Mechanics Bank - Albany Branch

I like the convenience of proximity, availability of safe deposit boxes, and that the staff here are mostly nice, but that doesn't make up for the shortcomings that end up wasting a good deal of my time. My first encounter here was being blown off by a manager when I tried to open an account. She said there wasn't enough time and told me to come back the following week, and incorrectly stated I needed to provide an overabundance of documentation to open a business account. I called another branch and they expressed surprise and dismay at what I had been told. I ended up opening a personal account some months later when I learned that manager was no longer with the branch. I regret my choice. In addition to the terrible app and poor website, which are not the fault of this branch, I have also found the service at this branch lacking. 90% of the time I am in there, I see very few customers. Yet every time I've needed a service beyond a check deposit, they've stated it requires an appointment and/or asked me to try another branch due to their staffing shortage. Notary public services, savings bonds deposit, and setting up a business account were all beyond the scope of routine services for this branch. What prompted me to write this review, however, is after making an appointment to deposit some savings bonds, I was first called 10 minutes before the appointment and asked if I could come another day due to some issue they were having in the branch. I had a deadline to meet and could not wait, so they again asked me to try another branch. When I pointed out I'd already waited for the appointment and the bonds were in their possession, they managed to keep my appointment, albeit a bit later in the day. No problem, right? Wrong. After waiting in the lobby for 30+ mins while the deposit was made (I wanted a receipt, and am glad I got one), I went home and checked my account. The money showed as available, as it should when U.S. treasury bonds are deposited, as they are like cash. However, the next morning I checked my account and discovered there was NO record of the deposit at all. I called customer service, who could see the initial transaction and did not know where the deposit had gone. They contacted this branch, and discovered that the branch had made a mistake in the deposit. So the sizeable sum somehow was NOT deposited into my account. Nearly an hour on the phone with customer service, and calls with the branch, and the money reappeared. Having to spend an hour+ of my workday tracking down my money due to a bank mistake is unacceptable. I will be looking for another bank.

Customer Reviews

4.1

4 Reviews

Jessica Behrman2 months ago

From

Staff are helpful but all branches always seem understaffed. I rarely need to go into the bank, but whenever I do, even when there is only one other customer, why is there always such a long wait?

Maybe this is also true of other banks - I don’t know because I’ve been an MB customer for over 20 years. It’s definitely been a better experience than at Wells Fargo and Bank of America.

Ben Mosher9 months ago

My old branch when I used mechanics for business. The employees are helpful and friendly. Only 4 stars because other banks (pcu and paypal) said they wouldn't charge me at atm but it always did. Maybe they left the network later.

Tastie Cerealea year ago