Oakstarbank

Do not bank here.

They have appalling and terrible customer service.

I was a Member of OakStar Bank for 5 years.

During that time, I had requested assistance with a dispute on 2 transactions.

The first transaction, I was credited without hassle.

For the second transaction, I was mis-charged by a merchant for a very small amount.

The merchant refused to offer a credit for the mis-charge.

I went to the bank and inquired if there was anything they could do.

The bank associate refused to assist me and acted like they had personally bent over backwards in the past to help me.

I understand the bank is not responsible for chargebacks. But I had gotten help previously through this same institution on a similar issue long ago, and they made sure to credit me.

Now, they refused and had a tone of resentment as if I shouldn't have even been asking.

I held an account with them for more than five years, and in that time, had only requested credit 2 times.

For the money they are making on their overdraft fees, they could afford to credit me a measly few cents (it was literally less than a dollar) rather than acting like I was asking them to sign over their vault.

*Update -- in response to the above review first posted on Google, OakStar sent me a certified letter saying they were closing my account. This is how they chose to resolve the issue. By terminating me as a customer.

They appear to feel entitled and that they are a cut above their customers.

I tried to come into the bank to speak with the Bank Manager and was told by her and another associate that I am "always negative". This is not true. I barely interact with this institution.

I made a simple inquiry about a transaction and then requested to speak to the Regional Manager. This apparently upset the Bank Manger. She told me point blank I should not have went around her to the Regional Manager and that they can never please me. I was also told they had a file on me about "many complaints" from their employees (this can't be true). They said the relationship went both ways and that I was not a good customer.

I vehemently disagreed saying I had done my job well as a customer by keeping them supplied with cash.

I submitted this review days ago and then a day later, got the letter in the mail that they were closing my accounts.

I asked to appeal to the CEO, and the Bank Manager promised I would never be able to speak to him.

So, they "group thought" me out of their bank because I wrote them 1 negative review based on trying to dispute a single transaction.

I had every right to dispute this transaction and at the very least, inquire about it. I had every right to bring up the concern.

They do not tolerate anyone who has a differing opinion that they do.

And they do not view their position as trying to offer customer service, but whether they have "employee satisfaction" with you as the customer.

I cannot actually believe I am writing this review. This is surreal.

Save yourself the trouble and heartache and bewilderment of this absolutely deplorable and mind numbingly atrocious customer service and bank.

Do yourself a favor. A major favor. Do not bank with this institution. Unless you are their personal family (you'd obviously be safe because of nepotism) or are their super best friends, they'll eventually ostracize you just as they did to me.

No, of course they won't do this to every single customer. They wouldn't have any business if they did that. But if you have a minor personality conflict with them and don't super suck up to their sensibilities and make them feel warm and cozy inside, you'll be in danger of being past the point of no return where they officially kick you out of their little clubhouse.

I never once came in and yelled at anyone. I never once came in and cussed at anyone. I never once came in and was mean to anyone.

I merely voiced extremely infrequent concerns about a literal couple transactions, and was removed from their bank.

They do not work to resolve problems. They use any grievances you bring as motivation and impetus to remove you as a customer.

I never would have brought my money to this institution if I had known this would be the treatment I had to endure.

The decision where we decide to bank is very important and customers should be able to bring up issues from time to time without fearing retaliation and reprisal.

I didn't even think the bank had seen the review yet, but the Bank Manager said she got it immediately.

She said I was so "articulate" with my dissatisfaction of them. I told her I was simply frustrated with the one situation on that one day and would happily remove the review.

She said it didn't matter. She was trying to hold in her contempt for me during our discussion at the bank, but every now and again would get suddenly aggressive, acting like I was trying to trap her into saying something she "wasn't going to say".

I told her I wasn't trying to get her to say anything, I was just trying to figure out how this went to such an extreme.

I requested to speak to the Regional Manager. At first I was told she would call me, but then she messaged the Bank Manager and deferred the conversation to Monday (she didn't want to talk to me).

I was essentially retaliated against for leaving one negative review (a review I even offered to rescind because I acknowledged it was written hastily and before they had ultimately resolved the issue). The manager said they did not want the review removed (even though it was overly obvious they were livid about it and mentioned it several times and only took drastic measures to close my account after I wrote it).

