Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Fairwinds Credit Union's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  Fairwinds Credit Union

  135 W. Central Blvd. Suite 1220 Orlando, FL 32801

• 

  Fairwinds Credit Union

  870 N US Highway 27 Ste C Lady Lake, FL 32159-3108

• 

  Fairwinds Credit Union

  77 Geneva Dr Oviedo, FL 32765-7202

• 

  Fairwinds Credit Union

  800 E State Road 434 Longwood, FL 32750-5335

• 

  Fairwinds Credit Union

  150 Cranes Roost Blvd Ste 1230 Altamonte Springs, FL 32701-3480

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/08/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My parents had a house mortgage with fairwinds credit union. They passed away and I had to get the house transferred to me via probate. I tried refinancing but was denied. The hired a lawyer when they sent foreclosure papers. They are flat iut refusing to work with me in any way to turn a negative loan into a positive one. They also refuse to allow me to take on the mortgage

  Business Response

  Date: 12/13/2022

  FAIRWINDS is familiar with ****************** and her attempts to refinance her deceased parents' home, and is sympathetic to *********************** position and the loss of her parents. However, like all credit unions, FAIRWINDS is owned by our members. By protecting the credit union assets, we are obligated to make loan decisions that are in the best interest of all our members. In addition, we are governed by and follow the stipulations outlined by several regulatory agencies, including the National Credit Union Administration and the **************** Office of Financial Regulation.
  
  Each loan application is reviewed based on similar criteria, including the member's, credit score, ability to repay the loan, and collateral. The mortgage loan officer handling Ms. ********* application could not qualify her for the loan. FAIRWINDS' Senior Vice President of Consumer Lending then reviewed the loan application in an attempt to approve the loan. He could also not do this based on the criteria used for loan approvals.
  
  Our ********************** has attempted to work with ******************, as she indicated she planned to sell the property. Our Collection Manager has had discussions with ******************, confirming that this was her best option.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/01/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  So I got a call from someone I thought was from Fairwinds Credit Union and they were telling me that they were just verifying my account, so he texted me a 4- to 6-digit code. I repeated the code to him, and the next thing I knew, I couldn't login to my account. Since my card was no longer working, I called the number on the back of the card, and my account was overdrawn and my money had been emptied out of my account, so I called Fairwinds Credit Union to let them know, but no one was doing anything and it seemed as if no one cared, and now my checking account and savings account have been charged off for the initial amount.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/13/2022

  FAIRWINDS is committed to providing our members with outstanding member service and assistance in any issues they encounter, while protecting their personal account information. We provide 24/7/365 service assistance via online banking and our contact center. Additionally, we have 34 branch locations in Central *******, including in *******, where ************** lives.
  
  Our records show that ************** spoke and chatted multiple times to employees in our contact center for assistance, including requests to have fees refunded. He received two courtesy refund fees in July. Our records do not indicate that he reported fraudulent activity on his account.
  
  **************' account became overdrawn in June. He continued to have online access to his account (as well as access to our branches). He had the availability to verify his account activity and balances, and report fraudulent activity. However, our records show he did not reach out until December, when he was told his negative balance had been charged off to TeleCheck. He then filed his complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
  
  FAIRWINDS acted in good faith and provided ************** with service and finds on validity in his complaint.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/05/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Unauthorized charges were placed on my Fairwinds Visa totaling almost $200.00. Charges were for***** service that was order but never received or activated. This issue has been since August.
  
  Multiple telephone calls later to Fairwinds credit card service / dispute resolution was a complete waste of time. The people I spoke with were incompetent and made it clear they wanted to pass me off. I asked the last person I spoke with to have a supervisor call me. Obviously the supervisor is too important for this situation.
  
  Well, being pissed off pays - I resolved the issue with***** myself. For verification that the matter I went to the Ormond Beach branch of Fairwinds CU. The ladies working there - Crystal, Susan & Karen - were fantastic. They were professional, personable, and quickly provided verification that the charges were directed back.
  
  Crystal, Susan & Karen - they only reason I'm staying with Fairwinds and I will deal with the customer service orientated ladies hence.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/21/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/17) */
  At FAIRWINDS, we sincerely believe we have an obligation to our members to provide the highest level of member service in Central Florida. Our research indicated that the concerns which Mr.*******' addressed in his correspondence to the Better Business Bureau were correct. His dispute was not processed in a timely manner. The service issue will be addressed with the individual who was supposed to handle the dispute claim. Our records to show that a manager did attempt to contact Mr.******* and left a voice mail message. As Mr.******* indicated in his correspondence the dispute has been resolved.
  
