I signed up to Washington mutual after a friend of mine suggested I give the online registration a try. I was really impressed with how easy it was to set up my account. My friend did not have a current back account for some reason or another so he had to go to a wamu in person and do his first deposit in person. I on the other hand have an account at another bank and it was a snap to use routing numbers blah blah yadda, and transfer funds to the wamu account. If I would have used a credit card, the least I could have transfered would have been $50. Since this is something I am “trying out” I do not want to flop around fifty freakin bucks. Ya know? really that is no issue at all, I completely (almost) understand .
So I go to my local Washington mutual and swing by to set up my atm card and deposit a little bit of money into my checking account, I did have a couple bills to pay and they where kinda on my way so I was going to just make a few rounds and get some stuff done. I handed the little blinky eyed dude my check and he suddenly bloated up on my and before I could say how much I wanted deposited and how much cash I needed he informed me they would be hanging on to my check for a week to verify that it is a legit check. I tell him and assure him that it is not a personal and point the difference… lol that ticked him off. 😛
Well after a little bit of huffing we decided it would be in my best interest if I just went to my current bank and cash my check there and come back to wamu deposit what ever I want to, in cash. Ok he decided he was not going to help me and I suggested that I come back with cash for his ghetto bank.
What ever.
So that is what I did. I put a little in the free online checking and a little in the free online savings.
Now we all have seen teh commercials with a skinny dude and the butt load of snotty bankers who want to charge atm fees and check fees and all of that, right ?
Well now the story gets really good. I decide to go a month or so and not touch that account I was already ticked off pretty good. Before I leave work one I look into my account information at an atm… Just a balance inquiry, not a withdrawal. Should be no fees if there are NO atm fees. . hmmm $2 less than what I put into my account, why is this like this on my statement ?
I go home and check my balance and low and behold, Tadda, Washington mutual charged me for a balance inquiry. How do I know this? well I use that same atm who is through citibank, and not through my other bank, well I have used that atm for years on my other bank never a fee for just a balance inquiry, hell one of my friends from work uses wells Fargo and is never charged a fee. So I call Washington Mutual and see what the deal was, I call my wamu . The guy on the other end informs me he is not capable of helping me and that I need to call the help desk for the online. ok I call the 1800 or 188 number. after going through this endless circle of pressing one for English and two to speak to a human and getting forced into a f.a.q. section repeatedly I finally talk to a human, the lady on the other end tells me that it was the atm carrier that charged the fee.. nfw! I explain to her that I do and did my research before I do and did anything.. Ever. and she responds with ” you must be wrong” So I ask her for email address so I can send her a copy of my bank statement from the other bank. She told me that would not be necessary and I asked her “with that kind of response you do not care how right or wrong you might be, you are just certain that you are correct because you are saying what you are supposed to”. lol, she flipped out. I asked her if she was supposed to go ” all robot with pride” on me lol and she responded with “you’re an idiot’ and hung up on me. Ok maybe that was overboard of me but I was frustrated with their whole set up.
I call my buddy back and begin to tell him about the way I got charge an inquiry fee, I got all the way up to “hey man I went to check my balance” and he jumped all over the conversation with “I know man I checked mine and got charged 14.95 to look at my balance”
Now why in the blue hell did they charge him $14.95 and me $2 ?
Yes the fee carried over and is still there , yes it has been longer than a month and no they did not refund it after the statement and balance was complete. No there where no strange circumstances that would leave them a reason to penalize me or my friend for any activity. If I was supposed to do a chicken dance or bite the head off a bat or something I was not informed of this . I just know that the commercials are false and misleading.
Watch yourself on the fees.
The savings account is rocking though, I like the way you can just chunk your change in there and all is good in the world. that part is smooth and pretty. so if you get an account there , go for , may as well sign up for the savings, the interest is better than most bank’s c.d. accounts and does not penalize you for changing by withdrawal or deposits.
I have no idea how well they are with building business credit, business bank account, business checking account, business credit card , business money market. So good luck with that.
it’s kinda cool.
GLHF!
I did just talk to a representative and she explained that it is free checking with no atm fees….. for using atm at a wamu bank..
doesn’t every bank do that for you?
$35 for an over draft is pretty steep. I refuse to use their service ever again. Nickle and dime ya?…… nope they go straight to the 20s and 30s.
TruXter 
Good Blog. I will continue reading it in the future. Nice layout too.
Aaron Wakling
Yeah- they just screwed me too- I went to the branch to sign up for their “Wamu Free Checking account”. Instead apparently they signed me up for the “Free Checking account” which is apparently different and have charged me $33 in fees for things that should have been free. When I complained they refused to reimburse me but instead changed my account type, which immediately – without warning or asking me first- canceled my ATM card, leaving me without cash for 10 days until they can get me a new one. Not so convenient to do right before I was leaving town on vacation!
