I've been a regular patron of Fifth/Third for 15 years, at least. Back then, they were Old Kent, and they helped my mom get a mortgage for her house (back when her income wasn't the greatest). Old Kent was so helpful, our whole family became loyal customers. When I started my business, there was no question about who would get my business checking account.
However, when Old Kent got bought out by Fifth/Third, everything changed. Their customer service became an absolute joke. They offered me a wonderful "special rate" of 19% for a small business loan. They started charging (without warning) fees on every debit card usage. They mistakenly added finance charges to my 5/3 MasterCard (when I hadn't bought anything). They added overdraft protection to my checking account, when I had explicitly stated I didn't want it on there. They warned me that they would charge me fees if I ever spoke to a teller instead of using the ATM. They would send statements to the wrong address after I made absolutely sure they had the right address, and then refuse to reverse the late charges.
I started using mBank. Just a little at first. I couldn't help but notice how nice their tellers were. They remembered me - and I only go into the bank once every other month or so! I've never had a problem with them charging me ridiculous fees caused by computer errors, and then hassling me when removing them. It's been like a breath of fresh air. I am always, always impressed with the friendliness and helpfulness of their employees. Their web site doesn't look as pretty as 5/3, but it actually works better.
Last week, I took my leave of Fifth Third, permanently. I will never, ever do business with them again. I stood by them over the years; I still remember a whole slew of people leaving when they pulled the debit card fee stunt, but I stuck it out. My last experience with them, however, was the last straw. According to my estimates, I've lost about $65 from fraudulent charges by Fifth Third over the years. This last episode only accounts for $11.35 of that, but I've had it.
Fifth Third: you're fired.
mBank, welcome to the family. You just got my business.
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