Washington Mutual - WAMU ripoff Will not return cancelled checks Beaverton Oregon
Received a letter in February from WAMU indicating that they would no longer be returning cancelled checks with monthly checking statement unless you filled out a form requesting to keep getting them and return it to mailing address indicated on form. Indicated "check safekeeping" would start in May if they did not receive a response.
Filled out form, signed and dated and mailed to mailing address indicated next day.
Stopped receiving my cancelled checks on May even though I had requested in writing to keep getting them back in February.
Went to branch in Beaverton and talked to branch assitant manager. They indicated that our request had been "ignored" and changed our account so that we would start getting our cancelled checks the next month (June).
June statment arrived and we still are not getting cancelled checks.
Returned to branch and spoke with another account manager who indicated that our account does show that we want to get our cancelled checks. Does not know why we are not getting them. Also indicated that they are not "legally required to return checks and that I should just start banking online like everyone else."
I did not appreciate this statement and asked that this be resolved given that they advertise that the custmer still has that option of "check safekeeping" or getting cancelled checks returned.
The account manager called their "help line" and we were told that we must have turned in the written request late. I brought a copy of the request showing that it was mailed in February. Account manager gave up trying to accuse us of not doing things correctly.
Account manager has offered to do a "research ticket" and said they would have results in two days.
Did not hear from account manager and so I called them. They indicated that for something this "generic" it was low priority and I misunderstood the time to get results.
He said to call back in 7-10 business. He indicated there might be a database "somewere" that is wrong.
Needless to say the branch employees have little to no information, their computers are apparantly not connected to any network of any kind, and they have no way of looking back to see who has already made changes to our account within the same branch.
Stay away from these impersonal banks...not worth the stress. Can't even get simple things correct...imagine a complex issue!
I am currently researching credit unions and community banks and intend to switch by months end. I'm sure WAMU will still be "researching" my issue after I am long gone!
Dee
Portland, Oregon
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Killer22
Thousand Oaks,California,
U.S.A.
In Branch
#2UPDATE Employee
Sat, April 05, 2008
If you need your cancelled checks, there is a new feature in branch in which an employee can pull up all past checks within the last 6 months as long as the original check that has been transacted on was transacted on at least a week prior.
Your home branch can make an exception for you and print out the checks for the past month, and then you can wait until the next month to see if the checks come back in your statement at that time.
If not, the branch can repeat the process until back office corrects the error on your account.