment plan.
  
  On 5/21/2021, we received electronic notice that *** ***** received a discharge of debt through the Chapter 7 bankruptcy.  Credit reporting was changed to “Discharged through Chapter 7 Bankruptcy”.
  
  In our many conversations with *** ****** and *** *****, the legitimacy of the loan was never disputed nor was identity theft ever reported to us.
  
  If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact me directly at ************.  
  
  Sincerely,

  Miguel D*****                                                                                                
  Call Center Manager

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