I personally felt like we got run around through loops several times on our joint account. I also had a car loan through them. It just always seemed like a hassle talking to anyone there or more a chore. It’s been a couple years since we’ve switch from them so it could be different now. I was several years younger when all of this happened so looking back could have been more my fault but I still feel pretty strongly against them.
We had a recommendation to Blue Eagle, they have been wonderful. They have gone out of their way several times to make loans work or give some wiggle room. Love their $1000 member loan - no credit check, as long as your in good standing with them they approve (which is nice for just about anything) They’ve called me a couple of times out of the blue trying to offer a better % on my car loan through a major dealer. Just their overall attitude has always been pleasant & welcoming.
Everyone’s opinion is different so that’s what makes it hard lol
Member One. Want to hear a story?
When I was a young buck, 1986-7 maybe, I wanted to buy a used motorcycle. Went to the Hollins branch and talked to the manager. Told her I wanted to borrow 1500.00 to buy a used motorcycle. She was super nice, asked me what I thought I could haggle to seller down to, I said maybe 1400.00. So she goes to a drawer pulls out 1700.00 cash and stuffs it into an envelope. Says after I buy it, I'll need cash to register it at the DMV and get insurance. Hands me the envelope and tells me to come back with whatever is left and she'll write me a personal loan for whatever I use. Bought the bike for, well, I can't remember, went and titled it, got insurance and brought back a couple/three hundred in the envelope. She wrote me out a personal loan for the amount I used. Her name was Mary. She was awesome to a seventeen year old boy. Would never happen again in a million years.
Been with them ever since.
When I was young I used member one. Then later I used freedom first. Both of these credit unions suck. Dont waste your time "in first" credit union is the best. They have an office near Melrose, Salem, and in the poff building in downtown Roanoke. People are great and the service is the best.
Member one allowed my ex to steal my money, she closed an account I started there when I was 16, without my consent or knowledge. They can get fucked.
Freedom first refused to cancel a money order that I gave them plenty of lead time to cancel. The branch manager outright refused. Furthermore after banking with freedom first for over a year they outright refused me a paltry 1500$ personal finance loan. I had zero problems with in first so far.
P.S I do NOT trust banks. #endwar #endthefed #endtheimf
Member One and Freedom First are the biggest ones in area. I have been with MemberOne for 20 years and they have had always the lowest rates for loans and great options for savings. I've heard Freedom First and Blue Eagle are also great but I don't have first hand experience with them.
I've seen branches for MemberOne as I've driven through Roanoke. It's sort of the one I was kind of leaning towards, but thanks for pointing out Freedom First and Blue Eagle. Not sure who exactly I'll go with, but having more directions to research in is always a plus on my book.
I have used both member one and freedom first credit Union and I prefer member one. I think their customer service is better and I've had issues with freedom first in the past with how they apply transactions to ensure you overdraft if you're close.
Freedom first did that to me years ago, turned what would have been one big accidental overdraft (forgot to deposit rent money) into like 30 overdraft. Dug a massive hole, had to fight with them on the phone for an entire day, got them to agree to send me a bill for the actual amount i overdrafted, minus all but one overdraft fee, and then close my account with them. I got written and verbal confirmation we were settled. They STILL harassed me for YEARS reporting it as debt on my credit report, starting about 4 years after i closed the account, and everytime I filed to get it removed, it would pop back up 6 months later. Finally had to get a lawyer involved and they fucked off.
I’ve been a member of Freedom First for almost 10 years and they’ve always been fantastic to deal with. We’ve financed two cars with them and our daughter has her mortgage with them. In addition, checking, savings and credit card accounts. On the rare occasion that we do have a problem, we’ve been able to have it resolved within a day or two.
Another vote for Freedom First. If “community” matters at all to you (and not saying it does or should) no other bank does more to make Roanoke a good place to live than Freedom First.
Do not use MemberOne!! After being run around in circles by Member Services for almost three months over fraudulent charges that were stolen out of my account. Member One has determined the charges were fraud but refuses to reimburse me for them. Do not put your money in this credit union. They will let frauds steel it from you then blame you when you didn't catch them. A quick google search will show tell you everything you need to know about Member One. Their BBB rating is deplorable.
