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August 2020 by Vincent a.
I called SF fire cu this morning, and after going through their unnecessary voice prompts for 3 minutes, the last thing the recording says was we are closed today please call back during the week. Why don't they say that in the beginning of their voice prompts so you don't have to waste your time?Another thing. I sent SF fire credit Union to checks one from my Alliant CU and one from my WF account. They told me that they did not accept partial payments, although they did hang onto one payment from Wells Fargo. After 15 days I received the second check back from Alliant credit Union. So they DO accept partial payments?? Although my payment was in Full. Just 2 checks.I I applied for the forbearance program because I'm not working. The agreement over the phone was, they would tack on my unpaid (for the 3 months), at the end of the loan. That was a flat-out lie. I've been getting debt collector and threatening letters two or three times every week.The right hand does not know what the left hand is doing at SF CU. if you're looking to get hosed by the SFFD CU, give them a call. Otherwise stay away!
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August 2020 by Aidan D.
Warning: Do not trust SFFCU with your money. They started out great (5 stars on Yelp) when I first signed up, but have been nothing but trouble for the past few years. (Current rating: 2 stars for the downtown branch.)It's been 25 days since I've been able to access the funds in my checking account. This is because SFFCU mistakenly put a fraud alert on a transaction, when I purchased a laptop (from Apple -- a reputable retailer). They keep failing to fully clear the fraud alert, even after 10 long phone calls and a replacement debit card. Meanwhile, I can't buy groceries, I missed a school commitment because I couldn't put gas in my car, my cell phone got disconnected (I'll have to pay a reconnect fee now) and I can't pay bills. The funds are in there, I just can't access them. If it wasn't for friends who were willing to give me cash in exchange for Venmo transfers, I would have gone without food this month. If there was an emergency, I'd be in serious trouble. This is all because of a mistake on SFFCU's end, which they keep failing to correct.The customer service reps are polite, and full of sympathetic words, and each time they assure me that everything's fixed and should work just fine now -- but they are unable to fix the problem. My card does not work as a debit or credit card, with or without PIN, online or in-person, despite me trying every suggestion they gave.SFFCU's communication needs serious improvement. They take many days to call me back when I leave messages about this. They take over a week to respond to emails through SFFCU's secure messaging system about this issue -- and half the time, it seems like a response from a bot that has nothing to do with my message. (Meanwhile, their collections people called me diligently this month when I was late on a payment for a loan. If you owe THEM money, they're extremely communicative. If they're making it impossible for YOU to access your money, they're almost unreachable.)This is not my first problem. Between 2017-2019, there was a long period where the mobile deposit part of their app wasn't working. I called, emailed, and came in person to show them the problem. They told me everything from "just re-download the app" to "it must be your phone's problem" (despite the problem continuing when I got a new phone), to "we'll call you back with an answer" (they never did). In 2018, they were unable to process an extremely simple request over the phone when I was unable to complete an online transaction due to an eye problem, and although they promised to send paper documents via mail, they never did. In 2017, when I was abroad (on a trip I'd told them about in advance), my card suddenly stopped working, and it was a huge deal to reach anybody on the phone for help in fixing it. (They are unable to do much outside of regular work-week banking hours, despite claiming to have 24/7 customer support.)I also owe an apology to the two close friends who, at my recommendation, signed up for accounts with SFFCU. They have both had terrible problems as well. One went without food for a weekend due to SFFCU mistakenly putting a fraud alert on her account and then being unable to fix it; the other was charged over $400 in erroneous overdraft fees (it was fully the SFFCU's mistake, which they refused to accept responsibility for, or fix, despite my friend calling them almost as many times as I have). Reading the recent online reviews of SFFCU was incredibly validating -- we are not the only ones having issues. The quality of this credit union is apparently going downhill. The diligent collections department and lackadaisical customer service department makes me wonder if they are failing. I don't want to stick around to find out.I've already opened a checking account with a new bank, and I will soon be placing my 11th and hopefully final call, to close my account. SFFCU clearly can't fix this problem, so I'm giving up on them.
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July 2020 by adan l.
I had just refinanced my loan with SFFCU and instead of telling me that I needed to turn off my automatic loan payment system the bank took out additional funds that they were not supposed to take out. When I contacted SFFCU they agreed and assured me that I would get my money back promptly. More than 3 weeks now and they do not have any idea when I am to receive my funds. I have been a member since 2009 and now I would not recommend this bank to anyone.
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July 2020 by Craig A.
As I entered the bank, a young woman named Ariel welcomed me with a Beautiful Smile~I needed to make a deposit and get some help with my Venmo account. The teller was unable to help me with Venmo and on my way out I again was approached by Ariel , wishing me a great day. I asked her if she was familiar with Venmo and she said, of course ~ how can I help you.? Ariel spent a good 30 minutes helping me while still making sure she greeted everyone that entered the bank with her Beautiful Smile~I can't thank Ariel enough for guiding me through Venmo and giving me a clear understanding on how to set up an account and transfer money to another person~ I've been a member w/ SF Fire Credit Union @ 3201 California for 10 years and have always had a good experience but Ariel, hands down, displayed the Best customer Service~ She had a clear understanding of my issue, she embodied patience, she listened, she most impressive~ she cared enough to make sure I was Satisfied ~I know one day Ariel will be running the entire Operation~A total Asset to SF Fire Credit Union~I think I'll keep coming back~And a Great Big Thank you to Ariel~Craig Ashton
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July 2020 by SF L.
