Rose Johnston, Valley Strong Credit Union, Financial Solutions Officer was GREAT. She knew what to do with my new application. Knew how to do everything that was needed. She had me completely finished in less than a half an hour. She was not only professional, but also funny and kind. She explained all aspects of the new account and helped me chose what I needed. I highly recommend Valley Strong Credit Union and if you go there, ask for Rose. The service there was quick and professional. I did not take photos of the bank. read more

I have been banking with Valley strong since it was Kern schools. I had a teen checking account when I first started wiorking and I never had issues until a couple months ago. Valley strong consitinly declines my transactions outside of Kern county even if I said I would be traveling which is first of all embaressing and second inconvient. My biggest issue is the false advertisement on getting paid 2 days early. My husband is in the military and his check is aleasy shown as pending at least 4-5 days in advance to the actual pay day. The earilest Valley strong ever releases the checks is a day prior. We have called and asked why this always happens and they always say, "sorry, but the funds aren't available". I moved my check over to navy federal and I really was paid 2 days prior. The pay day is on the 15th of this month and when I spoke to Navy federal that said that if we banked with them the funds would release the 12th. We spoke to Valley strong this morning and they said it will be in the day of the pay day the 15th. That right there is false advertisement. read more

They sell you on convenience, customer service, and support... but once they stalk you on social media, they'll close out your account without any warning. The only explanation is: they don't like what you do for a living. If a persons social credit score is on the line, then there's should be too. Shameful. read more

Long lines, and numb, very slow tellers every visit, every branch. And the icing on top? They don't care. Vally Strong's customer service has gone bad. It's a sad travesty. read more

I had an issue with the branch regarding a deposit. After some phone tag and a while on the phone, the $76.33 deposit check was agreed to be accepted. I will go to branch and deposit it and live happily ever after! It seems VSCU is willing to have strong service and work with the annoying details that plague us all these days. Good person to person reasoning and go a long way in the customer service. Thank you Chei Greg Chick, The customer formerly known as annoyed. read more

Horrible service. Their various departments don't talk to one another: customer service, mortgage, banking. The supervisor, Jim, was a jerk. Not even apologetic for the inconvenience and mess they've made. We sold our home in December and we found out they mailed our 1098 to our old, old adresss...not even the mortaged address. How would they not have our home address if they were mortgaging it? Now I'm asking for the form to be emailed or electronically sent to me, or be made available in our existing checking account and they can't do this. We're even willing to pick up the form. Because we paid off the home loan, the online mortgage account is no longer available. They're online services and technology are limited, and very inconvenient to make payments to your mortgage. You cannot pay or transfer money over a specific limit, and they're not capable of making statements available online. On top of that, you can't even view your account # online...they black out certain numbers, so you have to make sure you keep your account # somewhere accessible or wait for an actual letter to be mailed to you. Customer service is horrible. I spoke to different reps from the banking department, mortgage loan, and customer service, and I got bounced around. They all provided me the same phone number to call, saying the other department would be able to help me. So when I finally spoke to the supervisor, he was no help at all. Cold and unapologetic about the experience...he couldn't care less. I wouldn't recommend banking or having a loan with them. read more

They have the worst customer service. The lines could be 15 people long and they only have three tellers..They need to the value of their customers this has been going on for years and is really sad read more

Valley Strong is not the same as it used to be which is probably due to the fact that they are trying to grow. Credit Unions are member owned they're there to help their members access credit that they may not be able to get through a traditional Bank, we have several accounts with them and have our auto loan with them, never missed a payment low balance we currently owe about $3,000 they say car is worth $10,000, the last year we've had some bad luck death in the family a loss of income our credit suffered a bit as a result, life happens but we've never let this payment go late we reached out to them to do a refinance to try to pull out a little more equity to help get caught up on things and we were denied, which I expected, people join credit Unions because it's easier to gain access to credit they did not even take in consideration that we've never been late that we do direct deposit they just simply said no. I guess I should clarify it was some employee sitting in a back room making the decisions that's not how credit Unions work you're supposed to have a panel that looks at all request for loans and make a decision by looking at the total history and the ability to pay it back, but as I said they operate like a normal Bank where you have one guy who makes the decisions Valley strong isn't really a member-owned credit Union because they are trying to expand and grow they are now operating like a traditional Bank. I'll be looking elsewhere for the help I need and closing all my accounts. read more

both ATM's are down at oswell again!!!! This is a thing all the time. I think Valley Strong is overextended by continuing to open more banks but not taking care of their customers they have now. read more

I have always liked the bank but I also don't ever need anything from them. but, trying to open an account has been an experience. first visit they said I needed something. ok got it! before the next visit I called to make sure I had everything. I went during my lunch to get it done and then was told I was given the wrong information. thus I just wasted my time. that is unacceptable. What about people that don't have access to transportation and they can't get their business done because it's like now you need this, sorry you weren't told that before. thank you! read more

