USAA sucks

I like everything about USAA except the online experience. I live in Houston and the closest branch of USAA is in San Antonio. I've never been there. They let me open up an account without ever showing up. However, I must answer a bunch of public domain questions in order to access my accounts.

Today I was asked a question I don't think I ever gave them the original information to. I couldn't answer it. Now I'm locked out of my account online. That is the only way I have to get to my money. I have to call tomorrow and get my account unlocked, but I need access to my money now.

Asking people to answer a bunch of preset questions is a bad method of verification. I'll bet I can query what city I was born in via google. I bet I can get my mother's maiden name the same way. I wouldn't be surprised if I could find SSN somewhere on the web too. I'm not a deviant so I do not actually know how to do these things. I don't know how to hot wire a car, but that is pretty easy from what I've hears.

So, you can't give the correct answers. That is just too plane easy. The whole idea behind this concept is that you don't have to write anything down in order to remember a bunch of information. If you give the correct answers, any one with the right knowledge can look up the answers. So, you have to give fake information. Which means you need to write it down somewhere. Which, defeats the whole purpose of having the questions.

Would I run in to the same problem elsewhere? Well, most places only ask me the information if I get the password wrong. Not USAA. They just randomly pop these questions up between clicks. I give BS answers everywhere else so that even I cannot steel my identity.

Everything else I've had to deal with USAA about has been great. This bit really sucks.