If I could give them a zero star I would. I regret ever starting the HELOC process with SF Fire. Their process is byzantine and systems are bad. They have excessive delays and are unreliable and not capable of processing the work they have. Their communication and explanation of the process has been terrible. They will not give you any time estimates, and have been terrible in communicating the process. You will not be able to get any help in the process. Steer clear, this is not a good option.
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June 2020 by Kirsten S.
UPDATE 6/30/20:My husband just received an email in his business account from SFFCU that was a confirmation for recurring international wire transfers for ANOTHER CLIENT! It had the client's name and 3 PDF attachments regarding these wire transfers. He didn't open the attachments but I'm sure they had account information. He was then told to call the person who sent him the email - she didn't pick up. He's expected to track down someone to fix their HUGE breach of risk and compliance. This bank is a burning dumpster fire and I can't believe they've kept this train wreck of a CEO. DON'T TRUST YOUR MONEY WITH THIS INSTITUTION.We've moved all our savings out and only have an account to pay a car loan. My husband is going to move his business account now.
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June 2020 by Spencer A. T.
SF Fire CU has always had my back. Even now, I'm a Disaster Service Worker all of a sudden and finances during this odd year have been unpredictable while living and working, but they've not charged me for overdrafts on some accounts, and simply moved small amounts to cover the difference, for free.Good stuff! Thank you
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June 2020 by Chris S.
I have had the best experiences with San Francisco Fire Credit Union and would whole heartedly recommend them to anyone in my circle. I've used this branch and the branch in the civic centre. Both times there was a small wait followed by a friendly face and a pleasant interaction. A bit of history behind the review: after a particularly strange (read: very large) charge to my account, they walked me through the process to resolve and helped make right the after effects and even assisted me with another company who needed paperwork filed because of the charge. Again, 100% recommend, 5 stars.
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May 2020 by Ingrid M.
Antiquated syatem! $60 for international money wire transfer ?! Mandatory bank walk-inn for IRA deposits?! I had high hopes for this bank.
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May 2020 by Robert N.
This credit union is the worst. February 2019: I'm on another continent, and unable to purchase groceries. I told them before my trip when and where I would be. They restricted my card for potential fraud because of an Apple store purchase. Today, they restricted it for an attempted purchase for groceries. I'm 6 hours ahead, it's the middle of my day, and they aren't going to be open for a couple hours. These people are effed in the head May 19, 2020: We don't know when we will have online banking restored.
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May 2020 by Michael F.
Banking w/ SFFIRE CU has been on of the most pleasant & easiest experiences I've ever had. Thank You, you guys always give excellent service. Thank you CS rep Annie
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May 2020 by John S.
SFFCU has been great over the 10 years I have been with them. I give 5 stars primarily for online and international use, ATM fee reimbursement, customer service, and loan rates (although I have not needed that recently). Case in point, I was in London in 2013 and my cards and money were lost or stolen. I contacted the credit union through chat and they were able to send a new debit and credit card within 36 hours to London. I paid for the postage but is was worth it. For fraudulent activity, I was contacted within an hour and they were able to reverse the charges within 24 hours. My critiques are: - They've never supported Android Pay. They support Apple but I have no interest in that ecosystem. - A high interest savings account would be fantastic. I am considering moving savings to another institution for that.
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May 2020 by Jeff R.
Fourth review they are still bad. Avoid avoid avoid... Once the virus is over my wife and I will finally get the time to close down the account. My simple question to the customer service on Saturday was " is this the only number I need to have an outside person transfer money to my account, it's been awhile since I've done this?" I referred to my account # . Fast forward to this morning... 6am in the morning ( i work until 2am) I get a text from the person whim is wiring me the money. Hey? Is there a routing number? I have to go back get the routing number since outside, non sf fire accounts also need the routing number. I had forgotten this detail but customer service should of given me the right info. Now I have to wait a day or two to get this money deposited.
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April 2020 by Frank C.
I have being with this credit union for years. They went from a five stars to no stars. I tried to do a balance transfer and got nothing but the run around.
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April 2020 by Aron G.
I have to say I use to really like this credit union, but the customer service has plummeted. My personal experience is with making some changes to an auto loan I have with them. So far it has been almost 2 weeks and things have still not been taken care of. It takes them anywhere from 2 to 7 days to respond to an email. They give you nio updates as to what's going on, and when you call in to find out you just get the run around. They tell you someone will call you back the next day but they never do. I do most of my banking with another credit union and have never had such slow and poor service there. It's looking like I most likely be moving my current loan and any future ones elsewhere