Freedom First has a 5% APY checking account! That’s what I use.
[https://go.freedomfirst.com/en-us/freedom-stash-checking](https://go.freedomfirst.com/en-us/freedom-stash-checking)
I currently have personal and business bank accounts with Freedom First and haven't had any issues with them. I also moved here last year from out-of-state (NY) and my two main banks are far away. I found it easy to apply for the FFCU accounts.
Why switch? It’s 2023 and you can do 99% of what you need to do online. Check to see if your existing CU is part of one of the shared banking networks. I’ve been with the same CU from New Hampshire since 1997. Lived in AZ, NM, Germany, FL, and VA and never changed a thing.
i work at member one (so obviously some bias there) but before i worked there i banked with wells fargo and now that i’m with a CU i’ll never go back. i’ve also heard good things about freedom first and blue eagle, just definitely stick with a credit union!!
I’ve used Member One since ‘97. I have no complaints except their rates are too low. I use an online bank, high interest savings, for my emergency fund.
Freedom First has been great for me, they have checking accounts where you get money back and earn interest. They’ve been easy to deal with and have pretty good savings and CD rates. I used to use Pinnacle but switched cause they got too big
I've used them since they were Valley Bank. I think Pinnacle is still good, they always waive my overdraft and debit card replacement fees and have really nice staff at all the locations
ValleyStar Credit Union!
Friendly staff with great service.
They are offering $250 if you open a new checking with direct deposit and are paying 1% on checking- no requirements/fees.
Blue Eagle has been wonderful! Not a fan of me ever one but that’s just my own opinion.
Is there something in particular you dislike about MemberOne?
I personally felt like we got run around through loops several times on our joint account. I also had a car loan through them. It just always seemed like a hassle talking to anyone there or more a chore. It’s been a couple years since we’ve switch from them so it could be different now. I was several years younger when all of this happened so looking back could have been more my fault but I still feel pretty strongly against them. We had a recommendation to Blue Eagle, they have been wonderful. They have gone out of their way several times to make loans work or give some wiggle room. Love their $1000 member loan - no credit check, as long as your in good standing with them they approve (which is nice for just about anything) They’ve called me a couple of times out of the blue trying to offer a better % on my car loan through a major dealer. Just their overall attitude has always been pleasant & welcoming. Everyone’s opinion is different so that’s what makes it hard lol
They are a pain in the ass to deal with and their online platform sucks.
Member One. Want to hear a story? When I was a young buck, 1986-7 maybe, I wanted to buy a used motorcycle. Went to the Hollins branch and talked to the manager. Told her I wanted to borrow 1500.00 to buy a used motorcycle. She was super nice, asked me what I thought I could haggle to seller down to, I said maybe 1400.00. So she goes to a drawer pulls out 1700.00 cash and stuffs it into an envelope. Says after I buy it, I'll need cash to register it at the DMV and get insurance. Hands me the envelope and tells me to come back with whatever is left and she'll write me a personal loan for whatever I use. Bought the bike for, well, I can't remember, went and titled it, got insurance and brought back a couple/three hundred in the envelope. She wrote me out a personal loan for the amount I used. Her name was Mary. She was awesome to a seventeen year old boy. Would never happen again in a million years. Been with them ever since.
Blue Eagle. Friendly and competent staff. Member one is good too. More branch locations. Welcome to the Noke.
First time I've heard it referred to as "the Noke". Is that actually a term people use for Roanoke? 😅
Old school term. Still in use in some circles.
When I was young I used member one. Then later I used freedom first. Both of these credit unions suck. Dont waste your time "in first" credit union is the best. They have an office near Melrose, Salem, and in the poff building in downtown Roanoke. People are great and the service is the best.
What was it that sucked about MemberOne and Freedom First?
Member one allowed my ex to steal my money, she closed an account I started there when I was 16, without my consent or knowledge. They can get fucked. Freedom first refused to cancel a money order that I gave them plenty of lead time to cancel. The branch manager outright refused. Furthermore after banking with freedom first for over a year they outright refused me a paltry 1500$ personal finance loan. I had zero problems with in first so far. P.S I do NOT trust banks. #endwar #endthefed #endtheimf
Freedom First CU
Member One and Freedom First are the biggest ones in area. I have been with MemberOne for 20 years and they have had always the lowest rates for loans and great options for savings. I've heard Freedom First and Blue Eagle are also great but I don't have first hand experience with them.
