TIAA/CREF Sucks - But Cool New Advertising Campaign

I was reading the NYT and ran across this article about the new advertising campaign for TIAA/CREF. Nice. Warm. Fuzzies.

Now talk to someone who is the survivor from someone who died with a TIAA/CREF account. This is why TIAA/CREF sucks. Ask a surviving spouse. You can't get any money out of TIAA/CREF. They send you a print out of what you theoretically have. But isn't that like theoretically having oxygen?

TIAA/CREF's strategies to delay payment of any kind include switched account numbers. Delays responding. Long telephone wait times. Ridiculous duplicate forms. A dizzying array of numbers that only have meaning to them yet they are your problem. Divisions of the SAME COMPANY demanding duplicate originals of the same document just to delay. Oh please. Where is the common sense you crazies?

This just goes back to the best marketing, the best advertising, is great customer service. That is why USAA Insurance completely rocks. I love USAA. They continue to exceed expectations.

And that is why TIAA/CREF sucks despite their ad campaigns. They don't do what they say. Like your Mom told you - do the right thing. Sorry - just calling it like I see it. And the way I see it TIAA/CREF sucks. There it is.