Image: allybank image found search ally; google image
Today young adults and especially women who statistically are less financially educated and actively using financial options such as: savings options, the stock market, personal financing; the list goes on and on.This is my opinion and not based on any ongoing or existing problem or substantially notable tie to Ally Bank. I am not affiliated with the bank in any way. This is my account of my alleged experience that I feel all young adults especially women need to know in order to avoid any pitfalls on the way to developing a sound financial life plan and education in that arena.
Unless you feel the need to punish yourself, test your patience, or spend 10 extra hours a week talking to a customer service team with not a clue where they are or what they're doing sign up for an Ally account today! Usually, I don't review banks because most people have an overall genuine dislike for most of them. I have to say though this bank takes the cake. Especially as women we want to know not only what we're buying but who is holding on to our funds. When shit hits the fan we want to know someone will tell us how to rectify the situation or mishap with the bank. Here is what happened to me in the past two months with Ally Bank put into a review I left on their site that won't change anything. Hopefully this post will save someone from what I experienced.
What Do You Think Of ALLY banks and its services? Do they match up to ALLY's high ratings?
Because of a zero draft ping-you cannot shop at large retailers such as Amazon.com and ANY WHERE else. What's odd about this is about every fifth time you attempt to make a purchase it goes through. The zero draft pings is
Not at all. You can't buy products from even Amazon.com because you guys have a zero ping policy. You don't recognize drafts from accounts that are purchased from retailers who want to ensure an account exists by running the account for zero first. The problem is that every retailer does that online. You're not protecting anyone by not coincided with structure of protection huge retailers use. Also, I was told that this was the reason I was having trouble ordering from some huge retailers: Amazon.com, Ebay, and many others. BUT if that were true why make every third or fourth attempt I make to purchase something from lets say amazon.com, goes through? Does Ally pick and choose when and what time they feel like unfreezing their ping system?
Ally bank is supposed to be an online bank, but without easy online purchases? I was also confused how "sometimes" you can purchase items the so called ping issue enabled and sometimes you cannot. I have been told this by customer service who said there was nothing I could do except CALL AMAZON CUSTOMER SERVICE AND ASK THEM TO PING MY ACCOUNT! I asked customer service if they're, "Ally Perks," retailers enforced the zero draft issue without a ping. This would have been something that Ally Bank should have fixed before claiming themselves as a bank of convenience due to being an ONLINE BANK!
LOGGING IN: Roll the dice. The more money in your account holder to log in? Wow.
They also will sometimes say that you entered the password wrong when you did not. Then they (without contact) freeze your account and you have to reset a password (I always use my original) and this has happened three times in the last three and a half months. Before this it had never happened and I find it curious that as soon as I deposit a larger sum of money it happens. Oh by the way three days later my account was frozen again (and without contact) I had to call customer service and verify some odd purchases (subway, blockbuster, and bras from Fredrick's of Hollywood.com) I went to their automated system to do this after contacting customer service who first wanted to know if I was speaking on behalf of my account? I said, "Well this isn't Donald Duck calling, didn't you already verify my information at the beginning of this call?" She told me hold.
Also, a few months ago my account was negative twenty dollars without my knowledge because I didn't use it that often at the time. Instead of sending me an alert, email, letter, or phone call they canceled my debit cards (both of them) and I had to order two new ones with new numbers and pin numbers. One of those cards were deemed not activated after they had already been activated and allowed purchases and ATM withdrawals from.
Whether I am going to the ATM, store, getting gas, purchasing online, transferring money from my ally account to another account, I know there is about a 20% chance (and I am being generous) that the transaction will be successful. There is a ninety percent chance even if it does go through I will not see that in my bank account online as a statement for a month.
The only reason I was still with them during this was a lump sum of money already set up to be transferred to them by electronic transfer and (it was too late to change) God only knows what fiascoes and many conversations I will have with the interns of life working customer service. One out ten customer service members online and by phone are helpful and usually their help ended up being a lie and false hope.
If you don't go to school or have a job and really want to go through the bank version of "fear factor," and/or get some aggression out this is the bank for you.
Three Months Later....
Canceled my account and back to normal bank problems, a few here and there and happy as a clam. You never truly dislike or hate a bank until you run with open arms to the one you left before it.
The logo at the top is featured and owned by Ally.com. This post is my opinion and I am not affiliated or connected with Ally.com or Ally bank itself-Thank God.
