BCU

My experience with BCU Bank has been nothing short of appalling. I contacted them regarding a simple issue, a refund sent to a closed account, and only needed confirmation of whether any funds had been received or rejected. Instead of receiving even basic assistance, I was met with staff who had no understanding of what an ARN (Acquirer Reference… Read more

Number) is, which is fundamental to card transactions.

What made the situation worse was the complete lack of consistency and accountability. The staff member initially told me she would provide a letter confirming the account was closed and that no funds had been received. I was then placed on hold for an extended period, only for her to return and backtrack entirely, saying she could not provide the letter after all. This kind of backflip is unacceptable and shows a serious lack of competence and communication internally.

After wasting over 20 minutes of my time explaining the situation, she then chose to argue over the exact call duration rather than focus on resolving the issue. That level of pettiness and unprofessionalism speaks volumes about the standard of service.

This wasn’t an isolated incident. During the short time I banked with BCU, every phone interaction was a negative experience. Staff consistently came across as unknowledgeable, dismissive, and at times outright rude. It genuinely raises questions about training standards and how employees are prepared to handle even basic customer enquiries.

Overall, the service I experienced was disorganised, unhelpful, and frustrating from start to finish. I would strongly discourage anyone from banking with BCU based on the level of service I received.

i bank with bcu at tweed and the people in the branch are awesome had loans and term deposits. I don't like there phone service though the lady was rude and it was like it was her money . Show details

I have a home loan with this bank. Until mid-2025, I had a very positive opinion of the customer service provided by the BCU Bank branch in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast. It was always very friendly, efficient, and there was no waiting (wasting time). I never wanted to contact by phone because it was a waste of time, walking through a maze… Read more

waiting for a connection – a real jungle. Unfortunately, that's the case in every corporation.

I always preferred face-to-face conversations because I could see what I was signing, read it, ask for clarification, and get answers to various options. We can also use body language (gesturing) if our English is imperfect (as in our case). It's really helpful, especially simple human contact, a handshake. This kind of contact with people is systematically limited today, from government institutions, consulting agencies, to banks. It's all because of the d#mn internet and the belief by st^pid managers that by limiting access to branches, they'll save more money. Unfortunately, I, my wife, and probably thousands of other customers experienced these "bank savings" firsthand.

At the beginning of 2026, I had trouble logging into the BCU app from my phone. I wasted almost half a day trying to connect (as usual) and with no results, so I decided to visit the Maroochydore branch to fix it and also check when my home loan agreement would be renewed and get advice from people I already knew, trusted, and could see. Upon arrival, I was shocked because the branch was closed, people were laid off, and we, the customers, were, as usual, left "out in the cold." The only branch on the larger Sunshine Coast was taken away. The closest is in Brisbane (over 100 km away). What's wrong with you people? Where is your logic? How do you treat people – your customers? If your BCU name isn't visible anywhere, people will forget this bank even exists. How do you intend to acquire new customers and profit from their savings if no one knows you exist... because how will people know? New customers won't recruit themselves?

Do you want to make money on Bitcoins, trade bonds online on the stock exchange? Your best strategy, source of income, and operations are and will be – current customers and new ones who entrust you with their savings.

Personally, unfortunately, I must declare right now that I am considering leaving for another bank because we are unlikely to regain our BCU Bank headquarters. The answer as to why we will be forced to do so is likely similar to that given to thousands of similar BCU Bank customers.

1. We must have personal contact to negotiate with the same people, talk to the same people, and sign a new contract in the presence of people who know us and know what we are signing. 2. I don't intend to drive to Brisbane and sit in traffic for hours. 3. I don't intend to wait for hours for a call or answer it at work at unexpected times (these calls are forbidden even at work). There are cases of people pretending to be bank employees when they're not. There's no way to verify this. And it's best not to answer hidden numbers. 4. I don't intend to talk to a different person every time and waste a lot of time explaining the same problem to a different person each time. 5. Online-only contact these days carries a huge risk of hacked websites, loss of savings, account suspension, and fraud. 6. Interpersonal contact is already minimized, and future generations will likely forget how to establish contact and maintain human relationships and conversations. Have you considered these aspects? If AI starts doing this for us, we humans will become PRIMITIVE again ******************** ps. A bank will never be a trusted bank without physical locations. The rest is false illusion and virtual reality.

we used to like thins bank when it had a branch in Brisbane. Now it has no branch and to resolve anything on the phone is a nightmare. even to cancel an account is nearly impossible. You get someone answer the phone just to tell you that it is handled only by one person who has gone home and you have to arrange a phone call with them only in that… Read more

person's work time, even though the hours might be completely unsuitable for you and incompatible with your work hours.

