Gayle S.

If I could give Treasurydirect.gov MINUS stars, I would! After my husband died, I needed to cash his bonds in and have them direct deposited in my checking account. So, when I couldn't get to his "temporary password" because his e-mail account was closed due to inactivity, I e-mailed TD and explained the situation. They responded by putting a hard lock on his account and telling me I needed to fill out forms, and send letters of appointment. So, these "letters of appointment" had to be done by my attorney, of course forcing me to put out even MORE money. So I send the letters of appointment, death certificate, and even the judges letter granting me title to my late husbands savings bond account. And I send all of this certified mail, so I can get the receipt that the package was delivered and signed for. SO (trying to make a long story short) a MONTH later I get the signed receipt back - find out that the address they gave me to send the package to was WRONG. They told me to send it to a West Va. Address, and it actually ended up going to a Minneapolis address. So two weeks later (a total of 6 weeks since info was mailed) I once again e-mailed to ask about the status. They send me an e-mail back telling me the current processing time was 10 WEEKS! I e-mailed them back, telling them this was unacceptable, that I am a widow and need access to this money. They e-mail me back, simply apologizing but offering no solution. THREE MORE weeks pass, and I e-mail them again. FINALLY, I received the money in my account the middle of October - almost 2 and a half months after I mailed the info.

Worst customer service I have ever experienced. I will NEVER buy savings bonds again. You should be able to get to your money when you need it. Treating customers (especially widows) like this does not instill confidence in the way our money is taken care of.