Let’s talk about VyStar Credit Union. I’ve been a loyal UW Credit Union member for years. When I moved to Florida, I figured it would be smart to have a local branch. That’s how I ended up with VyStar. And when they failed me, I went right back to UWCU—because in more than 20 years, I can count on one hand how many times they’ve screwed up. VyStar, on the other hand? It’s like they trained at the DMV.
About two years ago, VyStar decided to revamp their website, and believe me—it needed it. The site looked like it was coded on a Lite-Brite. But it took them nearly a year to get the redesign functional. That’s not an exaggeration. For the first few months, you could see your balances, but couldn’t actually do anything. Their response? “It’s just some bugs. Come to a branch and we’ll hand you cash.” Yeah. Because that’s a viable option in 2025. I live in a digital world. I don’t carry much cash—mostly because if I do, I’ll spend it. I know, you’re thinking, “Just don’t spend it.” But it doesn’t work that way for me. It disappears.
Fast forward to yesterday. I needed to pull $200 out for something. I knew I’d get hit with the $4 non-member ATM fee on my UW card, but I figured, whatever. First, I used my VyStar card. No fee there—one point in their favor. Then I inserted my UW card… and got a message that said, “We are unable to process your transaction.” I tried again. Same thing. Tried a third time. Still no dice.
There are two ATMs at the branch by my place—one in the drive-up lane and one by the front door. I had gone to the walk-up because I didn’t want to clog the drive-thru. Before giving up, I rolled inside to let them know their ATM wasn’t dispensing cash. I even had the receipt in hand that showed the error. The teller insisted, “We just filled it.” Then they brought out the branch manager—who basically treated me like I was too dumb to know how to use an ATM. Instead of throwing bricks or screaming obscenities, I rolled back outside, gave it one last shot (no luck), and finally went to the drive-up ATM. That one worked. Got my $200. No apology, of course.
I left fuming. The level of indifference is just… unacceptable. VyStar clearly doesn’t value its customers. And they wonder why people like me pulled all our money out after the first website meltdown.
Now, you’d think that would’ve been the end of my bad day. Nope.
Since I was already out, I headed into the grocery store in the same plaza. I needed a can of mushrooms and something from the pharmacy aisle. Sounds simple, right? Not so much. As I came to the end of an aisle and went to turn into another, this guy comes barreling around the corner with a cart and slams into me. Then has the audacity to act like it was my fault. I apologized—even though it absolutely wasn’t—and he grumbled that I “needed to watch where I was going.” Cool.
I found the mushrooms and started heading to the pharmacy section. Not even two minutes later, it happened again. Different person, same lack of awareness. Head-on collision. At this point, I’m over it.
On my way out, I tried to roll through the crosswalk—only to find it blocked by 18 shopping carts just left in the middle of it. While I’m sitting there grumbling, trying to figure out how to maneuver through this mess, a woman walks up and starts talking to me about her son—who also uses a wheelchair. She asked me if I knew him. This happens more often than you’d think. I guess people assume there’s a secret wheelchair users club or something?
Anyway, I listened. Then thought, “Hey, maybe this is someone who actually has useful info about local services.” Spoiler: Nope. She launched into a 45-minute monologue about how her son’s insurance covered everything after an accident. Meanwhile, I’m roasting in 85-degree Florida humidity, stuck in a parking lot listening to a stranger’s life story.
Eventually, I made it home. The rest of the evening was mostly uneventful—except for the usual traffic law violations and general human incompetence. But at least I had a decent soundtrack: I spent the entire outing hanging out with Tool.
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