My family have banked in many forms with BCU since the 1980s (then BCCU) It was always a pleasure to deal with the staff whether in store, phone or online. The staff were always helpful and friendly. It seemed like a credit union/bank that actually helped with loans, finance, banking etc. Unfortunately now it seems the opposite. I've changed my… Read more

banking to another bank, although I still have BCU accounts, I will likely close them in the near future. Customer service nd the entire company isn't what it used to be- seemingly since they 'merged'. The old local is no longer a drawcard, this place is now just another of many.

Delaying interest rate reductions. Overall I’ve loved banking with BCU but making the business decision to not pass on interest rate cuts until 3 weeks after the Reserve Bank has changed them is stealing from your customers. Other banks have actioned these cuts immediately. Increases were actioned much more quickly, just a money making choice that is not in the best interests for customers.

Misleading, Dishonest, and Hiding Behind “Virtue Marketing” I recently contacted BCU regarding their Boss Saver account and can now confirm that the review left by Bryce ("They'll take your money and leave you with nothing") was absolutely spot on. What I discovered is deeply concerning: there is no explicit or transparent disclosure that… Read more

customers cannot open a BCU account if they already have an account with P&N Bank (a so-called “division” of the same group). This omission isn’t just poor practice - it’s deceptive.

Let’s call this what it is: a trap. You can transfer your money into a BCU account only to have your access suspended without warning, with no clear recourse and zero accountability. When you seek clarification, you’ll encounter a customer service model that is vague, evasive, and painfully slow - assuming they respond at all.

Apparently, some of the most disingenuous and unscrupulous banking institutions operate under the guise of member-focused values, using names like Police & Nurses or Teachers Mutual to appear trustworthy and community-oriented (please read the reviews of TMBL on ProductReview to understand the broader pattern) . In reality, this is nothing more than virtue-signaling marketing . A slick facade covering a rotten core.

There is no excuse for hidden eligibility rules, misleading information, or holding people’s funds hostage. The fact that they’re still operating like this in 2025 is absolutely appalling.

I strongly urge anyone considering BCU or any other “division” of P&N to think twice. Transparency, integrity, and basic banking functionality are not optional - they’re fundamental. And BCU fails on all three.

Injusto – Esto es una pesadilla de banco , llevo casi 40 años como cliente de Bcu, y en esté año 2024 y en menos de 3 meses he sido victima de intento de fraude en 3 ocasiones y con distintos números de tarjetas, el banco no me da una respuesta satisfactoria de donde se están iniciando estas transacciones, y lo único que te dicen es lo siento mucho que le… Read more

halla sucedido esto. Lo cual conlleva a un cargo absurdo de $20.00 por obtener una tarjeta rush, o de lo contrario tengo que esperar de 7-14 días laborables para tener acceso a mi dinero; ya que Bcu no cuenta con una sucursal cerca en el estado de SC . Lo que implica un contratiempo en mi vida normal y si deseo la tarjeta rush debo pagar los $20.00 dólares por algo que el banco no puede controlar, para mi entender BCU se convierte en cómplice de este tipo de fraude quien sabe! A lo mejor hacen esto cada cierto tiempo para incrementar sus ganancias, afectando a los clientes a pagar una cantidad por un servicio que se supone está bajo el control del banco, ustedes se imaginan cuanto puede generar BCU en ganancias con esta práctica de cargar $20.00 por sustituir su tarjetas? Y que le digan lo siento mucho pero no podemos retirar el cargo. Me da mucha pena decir que después de casi 40 años como cliente el banco BCU no pueda solucionar mi problema cuando me está costando dinero el tener una cuenta en esta institución. Robar es robar no importa si viene de los estafadores o de tu banco.

