Randy

I had homeowner’s insurance from American Family Insurance when I lived in Arizona until roughly ten years ago. I found them quite efficient, well informed, and thankfully, able to answer my questions with little to no hesitation or need to consult with someone else. From all I could tell, the answers were always reasonable, and more importantly, accurate. I had to file only one claim, which was handled effectively and quickly, with little hassle or delay. My agent always seemed to have enough people on staff to handle things in a timely matter, with little waiting, and (perhaps most pleasing to me, overall) there was very little “hard sell” to get me to purchase the company’s other offerings, which I just plain didn’t need at the time. It was quite nice to not have to argue while declining their products. Were I to find myself in need of another home insurer now, I’d absolutely consider American Family Insurance again.

I had Hanover insurance a few years ago after becoming dissatisfied with the insurer I previously had. I found their service to be quite efficient, and the agent to be very knowledgeable. I did not have to file any claims with them, fortunately, but had no complaints with them at all. I'd likely still be with them today had I not purchased a new car and found a rate noticeably lower with another company. Despite that, I can't say their rates were especially high, it was just that I was at a time where saving every cent possible was important. All in all, I'd recommend Hanover to anyone needing car insurance.

I used this credit union a few years ago because they had remarkably high rates on their CDs at the time. I found them to be very polite and helpful, whether I was dealing with a teller, or someone in the office. All was explained to me very thoroughly, perhaps more thoroughly than the average person even needs, but at least I didn't feel uniformed. I had no trouble setting up the account, and no trouble at all withdrawing the money when the CD's term expired. Had their rates stayed as high, I almost certainly would've purchased another CD at the time. Without a doubt, given the level of service I received, I would use them again for my investing needs.

I used the services of this credit union when I lived in Arizona in 2007-2011. I found them very reliable, and the tellers to be prompt and polite, and generally well-informed of the CU's products and policies. Staffing seemed thankfully appropriate, and I rarely had to wait in line long, whether I was dealing with a teller, or one of the higher-up types in their special little offices. The people in the special little offices always seemed genuinely interested in whatever brought me there, and I'd say treated me well, with courtesy and respect, despite me not having a particularly large amount deposited. The only problem I ever ran into involved a credit card, and was resolved very quickly, and in my favor, without any great argument in the process.

I've used Community Choice Credit Union in the past because it offered higher rates on certificates of deposit than many places, including places closer to home. I've found their rates to often be excellent. Service, however, seems to suffer a bit. I tend to think, purely from observation while on the premises, that the size of one's investment plays a role in the quality of service received, as well as the attitude from those providing the service. It seems clear a larger investor is regarded as more important than the smaller investor. I don't mean to imply smaller investors aren't treated well, but there is an obvious service difference. While it's understandable that those with higher amounts invested with the credit union are more important in some ways, I find it fundamentally wrong for the difference in treatment to be visible.

I had AAA insurance some years back when I got my first car, because it was the least expensive for the model car I had, and I also wanted to join the AAA club at the same time. I never had any problems with their insurance, and thankfully never had to file a claim, since I never had any accident issues. What stood out then, and still does, was how woefully understaffed they were. I waited a minimum of an hour to speak to an agent, even after having an appointment set for a specific time. Had I not known I'd save significantly, I'd have walked out and gone somewhere else. The agent was less than impressive as well. He seemed to fit the stereotype of a used car salesman, but with more arrogance. As a young driver then, it was very off-putting.

I was a member of Clawson Community Credit Union until roughly late 2010. I always found them quite helpful, although service seemed to suffer when they were busy. The desire on the part of the tellers was there, but it seemed they were staffed at a level that was too low for any sort of “rush” so traditional paydays were an awful time to visit. Nonetheless, overburdened or not, the tellers tried to do their best. Where the short-staffing was most evident was when looking for service beyond what could be done at the teller's window. To ask a question, apply for a loan, etc, on a busy day was next to impossible, unless I wanted to wait a couple of hours. Apart from that issue, however, they were quite good to work with, and kept things, and stress, to a minimum.

