The KeyBank Saga Part 1
I really loved banking with KeyBank.
They’ve really been making it difficult for me to continue loving it.
Twelve years ago, when I graduated college and decided to part ways with the bank that housed my accounts for the majority of my life, KeyBank was the bank I chose. My experience at the branch nearest to Siena College and closest to where I lived (851 New Loudon Rd) was great for the first five years or so.
I had multiple accounts with them, and at one point, I stopped into the bank to inquire about a promotion they were pushing really hard. They were giving away free GPS’s to new clients. These promotions always burn existing customers who cannot take advantage of them, but, at the time, there was a way my household could have taken advantage of the promotion. We were met with total ridicule when we visited the branch. The young man we spoke with basically told us we were already suckers and wouldn’t get anything from KeyBank, even by bringing them new accounts. We weren’t even trying to pull a fast one to get the free toy.
It was disgusting.
I vowed to stop visiting that branch, which was fairly simple since there’s a nicer branch close to work (2050 Western Ave). I’ve been exclusively been using this branch for the past six or so years.
In 2012, KeyBank ended a relationship with Continental Airlines. I had, for years, participated in a rewards program that gave miles per transaction (and because of the account that I had, there was no annual cost for the rewards). I accumulated a lot of “miles”, and KeyBank made good on them when they transferred over to a more general rewards program in which you can redeem points for gift cards and other tangible things.
There was a catch.
In order to redeem the rewards for gift cards, it costs $4 per transaction. So, the first time I redeemed my rewards, I had enough to get a $50 amazon.com gift card. It costed me $4 to do so. It took two weeks for the gift card to come in the mail. Just to be clear, in 2012, Amazon.com was giving digital gift cards instantly. So I had to pay $4 for the “convenience” of waiting two weeks for a gift card.
I voiced my gripe with the ridiculous fee and wait time to utilize the rewards program, and , after some back and forth with a representative at KeyBank corporate, they sent me a gift card to compensate for the difference and inconvenience of the whole transition of rewards program. I was made whole, but I always live by the “forgive but never forget” creedo.
For the past year, things have been fine with my accounts, but, with the impending expense of the wedding, I decided to visit my now home branch to make a few changes to my account.
…and the saga continues
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