This is how banks should be – Can't speak highly enough of Maroochydore Branch. Manager Hayley, Nicole and the team are very personable, competent and willing to help. We had some complex family banking matters that needed to be sorted out. They shepherded us through the process seamlessly. Contrast that with ongoing matters with a big 4 bank and it couldn't be more different. I'm tempted to move my own banking over. Well done BCU. Show details ·  2

IN-COMP-E-TENT – Incompetent customer service and outdated online banking system. Both have an obstacle course to jump through plus a brick wall at the end to climb months later. 2 Scoots accounts? I'm scooting out of here! HIGHLY recommend another community-owned bank.

Worst bank in Australia!!! – Not even worth 1 star without a doubt the worst bank in Australia an absolute joke. Customer sevice is non existent, trying to get a small personal loan of a few thousand through them is the biggest drama in the world even my credit rating is excellent...but they're more than happy to make money off your money sitting in your bank account.

They'll take your money and leave you with nothing – I had an account with P&N (Western Australia) and I was unaware that they had a "division" in QLD. So I decided to open an account with BCU (P&N) solely for the fact that they had a branch in Brisbane. After transferring all of my funds into my BCU account, my online banking and card access was blocked. I called and spoke to someone over the phone… Read more

who said "you can't have a P&N and BCU account at the same time". I asked if that was the reason why my online and card access was blocked and she said that she doesn't know why. She stated that she needed to refer it to higher up and I would receive a call the following day. I never received a call back so I contacted the bank again and I was told that they couldn't provide me with any information. So my funds are "stuck" in an account that I have no way to access. I haven't been able to pay bills, do grocery shopping or even put fuel in my car. As a fulltime Student making money is hard and with the cost of living every cent goes a long way. I can't trust a bank that can't get the basic things right.

They brag about member owned banking is so much better than the big 4 banks but I never had this issue with any other financial institution. I decided to hand in my "notice of resignation of membership" and open an account with one of the big banks.

Update: after receiving no communication for a while I contacted the bank again who confirmed that the reason why my account was blocked because I had a P&N account as well. They stated to electronically fill, sign and email a notice of resignation for BCU which had a section to transfer the remaining funds into a different account. I filled, signed and emailed the form back to them and it took them over a week just to tell me that I was given the wrong information and that I would need to actually physically print, fill and sign the form and then send the form to them via auspost. The problem with that is they are holding my funds, so how am I supposed to pay for fuel, printing and postage?!?!? It's literally impossible. I've now made a complaint to AFCA.

THIS BANK IS WORSE THAN ANY BANK I'VE EVER BEEN WITH.

Best customer service I've had at any bank by far, seriously – I rarely leave reviews this detailed and actually haven't even bothered to post on productreview myself but this bank really deserves it, all the reviews on here seem like they're old and complaining about stuff that doesn't even exist anymore - BCU went through a recent rebrand and they seem to be targeting more younger customers online which is… Read more ·  1

how I found them, and everyone I’ve spoken to both over the phone and in a branch were the nicest, friendliest and most welcoming people I’ve ever met at a bank

After banking with one of the big 4 for years they sent me a letter out of the blue informing me I had 45 days to withdraw all my money and close my account. I’d never done anything wrong, but I also never accepted their offers for personal loans I didn’t need or credit cards I couldn’t afford (which they still send me to this day, even after kicking me out) so I guess I just wasn’t doing enough to maximise shareholder value for the NAB corporation. I walked into a BCU branch on Friday after having some issues verifying my identity online (which wasn't even technically my "local branch" since I was on holiday in QLD) and my account was setup same day. Was genuinely surprised at how nice everyone was and how quick it was to get sorted even though I have a bit of an unusual situation as a dual citizen.

I had some issues over the weekend with making transfers from internet banking because their fraud monitoring company Cuscal flagged the payments as potentially me being scammed. I appreciate the protection offered but the payments were legitimate, it was just because my account was brand new and they didn’t have a baseline transaction history yet to understand what type of payments I typically make. Came back into branch yesterday and again had my problem escalated and sorted out on the spot, and now I can make transfers in and out without issue.

