baudot

Saw this one coming.

I was banking with WaMu.

WaMu got bought out by J.P. Morgan-Chase.

Today I went into the bank to order a replacement ATM card.

"This will only take 3 minutes."

Before I got out the door they had me sitting in front of a salesman, trying to sign me up for a credit card. He printed off a sheet for me to sign. The terms & conditions he tucked away in a pamphlet he was holding. He was going to hand that over after I signed.

"You don't have any credit cards? Any? Then you definitely need one. To establish credit."

The thing is, I know J.P.Morgan-Chase ranked in the bottom 3 for credit card customer satisfaction in a recent survey. I know too many friends who've had their interest rates jacked after a single payment missed. Missed, because the bank changed the due date, typically. Or thanks to a provision called "universal default", because they'd missed some other payment on some other account.

"What's this about a 30.99% default rate? Isn't that over the federal usury limits?"
"That's totally normal."

Thank you, but no thank you.
I think I'll be looking for a reputable credit union, so soon as I'm done with this move.