Mechanics Bank

Mechanics Bank has been very disappointing. At the Downtown Oakland branch, the customer service is just abysmal. There are usually no customers but I consistently get the impression that I am bothering them. If I ask for anything out of the ordinary, I am told it is impossible. Sometimes begging will get it for me. My average wait using the phone service is 30 minutes. I am seriously considering going back to Wells Fargo. Despite being a big bank, I always got good customer service at the branches.
The only reason this isn’t one star is that I like the free ATM policy. That makes a big difference.

A rather splendid experience all around. I have been pleasantly surprised by the care of employees. Leena Ali, a splendid financial services manager opened my account. She took care of me in the manner a billionaire would expect from a bank officer. From that time since, each interaction I had with the bank has be an enjoyable experience.
Strong support for Mechanics fraud protection plan. On at least two occasions Mechanics has smartly stopped payments to demands made against my account. The first was a UK outdoor equipment vendor. The second was a Spain based airline booking agency. In the first instance, Mechanic held up the charge. In the second instance, it allowed a purchase after three tries. It allowed one of three charges, and quickly froze the account and alerted me. I spoke with a representative. The transactions were cleared, and regular banking transactions were allowed.
I am happy. I expect I will be a customer for a long time.

I’ve just begun with this bank and at this time
It’s been easy accommodating polite.
It to me feels like a credit union with more to offer, I thank the head branch manager for helping transition from the nightmare I refer to as Chase JP Morgan Corp.
I’m starting to look at banks differently you’ve got the bloated, gluttonous Chase Citi BoA
Wells Fargo of whom cater to their needs not a small person who’s and independent contractor and every penny counts and maneuver how the tailor their accounts for their needs not the clients. And how the inner employees couldn’t care less on the service is delivered as long as they are within their Banks protocol they can execute their dealings with you without any backlash. Which ties me into my now experience with mechanics bank with helping me understand what I see on my accounts how it translates, and I’ve called the 800 and have had nothing but people who’ve gone above protocol to help me which is pretty awesome surprising and shocking when you are done you feel baffled at why all banks aren’t like this.
Mechanics Bank thank you for as silly as this may sound but true restoring some faith back for me in dealing with financial institutions.

None of that fake «hello, how many additional, yet unnecessary, products can I shove down your throat because the company is tracking my sales» BS here. This bank is local, small and feels like a part of the neighborhood. If there’s no street parking, you can park in the garage for FREE — just take your ticket and ask the super genuinely friendly tellers to validate it for you.
It’s a small space so if there’s a line usually more tellers will come up to help, and if not the line usually moves quickly and provides an opportunity to say hello to a fellow customer. I’ve been with this bank for 6 years and have been happy with every aspect from in-​store, to online banking to customer service. No complaints — can’t say that about any bank I’ve ever had an account with.
If you don’t know, now you know.

This branch isn’t my primary, but I had to stop in the other day and it was great service. Mechanics is an exceptional bank and this branch is no exception.

great service. granted, parking isn’t the best, but it’s not their fault, so just plan for it.
helpful, informative, and patient.
highly recommended!

15 plus years with a business account and personal. Branch Manager (Cyndie) leaves. New manager at Lunardis branch does not return phone calls and it results in some fees that can’t be reversed. Terrible service. Sad. We’re done.

The branch manager, Nancy, is always very condensceding and rude. She doesn’t «get» the banking needs for the self-​employed /​small businesses (as noted by a previous Unilocaler, too). I’m not sure how they let someone like her be a manager. I’ve not worked with the other asian girl in the lobby, but she has the same snotty tone. I just found out the one banker I did like has left. Hmmm… wonder why. They must’ve had a rotation of tellers since previous reviews because I’ve always thought they were nice and fairly fast… although they seem to go through a lot of them quickly. This location does validate parking. I’ve usually been able to find street parking though. As other Unilocalers have noted, locations like Berkeley and El Cerrito are just a WAY better overall experience. The manager in El Cerrito is an absolute doll.

I come here every two weeks to deal with my check. There is always difficulty finding a parking spot. Then when i do get inside im almost always met with a line! There is one teller in particular, she lack serious customer service. Like she has some chip on her shoulder. The manager and people whom sit at desks have always been more then friendly, just this teller, needs an attitude adjustment.

This branch has the most unfriendly tellers this side of a big bank. Even though I live a couple blocks away I will be heading to the Berkeley branch until I move my money to another bank. I thought a small bank might encourage their customers to stay through better customer service but it seems they forgot to relay that message to their tellers.

