Vanguard Reviews

The web page is horrible. It says I have XXX dollars available for purchase. I try to purchase, using most of that, and it tells me that the funds are being held and cannot be used for seven days. They don't seem to understand that IT'S MY MONEY!

Date of experience: June 04, 2024

Like other companies Vanguard decided to outsource their call center to the Philippines. Whomever is the genius that made this decision should be fired. So far I've had to call 4 times to just get my account changed to e-delivery. Outsourcing call centers outside the US equals terrible customer service, and it's a security concern for me. I'm giving some foreigner my social security number and security passwords!!! Of course Vanguard is saving money by outsourcing their call center, I get it, but they are pissing-off all their customers in doing so. That said, I am now looking for more specialized service. When I call Vanguard I want someone in the US to answer the phone. Period. Is that really so much to ask?

Date of experience: May 10, 2024

Vanguard is giving persistently poor customer service.

I have been a Vanguard customer since 1987. In the last 5 - 10 years or so their customer service has gone from good and reliable to awful and unreliable. In September I discovered that they used the wrong settlement date for a Treasury Bill order.

I tried to alert them to this problem via a secure message but after 10 days I got a reply telling me to call them back. When I called I was stuck on hold for more than 15 minutes with a very annoying and stressful background message constantly playing on their end. I ended up giving up.

I lodged a written complaint with the Better Business Bureau and Vanguard finally fixed the problem after much delay. But the whole experience left me not trusting Vanguard any more.

Date of experience: September 12, 2022

I am writing this review to alert anyone considering Vanguard to think twice and run rather than invest your time and money with this company. Among a host of other issues, I was locked out of my account 12/2023. After 6 months(no exaggeration) and talking with no less than 10 reps (including "supervisors") I finally got to someone who was able to assist. I again let this person know that I am planning to move my account and was only told during the last call that I needed to provide identification/documentation for the second person on this account. I submitted it on 7/3/24. got a response on 7/10 that it was sent to their processing dept. and as of 7/22 no further information. If it took 6 months to reset a password I can't imagine how long it will take to move our account to a competent alternative. The time, energy and aggravation not to mention the gross incompetence is beyond anything I have ever experienced.

Date of experience: July 22, 2024

This trading website is down frequently! If you want a reliable trading site ,DON'T INVEST WITH VANGUARD !

Date of experience: September 12, 2024

They have kind people unfortunately they don't have competent people to handle issues which in turn cost you the customer thousands of dollars with no way to get help or recoup your losses. I would not use them or recommend investing any money with them.

Date of experience: April 19, 2024

I spent 40 plus minutes on the phone wanting to ask about a RMD distribution
Got somebody "off shore!!!" The background noise was so loud I often could not hear her. And her speech was garbled and difficult to understand. Put me on hold when I asked to speak to someone in the US. After a substantial wait again got a gal in Pennsylvania. Background noice was again LOUD. I was put on hold again as she said she was accessing my last conversation with a rep!!!. Finally reconnected and the information she related to me was contrary to the conversation I had with a rep 2 weeks prior. I am so frustrated with the wait time, the noise and apparent lack of contradictory information I get, that I am seriously thinking of moving my funds elsewhere. VERY POOR customer service!!!

Date of experience: March 13, 2024

I called Vanguard today to report that I am still getting statements on an IRA I closed over 3 years ago and had trnasfered to an advisor at another firm. They had continued charging me annual fees and said I needed to send them $45 to close the account. THe rep would not let me talk to his supervisor, and said they would turn it over to collections. My thought is it was there fault, and I was doing them a favor so they could quit wasting paper and postage. This is about the worst customer service I have experienced.

Date of experience: November 07, 2023

Have been Vanguard for well over a decade and now looking to move all our accounts. Have spent over a month trying to resolve some very straight-forward account issues and Vanguard seems highly incompetent. Have sent notarized and Medallion signature forms that they have lost or are unable to read due to or scanning. Customer service reps are friendly but unable to resolve.

