Fifth Third Bank Consumer Reviews - Page 4

MICHIGAN -- It no secret that many people get themselves buried in credit card debt. Hidden fees and secret rules make it easy to charge just that little bit too much that keeps you in debt for the rest of your life. Its not quite like being pushed off a cliff, but more like the scoot you dangerously close and grease your feet.

I decided to go what I thought was a safer route getting one of Fifth Third's debit cards. Debit cards were supposed to just draw from my account, so I wouldn't end up destroying my life with it right? Before signing up, I agonized over it and asked if there was any way I could end up getting in trouble with the card and she smiling told me that I couldn't- at least, that's what it seemed like. Misleading language must be in the training manual.

Well, my math slipped and I overdrew my account by $16 dollars on the 10th of March, 2008. Not four days later, and I find it has grown to $79 dollars, with an increase of 6 dollars of additional debt each day! Not to mention, I was not made fully aware of these repercussions until the 19th. Apparently, this was not the safe card I had been told I was getting.

Maybe I should've seen it coming, since something similar had happened to a relative of mine, but I thought that it was different situation. To summarize, Fifth Third has policies in place made to punish and strip money from those of low income. Going beneath $50 in savings allows them to begin drawing funds from your account due to it being 'insufficient' while overdrawing not only puts you in debt, but they don't even stop the debit card from functioning, allowing you to go DEEP into debt and charge you a great deal more than you borrowed. I recommend avoiding these crooks and their war on the poor.

38 FOUNTAIN SQUARE PLAZA, OHIO -- Fifth Third Bank placed me in a forbearance program to assist me with keeping my home in this failing economy. I found out about it by calling them one day to check on the status of my loan. At this time I was told that I was in the program and my payment was past due. I asked for information on the program and the gentleman assured me that he would mail and fax me the information needed to secure my position in the program and prevent me from becoming homeless. I waited 10 days and received nothing, so I called in and reached several rude and unfriendly customer service reps. each time.

They assured me they would look into the problem and call me back. I never received any return calls from them. In late October 2010, I received a call from Fifth Third Bank and made the October payment which was supposed to prevent my home from sold and the person was going to assure that I received the needed paperwork. I NEVER RECEIVED IT! She called me again about 3 weeks later and denied our previous conversation. She was asking for another payment I refused the payment until she could get me the contract I needed. She promised to call me back in 15 to 20 minutes with information I needed. She never called.

I received another phone call from Fifth Third Bank about 1 week later. I told the young man my situation and he told me that he knew nothing of any paperwork but if I did not make a payment he would enter into the computer that I was refusing to make my payments. So I hung up and placed over 20 calls to Fifth Third Bank leaving messages on voice mailboxes and speaking to anyone I could.

On November 17,2010 I finally received a call back form the same young lady that was going to back in 15 to 20 minutes. She was seeking another payment again. I refused and again she was going to look into the problem and call me back with information I needed. She called me back on 11/19/10 and informed me that my home was sold on 11/15/2010 and there was nothing she could do to help me!

To this day, I still have not received the paperwork needed to secure my position in the forbearance program. Remember my home was sold on 11/15/10? I received a total of 3 phone calls within 2 hours on 11/20/10 requesting that I make a payment on my home in order to prevent my home from being sold? I am amazed a bank can carry on this way and I have vowed to bring this practice to the attention of our US president whom initiated the making homes affordable program! I am facing homelessness and this bank thinks it is just going to move on with business as usual... I DON'T THINK SO!

Let me start off by saying, and I have seen this before, "No one gets on a computer to write about how wonderful a company really is." Everybody gets on and vents about what a terrible experience it has been for them. Well all of these bad reviews about Fifth Third, I just wanted to come in and say that I think Fifth Third is one of the best banks out there. Customer Service is great! I recently switched and I have to say that I am very satisfied.

I sat down with a great financial advisor and he told me up front that "you know I am here for you! My job is to help YOU finance YOUR money properly and doing it the right way! I can remember being 19, in college and no one sat down with me to help me manage my money efficiently and I'm going to do that for YOU." He made me feel like I had nothing to worry about, like I was making the right decision and I DID. Every time I walk into the bank, everyone has made an effort to get to know me, kind of like walking into a small family owned business.

Every bank has their own set of rules, if you follow them you won't have to worry about being over charged. It is YOUR responsibility to keep track of your transactions, you don't pay the bank to look after your accounts so ABSOLUTELY there are over draft fees and late fees.

