North Carolina - Need help picking a new bank and cellular service?

[mill4023]

We just moved to the Charlotte area and need to find a new bank. The only bank in the area that I'm familiar with is BofA and I hate them with a passion. Anyone have any good or bad things to say about other banks in the area? We'd also be interested in going with a credit union, but so far I haven't found any that we'd qualify to join.

I'd also be intersted in hearing any opinions on cellular providers in the area. We currently have Sprint and the service is pretty good so far in most of the Charlotte area, with the exception of the neighborhood where our house is being built. For some reason, it seems to be a dead spot.

Thanks

 

[SC Minnie]

I sent you a pm.

 

[bsmcneil]

Wachovia and Sprint are great for me (granted, all of my time is spent either in the middle of NC or Western NC - so I'm not sure how they work at the beach)

 

[jenr812]

We're in Rock Hill and have been with Wachovia since we moved to the area in 1999. We are quite happy with them

 

[NCDisneyMom]

We bank with Wachovia and are pleased with them.

We have Cingular phone service, and have been a little less than thrilled. We can't even get a signal in our house, and there are stores that we cannot get a signal in. As soon as our contract is up, we will be changing carriers.

 

[Swimnoid]

We have been with Wachovia for 22 years. Some people dont like them but they are great for us and very convenient.

We use Cingular and havent had any trouble. We are an hour north of you but I have always had fine service when I have been in the Charlotte area. Going there Sat as a matter of fact.

 

[Cyndirella]

I use a small local bank in Gaston County, so no help there. There is a credit union that you can join if you live or work in Charlotte - the Charlotte Metro Credit Union (www.cmcu.org). I'm not a member so I have no idea how the service is. They only have 3 offices but if you live near one of the branches that may work for you.

Cell phones - I have Cingular. It is OK but nothing great - I have dropped calls at least once a day and the signal goes in and out even when I am sitting in one place. DH has Nextel for his business and it's not any better (and maybe even worse).

 

[mill4023]

Thanks everyone.
I checked out the credit union and it looks pretty good. But Wachovia might be more convenient since there seems to be a branch about every 3 blocks.
From what I've heard, Verizon and T-Mobile are supposed to be better than Cingular and Sprint. Anyone used either one?

 

[musclecar_72]

We have verizon and have used it all over NC and have had no complaints. On place we have no service is downtown Asheville, NC. Go figure that one!

 

[Tarheel Girl]

Mill4023,
If you or your spouse work for the state of North Carolina, you qualify to join the State Employees' Credit Union. They have served me well since I was in high school. I was able to join since my mom was a teacher.

Welcome to N.C.!!

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

DW and I had a horrible experience banking with BB&T. I would recommend you avoid using them at all cost. We had banked with BB&T for 12 years; DW's identity was stolen and we had large sums of money stolen; the bank totally mishandled the situation and never seemed to care one bit about us and all the inconvenience they put us through. BB&T cashed forged checks, creating a huge mess that took months to sort out. Never ever bank with them.

 

[mill4023]

I think we're going to go with Wachovia. It sounds like people are fairly happy with them and since it seems like there is a branch on every block, it should be pretty convenient and easy to avoid all those little fees for using another bank's ATM's.
We've still got a few months left on our Sprint contract, but it sounds like Verizon might be a good option for our cell service. Plus, my mom and several other relatives have Verizon, so that could cut down on the number of minutes we need.

Also, if anyone has kids in the Union County schools, let me know. I've got a question for you.

Thanks

 

[Galahad]

I worked for First Citizens Bank in N.C. and thought they were a great bank! I'd very much recommend them! We had good luck with what is now AT&T in the Raleigh to Ft. Bragg region. Not sure about Charlotte.