CoastHills Credit Union in San Luis Obispo, CA

When I go in, the tellers know my name and they remember my preferences...that says a lot about Coast Hills' commitment to excellent customer service! I've banked with Coast Hills since my parents took me in to open my first savings account over 20 years ago.

Coast Hills' Super Ready Checking is a great thing - you get interest on your checking balance with no monthly fee! The Marsh St. branch has the best branch manager and staff of all the Coast Hills locations. Seriously. They are very creative, helpful and go the extra mile. Other branches, no so much. Way better than other banks.

I don't like Coast Hills any longer. They ruined a good thing, acting more like a bank than a credit union. I am now paying a monthly checking fee..seriously!?!...I left Wells Fargo back in '88 because of the fees. Now you look at their list of services and there is a fee for everything! If I want free checking (which I had since 1988) I have to hold a huge balance in my checking account. Who has the money for that? The service used to be great. It is horrible now. If I use the inside teller, they are usually not friendly and make me feel like I am an inconvenience. The other inside teller service that uses the vacuum tube always takes a few minutes before coming onto the screen. The last two times they asked me to wait, which I did, for quite awhile (on my lunch time, no less), then I had to wait about three minutes more for my receipt and ATM ID card. There has been a huge turnover of staff due to the charter changes. Now, no one looks at you, no one talks to you. I used to make it a point to know the people at my credit union (I do this with any business I frequent). These people have no desire to get to know you. They used to be a great credit union. Ever since the BOD voted to change their charter to allow them to expand, they have gone downhill. I can't wait to pay off my house loan so I can go to SESLOC. I hear they still act like a credit union, where the customer is who they serve.

Dealing with Coast Hills is such a burden. I could have paid my car out right but my parents convinced to get a car loan to build my credit and it has been the worst thing for my credit. When I'd go in and make my payments I would make my whole payment but they werent telling me that half of my payment was going to a fee so now I have 4 months of incomplete payments on my credit. Also for a few months straight I'd come in to make a payment and they would keep telling me my address was incorrect so when I finally asked to speak to the manager she wasn't very friendly or apologetic about the fact that i was unhappy that I had to keep doing the same thing multiple times and that it made my visit longer. Also they won't help me at the desk they make me use the pods. I once waited 10 minutes because I had the time and there was no line initially and finally when I was able to be helped they turned me away and told me that I am taking time away from their business accounts and card holders and it would make them wait longer so then I had to wait another 5 minutes at the pods. A few times I've had a few nice encounters with employees at the SLO location but now I will be going to the Paso location because they are beyond friendly and they don't have pods so I can actually talk face to face with a person which I like and is the whole reason I pay in person to begin with.

Credit Unions are the way to go! You have the ability to protect your money - every dollar deposited buys a vote in how it's to be used used. And knowing your money is being used locally, to benefit our small businesses, instead of lining the pockets of billionaires hundreds of miles away is a great feeling, isn't it?