Ive probably been inside this Valley Strong less than a handful of times but im a frequent drive thru costumer. This Valley Strong is spacious and beautiful. Ive never had a bad nor busy experience. Its always in and out. Plus there is plenty of parking all around the building. read more

By far the worst bank ever to bank at! I've gone inside so many times and those times I've been inside they are super super slow. Been told to go in one line to another line just for a dispute on a ATM machine taking my money and eating it up! People should avoid going inside or go to another bank as a matter of fact. This bank in this location is so ass it makes the bank look bad already as it is! ATM machines here are so terrible compared to to other locations. read more

Worst ATMs in the SW. Terrible, They never work correctly and never fix them. The people inside are awesome though. Just the ATMs are the worst. Too bad they can't fix them. read more

Always problems with the ATM it took almost $300 and never deposited to my account and they never have anyone on Sunday

I've been going to this branch for years before there was enough tellers the branch manager used to keep it well staffed lately the manager thats in charge of this branch has reduced staffing to two sellers and she doesn't notice and stays in her office and there a long line always yesterday I went in to deposit 2 checks and there was one tell covering the member services and the drive leaving one teller covering for customers in line the supervisor didnt even help I had to leave cus I was frustrated and go to another branch can u please put more tellers and get a new branch manager read more

Unprofessional, was not helpful. We had to do a wire transfer for the first time and the manager had a tone and was rude. We requested a receipt of the transfer and they stated they could not provide a receipt. This was a large transaction and they should provide one. We will be closing our account there as soon as possible. read more

This credit union is horrible. They used to be great when they were kern schools. Now everything is a hassle, so glad I ditched them

I recently made the move to Bakersfield and began the arduous task of fully acclimating myself to my new community. Part of that meant finding a local financial institution. After looking at a few credit unions, i settled on Valley Strong CU and boy am I glad i did. During this pandemic, i resorted to opening my account online. It was understandably difficult since all my personal information (including my current employment) is based in Los Angeles. It must have triggered a ton of red flags as a possible fraud case. Thankfully, i was assisted by Samantha Lopez. She reached out to me, via email, and let me know that i needed additional documentation to prove my identity. I decided to call to see what options i had and Samantha answered right away. She was professional, friendly and efficient. It must have been a difficult task for her but she walked me through it and was able to get my account established with no setbacks. It wasn't until after i received confirmation my account was open that i realized how suspicious my profile must look. Samantha could have easily told me to show up to a branch, or that i needed to provide a laundry list of documents and move on with her day. What impressed me is that she took the time to make it easy and find the best solution for my situation. She went above and beyond for a non-member she never met before. I can only imagine what she would do for a long time member. If Samantha's amazing customer service is any indication of the culture at Valley Strong, i truly look forward to bringing over all my accounts. Samantha is a gem and Valley Strong is lucky to have someone like that on the front lines because she makes an outstanding first impression. read more

I tried repeatedly to set up online banking with Kern Schools, but always got kicked out of the website partway through the process. I called customer service, and they said the only way to fix the issue was to come in person. Today I went in, because I needed to put money into an account and I needed a Valley Strong ATM card because the ATM ate my old Kern Schools one. I had called ahead and tried to get an appointment, but they said they weren't offering them. I was disappointed, because I am trying to limit my time out during the shelter in place, but this couldn't wait. I went in and waited in line. When I got to the teller, in addition to giving her my ID, she made me recite my social security number out loud to verify my identity - with people banking at the teller windows to either side of me! She also made me take my mask off. I understand that banking with a mask is an issue, but I was putting money in, not taking it out. And there is no reason to ask me to say my social security number out loud where multiple other customers to hear me! I will find a different credit union to use in the future. read more

Update to my previous review. Regards to use caution of using this bank for loans. Their credit reporting of 30days is not accurate. I posted this review a couple of days ago. I received a response from Nicholas to contact loan director to discuss. I called, left a message to return my call and as expected no one has returned my call. Terrible customer service am sure Nicholas was a bot and not even real person. Will refinance my loan to get it to a bank with accurate credit reporting and better customer service. O vote for best credit union in town. read more

I tried to open an account online and felt like everything went pretty smoothly. Then I received an email asking for proof that I was who I say I am. I was sent an email but asked to fax the information. It made me super uneasy but I faxed it over. A few days later I got another email saying I had to go to the branch to show proof I was who I say I am in there too. So I went in the branch with all my documentation and no one had any record that any account had been opened or even attempted to be opened. I was about to be super angry when they said they could just open it for me right then. I'm very happy I went to the branch and had them open it. It felt much more organized and secure. Not to mention that the person who helped me was knowledgeable and kind. I haven't done any banking with KSFCU before this so it was a nice turn of events in a situation that would have made me just go to a different bank or CU. read more

Dora the Loan officer, is relentless when it comes down to helping you out get a loan! She gave me all options and explained them each very throughly! I wouldn't of been able to get my Camaro if it weren't for her! Thank you so much Dora Briggs you're awesome and your service to making happy customers goes a long ways! You rock! :) read more

