Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  09/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I opened a new account at **********************, i received an error message when setting up online banking. It took 3 weeks to get a debit card and it has been 4 weeks and I still cannot log in and transfer funds. I have made several attempts to to assuage this problem but ******************* ignored all of my requests even though I am a disabled veteran with a hearing condition and cannot hear. I tried to get them to contact my wife since I am hearing impairedbut everytime I mention being disabled ******************* discontinues our conversation and/or refuses to correspond with me. All of my VA pay is in this account and I have no way to transfer it. I cannot drive and I cannot access my only pay. I have no idea how an organization could mistreat disabled people in this way.

  

  Business response

  09/12/2024

  Thank you for the opportunity to address and respond to these concerns! We are an employee-owned community bank with a local team that strives to deliver a 5-star experience to every client.
  
  At Bank of Oak Ridge, it is a core value and company policy to provide accessible banking and accommodations for all clients, no matter their background or abilities. We provide multiple paths to connect and include the same security protocols through each channel. If a client shares a specific accessibility concern, we will do everything we can to ensure the client or prospective client can complete all their banking needs in a convenient and respectful way. Additionally, protecting client information is of the utmost importance to the Bank. In instances when the identity of a client is unable to be verified, we cannot complete transactions or provide services for the account at that touchpoint. We attempt to reach out through an alternate channel and encourage clients that experience this to visit their neighborhood branch location so we can provide in-person assistance. This was the situation for this client. 
  
  Immediately after receiving this message through the Better Business Bureau website, we made multiple attempts to reach out to our client. A bank director was able to connect with him and discuss the situation. The friendly conversation ended with a mutual agreement that Bank of Oak Ridge may not be the right fit at this time. The Bank is helping this client close out his account in a timeline that suits his needs.
  
  To our client: We very much apologize for the recent experience. If there is anything additional we can do to assist in the transition to your next financial institution, we hope you will reach back out to the individual you spoke on the phone with earlier this week. Thank you for your service to our country.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 6/28/24, the bank started charging all Thrive account customers with less than a $5,000 average daily balance in those accounts. Previously, there was no minimum required balance on the accounts to maintain free checking. The only previous requirement was that you have money transferred to a savings account monthly. My family has had these accounts for many years under the previous rules. Now all of a sudden, they start charging these fees on the accounts we have held for many years and changed the underlying rules to maintain free checking or we had to switch account types to a new account they created. They are requiring the customer to contact them to change to the new account instead of automatically migrating the account type to the new one. I have been in the bank 3 times within the last two months. There was nothing posted inside the bank and no banker mentioned it when I was either with a teller or meeting with one of the bankers. There was no notice on the website. It was buried on a bank statement in April and April only. While that *** have been all the legal notice they are required to provide, as a local bank, they should do more for their customers. This move seems like a blatant money grab to see how many customers they can sneak this by before they notice. My mom is battling cancer and we have had our hands full for the last several months. They seem uninterested in reversing the charges in our accounts as they will not answer that question when I ask. I have only gotten the response to "contact them to find out which account is the perfect fit for you." Customers should not have to do this much work for accounts they have held this long. There was no logical reason to change the underlying rules to maintain free checking in these accounts other than to sneak in a fee grab. I want the bank to respond and reverse all of these ridiculous fees.

  

  Business response

  07/11/2024

  Thank you for the opportunity to address and respond to these concerns! As an employee-owned community bank that strives to deliver spectacularly local service, it is a top priority to ensure we are providing our clients with accounts that help achieve their financial goals.
  
  In June, we updated our suite of checking accounts to better support community demand. We created a new Engage checking account with no monthly service fee or minimum balance and updated our Thrive account with a minimum balance qualification. We shared this through our statements with all clients in Thrive accounts and updated our website checking account page 30 days in advance. In preparation for this update, we also instituted a full fee refund policy and window where the Bank would refund any clients in a Thrive account who were impacted by this fee and transition them into an account that better fit their situation.
  
  As soon as we received this message through the Better Business Bureau website, we reached out to our client. Our New Garden branch manager was able to connect with her and discuss the situation in an effort to make things right. We provided a full refund on all fees and transitioned her into an account that better suited her goals. Weve also touched base again and hope to remain in contact moving forward.
  
  To our client: We very much apologize for the inconvenience. Please feel free to reach out to the New Garden branch manager directly or any of us at the Bank if you have additional questions and concerns. We appreciate your business and are grateful for your willingness to stay with us.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