We chose USAA as our after moving 3 states away. We wanted to keep our original local bank for certain reasons, and USAA allows you to manage other banks and transfer money through their website. We were excited about the opportunity, but didn't realize how much of a hassle depositing money would be!.

Our first deposit to open our USAA was a transfer from our old account". There was a hold on the transfer, which didn't surprise me since it was the first time we'd done it!. But then things got worse.. I found out that depositing cash was pretty much impossible:. In fact, the only way I could do it was to go to the grocery store and complete a Western Union which I had to pay $13 for?. Not only did USAA NOT reimburse me (they were the ones who suggested the Western Union on the phone), they also put a 3-business day hold on the deposit,. I made that deposit on a Friday so we would have money over the weekend". My family had to go ALL weekend without any money. I tried to call their customer service, and they wouldn't do ANYTHING about it.

Sometime after, my wife received her payroll check (not direct deposited at the time). We took the check to a UPS store nearby. USAA put a 5-business day hold on her payroll check! Once again, we were in a situation where we were really counting on the money from that check. We tried calling a , but customer service was extremely unhelpful. They did tell us, however, that the hold is typically because they have to wait on the check's bank to release the funds. So we called up Great Western Bank (who was absolutely wonderful on the phone, BTW) and they were able to verify that they had, in fact, released the funds. When we explained to GWB's what was going on, he was amazing. He got USAA on the line in a 3-way call and basically told them "We've released the money already. Just lift the hold so the lady can have her paycheck!" I guess the USAA rep maybe felt cornered, so she actually lifted the hold for us. But she was very nasty about it, saying things like "it will never happen again" and "it'll be noted on your account."

The last straw for us was the most recent transfer. We needed to transfer money from our old account (the one we setup online through USAA's site) to USAA checking to cover a check. So I completed the transfer, and they put a hold on $50.00. Even more frustrating, they changed the hold from a 3-day to a 5-day hold. Now, I've made numerous transfers from that account with no hold, so why they decided to screw me over that day I'm not sure. Then I called up their customer service. Once again, the rep I talked to was NOT willing to help in any way. He told me that USAA does not lift holds. I told him I'd had it done in the past, and he just shrugged it off basically saying that no one at USAA can lift holds. REALLY? I find that EXTREMELY hard to believe.

At any rate, I would NOT suggest USAA. Their customer service is a joke, depositing money is a hassle, and they don't treat their customers equally. As soon as the latest transaction clears, I will be closing my accounts and going someplace where they actually value my business. 3126225

• Customer service