Bank of America San Marino

I arrived at Bank of America for a notary appointment at 11 AM on September 24, 2024. Martha Palomares Espinoza, a staff member, told me Monique Montanez, the usual notary, couldn't make it due to an emergency. However, Erica Jaramillo, the branch manager, later contradicted this, saying there was no emergency and Monique was just unavailable. I asked several times for a time estimate but received no clear answer. While waiting, I overheard Erica dismiss an elderly customer who was confused about her charges. Instead of helping, Erica kept asking, "What do you want out of this visit?" making the woman repeat herself without addressing her concern. After a long wait, Rachel, the only teller, began processing my request but had trouble finding the document in the system.

Erica took over, reviewed the document, and said they couldn't notarize it. When I asked for a list of notarizable documents, Erica refused, assuming I wanted to use their printer, and her attitude throughout was dismissive. When I questioned why Monique had notarized this same document before, Erica avoided the question and mentioned a potential credit if I used another notary service, though she couldn't guarantee it. Erica's communication style felt condescending, as she kept asking, "What do you want out of this visit?" when I was only asking for clarity. On September 28, I booked another appointment with Monique from 3:30 to 4:00 PM. When I arrived, Erica questioned why I had left the other day without a "debrief" and asked for my documents. I told her my appointment was with Monique, but 15 minutes passed without me being helped. I learned from Martha that Monique wasn't even at the bank, and no one had informed me. When Erica stepped in again, she claimed the system automatically schedules appointments even if the selected notary is unavailable. When I asked why she wanted to see my documents earlier, she said it was standard for managers to review them before the notary does. I asked why this wasn't on their website, but Erica only said it was company policy. When I requested to see these policies, she said they were private and proprietary. I also asked to see Monique's notary certificate, which Erica said was confidential. Her responses were vague, and I found it difficult to trust her. When I reminded her of our first interaction, where she said, "I'm sorry, she lied," Erica denied saying it and became defensive, accusing me of defamation. She refused to provide contact information for other managers and suggested I call customer service instead. Before leaving, I asked her to put Monique's unavailability in writing, but she refused. As I left, I saw Erica exchange a look with another employee, making me feel like I was being treated as a nuisance, not a valued customer. Overall, I was deeply dissatisfied with the poor communication, lack of transparency, and dismissive attitude from Erica. Even when I filed a complaint through customer service, I never received the promised the confirmation or follow-up email.

By all means, avoid this branch. Its manager Catherine ill serves bank clients with arrogant, brusque demeanor and takes them all for granted. An efficient bank manager caters to client needs as much as possible but to her, the position is an ego trip. That says it all. We want you to replace her with someone who can better serve us and the community at large.