I know a review this positive probably sounds fake but I’ve genuinely dealt with so many banks over the years and literally never had an experience like this. Everyone needs a bank account so the big banks don’t even have to work very hard to get customers. To deal with my account closure at NAB I was given an email address of theirs that ignores me for 2 days and then responds with an incoherent message riddled with typos without understanding what I’m even asking for in the first place. On the other hand after I opened my new account here with BCU I received a welcome email directly from the person who I spoke to get my account setup with their direct email address, and the only time I’ve had to reply about an issue I got a response within minutes during business hours.

Not rising rate with Scoot saver accounts in line with RBA – This bank shows old award from past year on its website for good interest rest, but it has not increase the interest rate for saving account in line with RBA rate increase.

Don't take a car loan from bcu! – I strongly don't recommend this bank. All other banks give you notifications before the payment is due. However, BCU doesn't send you any notifications. They prefer to make their clients pay for overdue instead of warning them. Even on their online banking, they don't show you any noticeable warning about upcoming payments, even if you have to… Read more

pay by tomorrow.

But that's not the worst! Another example was refinancing my car loan. My bcu agent said something that I would have to prepare a document from my car insurance company. I asked him to email me the details so I wouldn't forget and do everything right. The agent reassured me that he would email me all the details - no worries. It was the last thing I had ever heard from him. All other contacts were through standard no-reply emails. It appeared that my insurance was not okay - I didn't have a proper comprehensive / collision. So, I had to update my insurance - otherwise, bcu would buy it for me at my expense, and it would be more expensive than if I bought it on my own. My insurance was okay for Toyota Financial but not for bcu - but that's fine; I paid an extra 250$ and got what bcu required. Do you think that's the end of the story? No!!! Now, they want me to pay for "lapse pending" for the time I didn't have the insurance they would like! I tried to explain to their teller that it was ridiculous to charge me for insurance for the past period - it's just impossible to buy insurance for the previous month! However, the teller said that I would be charged anyway, and it was described in my contract. Yes, I'm sure that it's carefully described in my contract by the bank's lawyers. However, in this case, it's a matter of decency. Bcu's agent didn't bother to explain everything to me, and now they are charging me for something that was written in my contract, like in fine font on page XXX.

Thus, decency is not about bcu for sure.

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UPDATE: it's been three weeks since I posted the text above at Google reviews. On the same day, someone from bcu team reacted to my post and asked me to contact them via My.Review@bcu.org (you can see their answer below). I emailed them. They didn't bother to answer me until now. However, they bother to mail me some paperwork! On 01/20/2023, they bought coverage for me from 11/14/2022 to 01/03/2023. Again - in January 2023, they bought insurance that started in December 2022. Thus, they bought insurance for the past period! Is it legal? I mean, it's a great business - sell insurance for the previous period when definitely nothing happened with a client's vehicle! And they want me to pay for it $436.00. I might sound strange, but I decided to refinance my loan because I wanted to pay less monthly. Instead, I pay more for insurance and need to pay $436 for no one knows what. Great economy with cbu, right?

Am I frustrated? No, I'm glad! I'm planning to buy a house, and a few days ago, I received a pre-approval certificate from another bank. Thus, I will not deal with a mortgage from bcu, and they won't have a chance to come up with any extra payments for nothing.

DON'T TAKE A LOAN FROM BCU!!!

Term deposit maturity – Term deposit had matured but one day later funds had not been transferred as requested. After a telephone enquiry I was told advice would come on the account's secure mail. Six hours later nothing has been received. Absolutely pathetic service, incompetence at best. My next term deposit will be with another bank. I have been with BCU for over 30… Read more

years but since their amalgamation with Police & Nurses Limited things have turned from reasonable to very bad.

Time to close a decades old account – To upgrade a transaction limit , was made to feel like a Columbian druglord being interrogated by federal cops. It's my money in my account , if I want to wipe my dog's backside with it that is my business not the BCU Gestapo s Long time on hold and degrading tone of voice from customer service personnel Show details

Not even worth one star!!! – I have been a customer for over 20 years and I never requested any help. Now with pandemic, flood damage and personal heartbreaking matters this bank does not know me from a bar of soap. When you ring your call is not answered and when you finally get a return call all you hear is apologies. Disgusting, look for a different bank! Show details

Bank or members union – Moved branch in port, we own with parking to a rented site same owners as in Coffs parking 400m away. 3 week notice didn’t ask members. has land lord borrowed money?

