Oaken Account Opening Fail | Oaken Financial | Discussion forum

I've been trying to set up savings accounts at Oaken, and it's been a bit of a trial.

Feb 24
- I filled out the online application.

Feb 26
- No reply from Oaken. I checked the site: I could sign in but there was no account. Started a chat and was told to check under "pending investments". I checked a message there and it said it needed a signature file. I had previously uploaded a .PNG file with a signature that I use to stamp documents. Chat-Buddy said they'd been having issues with document uploads, so I should try again. Uploaded file again. Also sent via email to their "back office" email address.

Mar 5
- Got an email requesting... a signature file. Ordered to submit by Mar 12. I called and was told I needed to sign a piece of paper, take a photo of the signature and send that in. What they call a "wet signature".

Mar 13
- Got a "Welcome to Oaken" email. Logged in. Account still "pending".

Mar 20
- Got a "Low Balance Alert" via email. Account no longer shows as "pending". Figured it must be in process finally.
Checked back periodically and there was still no account. I had hoped to move funds in a the end of Feb, but got a renewed Tangerine Bonus rate, so urgency had passed.

May 25
- Still nothing on Oaken. Called in and was told I needed to "Enroll" again. Needed to use a different login ID, a different password, but the same email address .
Here was my (second) mistake: I was on the phone with the agent while I did this and was rushing through and entered "Raymond" in the name field instead of "Ray" which I use for just about everything else.
Accounts were opened immediately and I started to set up external links via FLinks. Each time it failed, and I suspected it was because my first name didn't match. Back to online chat where the agent agreed that was probably the issue. When I balked at their requirements to manually link accounts, he suggested I could submit a request to change the name on the account. Wrote a letter, emailed it in.

May 26
- Request denied. I can't change the legal name to shortened name.
Next step:
- Write and sign a letter of direction
- Print and sign PAD forms from the external bank.
- Include a recent statement from the external bank with ALL information shown with nothing blanked out.
- Copy of ID.

After an hour of downloading, printing, signing, scanning, I re-submitted the list of documents and waited. Website says 2 business days to process requests.

May 29
- 3 full days later, no reply to my submission. No external banks appear in the list under transfers.
Waited until 5 pm, then transferred all of my funds from Tangerine to EQ bank.

After 3 months of trying on and off, my set up with Oaken is still incomplete.