Its basically as simple as, We'll hold your money and make sure it's safe as long as you meet our deadlines. That seems fair to me!? You know, there aren't many Fifth Third Branches everywhere but if your fortunate enough to have the opportunity, I would recommend them to ANYONE!!

LITHIA, FLORIDA -- I switched from Chase (after they bought out Washington Mutual) to 5/3 Bank. I LOVE the personal service that they have given to my entire family, including my youngest daughter. I have seen all the negative reviews and think maybe those people should switch over to this bank. The employee's know how to treat customers. Also, I am a very bad spender (and we are not rich and don't have a collective amount together in the bank that exceeds more than $150.00). Even still, 5/3 Associates treat us as though we have a million dollars in their bank. They understand today's economy and try to suggest ways to cut cost.

** sat down with me for over an hour. We talked about my spending habits, and how some of them are causing our lack of money. I appreciated ** for being blunt and honest with me and what my poor choices in spending was doing to my family. He made me think "this bank really does care about us"- Thank you, you have changed the way I buy stuff now. As a result I am able to take that money I would have blown and stick it back into savings. 5/3 Bank set me up with saving plans that actually work for my family, like depositing even as little as $1 or $5 as long as it is being done every week. I know we will get ahead soon.

Had I not switched to 5/3 Bank I don't believe we would be getting the attention and help that we need. Hopefully in a year or two we will be able to apply for a home loan. All 4 (one is a baby- and soon to be a 5/3 customer as well) of my family members are VERY satisfied with this branch here in Lithia. I have never walked into a more friendly, caring bank before. I highly recommend this bank to any family or person who is looking for a bank that truly cares. This page is not long enough to tell of how GREAT 5/3 Bank FishHawk, Lithia branch really is! You ought to go in- sit down and just "talk" to them. Get to know ALL of the associates- I've met **. They are all great. Soon I will be meeting with the investment gentleman about an IRA.

KANNAPOLIS, NORTH CAROLINA -- Saturday, I opened 3 accounts checking, savings and a checking business account at 606 S Main St Kannopolis, NC. A ** her title on her card was Assistant VP did the opening of the accounts. After checking my paperwork about 1230 I tried to call the branch because, I found errors. I let the phone ring for 25 times no answer. No voice mail nothing ! I switched to 5th 3rd because, of customer service and availability and I am getting neither. I emailed Ms ** at 1230 and I have not gotten a reply.

I called customer service and a person answers and did not even say 5th 3rd Bank I did not catch her name. She said "what Is the problem you are having?" After that there was not a word but, I was transferred to another person I asked the next person "who" that was and they did not have a clue.

I asked to speak with a supervisor and was on hold for I am not sure how long and I hung up. I will be in the Branch this week I need a bank to give me service and Availability and I need to know who I am talking to when I call about banking matters not someone that "I have not idea" nor the person that the call was transferred to. I have not had these accounts for 24 hours.

And this seems not the Bank I need!!!!! AND I DO NOT SEE THE BUSINESS ACCOUNT I OPENED when I check online. I should have known something was wrong when I asked if she had completed the deposit and she said" no" then I changed the Deposit amount and it was off by $500.00 Dollars.

This is Customer Service?Attention to detail? Taking care of the customers needs? And when I listened to my voicemail that VP that opened my account said " Here is my number I will try and catch your call I have a Lobby full of people" You know I couldn't care less about your Staff issues!!! I can not believe this!!!!

SAGINAW, MICHIGAN -- Just like many others here, I agree that 5/3 bank does everything they can to screw their customers. Our business got lured to 5/3 because of they had better credit card processing than we currently had and if it is deposited into a 5/3 account, its available the next day (vs the 3 days were were currently waiting). Well, first we were denied overdraft protections, after the representative said she could get it for us. We should have run away then. Since then, they have repeatedly send through the highest check before the smaller items and we've been hit with overdraft fees in excess of $300 per day.

The lady at the bank said they pay the highest first because that's what they view as the most important. Well then why, if there are 5 items going through and all 5 are going to be paid by the bank, and the account is going to go negative regardless, WHY do you do the highest one first when it was the last charge I did. Oh wait, I know the answer... to screw over the customers that are the only reason you are in business. So rather than getting one overdraft charge (which would have been legitimate, I admit) I got 5! Absolutely absurd.

The other problem I've been having on a regular basis is my card being declined when there is money in the account. The bank says it's user error, but I'm confident that the people who are running my card are doing it right. Anyway, it's happened WAY too much to be user error.

