DarcyJSwiatek Reviewed
First Niagara Bank
Overall rating
1 out of 5 marks
DarcyJSwiatek wrote:
“AWFUL!! Stay away!!”
I have been with this bank for 18 years, formerly known as Lockport Savings Bank. They do not care about their customers in the least bit. They are only concerned about collecting fees and "raping" their customers financially. I have had a home equity line of credit with them and multiple accounts throughout the years. My husband and I moved out of state and decided to close the accounts because it was impossible to manage our accounts with their lack of technology and inability to make deposits other than in person. Upon closing our accounts, we had a line of credit on both accounts. They sent us a check for our remaining deposit money and then claimed we were late on our line of credit (overdraft account). They charged us $25 for each account and proceeded to send us a bill for the delinquency after 3 weeks of the accounts being closed. We never even received a statement to make a payment. I called the bank and I was informed that statements are a courtesy and they refused to reverse the charges. They said it was not a bank error but an error on behalf of the person who closed our accounts when we sent our request by mail. Last time I checked, bank employees would be responsible for bank errors... Not too mention they willl charge you &37 for an NSF fee and then if you do not deposit money into the account within 7 days they will charge you another 35 on top of that... THE WORST BANK EVER!!! BEWARE!! PUT YOUR MONEY SOME WHERE ELSE!! They only want to collect fees from you and will go to all lengths and random charges to collect it from you!
Additional reviews for First Niagara Bank
codergrrl reviewed First Niagara Bank
May 8th 2013
1 out of 5 marks
“Just Like the "BIG" Banks”
I decided to give First Niagara a chance to get my business after being a loyal customer to Citibank for 7 years and they didn't even last 6 months with me! The best thing about the bank was the ATM rebates but the customer service is awful and I was charged over $200 in NSF fees because they allowed a company keep resubmitting the same transaction over and over. At least Citibank would have given me a heads-up! Instead I had some jerk named Ryan call me up and tell me, "Do you know how many customers we have? We don't have time to monitor your transactions!". Well, Ryan now you have one less customer due to your nasty attitude. Nice way to enter a new market.
bmhxs1 reviewed First Niagara Bank
May 8th 2013
1 out of 5 marks
“Does anyone here care about their Customers?”
My account with HSBC (who I was very happy with) was bought out by First Niagara and it has been non-stop problems and fees ever since. I'd advise anyone not to do business with First Niagara, and if you are a member, consider switching... believe me the grass is greener.
ljcjic11 reviewed First Niagara Bank
May 5th 2013
1 out of 5 marks
“Leave feeling belittled”
My Dad and I were in the drive thru. The teller was not paying attenion and 5 $20 bills blew out of the box. Although she was outside looking for them. Another teller said very rudely to my elderly father "Don't you think you should be out there helping her?!" Had the teller not been trying to have a conversation inside the bank it could have been avoided. They found 2 of the bills and basically said tough luck.
Also, if I don't specify "This is a payroll check" they credit it like a personal check. Who can afford that??
They are very demeaning. Treat you like you are bothering them. And there's always some hoop to jump through or "new rule" you didn't even know existed.
I'm 33 and have been using that back since I was 15. I'm taking my money and heading somewhere else
Vmace55 reviewed First Niagara Bank
Apr 18th 2013
1 out of 5 marks
“This bank is the worse I have ever done business with. ”
They transferred money from my "credit card" (one I had never applied for or used) to my checking account and charged me huge interest. I was never overdrawn (in fact I had a very large balance with them), never needed any loan and never OKed the transfer. They would not return the interest charge and basically ignored by complaint. The manager was unbelievably rude. I closed my account and even that was a problem-- for no reason. Be forewarned.
elliejay reviewed First Niagara Bank
Apr 3rd 2013
4 out of 5 marks
“Very satisfied”
I am amazed to read all the unhappy reviews about this bank. My husband and I have nothing but positive experiences since they bought out NewAlliance Bank and took over our accounts.
Their rates are lower than some other banks, but I don't deposit cash in banks for big returns.
Customer service has been excellent in all my dealings with them. They have been pro-active in getting us to change our accounts for better rates and/or lower fees.
redoct10 reviewed First Niagara Bank
Mar 30th 2013
1 out of 5 marks
“Worst customer service ever!”
Over the past year, I have had the worst ever experience dealing with First Niagara, both over the telephone, on-line, and in-person at multiple locations in the Capital Region (Albany,NY area). Many horror stories, from being untruthful, unauthorized charging me fees without my knowledge on both personal and business accounts, to the latest today - not able to pay a bill (I previously was able to pay a bill without physical statement, just wrote account, bill info etc on check). I simply asked then if they needed the bill, to print one from Internet from their location. They said no. I could go on, however, after 1 year, it's time to move on and go with a bank that understands, listens, and actually serves the customer.
chefclean reviewed First Niagara Bank
Mar 2nd 2013
1 out of 5 marks
“Horrible Bank, Horrible customer service.”
You would think that a Direct Deposit would post to your account overnight, right? Nooo, not with First Niagara. They post their Direct Deposits at 9:30 IN THE MORNING!, SOMETIMES 10:00! Really? Wow. And of course, when you DO call customer service, the "wait" to speak wit one is 30 minutes.
Is ANYONE from First Niagara reading these reviews? ANYONE??
Mommaharper reviewed First Niagara Bank
Mar 1st 2013
1 out of 5 marks
“Horrible! Online? Where@!!!!!”
6 hours and still can't get online to do my banking! Called customer service 3 times and they can't fix it, they told me it was "ie9" so i rolled back to "ie8" and yet still i can get everywhere else but their site! Huge merge causes a damn mess, fix your site first then merge! Monopoly??? Bunch of bs is what i say!
Donald reviewed First Niagara Bank
Jan 23rd 2013
1 out of 5 marks
“The Worst Banking Experience Ever”
Stay away from this bank! Their technology is stuck in the 80s. You can get better customer service from a sewer rat. They have put a curse over the Buffalo Sabres.
Max2007 reviewed First Niagara Bank
Jan 8th 2013
2 out of 5 marks
“Time to go elsewhere”
I had $200.00 in Savings Account, just in case, and I received $0.01 interest per month. So I earned $0.12 for the year, and was now charged $4.00 maintenance fee.
Besides all the fees they charge,it's simple time to go elsewhere
The customer service representative at the North Wales Branch should also take a course in customer relations, she is unfriendly and totally unhelpful .