  FAIRWINDS has contacted Mr.******* and apologized for the service issues he experienced.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/11/19) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  I was never contacted by anyone at Fairwinds and no voice mail was ever left. They have moved from incompetence to a lie.
  
  And yes, I resolved the issue verified by the wonderful ladies at the Ormond Beach branch. I will check to see if anyone at this branch was contacted by management from Fairwinds and thanked for providing great customer service? I'm sure not.
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/11/21) */
  Again, FAIRWINDS offers it sincere apology for the service issues Mr.******* experienced. In our email to Mr.*******, we provided the date, time, and phone number that which the manager left the message. We have asked that Mr.******* contact us if the telephone number is not a valid number for him.
  
  FAIRWINDS takes the concerns and the words of appreciation of our members very seriously. We share both readily with our employees.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/16/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ON JUNE 13Th AGENT INCORRECTLY ADDED A ****** CHARGE TO A FRAUD CLAIM THAT I ADVISED WASN'T FRAUD. CALLED AND ADVISED NOT FRAUD AND ON THE 16 OF JUNE FAIR WINDS IS STATING THIS MONEY WAS SENT BACK TO PP. ON THE 23rd ****** REMOVED THE FUNDS FROM THE END USER AND PUT -1000$ CHARGEBACK SETTLEMENT AND NEVER RETURNED THE MONEY BACK TO ME. WHEN I CONTACT ****** THEY TELL ME FAIRWINDS HAS NEVER COMMUNICATED ANYTHING TO THEM REGARDING THE CLAIM AND NEVER RETURNED ANY MONEY TO ******. ****** STATED THEY DONT ACCEPT ANY DOCUMENTATION FROM THE CUSTOMER IT HAS TO COME FROM THE BANK. I HAVE MADE MANY ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT FAIRWINDS REQUESTING THEY COMMUNICATE THE STATUS OF THIS TO ****** AND RECEIVED REFUSAL EVERY TIME. I GOT A CALLBACK FROM THE LOCAL OFFICE AND AGENT REFUSED ME TO SPEAK WITH HIS SUPERVISOR HE REFUSED TO COMMUNICATE WITH ****** AND REFUSED TO PLACE A CLAIM TO LOCATE THE FUNDS. SO NOW THE END USER DOESNT HAVE THE MONEY, i dont have the money and NEITHER DOES ******. DUE TO THE ERROR OF THE ORIGINAL AGENT I HAVE LOST 1,000$ I CANT SEEM TO GET BACK. IT IS FAIRWINDS RESPONSIBILITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE MERCHANT THE SAME WAY THEY DID TO ADVISE OF THE CLAIM THEY MUST ADVISE THERE IS NO LONGER A CLAIM SO I CAN HAVE A RETURN OF MY FUNDS. WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER PLEASE CONTACT ME!!!!
  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/19/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/23) */
  FAIRWINDS is aware of the situation Ms. ******* outlined and has been working with our debit card processor and ****** to return Ms. *******'s funds. FAIRWINDS does not have the money.
  
  Ms. *******'s initial call reporting fraud on her account was recorded. She listed the ****** transaction as fraudulent, which was why it was included in the fraud claim. Ms. ******* subsequently contacted the credit union to report that the transaction was legitimate. However, the transaction had already been reported as fraud by then and was in a dispute file with ******.
  
  Disputes can take up to 90 days to process; however, our card department has been in contact with PayPay to attempt to expedite the return of Ms. *******'s funds to her. Kara, one of our managers, has tried to contact Ms. ******* by telephone. Our credit union has found that a conference call between the member (customer), ****** and the financial institution sometimes speeds up the return of funds. Kara is waiting to hear back from Ms. ******* but is still working on getting the issue resolved.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/08/23) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  I have not heard from kara and when i requested a conference call the last agent from fairwinds refused. also i did not ever claim that as fraud if you pull the call you will hear me explicitly tell the first agent manuel trevino for 1029 is not fraud and do not flag it. Please have kara call me again at ********** or provider her extension and callback details as i do not have any voicemails from this agent
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2022/09/06) */
  Our Cards Manager reached Ms. ******* by telephone and made a conference call to ******. FAIRWINDS provided documentation that ****** had Ms. *******'s funds. After a 90-minute exchange, ****** provided instructions on how Ms. ******* could obtain her funds back from ******. Our Cards Manager indicated that Ms. ******* was understandably frustrated from the issues with ****** but seemed satisfied with FAIRWINDS' involvement in helping her get her funds returned. Ms. ******* was given the Card Manager's contact information and they have scheduled a follow up for early this week

