[sockaddr]

Yeah, as a litmus test of how much they care about their customers try to call in and get something done.

Vanguard will throw you into an automated labyrinth with the only exit being a poorly-trained rep in india or pakistan that has no real understanding of what you're trying to do.

Their website is complete trash compared to the other big two. Often down, you can only check your balance, etc.

Fidelity will within a matter of a couple of minutes connect you with someone that seems too good to be true. Knowledgeable, friendly, going out of their way to help you, they follow up on what they say (like calling you back, etc).

Once I got a taste of how Fidelity treats people and their broader set of products I moved everything over.

Vanguard is circling the drain if you ask me.

[noirbot]

I'm wondering if I'm on some very different account/plan than everyone else. Any time I've ever called Vanguard, I've gotten a super well trained rep without much of a wait or a call tree. I also had good interactions with Fidelity when I used them.

Were you on a plan run through an employer? Or individual?

[venusenvy47]

It might be related to how much money you have invested. They publish a list of levels that provide different levels of service. https://investor.vanguard.com/client-benefits

The breakpoints are $50k, $500k, $1M, $5M.

[sockaddr]

Enough to not be treated like I was. Sorry that's vague.

[noirbot]

Also, that page seems to be talking about like... financial advisor services. Most of the time I was just calling in to ask for help rolling over a 401k or something. I don't think I've ever called for actual investment advice of the sort that they seem to gate behind certain account sizes.

I'm wondering if it's something where company-sponsored plans sometimes have bad CS support because their support contracts are paid/arranged separately from if you just have a personal account. Or if some company plans have better support because they pay for it?