Thirdly, our cc processing is supposed to have the funds available the next day. Well imagine my humiliation when I was buying diapers & formula with a line behind me and my card was declined at 7pm when we had processed and batched a payment for over $1000 the day before. I came home and checked the account and it wasn't in there yet, but I guess sometime between then and the next morning it hit the account. I'm sorry, but that hardly qualifies as "available the next business day". It can't be considered available if I can't use it.

JENISON, MICHIGAN -- These humanoids/hemorrhoids have mastered their kraft of legal Grand Theft and from what I can see from some of your entries, I am not the first of their victims. However; I would contend that I may be near - if not - on the top of the list of the most vulnerable and the most abused.

Didn't matter to them that I'm struggling to start a business after I became disabled. It doesn't matter to them that my daughter and I may lose our home as a result of their robbery. It doesn't matter to them that my ex - spouse didn't pay me on the right date in order to avoid a few days of Overdraft Fees of things that I needed to invest in on those few days. It doesn't matter to them that I pleaded with them on every level of administration to help me keep my head above water. It doesn't matter to them that the amount accumulated quickly into $ 762.00 $ 762.00!!!!!

It didn't even matter to them that, once I discovered that the money hadn't been deposited as it was supposed to and that it was merely a timing issue and that I struggled to fight and get that in the bank ASAP, that they even charged an extra $74 AFTER I deposited $2300.00 in to cover and beyond and to add insult to injury, was given a blackmail of a facial from the district manager who leaned in and warned me that if I discontinue with them, any auto pay that I miss will come into the bank and automatically reopen my account where he/they can charge me more OD of OD. Is that either true or legal? What a work of PR this man is.

If I do get a rebuttal on this {you know who you are, you leech!), you can give them the analogy you verbally abused me with if you want or that you gave me other chances in the past but I only ask that you justify the extent of your Grand Larcency, especially given the particular circumstances of the timing issue and my disability plight. Good Luck with that... I guess that's cathartic enough for right now... except one more of these... $762.00!!!
What do you do with the stolen money ? Another good question, no ?

FT MITCHELL, KENTUCKY -- Today I went to 5/3 bank to cash a $60 check I received from a friend. I was informed by the clerk that since I did not have an account, although my friend did, there would be a $4 fee deducted. Even the manager declined my request to forego this fee on such a small amount. I argue that since it was written on a 5/3 account that they should honor the full amount or perhaps charge the account holder the fee. My bank does not penalize a person for cashing checks I write when cashed at my bank. 5/3 sucks.

I received a credit card application that offered a 0% APR on balance transfers and mailed it to 5th/3rd in the enclosed postage paid envelope on August 20, 2010. Having not heard anything from 5th/3rd, I became increasingly concerned, considering it has my social security number as well as other personal information and today is September 14, 2010.

I called today only to be treated as though I had done something wrong. The customer service person told me if the offer period expired, the application would be shredded and I would not receive any notification. I then told her I was extremely worried about my personal information being in the wrong hands and she told me, "You should have applied online if you are concerned". I then explained that the website was down on the night before it was mailed (as it still is www.apply53.com) and I was of the impression that a postage paid preprinted envelope would make it to its destination.

She responded with "You should have called, we are open until 8PM Eastern Time". There was absolutely no concern as to the security of my personal information, contrary to what the website states. Furthermore, when I asked her advice as to what I should do next, I was told I could call back everyday until it comes in. In twenty-five days I would think an envelope could make it to Australia and back. I am thoroughly displeased with 5th/3rd, will NEVER do business with them, and will ALWAYS recommend another financial institution over 5th/3rd.

CINCINNATI, OHIO -- Car loan from 2005 is almost paid off. We have NEVER missed a payment. NOT ONCE. This month's payment is late by about a week (due 2/2, with a 10 day "grace period", my husband usually sends it out that week). We had a HUGE snowstorm last week - 36 inches of snow in a five-day period - so mail is delayed. Our payment is late and there is no option to pay online. Started receiving phone calls on 2/12.

Over the weekend (2/13-2/14) we received about 13 phone calls from Fifth Third Bank. I asked them twice not to call back. They did. I received another call from them this morning at 8:30. They call from another country and you can barely understand the representative due to poor English. I told them the check was sent and they still call. If this is not harassment, please tell me what is. My husband and I are professional people who pay our bills. We do not deserve this type of treatment. I will never, EVER again do business with them. I will tell everyone I know to avoid them.