Arn't Banks Just the Best??? - Sorry but it's a long read.

Message I sent No.1

Sent: 24/04/2008 at 12:01:04

From: Mr. ALLAN

Subject: ANZ Account Enquiry

Message: Customer ALLAN and contact details as follows:
Preferred contact no: 027
Alternative no: -
wishes to perform ANZ Account Enquiry
Purpose of enquiry: New Account
Enquiry details

Enquiry: Hello,

This account has been incative for a number of months and I also notice that you have decided to change the type of account that it is and hence changed the cost to me for holding this acocunt.

Due to the fact I was unaware of this and not using this account please wipe the current charges and close the account.

Quite sad really.. I have been an ANZ customer from back in the Post Office days and if your bank had been more competitive and treated your life long long customers a little better then I would not be closing this account and would not have taken my banking elsewhere. My measly 80k per annum would be flowing through your bank if you looked after me as a customer but you failed to meet my needs as a financial institution. This was mostly due to you not enquiring as to why my salary stopped coming through this account a number of years ago and from a customer service perspective you are not proactive in communicating with your customers on an individual basis to see if your services are meeting their needs.

Please pass this feedback on to who ever uses this to improve your customer services and let me know via secure mail if you will process my account closure request.


Their Reply:

To: Mr. ALLAN
Sent: 25/04/2008 at 15:51:45
From: Sarah
Subject: RE: ANZ Account Enquiry

Message: Dear Allan,

Thank you for your SecureMail about closing your ANZ Account

By the end of October the Thrifty account will no longer be available and all current Thrifty accounts will be migrated to the ANZ Everyday account unless the customer advises otherwise.

One of the common requests the bank gets is to make banking simpler. Part of making banking easier involves simplifying the number of different accounts we offer and their associated pricing structures.

With the introduction of the ANZ Everyday account we have a simple account which is great value, suitable for the majority of customer and their transaction requirements.

If you do not make many transactions each month we are able to offer the ANZ Control account as an alternative. The Control account is a pay as you go transactional account. Each electronic transaction is $0.60 and a branch-assisted transaction, including cheques, is $1.00.

Please reply to this SecureMail to confirm you are happy to be changed to the ANZ Control account.

If you still wish to close this account, regrettably we cannot arrange for your accounts to be closed via Internet or Telephone Banking.

When an account is to be closed, arrangements need to be made for the dispersion of the remaining funds and/or payment of any bank fees incurred since the last statement. As the bank is arranging for funds to be withdrawn from the account, your signature is required.

If you would like to make an appointment at an ANZ branch to close this account, please feel free to use SecureMail to supply us with your contact phone number, and the time and branch your choice. We will then arrange for that branch to contact you by telephone.

Alternatively you can arrange this by contacting a Customer Service Consultant on 0800 ANZ 2 You (0800 269 296).

Please note that if more than one signature is required to make withdrawals, the signature of at least one other account holder will also be required.

I would like to apologise for the level of service that you have received. Service quality is one of our main goals and regrettably it is obvious in this instance that you feel we have not achieved the high standards we aim to provide.

If you have any further queries please contact the ANZ Internet Banking Team via SecureMail. The Internet Banking Team will provide support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Regards,

Sarah
Internet Banking Representative
ANZ Internet Banking

Please view our 'Protect Your Banking' feature on www.anz.co.nz, which provides information about how to protect your Internet Banking details.

My Response to that:

From: Mr. ALLAN
Sent: 22/05/2008 at 22:08:59
Subject: RE: ANZ Account Enquiry

Message: Hello,

Ok so translated in to speak I can easily understand what this "Templated" reply is screaming out to me is the following... (Please don't take this personally).

We don't give a shit that you have been an unvalued customer for over 25 years.

We couldn't give 2 shits that you haven't used this account for months.

Just pay the f***ing fees and then go right the hell out of your way to come and see us so we can close this account.