This bank should be audited! I will be looking up who to contact to have this bank looked in to. Saturday 11/5/24 We deposited a check in a drive up atm and it ate the check. Monday 11/7 they gave us provisional credit until they recovered the check. Apparently, valley strong doesn't control their own ATM's..a third party does. On 12/27 we receive a letter that the check was never found and they are taking back the provisional credit they gave us. We go in and ask them how they lose a check in an ATM and all they can say is ‍ 12/28 we deposit a replacement check from employer 12/30 they deposit the money from the lost check!! They never bothered to contact us first! By the time we realize it the bank is closed for the holidays. 1/2/25 we go in and dispute this. They say $ will be removed that day. 1/4/25 the $ is still there so we go to the bank again! Money is removed on 1/6/25 2/7/25 the money is AGAIN REDEPOSITED!! Seriously?!? 2/8/25 we go back to the bank and they can't tell us why. Their notes and record keeping are so bad they have no idea what's going on. How is this possible? 2/10/25 we get a call saying the check cleared and there's nothing they can do. So now it looks like we double dipped with our employer. We go in on 2/19 to get a letter for our employer to explain what happened (every branch manager told us they would do this) only to be given a generic letter that was false. Here is the kicker!!! They then proceed to tell us they found the check on 12/9/24but waited to deposit it in 12/30/24!!! Why!?! Why didn't they see this in their notes every time we came in to find out what was going on? They sent a letter dated 12/19/24 (10 days after the check was found) to tell us our lost check claim was unfounded and they never found the check? Managers response was it was an error on their part. Unacceptable for a financial institution to be so careless in their documentation, handling of finances and communication with their patrons. This small town bank is now just big corporate greed. The amount of hacking and security issues they have had for years seems to possibly be an internal issue since they have 3rd party people controlling deposits, withdrawals and processing. read more

I gave 1 star because I cant give ZERO! I've banked with them for 30 years back when they were Kern Schools, now Valley Strong. Horrible service, cards constantly declined, they hold checks and dont deposit them if there's pending charges. Once the pending charges go through they process the check days after it hit the account direct deposit. Charge you overdraft fees for this scam. They are constantly getting hacked. Their security is a joke. If you want you accounts hacked, checks held, charged bogus fees, cards declined and compromised, then this is the bank for you. If not use another bank. Seriously any other bank would be an improvement. The last time they were hacked was July, its now October im still dealing with issues caused by them and their poor security. Between bank errors/ issues and lost time from work attempting to correct this it has cost me over $4,000. Thats an average of $1,000 a month since July. This bank SUCKS!!!! read more

I've always been taken care of in regards to obtaining many small secured loans on an as needed basis ($5k or less using my vehicle as collateral). I've never asked for an unsecured loan. My credit is good, 650+ but never asked. I am very disappointed in trying to use Zelle through their mobile app, it's absolutely non-existent. However, I was able to use Zelle through their website instead. I called customer service a month ago regarding this issue, on a Thursday afternoon, and was assured someone would get back to me to try to resolve the problem of not being able to SEND Zelle through the mobile app, and it's been over a month now, with no return call from them. I just tried sending Zelle through the website app instead and wallah, no problem! Why Valley Strong makes you use THEIR APP to utilize Zelle is beyond me, because it DOESN'T WORK if I try SENDING to ANYONE! I can receive money but cannot SEND money through the MOBILE APP. So STUPID!! Why couldn't they allow me to just use ZELLE's APP like anyone normally does?? read more

Valley Strong Credit Union - Can't Send Zelle on Mobile App - Banks & Credit Unions Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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horrible bank constantly have issues with them they suck plain and simple, simple depositing money into my account gets delayed and I have to call them constantly to fix these issues they're playing with peoples money, ATMS are always out of order I can't stand this bank any longer. read more

This is the worst credit union ever, I've had an account with this credit union for over 20 years and while they have changed from CMT to Solano First and now to Valley Strong credit union they have went from great to ok to the worst credit union ever, now as Valley Strong the bank make several mistakes & when you call them customer have to wait 30 mins just to speak to a representative, and the representative can't solve any of your problem just give excuses, with no solution. This banks/credit union act like it's their money and they make decisions with your money.I would not recommend the credit union to my worst enemy, and never to anyone I like or have respect for... read more

If I could give this crook of a bank negative stars it still wouldn't be enough. Valley Strong is absolutely stealing peoples money. And the customer service? Ha there a joke in it's self. There is NO customer service. I've contacted them multiple times about charges they have put on my acct and all they said is nope not our problem. The absolute work credit union of all time. Kern Schools was better than this. But hey maybe Valley Strong cheated them out too. I wouldn't put it past them. read more

Everything here sucks. They're always getting hacked, they make it so hard to bank. They're the worst.