I've had an account with KSFCU since I was 16, & I always recommend people here. I've come to say this is my "home bank", especially when it comes to loans. I don't go anywhere else! Kern Schools gave me a chance, & allowed me to build credit (through an auto loan) when no one else would. I recently applied for a loan over the phone, & I wasn't very sure about it afterwards. So I went to the Buena Vista branch (which is my favorite because they're always suuuper friendly, & I'm usually in & out of there in no time!), I spoke with Mike, a loan officer, & I explained my situation. He walked me through every step, helped us with every hurdle that was coming our way, & didn't stop until we walked out of there with smiles. Thanks a million Mike, & thank you Kern Schools for never disappointing! read more

I visited Kern Schools at Buena Vista about 1 month ago before leaving for my active duty service and I was greeted and pleasantly welcomed by one of the teller, I am not sure what was his name was however my description of him was, he was incredibly young about 16-19 years old and he was of asian race probably Japanese or Korean. I came in to pay my monthly payment on my car and I asked him for an alternative solution for paying my car and he gladly explained to me my options for paying the car while out of state. He explained it to me really well, and even stated the pros and cons of each option, at the end he said the best way would be to deposit cash at the atm and use the online app to transfer the funds. which I never knew existed and even helped me set up the app even though it took us around 30 minutes to set up. Great Job Kern Schools, I salute you for hiring the young ones and thank you for the young teller that helped me. God Bless read more

My family and extended family has been banking with Kern Schools for the last 30 years. I am somewhat saddened that I was prompted to review this particular experience. However, in days of yore, the customer service and competency level was not in the pathetic, dismal state it currently resides in. Of course, I recognize this as a growing trend in Bakersfield nowadays. Just check every "WORST" top ten list in Men's Health Magazine, but that is for another review. Lol. I can say that competency is the ability to complete a task successfully or efficiently, and most people would agree with me. I am a pretty patient individual and understand that bank employees are human and capable of mistakes and the inability to maintain focus. HOWEVER, for the last 6-10 CONSECUTIVE visits I or my, wife have encountered nothing but pretentious, pedantic, bumbling yokels, who retain quite a cavalier attitude as it pertains to your finances. Their electronic banking network is about as efficient as the VA Health Care system, or if you are a civilian, the Department of Health and Human Services website. Multiple times, my rent has been late, due to some mystical "error" in their system. Tellers give attitude like we should be thanking our lucky stars that they took the time to come in to deal with my petty financial issues. Now, I get it. I know I am not the "Bakersfield Elite" and my bank account balance doesn't have a lot of digits, but I would appreciate being treated like a human being, and not a dairy cow, being herded in a milking shuttle. From transferring money to making electronic bill payments online, this particular branch has a knack for complicating and muddling the most BASIC task. THEN, they have the nerve to put on airs of exasperation when my wife would politely ask for assistance. I suppose what happened to my wife yesterday was the straw that broke the camel's back. She had been standing in line for about 10-15 minutes, waiting to get money orders for bills and what not. A very rude gentleman enters the building at this time and proceeds to stand in line at the EXIT area of the waiting cordons. He makes eye contact with my wife. He KNOWS he is in the wrong line, but he is "in a hurry". This was annoying, but no fault of the bank. However, when another teller finally appeared from behind the magic curtain, taking a break from her busy social networking life to do her JOB, she completely ignores my wife and asks the gentleman who cut in line if he needs help. LOL. Now, bear with me. I will not identify his racial back-ground because I would then launch into a tirade that would violate probably every rule on the site guidelines, but I am sure, based on demographics, that you can let your imagination take you away. This circumstance, I feel, is a pretty accurate representation of the overall lack of awareness the employees at this branch show for their job. Do I get it? Yeah, they probably get paid a little more decent than minimum wage, hate their lives, and are so wrapped up in their ego-centric world, that performing the most basic requests for another human being would be like asking them to split an atom. I get it. My point, however, is that Kern Schools Federal Credit Union heralds their relentless dedication to customer service and "Personable" customer service on their rather dull public website. Just PLEASE don't advertise your product as one thing, and then put out another. We, as customers deal with that enough in this area. Anyways, I was saddened that the days of striving to please others and going the extra mile are antiquated and un-popular, but hey....it's Bakersfield. Lol. Anyways, I am sure this review will go into some network trash bin on the Kern Schools website and get lost in the cacophony of a million other details and underlying factors that attribute to the lackluster performance that Kern Schools is comfortable with displaying as of late. Will they be held accountable? I doubt it. They probably would have never even seen my wife, had she not stormed angrily out, as the rotund, typical, 48-55 year old lady who needs a paycheck and takes up oxygen at the reception desk called out, "Have a nice day". LOL Typical clueless, receptionist drone. Oh well. I just thought I would share so you can be prepared when you set up a bank account there, because you really have no other options. Bakersfield....*sigh. read more