This review is both for the TD branch at Yonge St & Finch Ave (2 stars), and TD Direct Investing (1 star). So 1 star average.
My relative wanted to open a TFSA trading account at TD Direct Investing (DI), and to give trading authorization to me. We went to the Yonge & Finch TD branch on October 18, 2025, meeting Senior Personal Banker Amar. Amar filled the forms and sent them to TD DI. A week later, we called several times TD DI to find out that no account was opened. My relative visited the branch three more times, and TD worker discovered that the application was incomplete, and so it was rejected. Amar was not informed by DI stuff. We informed Amar, went the fifth time to TD, signed the missing document. Unlike in the previous attempts to communicate with Amar by emails or leaving phone messages, to which he did not reply, this time he replied, since this time HE needed information from us. Eventually the account was activated on 4 November 2025.
Amar also sent a transfer form to another financial institution without waiting when the account is opened. The cheque was sent on October 20. We were just lucky that Canada Post was on strike, so that it took more than two weeks for the cheque to arrive. If the cheque arrived earlier, when the account was not opened, it would be sent back and deposited back to the TFSA account, which would be a overcontribution, and then CRA steps in. That would bring us lots of troubles. Sending such a request WITHOUT opening an account first was a mistake.
On the first visit for signing documents, Amar did not provide us copies of the signed documents himself. It is only after our request he made these copies, which turned out to be critical to find what went wrong with the application.
But the saga did not end. The relative called TD DI about the authorization. The support person could see the authorization application, but in order to activate it, we have to go to the branch and ask them to call TD DI. We went to TD the sixth time, asked for this service the teller. The teller verified my client card, checked driver’s license, and still not been satisfied asked for a passport. Eventually, passed us to Amar on the pretext that TD DI does not have authorization application. Which is a strange excuse since DI’s support assured us it is there. The next day we went to the branch the seventh time. Amar called DI, we spent forty minutes on the phone, achieving nothing.
The next day DI support called, and after verification I was given ID and password OVER THE PHONE, WITHOUT visiting the branch (why emphasis, will become clear later). However, when the next day, on Nov. 7, I tried to do a trade, the application requested a trading password, of which nobody ever told us. We called support and asked for a trading password. The support said that we have to go to the branch to obtain it, or send driver’s license and our photos. Note that the day before I was given ID and login password for the account OVER THE PHONE, without sending documents and photos. So, my relative went to the branch eighth time and was given a trading password.
However, it expired. So, the relative went to the branch NINTH time with a computer. Eventually, this the simplest issue was resolved (with efforts and time hundred times exceeding any reasonable amount).
We terribly regret of our decision to open a trading account with TD DI, which brought us so many inconveniences, lots of stress and worries, forced us making tens of prolonged stressful phone calls, spending enormous amount of efforts and time to complete this simple task. Inhuman - that’s the most kind word for how TD DI conducted its business with us, while abuse and humiliation are the most adequate words. As in many governments “national security” serves as a tool for power abuses, the TD's umbrella of “security” de-facto gives the stuff free hand to abuse people and to cover their incompetence. All in the name of "security", while in fact tramping down the last remnants of dignity and respect for human being left in this once civilized country.