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/11/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On August 10th 2022 money was stolen from my Fairwinds account by ******. ****** immediately owned up to the fraudulent activity and issued a refund. I spoke with Fairwinds asking them to give me my stolen money back, and they told me they could not do anything for 7 days. I have an agreement with my car loan company to pay them on specific days. They are taking the money from my account tomorrow - the money Fairwinds refuses to return to me. Additionally, they do not have anyway to block a specific merchant so thus fraudulent company can keep charging my account whenever they feel like it. My only options are to cancel my Fairwinds account to "prevent further attempts". Unacceptable. I am ghe account owner and as such I should have full control of my account. Fairwinds has offered no viable solution to rectify the situation. I am in awe of their poor service, and lack of willingness to return what was blatantly stolen from me. Lastly, Fairwinds has no method of preventing fraud. Their alerts only come at 1am to my phone AFTER all charges. There should be a means to approve or deny a charge, or at least identify charges that occur randomly and have no history ( i.e., charges from a company or person that has NEVER shown on my account)
  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/08/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/12) */
  FAIRWINDS is committed to protecting its members' personal information and funds. Our credit union does not want fraud on our members' accounts any more than our members do. Like all financial institutions, we follow the guidelines required under the Electronic Funds Transfer Act. We have strong anti-fraud programs that constantly monitor and communicate with our members when suspicious activity is detected on debit and credit card transactions. However, not all fraudulent transactions can be stopped before they occur, as verifying every attempted transaction with the member is impossible. As Ms. ********* mentioned, the credit union offers a variety of account alerts that can notify our members by text or email.
  
  Since Ms. ********* had fraud occur by both debit and ACH, recommending closing the account was the best way to ensure future fraudulent transactions did not occur. The ACH withdrawal meant that someone had her checking number. If fraud only occurs via debit, we can close the debit card, issue a new card and keep the account open. While an account can be frozen, it is not something the credit union advises as the risk for future fraud is too great.
  
  I spoke with Heather, one of our managers, who assisted Ms. ********* on the morning of August 11. Heather indicated that Ms. ********* had noticed the PayPal transactions on her account the previous evening and was not offered options to help her with her immediate needs when she contacted our fraud telephone department. FAIRWINDS apologizes that her concerns were not addressed and that she had to call the credit union back the following day. We will work with these individuals to ensure that they are more empathetic and helpful to all members in the future.
  
  We appreciate that Ms. ********* contacted FAIRWINDS the following morning and asked to speak to a manager. Heather expedited the provisional credit to Ms. *********'s account to ensure that her outstanding withdrawals were paid, account alerts were set up, and a new checking account was established.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/08/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I found this bank on the internet and applied for a loan to finance my 2022 Tesla Model S. Everything was fine until I started calling them about the bills since I never received any notification.
  Finally, 60 days later, they sent me a bill to be paid "90 days" after the loan approval. But the interest thing is that they added .2% on my loan. I called the representative and he explained to me that the reason they added $661 dollars to my loan was because I had agreed "as per contract" on a "optional" deferred 90 day payment so they added the interest for those 3 months on my bill. I explained to him that I did not accept that but he said he told me during the finance discussion and that I had signed the agreement.
  This is a trap, a deceiving method to raise interest on customers and to pretend they are "helping" them. And i needs to end. I told him I want to pay the 2 months (July and August) and want my loan to revert back to the 3.0% interest rate. I need Fairwinds to send me a bill for the right amount and remove the additional interest/fee. Future customers be aware. This is a dishonest business practice, a lie and the rates they are selling is not correct.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/06/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/23) */
  FAIRWINDS' Vice President of Consumer contacted Mr. and Mrs. ******** on August 11, 2022. After a discussion about the situation, a compromise was reached. Mr. ******** indicated he was pleased with the solution.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (2000, 7, 2022/08/25) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
  Fairwinds, Through Melvin R****, fixed the problem in a timely manner. I really appreciate his assistance and BBB support in mediating.