Arvest Bank - Town Center

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My wife and I share a joint checking account at Arvest Bank, Bentonville. On or about March 18th 2013, we took a trip to Oklahoma to visit friends and stopped to fill up with gas. I went in to pay for the gas using my Arvest Check Card and the transaction was Denied. My wife then went in to use her Arvest Check Card and the transaction was approved. On or about the July 11th 2013, my wife and I were returning from a trip to Texas and again stopped for gas in West Siloam Springs which I tried to use my Arvest Check Card and again the transaction was Denied. Again, there were sufficient funds to easily cover the transaction and the account is in good standing. My wife once again went in to pay for the transaction using her Arvest Check Card and the transaction was approved. After getting home from Texas, on or about July 16th, I called Arvest to try to find out why Arvest had Denied the recent transaction and was told by an Associate that Arvest would Deny Out of State Transactions on Arvest Check Cards 'Unless we receive notification of Out of State Travel'. Not only was this statement blatantly false as my wife's Arvest Check Card worked as it should have in Texas and Oklahoma withhout notifying Arvest but the Associate was making additional statements as to probable causes even though the Associate verified there were sufficient funds to cover the transaction and that the account was in good standing. Now this brings me to today, 09-27-2013. My wife and I were returning from a movie and dinner out when once again we stopped to fill the car up with gas. You guessed it, once again Arvest Bank Denied the charge on my Arvest Check Card however, my wife was once again able to use her Arvest Check Card to complete the transaction. I can only image what would happen if a traveler who had a Arvest Check Card as their only means of payment that was Denied a transaction while Traveling Out of State and the only means to pay was using the Arvest Check Card. Well you get the picture, that traveler would be stranded without any means to pay for anything. Stranded by Arvest.
Arvest used to be a Bank you could trust and count on however, in the last 5 or 6 years Arvest has gone severely down hill. This is just one example of many.
After this newest incident, we will be moving our accounts to another more reliable bank. I strongly suggest others do the same for peace of mind.

Arvest Bank is a very good bank. I am very satisfied with them.

They are very helpful, friendly and nice. They have nice services. They will do anything for you. They fax things. They have free coffee. They have been fabulous.