Just to help things a little bit. I used to work for WaMu. My office closed down with consolidations, but that’s neither here nor there. The no atm fees isn’t misleading actually. The issue with the situation was that you didn’t go into a branch to open your account. Had you, you would’ve known that WaMu waives ATM fees on transactions. A mini statement isn’t considered a transaction. Now, I’m not sure why any ATM would charge you for a balance inquiry, but WaMu doesn’t charge you, but the other bank will.
I think it’s just a matter you not getting the proper education because you opened your account online as opposed to inside a branch.
Not to mention, the OD fees are only $34 but they’re cheaper than any other bank out there. Do the research on it, it’s true.
A real quick response to chuff joe….I’m not sure how you didn’t get the WaMu free checking if it’s a new account. WaMu doesn’t have a standard free checking account that’s not the WaMu Free Checking. If it was an old account, it’s easy to change the product code for it without having the hassle of canceling cards and what have you.
A little confused on that one.
Bryce, you might want to go to the site and create an account, it will not cost you anything but a dollar. Would be nice if you “re-educate” yourself and then come back.
Here is a copy and paste from my bank statement online “5/5/2008 *OVERDRAFT CHARGE $35.00 ”
Strange you say it’s less than other banks. I would like you to list a few that are higher than $35. I don’t see any over $20.
I can go to shell and buy gas on the debit/credit card without using pin code, and the charge will not show in my account for almost a week, with Wamu. If I use the card from the bank I ran to and did the exact same charge at the exact same store, it at least shows PENDING. In my account before I can even get home.
What area are you from, if you don’t mind me asking? In Chicago, WaMu is the lowest compared to B of A, Chase, Harris, and TCF.
As for your Shell gas station scenario, it has nothing to do with the bank. That’s Shell’s merchant payment system. It’s unrelated to the bank. And the entire amount of the gas transaction wouldn’t come out, only a dollar would. I think you don’t realize what it’s actually doing. And yes, WaMu does have pending status but not on everything. Again, it’s how the merchant system is set up, nothing to do with the bank. That’s like blaming the bank for an unauthorized transaction that goes through your account. Before you say anything, yes, customers do blame the bank for it.
It will only show a dollar as a reserve, if you use it at the pump. It will show an exact total if you use it inside the store through the cashier.
Texas.
That is correct. And, maybe in Texas, the fees are a dollar higher than in Illinois. And, I’m also not familiar with other banks in Texas outside of B of A. I do know that Texas laws are alot different than any other state’s laws, but I don’t have to tell you that. Now, the only thing I can say is that the 1800 customer service rep was way out of line to you. That one, I’d for sure report the next time it happens. That’s unprofessional and shouldn’t be tolerated.
I just got off the phone with WAMU after noticing some fees I wasn’t expecting. ATM Withdrawl fees!!! I have been with washington mutual since 2001 and they explanined to be that it was FREE checking. Purhaps I never Noticed those $2 fees before, like the rep accused me of. OR maybe they are being SHADY and ripping people off, like I accused them of! I was told that the new “free checking” feature came into play in 2006, however I never had been charged for checks, never charged for ATM withdrawls before AND specifically remember the person that helped me in 2001 saying I wouldn’t be charged any fees, “its a FREE CHECKING”. Thats what makes them different from other banks! ha!!!! Whatever!!!
I am irritated with this bank and totally feel decieved and ROBBED!! Ok, ok, so what if I never realized the fees they say I was always charged, IF, if what they said was true about in 2006 inplimenting this new “no charge for withdrawls at other bankss, etc”, why would they not switch people over. NO!!!, they continue to charge people fees, thinking, OH yeah, they aren’t authorized to change someone’s account. Well, why would they want to anyway, they are collecting on all the fees they get with your type of checking acount which CLEARY states on it “FREE CHECKING”. Such a lie!!!!!!! I have always recommended this bank to people before. I was with antoher bank before I started banking at WAMU and thought they were so different and honest!!! And its not true!! Not believe their lies, watch your back AND your money!
Yeah, I agree tons of crooks out there. I can’t stand some of Washington Mutual’s new ads about Free Checking. They have fees for just about everything, wouldn’t be surprised if they’re charging now to open an account.
Yeah, I agree tons of crooks out there. I can’t stand some of Washington Mutual’s new ads about Free Checking. They have fees for just about everything, wouldn’t be surprised if they’re charging now to open an account.
Check this site out for some of the best checking accounts out there.
http://www.topcheckingaccounts.com
lmao. i read what u had wrote about the lady that called u an idiot? that was to funny.i like the way u speak ur mind about the banks.they do charge to much 4 over drafts, but the way they did u, was soooooo wrong.there not supposed to charge nothing if u use the bank ur using at a atm.i would like to say, you go girl.
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