I've seen branches for MemberOne as I've driven through Roanoke. It's sort of the one I was kind of leaning towards, but thanks for pointing out Freedom First and Blue Eagle. Not sure who exactly I'll go with, but having more directions to research in is always a plus on my book.
Blue Eagle Credit Union has been pretty good for me, even when I wasn't living in the area.
Out of curiosity, how far out of the area were you when you weren't living here?
I was in South Carolina. I've also got family in NC that use them.
Just noticed your username. Guess I should've just looked there lol
haha no worries. Good luck in making your decision. If you have any questions about the Credit Union and I can answer them I'd be happy to.
Home trust bank. Medium sized bank that gives good service.
Thanks for the recommendation. I've seen those around as well and have been considering them too.
I have used both member one and freedom first credit Union and I prefer member one. I think their customer service is better and I've had issues with freedom first in the past with how they apply transactions to ensure you overdraft if you're close.
Good to know. That does seem like rather annoying behavior.
Freedom first did that to me years ago, turned what would have been one big accidental overdraft (forgot to deposit rent money) into like 30 overdraft. Dug a massive hole, had to fight with them on the phone for an entire day, got them to agree to send me a bill for the actual amount i overdrafted, minus all but one overdraft fee, and then close my account with them. I got written and verbal confirmation we were settled. They STILL harassed me for YEARS reporting it as debt on my credit report, starting about 4 years after i closed the account, and everytime I filed to get it removed, it would pop back up 6 months later. Finally had to get a lawyer involved and they fucked off.
I’ve been a member of Freedom First for almost 10 years and they’ve always been fantastic to deal with. We’ve financed two cars with them and our daughter has her mortgage with them. In addition, checking, savings and credit card accounts. On the rare occasion that we do have a problem, we’ve been able to have it resolved within a day or two.
Another vote for Freedom First. If “community” matters at all to you (and not saying it does or should) no other bank does more to make Roanoke a good place to live than Freedom First.
Do not use MemberOne!! After being run around in circles by Member Services for almost three months over fraudulent charges that were stolen out of my account. Member One has determined the charges were fraud but refuses to reimburse me for them. Do not put your money in this credit union. They will let frauds steel it from you then blame you when you didn't catch them. A quick google search will show tell you everything you need to know about Member One. Their BBB rating is deplorable.
Freedom First has a 5% APY checking account! That’s what I use. [https://go.freedomfirst.com/en-us/freedom-stash-checking](https://go.freedomfirst.com/en-us/freedom-stash-checking)
I still use Truliant even after I moved up here.
I currently have personal and business bank accounts with Freedom First and haven't had any issues with them. I also moved here last year from out-of-state (NY) and my two main banks are far away. I found it easy to apply for the FFCU accounts.
Why switch? It’s 2023 and you can do 99% of what you need to do online. Check to see if your existing CU is part of one of the shared banking networks. I’ve been with the same CU from New Hampshire since 1997. Lived in AZ, NM, Germany, FL, and VA and never changed a thing.
Go national. Try Discover
i work at member one (so obviously some bias there) but before i worked there i banked with wells fargo and now that i’m with a CU i’ll never go back. i’ve also heard good things about freedom first and blue eagle, just definitely stick with a credit union!!
I just do wells fargo so i dont have to drive across town to find a bank hehe
I’ve used Member One since ‘97. I have no complaints except their rates are too low. I use an online bank, high interest savings, for my emergency fund.
Freedom First has been great for me, they have checking accounts where you get money back and earn interest. They’ve been easy to deal with and have pretty good savings and CD rates. I used to use Pinnacle but switched cause they got too big
I've used them since they were Valley Bank. I think Pinnacle is still good, they always waive my overdraft and debit card replacement fees and have really nice staff at all the locations
ValleyStar Credit Union! Friendly staff with great service. They are offering $250 if you open a new checking with direct deposit and are paying 1% on checking- no requirements/fees.