United Advantage

Do not use this credit union. I’ve been a member for 30 years and when my auto payment took my account down to less than $ 5, they refused the payment. Then they charged me $ 30 NSF. Then they did it again, so now I’m out $ 60. Never a phone call or a letter alerting me that the savings account was low on funds. I called and they refuse to do anything but blame the Post Office for non-​delivery of the notice. I am closing my account and recommend that if you are looking for a credit union, walk past this one.

I was going to this credit union regularly for months since I moved to Portland (June — March) as they are listed as a member of the shared branching network and they are incredibly close by my apartment. For those first months I had no problems and got relatively friendly and easy service from the tellers and it was great.
As of March they decided to invest in a fancy new remodel and while the interior now looks all modern and green, the customer service has become terrible. The tellers that are there now are not the same ones that I had been dealing with before the remodel and the new ones are curt and even outright rude at times.
I first had issues with United Advantage during the remodel when they told me that they could not help shared branching members while their primary teller windows were down and I was directed to a kiosk. Fair enough, I understand that capacity is limited during construction so I went with it. However, the kiosk didn’t work for me and all I was told was «sorry we can help you again when the remodel is complete in a few weeks».
So, for the time being I found another credit union to complete my transactions at, and then went back a few weeks later when the remodel was complete. The first transaction after the remodel went through relatively smoothly aside from the fact that neither teller had a properly stocked cash drawer so when I wanted to withdraw rolls of quarters for laundry I had to sit around and wait for a manager to be called off his lunch break to get them. After that I left and was not told anything else, not even sorry for making me wait.
The next time I went back a few weeks later (early May) I went up to the teller to do my regular transaction: deposit a check and get quarters for laundry. However at this point the teller curtly informed me that she couldn’t process my deposit as they didn’t process shared branching services in person and again I was directed to the kiosk and told if I made the deposit and pulled cash out there, she would still sell me quarters. Again, the kiosk didn’t work for me…
I had to call my own credit union to find out that the kiosk needed to be activated for my use… Something that apparently could have been done by United Advantage tellers before they «stopped doing shared branching services in person». But yet nobody at United Advantage told me in the two months leading up to this transition that they were going to discontinue shared branching services in person. In fact I was told the exact opposite in late March/​early April when the banker told me that services would continue as normal after the remodel was over…
Well, after waiting for 24 hours for a service rep at my own credit union to give me access to the kiosk, I went back two days later (today), made my deposit in the machine, pulled out cash, and then went to the teller to buy quarters. However, the teller told me he could not sell me quarters because I was not a member. I replied that that only two days earlier I was told by the teller standing next to him that I could still purchase quarters as a shared branching member as long as I had cash. As I said this I looked her right in the eye, but she chose to ignore me as though it had never happened…
…The moral of the story is fancy new building, terrible customer service, at least for shared branching members. Even though United Advantage is only two blocks away from me I will got to the next closest branch a mile away, because apparently they prefer to spend their money on fancy interior design while cutting back on helping customers.

For the love of god, just keep walking past this bank. Do not go inside. Do not open a checking account with them.
I started with the e-​checking account but they wanted to charge me $ 15 every time I needed *anything* from a teller.
So I switched that account, they issued me a completely different card number and I had to change all my auto drafts.
They card me every time I want to buy a roll of quarters.
In December I noticed a very small fraud charge, less than $ 10, on my statement. I went to report it, but they won’t report it without reissuing me a card, for which they wanted to charge me $ 10, and I would have had to redesignate all my auto drafts, AGAIN.
That’s when I decided to open up a different account with On Point, and I couldn’t be happier there.
But the fun continued even during the time I was transitioning.
Got into a dispute with someone I’d sent a check to via the «easy pay.» I called UA to put a stop payment on the check.
They directed me to e-​mail the easy pay people through the bill pay system.
2 weeks later, after the person had long ago cashed the check, I got an e-​mail from the easy pay system that my bank had to do the stop payments themselves.
And today was the last straw. I need copies of my canceled checks to show the oregon department of revenue. I’m being audited.
They want to charge me $ 7 a copy to view my own canceled checks, the only way I can get any access to those checks.
The attitude and service is just as reported by the other reviews. I feel like I just singlehandedly paid for their little lobby remodel with all these Kafka-​esque fees.
Eff this bank.

Well i have been using shared banking with them for 4 years. I will no longer bank with them again. i just have to say its Christmas & their was ahold put on my check. They where not willing to help fix this issue at all i had to go in circles between my bank & them. All that needed to happen was a simple fax of my check to my bank… Took 3 days to resolve this simple issue. They also hung up on me twice over the phone. They are completely unprofessional as a community credit union. never again… Sad because their was one lady teller that was always nice to me. *=(Ugh…

Well, I would not bank here, I expect a certain level of professionalism when I walk into an institution of commerce. What we got were two rude and completely service unaware gentleman «loosely used» in short bank where they appreciate your business, after all it is your money…

Advantage NW FCU
Since becoming a credit union member back in 2006, I’ve witnessed the service and level of professionalism of this institution decline to near-​comedic, if not farcical levels in recent years. Advantage NW was once my banking institution of choice. Now– that statement couldn’t be further from the truth.
Experiences I had with Advantage NW finally forced me to file an official complaint with the Better Business Bureau in late July 2012. Perhaps through this forum the bank might have a channel by which to address – professionally– some of the issues which have plagued them recently.
To wit:
Receiving THREE different statements from phone representatives, one was, in fact, a manager, in response to ONE query.
EACH PIECE OF INFORMATION requested was contradictory to the last. One simple query into the status of my account resulted in THREE DIFFERENT answers, each different than the other. No explanation was given, and no representative could claim any knowledge of a previous quote. I was treated as if I had culled information out of thin air. I was utterly frustrated at both the lack of continuity and the seemingly forgotten notion of accountability. It was like trying to communicate with a clown-​car, or perhaps an Abbott and Costello sketch. Who’s on first?
A loan payment check issued to the credit union weeks in advance was LOST, I was notified WEEKS later (the check apparently having been lost in the mail). Of course the check (drawn from my current, EXCELLENT credit union) was charged a $ 25 returned check fee. Multiple calls to the credit union to resolve the issue went UNRETURNED, and of course, Advantage NW had neither customer service nor the business ethics to acknowledge possible loss of the check, which was postmarked RECEIVED in Portland, Or, but somehow never crossed the desk of Advantage NW, all at a cost to to me.
Finally, customer service by a branch manager that can only be described as abusive. Lending Manager Camron «Cam» Roberts inexplicably turned a regular business conversation into a twisted series of reprimands and condescending lectures. It sounded like I was getting reamed out by a frat boy– the manner was so condescending and disproportionate to the situation, I actually felt like I had just been chewed out.
I exited the conversation, explaining that I would try to address the matter via shared branching with my current credit union (a different bank altogether). Camron proceeded to send the following email, repeating the last sentence he had just spoken to me, which was said in the most seethingly patronizing manner imaginable:
«If you wish to discuss with your Credit Union/​Bank, feel free too [sic], they may be able to explain it to you so that you better understand.»
Utter lack of professionalism on five separate occasions, followed by a standard of service no institution would be proud to claim– Advantage NW, shame on you.

The people here are always very friendly, and get to know the members… Been a member for years, great place!