All 3 ATMs are out of service at the buena vista and white lane branch. I can't understand 1, but not all of them. I'm so annoyed right now.

Went in to deposit a check and get cash. there was only 2 people ahead of Mr, it took 30 mins waiting in line. They had tellers who was just standing at station doing paper work, the line behind me was to the door and no one not even supervisor go busy taking care of customers.​ read more

Supervisor with the red curly hair is extremely unpleasant and unprofessional, The tellers at this location are rude, i had the worst time dealing with them this morning, just a heads up. read more

If there were Zero stars I wouldn't give it! Horrible experience. They won't work with you to help when someone is sick , although the person signed a full power of attorney and walked it in to them! Personally telling them he wanted me to have full authority. He requested the beneficiary form to make changes with his money. They made horrible assumptions and changed the rules each time I spoke with someone. What if your disabled or injured or hospitalized or or? TERRIBLE Go anywhere else. It was an unbelievable experience. Stressful enough helping someone you love that has cancer and wants things done with HIS money. Every experience with this bank has been awful for both of us. We planned to move the account but he passed before that could happen. Ask yourself is this who I should bank with? What if you're hospitalized or have cancer or just need someone to conduct business for you? This is not your bank! read more

I am recognizing Jorge from Valley Strong CU on Ming Ave. I ran into some issues recently and Jorge went above and beyond to help me. I greatly appreciate him. read more

Haley helped me out when I came in & she's very good at what she does! She's so nice she deserves her flowers!

DEISI CORONA is one of the most unprofessional and unhelpful financial individual we have ever worked with. She is extremely difficult to reach. All her answers are vague, she offers no solutions. it seems like she intends to destroy the credit union from within. We have worked with several other representative from the same credit union and they were all exceptional. Miranda Patty is a prime example of a great employee. read more

Was or seemed like a good banking choice until I witnessed on my account that my transactions were manipulated in order for the bank to charge me upwards of $150 in fee's. Trust is now gone, I'll have to watch everything daily until I transfer my family accounts elsewhere but I guess I understand now how they could afford to give every new member $250 or $500 shared if a business is referred.... Shady. read more

Horrible! Definitely going to be looking into other banking options. I've continuously experienced issues with our debit cards. Most recently a teller marked our card as "stolen" out of the blue. Not even two weeks home with a newborn having to deal with going down to the bank twice now to resolve. Not to mention you can NEVER get anything resolved over the phone, even after the half hour wait times. read more

I recently refinanced my car and valley strong picked up the loan I had never heard of them before and I don't have a account with them. They have destroyed my life in 2 months time! They have reported to the credit bureau I'm over 30 days late I have never been late, I sent my payment and they chose to put it in a nonexistent saving account I never opened! Then blamed me for not transferring the funds from a savings account I had no idea existed. 1 week later my payment is due I pay it on time they had already reported me late again!! So now I have 2 missed payments!! And the response I get from a supervisor is I will send you a form!! Are you serious? I have lost 75 points off my credit! I went from good to poor! And they didn't care!! Please don't use them they have literally destroyed my life and could care less read more

Second time I apply for a loan and they have the worst communication ever!! First time they never got back to me or emailed me back. Second time I had to call myself for a status and they couldn't even email or call. I won't be using this credit union again. read more

We have been with this credit union for over 30 years; multiple vehicle and home loans. Since they changed to Valley Strong service has gone Downhill. Their app, on lime services and customer service are very frustrating read more

worst bank ever. blocked my card and when i asked 'em to unblock it they sent me to the fraud department and then asked me to call again to the customer service. and the customer service was closed and today is 4th july. my card is blocked since yesterday and they're not helping me at all. worst customer service work bank worst experience ever. read more

I began banking with Kern Schools Federal Credit Union when I was 20, and I'm in my 50s now! I just closed my account and my late mother's account. They immediately locked me out of her account when I called to confirm her passing, I sent 5 emails containing the requested Death Certificate and followed that up with her Trust document, which all went unanswered. I was unable to settle her account. Finally, 10 months later and after spending over an hour on hold waiting for a service rep, they found my emails in the supervisor's junk mail. I was told they would open a death claim which is a 45 day waiting period. Lol. After nearly a year of waiting for them, what's another 45 days. The kick is they told me to CALL them back after 45 days to check on the status. Their customer service is HORRID. Non existent. If you want a bank that VALUES even their newest customers, go to Mission Bank. Every single person I've encountered there actually cares about the customer and their follow through is unmatched. In a day where you're lucky to get a "no problem" response when you "Thank" a business representative after you've conducted business, Mission Bank is a breath of professional fresh air. Don't mess with Valley Strong. They are only interested in processing your business and not good at banking. If they would like to get better (note to Shonna), I recommend training everyone in customer care, including follow through and follow up to every single phone call and action they take. It's what is expected in every career field and should be required in banking. The supervisor that didn't bother to do that with our accounts didn't even bother getting on the phone when it was discovered in her junk mailbox. That isn't what a supervisor gets paid to do. To be fair, I moved my money years ago, hoping one day I would feel comfortable coming back, but today I realized that's never going to happen. Value starts at the top. Nicolas A. Thanks for supporting my point by posting your typical canned response, asking the customer to call you. Great effort. But honestly, customer care starts with the person I called today that had my undivided attention. Train your people and care about your customers before they leave. read more

