TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Two weeks after a technical upgrade at Kern Schools Federal Credit Union, some customers say they're still having difficulty accessing accounts and reaching live customer service representatives.

The credit union upgraded a data processing system the weekend of April 30. The new, fully integrated DataNet system was supposed to be an improvement with greater capacity and a more user-friendly interface. The new system would reduce the number of clicks it took to perform tasks such as paying one-time bills and setting up new payees, saving time and cutting errors from typos, the institution said.

But after the changeover, Kern Schools was inundated with calls from confused customers, some of whom said they couldn't log onto online banking or, if they could, they couldn't see account activity before the conversion.

Celeste Clancy said that just after the launch, she wasn't able to get more than one day of activity online and couldn't get through by phone for assistance. She tried using the credit union's digital messaging system, too, but no one replied. Next Clancy tried to visit the Ming Avenue branch but wasn't able to get inside because lines were out the door.

Clancy, 68, did eventually get the credit union to meet with her and resolve her issues, but only after publicly criticizing Kern Schools in a television news segment and a letter to the editor published in The Californian. As much as she appreciated the help, Clancy said she was dismayed it took complaining in the media to get a response.

"I really don't feel like they listened to their members," she said.

Kern Schools Federal Credit Union is the largest locally based financial institution in Kern County, ending last year with assets totaling $1.35 billion. With such a large customer base, it had its hands full with the flood of complaints.

Immediately after the conversion, president and CEO Steve Renock said some customers failed to read or understand a brochure mailed to all members in March. That 10-page brochure clearly spelled out that under the new system, customers would be able to see account activity from May 1 forward, and could see historical data via electronic statements.

But confusion about that led to jammed phones and long lines at branches. Many customers said they had been ignored and patronized rather than helped.

"If anything, they kind of insulted us with all this about not reading the brochure," Clancy said. "I'm pretty good about watching my mail and I never got one. I do think they're trying to help people now, but the implementation has been sloppy."

The wait for assistance today is much shorter than immediately after the conversion, insisted Steve Matejka, Kern Schools' vice president of branches and marketing.

"We had it in our plan all along to double our communications staff after the conversion, and we've done that," he said. "They're working through the complaints."

Lines at branches are returning to normal, Matejka said, and the average hold time for telephone or live chat help is seven to eight minutes, he said.

A reporter who called the credit union's customer service line Friday afternoon to test that reached a live representative in 16 minutes.

Another source of confusion has been that DataNet allows both primary and secondary account holders to access multiple accounts with a single log on. The primary account holder is the person who opened the account. A secondary account holder is someone whose name has been added to the account by the person who opened it.

Matejka said customers can hide secondary accounts from view if they would prefer not to see them, but noted that some people like the change because they no longer have to log on multiple times to see each account that bears their name.

Kern Schools is trying to help individual customers on a case-by-case basis, and also is attacking the backlog more broadly with extended hours for phone and live chat assistance and free DataNet training at its branches.

Some customers are still dissatisfied.

Carole Bryant, 65, said she's so unhappy she is closing her account.

The credit union had an incorrect zip code listed on her debit card account, which meant she couldn't use the card online, at gas stations or anywhere else vendors ask consumers to enter a zip code. The problem predated the conversion, Bryant said, but the flood of conversion-related complaints made getting it resolved impossible.

Bryant said she waited on hold for a half hour the first time she called, only getting through to a person after she pressed the key for customers with loans. A loan officer then transferred her to Bank of America credit card customer service, she said. That person told her no relationship existed between BofA and Kern Schools.

"And anyway, I don't have a credit card," Bryant said. "It's a check card."

Bryant called Kern Schools a second time and was again transferred to BofA. It was finally sorted out this week, but the whole experience left a bad taste in her mouth.

"I'm done with them," she said.

Matejka said Kern Schools used to have a Visa credit card portfolio but sold it to a division of BofA that now services those accounts. BofA has no connection to its debit cards, he said.

Matejka said he didn't know exactly how many people closed accounts over the technical upgrade, but the credit union hasn't lost large numbers of customers and would work to make sure anyone with problems gets attention.

"We're definitely aware that our lines have been longer than any of us would like," he said. "We're just asking customers to be patient and give us a little more time to get their concerns addressed."