Along with fabricating supposed "documentation" they had on me that demonstrated me as a difficult customer?

Yeah... suddenly you have documentation on me that you divulge you have right after I leave a not so positive review about your negative treatment towards me. How... utterly... convenient. That doesn't seem like retaliation at all...

The Manager said there was nothing I could say that would make them reinstate my account. Wow...

OakStar Bank... sometimes you will have customers who are upset. Sometimes you will have customers that make inquires. Or dare I say, multiple inquires. Sometimes you will have customers that lodge complaints against employees who they feel did not attend to their needs. This does not mean you need to find a way to get rid of them. This does not mean you need to find a way to retaliate against them. Especially if it is a customer who kept you well funded with cash and only lodged extremely infrequent complaints over a 5 year period. There is nothing wrong with this. You should do what you can to assist them. Not just divorce yourself from them because they're supposedly "always negative".

Just because a customer doesn't share your viewpoint, doesn't mean you have to take it personally or close their accounts. You can sometimes agree to disagree and respectfully answer their questions or concerns without secretly trying to subversively destroy them.

There is almost a bank on every corner. Find one that doesn't even remotely treat you like this and actually appreciates you as a customer.

OakStar Bank acts like they're doing you a favor for letting you bank with them. Rather than acting like it's a pleasure to serve you as the customer. It isn't about your satisfaction as a customer. It's about their satisfaction as an employee and if they've determined you're friends with them.

This review is not a joke (I wish it was). It actually happened to me. Don't let it potentially happen to you too.

The overall sentiment I gleaned from the bank was, that if you have or express any negative opinion about them that isn't lock and step with their own views and in alignment with the key decision makers of the institution... your accounts will be immediately shut down. There is a saying about this... how does it go..."don't speak truth to power". So... very... true.

Addendum:

Thank you for retaliating against me (the person for who this is intended will know EXACTLY what I'm talking about).

I now bank at an institution that has more (and better/convenient) locations, enhanced transaction speed and transparency and significantly higher Kasasa rates.

I somehow had tunnel vision and for some reason didn't want to change banks. But I'm actually very glad you were vindictive people who wanted to excommunicate me.

A cursory glance at researching banks in the area pulled up at least 72 other banks, along with 15 credit unions. A plethora of different options.

I didn't like your treatment of me at the time. I do understand why you retaliated against me along with fabricating "supposed documentation" that alleged me as a difficult customer.

My Google Review of my experience with you sparked your immediate retaliation and desire to "create" and "craft" an alleged "paper trail" on me to justify closing my accounts.

These actions and those like it are actually heavily documented in the book "Corporate Confidential". Although, the tactics you employed are usually instituted against current or former employees and almost NEVER towards paying (or in my case "investing") customers.

But, it 100% benefited me. I now have a better bank and you have a BBB review that will not be removed for 3 years (and will influence others not to do business with you).

Hopefully your retaliatory practices were worth it to you. I'm guessing you'll rationalize that they were, since you went to such drastic lengths to close my accounts rather than simply addressing and resolving my issues. I received an email from your Regional Manager saying they resolved my issues and to contact her with any further concerns. Then, a few days later, got a certified letter saying you were closing my accounts.

I... wonder... why? What exactly were you trying to hide or trying to subvert? Why would you not allow an investing customer who heavily and adequately funded you, to express their opinions over a "throw away" review that he even offered to remove? Why would you try to suppress my opinions?

I process things best after I write them down. There is nothing wrong with this. This is absolutely and utterly... harmless. This is simply how my brain works. You cannot control peoples thoughts, nor should you try. And, trying to censor someone and then punish someone who merely expressed those thoughts on an open forum, should never be accepted or tolerated.

Would you want to be punished because you wrote down some non-threatening words on a website, only to have a company immediately scold and try to hurt you? I'm guessing that answer is a resounding... NO.

So why do it to someone else?

What exactly were you thinking or trying to do? Destroy a customer for having an opinion that wasn't the same as your own? That is censorship.

Individuals should always be free to do business and express their opinions (negative or positive) without fear of retribution or reprisal. You obviously don't think so. But, if the shoe was on the other foot, I'm going to go WAY out on a limb here and say... you wouldn't want the same negative treatment towards yourselves just because you expressed an opinion with words on an open forum.