I experienced fraud and they were not helpful at all. Valley Strong does not put their customers first. I have dealt with fraud before, at Chase this would never be a problem. I called Valley Strong and one of their representatives basically told me I need to investigate and solve the issue on my own. I cannot believe Valley Strong would make claiming fraud on only $60 difficult. As a teacher I can see why my colleagues told me to stay away from Valley Strong Credit Union. read more

This is only day one of the switch from Solano First and I am extremely unimpressed! Not a good sign. I have been with Solano since 1987 when they were CMT. Seriously thinking of closing my accounts, and those of my children, and going to Travis. And their customer service sucks too!!! I'm being generous giving them 1 star! read more

This is my favorite Kern Schools location. It's conveniently located on the Northwest corner of Coffee and Olive in the same parking lot as the Albertsons & Rite Aid with easy access from either street. The tellers are always friendly, yet efficient. The lines are rarely long - unless it's Friday afternoon during the last hour or two before closing - but the tellers keep things moving so the wait is never unpleasant. There are two drive through ATM's outside and one walk up ATM just inside the front doors, so the line for these is never long either, and I like not having to park and get out of my car to use the ATM service. I've never had a bad experience with Kern Schools Federal Credit Union - no hidden charges or mistakes on my account. I have direct deposit set up so my money is always available without having to stand in line to deposit my paycheck - a free service I highly recommend! The only think that would possibly make this better is if they served free drinks during happy hour, but then I'm just a dreamer at heart! read more

Valley Strong Credit Union - Banks & Credit Unions Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Be cautious when taking loan out with this back their credit reporting down fall in align with Fair Credit Reporting Act. It's shameful and devastating. read more

Valley strong bought our my credit union I've been with for over 25 years- no big deal- until all amount numbers changed- app is easier to view all accounts at once. But try contacting a call center representative- 101 people ahead of me waiting to speak with a representative- but acceptable to have that many costumers in the cue! An hour later still waiting- why not have a system to call customers back in the order they were waiting? Some how was locked out of my app - I can't reach customer service &there no way to reset the password without knowing the user name- the 4 digit number log in is convenient until your locked out & can't reach anyone by phone to reset. I miss my credit until services longest wait was 20 min if that. They knew their customers- had amazing staff. This large credit union obviously is about growing business $$$ customers aren't a priority. The original staff in the branch are still amazing but this phone center lost my respect. read more

I came in with my mother a little over a month ago to get approved for a car loan after she was turned down by her bank of over 30 years, they told her they couldn't help her and sent her next door. Nina welcomed us in and made her feel comfortable after a very uncomfortable situation. We were called back really quick and Christina made the whole process super easy and was very patient with my mother who is very hard of hearing, she was able to get her approved for a car loan within a day when her own bank wouldn't even sit her down in an office. So thank you Valley Strong as well as all of the very special people working there, you made my mom so happy and really showed us both what a bank is supposed to look like. read more

I never leave reviews. Today I am leaving one because I am incredibly disappointed. I ordered a replacement debit card a month ago, after about two weeks of not receiving it I called again to confirm it was sent to the right address. They told me yes, it was sent to the right address and apologized for the wait, stating cards are taking 2-3 weeks to be sent out at the moment. I was a little annoyed but thought "okay it's been 2 weeks it should be here soon" 2 more weeks pass so I call AGAIN and I'm informed that NO ORDER has been placed. So here I am waiting a month for a card that wasn't even ordered. And now I have to wait an additional 7-10 business days because the first two people who "helped" me were absolutely useless. Terrible customer service. 1 star. S*** credit union. read more

Went to their coffee rd branch drive up ATM. Wanted $500 & requested all in $50's. It spit out 10 $20.00 bills where it should have spit $50's. Has anyone else experienced this? This was on a Monday which was holiday schedule. Had to wait til they reopened and when i went inside they said they won't do anything about it. Completely Rude! Do, We called our bank. We asked for a AUDIT on the ATM to show they still have our $300. They couldn't care less. My bank will be dealing with them. Something amiss there and we will find out what it is. read more

I have nothing but good things to say about the branch in Tehachapi. The staff is very friendly and their loan process is quick and stress free! read more