Poor customer service – I’ve been with BCU since 2007. Tried calling their customer service with a simple banking question today. I was told I would have to come into a branch for the information I was after. The customer service rep cut me off mid sentence in my inquiry and then promptly ended the call! So glad they are keeping their overheads down and not wasting any money on “service” training. So glad I called. Show details

Stay Away – POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE! When you need something from then they say they will get back within 2 business days and they never do. Always have to follow up on requests made. Save yourself the effort and join an orange online bank (hint hint). So much better customer service, no atm fees, no account fees.  Show details

Terrible services – I applied for a transaction account through online and the system has verified my details but when I followed up with bcu, the representative had no idea about the application. I gave my application ref no# and until now I haven't received any call back from bcu as promised Show details

Loan insurance – My husband got a loan from bcu for a car he paid $20,000 himself and borrowed $34,000 he took out loan insurance to protect me . 4 months later he was killed in a car accident and Bcu wouldnt pay the insurance as he had a small cancer cut off his ear 3 years earlier and they said if they had of known they would never have insured him also didnt reimburse monies paid for the insurance. So not only was I grieving I also had to come up with $34,000

20 Years a member, quality of service now doesn't exist – Looking at the other two latest reviews, agree 100%. Have been a customer with BCU for over 20 years. Used to have such down to earth and approachable, helpful staff. We used to have a good relationship, and have been good customers over the years. We found the members of our local branch moved away as the structure of the bank changed. We had… Read more

multiple new loan managers. They failed to respond to our emails when we sought a new loan. Follow-up was non-existent. We had to constantly chase them to see if communication was received. We would be told one thing over the phone, then told later via email something different. We've never experienced such a nightmare process when purchasing a property before, despite having purchased multiple properties previously. We have never experienced such disinterested and indifferent staff who couldn't even provide a basic level of service. We will be leaving BCU and closing all of our accounts and will not be doing business with them again.

After 27 years it's time to close account – A long time ago they were the bank for the locals and were customer service but slowly they have changed their policy and structure to be more and more money hungry and less customer focused. For several years now since joining NAB I have planned to close my BCU account and membership as my experiences with NAB have been so much better. No monthly… Read more

fees vs $5 membership with BCU. Much better credit given from NAB at lower rates and generally much better advice offered from NAB. BCU even took members bonus dividends back (mine was $155 in S12 account) as they say they done it in members interests so they could open more ATM machines but was simply Indian giving and a way to money grab from members. They have also limited free eftpos transaction to 20 per month. Which is just another way to charge fees to the average member. Could rave on with some long horror stories but will just advise people to choose another institution or one of the big 4 as BCU has been overcharging and wasting members fees at a growing rate for far too long.

Poor service and customer relations – I have been a member of BCU for more than 25 years during which time I have had a very happy, friendly and helpful experience with the staff and management. They were eager to please and knowledgeable, I was happy to recommend them, until there was a change in management and ideas. They are now just pushing their staff to sell, sell, sell. They… Read more

have consequentially lost all the old, experienced, friendly and helpful staff we once had at Macksville.

When I have a problem, I can't get them on the phone, they have a high turnover of staff, meaning less experienced staff. There are invariably longer waiting times to get served.

I wrote to the head office in May this year and on the 26th I received an automated reply telling me, "thanks we will be in touch with you shortly". It was months later that I rang up again and was told someone eventually would ring. Some time later I received a call from the Macksville manager, NOT the head office one I originally sent my enquiry to.

All in all. BCU is NOT a bank I would recommend.

April 4th, 2017 Update: It seems they are getting worse

The continuing saga. I have emailed BCU a number of times, with questions that I would like answers to, but do NOT get a reply! Are they to big and don't care? Do they not have enough staff? They are changing our way of banking that is going to cost us more, but do not explain why? Firstly they change their BSB no. and we have to run around to let everyone know, that we deal with, about it. Now they are charging for more eftpos transactions than 20 per month, even though all the banks were encouraging us to use eftpos, as it was safer than carrying cash. They are also doing away with our CUE cards, is this going to cost us more? They won't tell me. Also their ibanking website that we use for banking, will close down, after about 5 to 10 mins, forcing you to log in again, even if you are still actively using it?? Where will it end?