Consumer complaint received 2016-01-08
Company: FIRST HORIZON BANK
State: TN
Product: Bank account or service
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Account opening, closing, or management

Complaint:
My wife has just gotten her SSN and found a job at XXXX. In order to get her payments, we wanted to open a new checking account. I searched if there was any bonuses for new account customers. I found First Tennessee Bank, which gives {$250.00} bonus for their online applicants. I filled out an application for her, at the end of the process the system told me that her identification is not verified and we need to go to a branch so as to further the application. 
We went to the nearest branch of First Tennessee Bank and told them ( a customer representative ) the situation. She told us that she can not further that application on branch, it should be done by online. She offered us some other options, one of them was offering {$150.00} for new checking account customers who meet their criteria. Even though I accepted her offer, I still wanted to ask her why the application which I started online can not be progressed? If the branch can not further it, why did the e-mail told us to continue on the application with a branch? Then, the representative slightly agreed with me and called the phone number provided in the e-mail that First Tennessee Bank sent us during the online application process. The other representative on the call told the representative on the branch that they can not verify my wife 's identity, in other words her SSN is not valid! After the call, the branch representative suggested us to go to Social Security Office and ask them if there is anything wrong with my wife 's information. I wanted her to open the account by herself on branch. She told me that it is not possible to open a checking account once it is declined by the online banking system, even though she was saying that she can open an account ( she already knew that our online application was declined ) in the branch before that call! So, she basically did not want to open that account. Probably, she thought that opening an account for my wife is risky! 
I went to Social Security Office with my wife and spent our 1 hour over there in order to ask them what is wrong with my wife 's SSN. The social security officer told us that there is nothing wrong. All of my wife 's information matches with their system. He added that First Tennessee Bank maybe did not want to open an account for us/my wife and sent us to the office so as to throw overboard, which was very logical idea for me. 
After leaving the office, I called the First Tennessee Bank Online Account Service and told them the situation. They did not even want to listen to me and repeatedly told me that they are sorry and they can not help me with the situation. 
After all these conversations were made and we lost our whole day by trying to deal with these narrow-minded and under-educated people, we came home and I started to search for the reasons why I had this problem. I found the core problem on another bank 's website, which is saying that if you have just gotten your SSN and do not have any background, please go to our branches. After reading this warning, I understood that she needed to have credit history in order to open an Online Checking Account. However, any of the representatives have not told us anything about this. If the case is a credit history for a checking account, which does not damage the bank, but benefits, why do n't they even help us in the branch? This is a customer disappointment. Having this bad experience with First Tennessee bank and being a person who worked at a bank for two years, I am calling this situation disgraceful for First Tennessee Bank. I have felt like we are 3rd ( or even worse ) class of people in this country, who are not wanted in here! For this reason, I wanted to tell my complaint will all the details. Tomorrow, I will go to another branch of First Tennessee Bank and try to open an account for my wife again just to see what they are going to do. I just want my rights!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation