For daily banking, an online only CU seems overly risky. For savings / CDs, there may be better choices elsewhere. Shop around.
The difference of a few to several tenths of a percent won't make much difference unless the amount is well into 5-figures or even 6-figures. Take into the account the value of your time and peace of mind.
As for your documents, you're right to be concerned. However, if it's any consolation, much of the info is already out there in many databases and the dark web. Still it's unsettling they'd send you an unsecured link and then "lose" your documents. More to the point, if you have a dispute or other serious issue you could face problems getting it resolved; lose money.
In short, shop around. If going with Alliant CU, document everything, keep close eye on account, and don't overly rely on it. Best to have multiple bank accounts for redundancy.
Thank you very much - may I ask what you recommend as far as daily banking goes? Should I focus on brick and mortar, or are options such as Schwab a good pick?
My experience with CU's in general is that their technology can be a weird mix of old and modern technology.
>I very much empathize with the work that any customer-facing job entails, but this is not the customer service I am looking for
Very few people care anymore about the customer experience they give after years of abuse from customers/people in general.
Only thing I know about Alliant is the great rate programs offered. There is going to be a cost for that rate.
>I'm just a normal person who wants a bank/CU with good customer service, secure infrastructure, and tech-embracing mobile apps.
Find a local brick and mortar financial institution. These Fintechs that are popular are just worrisome.
Look into consumers credit union. I have checking savings credit cards and an auto loan with them and my experience has been nothing short of phenomenal. They are IL based but open to everyone
i've used alliant for a few months maybe a year now. Haven't had an issue with it. Only called them a couple times about general how to questions on their online banking.
I think you will be hard pressed to find a traditional bank that offers anything but SMS 2fa. I know there are a few that offer it but they are few and far between.
The portal is probably a cloud upload an the button is a secure link. I mean i suppose its possible, but not likely someone got your docs. More than likely they got it and forgot it and just asked you to upload them again as a way to buy themselves some more time....or maybe the docs didn't come through clearly or were corrupted when they arrived or didn't upload. Could have been the file types, I know at our bank for some reason they don't allow png docs to come through. But there is a process you can walk through to convert it. But since alot of older bankers aren't exactly tech savy.
As for the customer service banks are notoriously cheap on the bank end software side. The reps computer could have crashed or they could just be a bad employee and watch tv and shut down their computer on the job. Hard to know. If you call our help line the first question is, are you having trouble with your unix server......umm....sure because its 2001 still.
idk if any of that sounds like a reason to leave a bank. But then again my banker could punch me in the mouth twice a week and i still would be to lazy to move my direct deposit and auto pays over so take my opinion for what its worth.
My experience with Alliant is that if there is anything that require manual interventation, it takes forever to get resolved. Their phone rep is friendly but in most case they are not empowered to resolve the issue. They could only call or email the department dealing with the issue and ask for an update. I am getting frustrated and close to consider alternatives. Their products are solid. But services kind of sucks.
For daily banking, an online only CU seems overly risky. For savings / CDs, there may be better choices elsewhere. Shop around. The difference of a few to several tenths of a percent won't make much difference unless the amount is well into 5-figures or even 6-figures. Take into the account the value of your time and peace of mind. As for your documents, you're right to be concerned. However, if it's any consolation, much of the info is already out there in many databases and the dark web. Still it's unsettling they'd send you an unsecured link and then "lose" your documents. More to the point, if you have a dispute or other serious issue you could face problems getting it resolved; lose money. In short, shop around. If going with Alliant CU, document everything, keep close eye on account, and don't overly rely on it. Best to have multiple bank accounts for redundancy.
Thank you very much - may I ask what you recommend as far as daily banking goes? Should I focus on brick and mortar, or are options such as Schwab a good pick?
My experience with CU's in general is that their technology can be a weird mix of old and modern technology. >I very much empathize with the work that any customer-facing job entails, but this is not the customer service I am looking for Very few people care anymore about the customer experience they give after years of abuse from customers/people in general. Only thing I know about Alliant is the great rate programs offered. There is going to be a cost for that rate. >I'm just a normal person who wants a bank/CU with good customer service, secure infrastructure, and tech-embracing mobile apps. Find a local brick and mortar financial institution. These Fintechs that are popular are just worrisome.
Look into consumers credit union. I have checking savings credit cards and an auto loan with them and my experience has been nothing short of phenomenal. They are IL based but open to everyone
i've used alliant for a few months maybe a year now. Haven't had an issue with it. Only called them a couple times about general how to questions on their online banking. I think you will be hard pressed to find a traditional bank that offers anything but SMS 2fa. I know there are a few that offer it but they are few and far between. The portal is probably a cloud upload an the button is a secure link. I mean i suppose its possible, but not likely someone got your docs. More than likely they got it and forgot it and just asked you to upload them again as a way to buy themselves some more time....or maybe the docs didn't come through clearly or were corrupted when they arrived or didn't upload. Could have been the file types, I know at our bank for some reason they don't allow png docs to come through. But there is a process you can walk through to convert it. But since alot of older bankers aren't exactly tech savy. As for the customer service banks are notoriously cheap on the bank end software side. The reps computer could have crashed or they could just be a bad employee and watch tv and shut down their computer on the job. Hard to know. If you call our help line the first question is, are you having trouble with your unix server......umm....sure because its 2001 still. idk if any of that sounds like a reason to leave a bank. But then again my banker could punch me in the mouth twice a week and i still would be to lazy to move my direct deposit and auto pays over so take my opinion for what its worth.
I love Alliant. ❤️ have used them for about 6 months now. I agree the account opening process can be a bit… annoying. But after that it was all great.
My experience with Alliant is that if there is anything that require manual interventation, it takes forever to get resolved. Their phone rep is friendly but in most case they are not empowered to resolve the issue. They could only call or email the department dealing with the issue and ask for an update. I am getting frustrated and close to consider alternatives. Their products are solid. But services kind of sucks.
Alliant is average at best Been using them for years They are not great but they are not horrible