Re: Fidelity service degrading?

I also found their Netbenefits support rather dire - no contact email
or phone number anywhere. If you have a question your only option is to
click the "Help" button... which needless to say doesn't help.


Mark Freeland wrote:
> Signs of problems?
>
> - I sent a simple question (via email) to them over six days ago, and
> have yet to get a response. FWIW, it was asking what documentation they
> require when guaranteeing an executor's signature - what is required is
> up to the discretion of the guarantor. (The answer I got when I finally
> called a local office was: just two forms of ID - no letter of
> testamentary, no death certificate, etc.)
>
> - Fidelity just issued a corrected 1099 where they marked only some
> lines that they changed with a 'C'. This is worse than not marking any
> lines, because readers relying upon the markings would miss transcribing
> some of the changes to their returns.
>
> On a positive note, the service on Fidelity's instituional side remains
> great. They were responding to questions and turning around changes in
> 12 hours including weekends (qualified plan compliance testing).
>
> --
> Mark Freeland
>

Re: Fidelity service degrading?

Freeland, you've been unhappy with Fidelity for years. You
forever have a bone to pick with them (or maybe you have a
bone to pick with life?). Yet something keeps you there,
unfortunately possibly at other customers' expense.

You ought to either leave Fidelity; sort out its pros and
cons and see if anyone else will do better; or else continue
to be seen as illogical.

"spasmous" <> wrote
re Fidelity's 401(k) Netbenefits service
>I also found their Netbenefits support rather dire - no
>contact email
> or phone number anywhere. If you have a question your only
> option is to
> click the "Help" button... which needless to say doesn't
> help.
>
>
> Mark Freeland wrote:
>> Signs of problems?
>>
>> - I sent a simple question (via email) to them over six
>> days ago, and
>> have yet to get a response. FWIW, it was asking what
>> documentation they
>> require when guaranteeing an executor's signature - what
>> is required is
>> up to the discretion of the guarantor. (The answer I got
>> when I finally
>> called a local office was: just two forms of ID - no
>> letter of
>> testamentary, no death certificate, etc.)
>>
>> - Fidelity just issued a corrected 1099 where they marked
>> only some
>> lines that they changed with a 'C'. This is worse than
>> not marking any
>> lines, because readers relying upon the markings would
>> miss transcribing
>> some of the changes to their returns.
>>
>> On a positive note, the service on Fidelity's
>> instituional side remains
>> great. They were responding to questions and turning
>> around changes in
>> 12 hours including weekends (qualified plan compliance
>> testing).

Re: Fidelity service degrading?

"spasmous" <> wrote

>I also found their Netbenefits support rather dire - no contact email
> or phone number anywhere.

The phone number is on your statements.

Re: Fidelity service degrading?

"Elle" <> wrote

> Freeland, you've been unhappy with Fidelity for years. You forever have a
> bone to pick with them (or maybe you have a bone to pick with life?). Yet
> something keeps you there, unfortunately possibly at other customers'
> expense.

What's this all about? Mark has a problem and makes it known, you think he
should keep it quiet. You must work for Fidelity, maybe a janitor or night
watchman.

Re: Fidelity service degrading?

"spasmous" <> wrote in message
news:
> I also found their Netbenefits support rather dire - no contact email
> or phone number anywhere. If you have a question your only option is to
> click the "Help" button... which needless to say doesn't help.

On the Home page (at login, or if you click the "Home" tab), at the top
there should be a "? Customer Service" link, next to the "Help" link. If
you click on that, it pops up a page that reads in part:

"If your plan offers Customer Service you will see a link called Customer
Service from within the Savings & Retirement tab. Within Customer Service
you will find common questions and answers .... You will also be able to
enter a 'Service Request' to request documentation, such as tax forms, and
interact with Fidelity electonically for any questions or concerns about
your retirement account. In addition to the Customer Service at the top of
your screen you will also see a yellow ? throughout the retirement account
area. Clicking in the yellow ? will display the Customer Service page
specific to the area of NetBenefits(sm)."

If your employer has not set up the plan with online customer service, then
that's something you need to take up with your employer - Fidelity offers
the service. And you can always deal with the plan administrator (your
employer) directly.

--
Mark Freeland

Re: Fidelity service degrading?

"Ed" <> wrote in message
news:
>
> "Elle" <> wrote
>
> > Freeland, you've been unhappy with Fidelity for years. You forever have
a
> > bone to pick with them (or maybe you have a bone to pick with life?).
Yet
> > something keeps you there, unfortunately possibly at other customers'
> > expense.
>
> What's this all about? Mark has a problem and makes it known, you think he
> should keep it quiet. You must work for Fidelity, maybe a janitor or night
> watchman.

