Altra Federal Credit Union, Winona, MN

Two years ago, I wrote a 2-star review of the Winona Altra Credit Union. I have now updated to 5 stars. It appears that changes have occurred. The drive-thru banking tellers in the past year have become far more competent and welcoming, and I now feel comfortable going through that process. However, there is a hidden jewel of the Winona Altra Credit Union: Wanda, the teller inside the bank :) Keep up the good progress, Winona Altra Credit Union! ----------------- I wish I could rate Altra at a 2.5. They would earn a 5, except that the customer service there is inconsistent. When there are certain employees there, the customer service is excellent. When those employees are not there, the service is terrible. All in all, the Winona Altra has some excellent qualities: there are a few excellent employees who are ambassadors for Altra. However, there are several who are not. Altra has a high interest rate on checking, and that is a real plus. I have started driving to La Crosse to an Altra if I want to count on getting excellent service.

Been with this bank for over 5 years. Not only do is the online banking their worst system ever. Will display incorrect available balance. They'll let you go negative 5+$ and them they ding you with a fee, then another time they won't let it go past 1 penny into negative. My card has been locked on a Friday after 5 or a Saturday morning at 650am and no way to get back into it. Instead they send 10 emails reminding you that your card is locked. They take absolutely no and mean no responsibility for their actions or mess ups. It is never their fault. Definitely take your business to a different bank. Terrible customer service

Kat went above and beyond with our vehicle loan for our son, she is simply amazing!!!!!!!!!

I have had nothing but an amazing experience with this bank! Not only are they extremely friendly and helpful when I have questions or concerns, they are also great about protecting my account from fraudulent activities! When I did have my account tampered with, they caught it immediately and didn’t hesitate to reverse all money transactions without any hassles or delays. Definitely recommend Altra Federal Credit Union to anyone who is looking for a place to bank!

Good bank. But I'm not going to bank with these people anymore. Transactions are being taken out of my account when I have no money in it. I transfer money into the account for charges that shouldn't be on there BEFORE my account gets hit with a overdraft fee. But I still get the fee! And because they wont fix it I'm gonna have 2 checks bounce with 2 more overdraft fees

Went to Altra to cash my check. I pressed the called button. A lady pick up and told me to wait cause there is only two people working. So I said yes I'll wait. Waited for almost 10 minutes, I pressed the buttom to called again. Same lady picked up and said oops sorry and hangup on me. So I called again and finally someone help me. I told them I waited for so long. They said why didn't I send the tube up I was like the first lady told me to wait so that's why I waited. I have kids in the car too. Crying cause they want to get out.

Final straw for me, when one manager noted on a phone call: “You’re not a customer, you’re just a number!” Brutal honesty, I guess it’s refreshing to hear? Before that, I noted a list of problems: ATM often broken at Winona site, when I’ve informed the older lady at the desk with service issues- she shrugs, retorts “Yeah, we know” or “Yeah, so?- dismissive and lazy, not a good look. Suggested they put a traffic cone or other block in ATM lane to signal it’s out-of-order, more shrugs. Their staff and manager just seem to sit around and gab, irritated if you bother them, want you using impersonal teller phone system- unless it’s a loan, new acct application Altra no longer allows cash deposits through the shared branch CO-OP Network. Customer service claimed it never, but has option on app filtering for “Deposit-taking ATMs”. When I’m traveling and doing business in other cities, I like the after-hours cash/check deposit option; found many CUs on the network to deposit cash, would show up instantly back in my Altra acct! Was amazingly convenient! until mid-April 2023, it was there, now it’s gone, but the app isn’t updated. Now, it’s a huge benefit to me and Altra to have more $ in my acct ASAP- why would you eliminate this convenient option that many other CUs retain on their shared networks? You can’t have a branch everywhere, but you can expand your reach, whole point of CO-OP network! Customer service and chat only available at limited banking hours? and you’re talking to a chatbot with canned responses. Not how modern credit unions should operate- they severely de-emphasized personal customer service- look at drive thru system and internal teller system- very slow, only on camera, lucky to get someone to answer the teller “window” within 5 minutes! All because they don’t invest in having sufficient staff At one time, this CU seemed to click and it’s services were pretty amazing for a small regional CU. It made sense to have accts there. Now? Far less personable, tech isn’t working, too much need for chatbot/call center, rude, overworked or lazy branch staff. Oh and that final kicker of personal insult from that manager- “You’re not a customer, you’re just a number” I think that says it all, find better banking options, even the small-time accounts deserve a good home…

Been with this bank for over 5 years. Not only do is the online banking their worst system ever. Will display incorrect available balance. They'll let you go negative 5+$ and them they ding you with a fee, then another time they won't let it go past 1 penny into negative. My card has been locked on a Friday after 5 or a Saturday morning at 650am and no way to get back into it. Instead they send 10 emails reminding you that your card is locked. They take absolutely no and mean no responsibility for their actions or mess ups. It is never their fault. Definitely take your business to a different bank. Terrible customer service