Muincat
Junction City,#2Consumer Comment
Fri, November 21, 2008
First of all, wow! I'm really sorry you had such a negative experience with Green Dot. Second of all, you wanted to know the company's real name. It is Columbus Bank and Trust Company--I hope that you are able to track them down and get this issue resolved. For what its worth, here's my two cents about the Green Dot Card: I have read a few reports here about how bad Green Dot is. I have been using Green Dot for almost a year and a half now and not had any problems with the card itself. Their customer service staff leaves a lot to be desired and you're usually just better off learning to navigate their website than talk to a live person. I got stuck using Green Dot because my jerk of an ex-husband ran off on me and left me all the debt. I had to file bankruptcy, so no bank will touch me for now. With the world running on plastic I HAD to have some way of paying bills. Green Dot works for me. Do I wish I didn't have to use it and could have a REAL bank account? Sure, but at least this card allows me to function in the modern financial world. I have had direct deposit set up on it several times and it always works. My biggest problem is trying to explain to employers and my bill collectors what Green Dot is. Usually the direct deposit delay is on the end of the employer and their bank and not Green Dot. A temp service I worked for had it set up IMMEDIATELY and I didn't have any wait time. More "traditional" payroll departments have gotten slogged down in the "what the heck is this thing?" problem and slowed the entire process. The only other problem I can think of that I've had is that some smaller stores and gas stations are unable to accept it. Their machine gives them the message "Contact your financial institution" or simply decline it even if you've got plenty of money. I think this is because not all merchant account providers (i.e. the smaller ones) have updated their systems to include Green Dot. So to me, the bottom line is this: If you expect to need to use customer service a lot and aren't too hot on playing detective with the system or you can get a debit card through a regular bank without any problem, this card is not for you. If, on the other hand, you have no other banking choice and/or you're patient enough to figure out how to "work the system" (mainly the website but also their automated phone system), you should be fine with this card.