I've reported both pro and con - I'm not a cheerleader. I've written many
times that Fidelity is good for some people and with some services. In this
particular thread, I complemented their institutional services. But it is
hard to imagine a reason for any financial provider not replying to a simple
question.

Fidelity is fine for premium service one-stop shopping - which is how Elle
uses her account ($8 equity trades, and doing most of her trading there).
It provides a fair degree of convenience, very good online bookkeeping, and
reasonable equity pricing. But if one is willing to go to different
providers for different services, then one can do better. It's a matter of
balancing service and price against the convenience of consolidation.

For the record, I never said that the problems I just reported were with an
account of mine. One doesn't have to have accounts with Fidelity (or anyone
else) to share the experience.
--
Mark Freeland

Re: Fidelity service degrading?

Woah, woah, WOAH! We're meant to be bashing Fidelity here, remember?
Not me ;)

Re: Fidelity service degrading?

"spasmous" <> wrote in message
news:
> Woah, woah, WOAH! We're meant to be bashing Fidelity here, remember?
> Not me ;)

Sorry, I may have been a little heavy-handed. The point is that email
service for Fidelity NetBenefits is (or should be) there - though it is not
easy to find (assuming that it is there).

I have no problem bashing (or praising) anyone or anything, so long as the
facts are right and support the view. Fidelity has good and bad points.
You, on the other hand ... :-)

--
Mark Freeland

Re: Fidelity service degrading?

Mark Freeland wrote:
> > Woah, woah, WOAH! We're meant to be bashing Fidelity here, remember?
> > Not me ;)
>
> Sorry, I may have been a little heavy-handed. The point is that email
> service for Fidelity NetBenefits is (or should be) there - though it is not
> easy to find (assuming that it is there).
>
> I have no problem bashing (or praising) anyone or anything, so long as the
> facts are right and support the view. Fidelity has good and bad points.
> You, on the other hand ... :-)

I think I've as much taste as a dog, at times, when it comes to buying
- nevermind what broker service a rabbit's hiding behind - send it out
and I'll try and and chase it down. Other times, I do manage to hold
core-grade B&H funds for awhile, provided they can return a modicum of
profit within a lucrative market placement - Janus, Vanguard, TRP come
to mind. Indiscriminately, I buy most of whatever comes off
performance comparison charts. Money talks when there's no time left
over other than to pocket it. If I add the funds I've bought and sold
over the two or three years, surely I'm up to well over fifty unique
funds. Although, I can't offhand recollect, at least for a year or
more, much dealings or a mention for Fidelity. Fidelity is too big,
and seems I'd have bought into them, which is curious. Unless,
institutionally, they're shy of the likes of EBrown and Scottrade -
with an infrastructure bias set up for their own customer base.
Scottrade won't let people plow profits in and out of a prefered likes
of liquid MMAs, even if their bond offerings are outstanding (sic, more
work).

Re: Fidelity service degrading?

"Mark Freeland" <> wrote in message
news:44075574$0$95993$
>
> Fidelity is fine for premium service one-stop shopping - which is how Elle
> uses her account ($8 equity trades, and doing most of her trading there).

Do you think it qualifies for Gold Level?

Re: Fidelity service degrading?

Gary C wrote:
>
> "Mark Freeland" <> wrote in message
> news:44075574$0$95993$
> >
> > Fidelity is fine for premium service one-stop shopping - which is
> > how Elle uses her account ($8 equity trades, and doing most of her
> > trading there).
>
> Do you think it qualifies for Gold Level?

Who am I to say otherwise? Elle also wrote of having $55K+ "sitting in
cash (=money market fund)", which is consistent.


($8 trades)


(cash balance)
--
Mark Freeland

Re: Fidelity service degrading?

"Mark Freeland" <> wrote in message
news:
> Gary C wrote:
>>
>> "Mark Freeland" <> wrote in message
>> news:44075574$0$95993$
>> >
>> > Fidelity is fine for premium service one-stop shopping - which is
>> > how Elle uses her account ($8 equity trades, and doing most of her
>> > trading there).
>>
>> Do you think it qualifies for Gold Level?
>
> Who am I to say otherwise? Elle also wrote of having $55K+ "sitting in
> cash (=money market fund)", which is consistent.
>
>
> ($8 trades)
>
>
> (cash balance)
> --

1 million + in assets or 120 trades a year. I wonder.