I've had State Farm homeowners insurance for a good 15 years. I was happy with them...until I had to file a claim following a power outage 3 years ago. It was a nightmare to accomplish anything. A tree had fallen on a power line to my house, knocking out my power during a major storm. I received the runaround, and little helpful info from my agent's office, because the agent was out of town and the workers in the office were apparently unable to answer any questions without her present. Because of this, my power remained off longer than it should have. The claim afterward was exceedingly difficult to settle, because it involved lost food and appliances as well. While I had pictures of a fully-stocked refrigerator and freezer, and enough detail to show what foods were lost, it became a sticking point because I didn't have a receipt for each frozen steak, bag of peas, etc. I did not find them to be “like a good neighbor” at all.

Navy Federal Credit Union has been very easy to work with over the years, which impresses me given I do so many exchanges over a distance. I do them online now but prior to the days of the internet that makes everything easier I did them over the phone and by snail mail as well. I've used them primarily for the savings products, like CDs, which have always offered at rates that are at least competitive, if not better than average. Redeeming a CD, even in the pre-internet days, has always been simple, hassle-free, and quick to accomplish. Their customer service representatives have always been knowledgeable and helpful, and even though they don’t see me in person often, I’ve always been treated like I’m an important customer.

I've been with State Farm for my auto insurance for probably 20 of the 27 years I've driven, and I've been satisfied with the service I've received for every one of those years. Their rates - at least for the vehicles I've had over that time - have always been the lowest in my area. While I'm a careful driver with a pretty clean record, I've encountered a few other drivers who aren't...and when that's led to filing an insurance claim, I've experienced zero problems with State Farm in getting those repairs done quickly, at quality local repair shops, whether it was something as simple as a cracked windshield, or hitting a deer while driving in another country (Canada) at the time.

I had my first-ever car loan through Flagship when I was in my late teens, and found them to be remarkably helpful, and thorough in explaining the process to me at the time. This was helpful, because not only was it my first car loan, but it was my first loan of any type, as well. 20 years later, I visited along with my friend's son, as he looked for his first loan. I have to say, they haven't changed much. They explained everything to him, took time to answer any and all questions he had, and left him feeling far more comfortable with the idea, and the real-life process, than he had been before. On top of that, they offered a great interest rate as well.

I've banked with E&A Credit Union for many, many years. In fact, it was the first bank or credit union I ever joined, when I was just out of high school and had my first job. I got my first loan of any sort from them, in fact. I've always been satisfied. The employees are all knowledgeable about the services they provide, and whenever I have needed a loan, they've been able to work with me to find the best interest rates, and the best repayment schedule, with no penalties for early repayment. The ONE time I bounced a check, they waived the fee. The one thing I would recommend is notifying them before taking an out-of-state vacation. I found they place a hold on credit cards being used suddenly out of state, in order to reduce fraud. It was an easy enough problem to fix with a phone call, but still, it was a pain, despite their good intentions.

I ended up going to Chase because at the time their CDs had a higher interest rate than the banks I'd previously used. I have to admit, I was impressed with the overall experience. Besides the better interest rate, the staff was across-the-board helpful and knowledgeable. On the couple of occasions where the person I was dealing with wasn't able to answer my question themselves, they found the right person quickly to get me the information I needed. Apart from that, the staff, from tellers to other service reps to those providing investment advice were all very polite, and very patient. Thankfully, when I explained to the investment adviser I was only - at the time - interested in secure, low-risk investments, he wasn't pushy about investing in greater risk security, and helpfully explained my future options without pressure. I found it to be a very high-level of service offered, leaving me quite satisfied.

I've been a Wells Fargo customer for roughly 8 years now, since they took over my former brokerage company. Initially, I only used their brokerage services, which paid quite well from the standpoint of money market account interest rates. I always, at that time, found their service level to be very good, and eventually opened a standard account with their "normal" banking arm. I've been remarkably pleased. The service level is always top-notch, and their tellers and other representatives seem to always be on top of things, and able to answer questions quickly, and perhaps most importantly, accurately, no matter whom I'm dealing with. These are all important things to me, and they've yet to ever disappoint me.

My experiences, for the most part, with Bank of America have been quite good. The tellers and service reps in any branch I've visited have, in almost all cases, been prompt, courteous, and helpful, as well as competent. When I was unfortunate enough to encounter an overdraft, the service reps in my usual branch were very helpful in addressing and solving the problem, as well as find the "right account for me," to reduce the possibility of a occurrence, as well as save me money on fees. They do a fine job, I find of helping tailor their service to the individual customer's needs. I'm confident, based on prior experience, that my future experiences with them will be very positive as well.