American Express launched its Bluebird card in Walmart stores and garnered much media attention, but like any new product, it has had a few growing pains as customers have tried it out.
From The City Wire in Arkansas:
The earliest reviews cited Bluebird as a serious threat to bankers and mighty challenger for traditional checking accounts particularly for those institutions charging hefty maintenance fees.
There have been concerns about its customer service and the time it takes for deposits to become available.
A public blog that compares prepaid cards had a handful of negative posts on the customer service side of the Bluebird card. The most common angst with the card was call center service and length of time to get some deposits credited to the account.
Customer service takes time to develop as customers learn to use the cards, and the call centers learn what the most common questions are and what to do about things that are not in the manual. The long load times are part of a risk and cost management strategy, but it demonstrates why Bluebird is not a one-size-fits-all card. People who are desperate for liquidity, for example, may need other options.
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