Date of experience: June 18, 2022

This company has no regard for customer service. I have been waiting over two weeks for them to process a funds withdrawal that should’ve taken “3-5 business days”. When I call, no one is able to tell me where my check is or give me a way to elevate my concerns. I’m going back to Fidelity.

Date of experience: September 20, 2023

Purchased a quickshifter for my Honda found cable to short to quick shifter and cable to battery was 200mm to short . Very disappointed having stripped the bike down .

Date of experience: August 12, 2024

Garbage customer service. They have a web portal message center. You leave a short succinct message on it asking for help. Their computer robo-acknowledges successful receipt of the message. Other than that, they don't respond at all. This has happened 4 times now (since I followed up my original request.)

Essentially, they have an unmonitored "secure message portal". Like a house with a doorbell that has 2 loose wires, not connected to anything.

Seriously, Vanguard? Not a good look for a trillion dollar asset manager.

Date of experience: October 19, 2022

No matter when I call:
1) Long wait times - from 15 mins to 25 minutes if not longer.
2) Without fail - it's never with the correct department bc in the IVR I can't find the prompt that states "Investments" and my questions are related to either my Employee Sponsored Plan or my IRA.
3) They say to call in the mornings - but I am also working and can't be on hold - so I call in the evening and they close at 8pm EST (I am in MST which is 6pm).
I have been a client for many years - and this all happened again today - and thus why I am rolling my assets over. It should be easier to access someone - even a chat - to ask questions about transactions and activity.

Date of experience: April 05, 2024

If I can give a ZERO star I will give Vanguard negative million stars. VERY VERY SLOW PROCESS. My 401k rollover was sent April 30,2024 got there on May 13,2024 and I am still not allowed to buy more investments than what I want. There’s a message saying that 7 days hold. They are a very stressful and very annoying brokerage. I really wanted to move out of Vanguard.

Date of experience: May 13, 2024

Solid experience until they decided to not allow crypto ETFs. I understand not allowing actual crypto, but it is not up to Vanguard to decide what types of ETFs people should invest in. They obviously feel threatened, not surprised given their ties to centralized money. Good riddance!

Date of experience: February 25, 2024

Previous posters are correct in reference to poor customer service. we have been clients in excess of 4o years . I never witnessed such poor customer service. I guess this is due to the company expanding so fast . Beware, some of new people don't know the correct answers to questions.

Date of experience: September 02, 2022

Condescending, rude, uncaring, misogynistic and arrogant are the better words to describe customer service at Vanguard Funds.
A more detailed description may not be printable. Nearly forty years and Flagship for all of those years and to see a once solid company go down to such an extreme is a shame. Do yourself a favor and look ELSEWHERE.

Date of experience: October 17, 2022

So, have been a customer of Vanguard for 25 years or so, good prices, good products, good customer service, user friendly interfaces. Then, a few years back they upgraded the app, not user friendly but for " consumer benefit", wrote them a letter, polite, no response, period, OK, not a big deal. So we retired, snow-birding in Mexico, first time in 20 years needed to talk to a rep. No text available, email and fb messanger respond with generic crap with a variety of country specivic phone #, no direct long distance dial, but through ATT excess, not even a paid option. Tried every one with every combination, no go, tried my American phone, Mexican phone, nada. They quit answering any communications and after a months, still no talk to noone. So I just took all my holdings out to another broker. What the hell happened to the company, they used to be tops.

Date of experience: November 11, 2022

Extremely long wait times on phone now Support has gone downhill, moved my money out! No crypto in IRA's allowed Dark ages! Tech issues too. People there have no idea what they are taking about. Horrible CX!!! Bogle is turning over in his grave!!

Date of experience: April 10, 2024

If I could give 0 starts I would. This has been THE worst service I have ever received in my life. I've been on hold now approximately 9 times. On the phone for 1 hour and 25 minutes. Spoke to 4 representatives, still no answer or help. I really hope you can find some customer services reps that know how to do more than place customers on hold and say " i cant help you with that"

Date of experience: April 08, 2024