OK – time to switch banks. Why is the Oakland branch of Mechanics rated so much poorly than the other branches?
Well, I don’t really give a crap about their «homey» atmosphere or attitude in the bank. I care about reliability. And now I’ve about had it as or the umpteenth time I’ve gone to their ATM on the outside of Harrison St to find it OUT OF SERVICE.
Normally, I’d just go into the actual bank at the interior ATM but of course, bankers hours, closing at 5 (right when you get out of work so you can’t actually access any service from them) precludes that.
I had to write a review because this time it was just too much hassle, having to drive in rush-​hour traffic to the El Cerrito branch to deposit a check-​which took an unnecessary hour of my time. If the ATM isn’t working then they need to get a repair person there ASAP and non-​stop until it’s fixed, period.
I originally switched from Chase to Mechanics a la the
mentality but I have to say that Mechanics service hasn’t been anything to brag about. Again, I really don’t care about a chummy conversational face at the counter. I care about service. And Mechanics is and has been behind the tech curve the entire time.
They do also hold checks too long and have quite an attitude about it. They also have a high checking service fee if you fall behind whatever balance they want you to maintain.
I also once got suckered into signing up for an overdraft savings account (which pays no interest to speak of) and then got charged a fee when it actually got used. If I’d never opened the account and left the money in my checking, my check would have simply cleared and I would have been $ 7 the richer. I immediately closed it.
They also try to sell me on their credit cards every time I’m in there and that is getting old. «I just have to ask you 5 questions.» Hey, you undoubtedly have already looked up my financial ass with god knows what info you already have on me so to speak and so you shouldn’t have to bother me with any questions whatsoever.
Any suggestions to a better non-​bail-​out bank or credit union greatly appreciated.

I like that they are local. The staff have been friendly.
But.
I think it’s legitimate to be frustrated with how long they hold large checks before you have access to your funds. Their online banking is a hassle and not as user-​friendly as larger institutions I’ve used. It did seem highly unusual to have a $ 2000 cap on the amount a BUSINESS account can transfer online. Anything over $ 2000 automatically becomes a wire with a $ 30 fee. I guess that’s the price you pay for local. I’m paying it, but it’s admittedly a drag.

When I opened my account I put in one pay check at Mechanics. They informed me there after of a NINE business day hold on any paper checks I deposit for an undisclosed amount of time while my account gets ‘established.’ Today I received an insufficient funds notice for the checks I ordered when I opened the account. This was discovered after I called them. They’re not charging me anything. But wow, can you get it together. I already have to cash my pay checks at the banks that issue them and carry the cash over to Mechanics Bank to avoid the two week wait for funds to be available.

They advertise they are a community bank that is different and that they really take care of their customers. The Oakland retail branch is always understaffed and depending upon who you get at the branch, you might or might not get a good experience. Sometimes they promise to do something for you and don’t deliver (like rush a debit card and you have to check back often because the card doesn’t arrive like they promised). They are very «rule bound» and seem to rely on the excuse «compliance says we have too». However if you visit another bank the personnel seemed better trained and able to think through a situation instead of relying on «compliance.» They don’t have as many services and products as other banks so they don’t really service the «community.»

Really like this bank. For once in my life I actually know the names of the tellers and they know mine! This is a completely foreign concept to me, but one that I quite like! Thumbs up for Mechanics bank personal service and small town vibe.

Small bank with several branches that knows its customers by name. Its nice to have a little small town familiarity!

I hate big banks. One day I walked into B of A (20 years ago) and told the teller I had a question about why i was charged twice for a payment to a company. She looked me in the eye and told me to use that pay phone on the wall and call the 800 number for customer service. After arguing a bit i got someone in the bank to talk to me. She promptly told me that it was impossible for that to happen, but they would investigate even though it was a waste of their time. Two weeks later she called and said they reversed one of the payment. I laughed and reminded her about how she said it was impossible. She flatly stated, nothing is impossible. I said please send me a check for the balance in my account, because i am closing it.
Switched to Glendale federal which was a great bank. Then they got bought by Cal Fed, which got bought by Chase. They screwed me over again. I lost a checkbook, so i called to put a stop payment on the checks. Two weeks later they startedt to hit my account. Called up with the name of the person i spoke to. She admitted that she screwed up, but even her manager said it was my problem. So off i went to Mechanics bank.
Big banks suck, small banks are wonderfull. Why i love Mechanics bank;
1. Checks i deposite go instantly into my account. No holds.
2. They pay the ATM fees when I use another banks ATM.
3. When you call customer service a person answers the phone. ALWAYS!
4. I have the number for the branch and they actually answer the phone. I even have the managers number. (and i am not a very big customer)
5. When i go to the teller, they do not ask me why I am not using the ATM.