I'm sorry but this simply isn't good enough and I refuse to pay fees on an account I am not using. Please accept this as formal notice that I want this account closed.

I will not be logging back in to your internet banking again and will never darken your doors for any services ever again.... If you must contact me you will have to phone or email me.

After being a customer of yours for 3/4's of my life I am extremely disapointed that my feedback has fallen on deaf ears and that you refuse to reverse fees that come to less than $30

Translated in to simple terms... I will not pay these bank fees.

Thanks for 25 yrs of paying your fees and recieving bugger all in return.

Yours sincerely
1 unhappy ex customer.

Some information has been removed but you get the picture.

Sad thing is I don't think that will be the end of it... Ahh well.

 

Re: Arn't Banks Just the Best??? - Sorry but it's a long rea

Sadly most businesses aren't your neighborhood store anymore. They are huge sprawling giants with millions of customers and responsibility dispersed through the organization so no one person has the authority to do anything other than follow the procedure. Customer service suffers because "procedures" don't care.

So, to the practical matter. Do you still have money in the account? If so remove it.

If it has any kind of overdraft protection you'll have to close it. Otherwise they'll keep charging fees and lending you the money to cover it.

If there is no overdraft protection just draw it down to a penny and see how long they keep sending statements.

 

Re: Arn't Banks Just the Best??? - Sorry but it's a long rea

That is really sad, I think I may soon be in a similar situation with my bank. I started banking there about 12 years ago when I was 16 when I got my first real job and paychecks to deposit and I know everyone there. Although my accounts are active, what was once a small privately family owned bank with three local branches in my town and a couple of surrounding towns was just bought out by a larger, conglomerate bank. I guess this is where not only the banking but many industries and retail establishments are going to. Conglomerate "procedures" and rules take over, with no personal care, no people making judgement calls based on the situation, just pay up. I guess it's up to us all to shop the local stores or banks to try to stem the tide of this conglomerate take over.

 

I also love it when businesses are trying to be all formal... and then they screw up their grammar. "Dispersion" should be "disbursement" in this context. "Dispersion" of money would mean spreading it all over the place, physically. "Disbursement" means writing a check.

They also mention that they have failed to "achieve the high standards they aim to provide." They aim to provide standards? I thought they were a bank. They should *meet* standards, not *provide* them.

In their defense, you typically can't close an account by remote. If you really, really don't want to ever deal with them again, arrange for a transfer or write a check for the exact amount in the account. Not only does that get you your money, but some banks will even close an account with a zero balance automatically.

Of course, that means abdicating on the dispute over the fees, and not all banks close at zero balance, AND the ones that do require that the balance is EXACTLY zero. (Let this also serve as a reminder not to let the balance accidentally go to zero on an account you want to KEEP.)

It seems that where they really fell down, though, is in not telling you in advance that they were going to change the account type. When my bank wants to retire an account type, they add fees to the existing ones, but they TELL ME FIRST, so I know what's going on. The end result is no different, except that common courtesy is observed. That's why they still have my business.

It doesn't really have anything to do with being a "big bank" or a "small bank". My current bank is a branch of a very large company, and I get great service because the people there care about what they do. My old bank whom I despise is a branch of THE SAME COMPANY, but the people there don't give a crap. You can bet, though, that the home office tracks how much business each branch gets, so even within a given corporation, it's worth supporting the branch with the PEOPLE who help you the most.

There are two types of people in business: people who think that a company exists, and the people who know that a company is just a bunch of people. I only talk to the second type.

 

yep could you imagine a world without banks,,,,cash that you worked for in your hand to pay for something,,,,,my God it would be heaven,,,,you would have to work first to get what you want,,,,,,,my Lord that would be a concept there.....Dan

 

I'm about to do the same thing with my insurance company. After 13 years of perfect driving (no tickets, no claims) they have decided to increase my rates by at least 10% every year. They even jumped my homeowner's insurance by over 10% this year (no claims at all). I've found a company (Amica) that will insure my two vehicles for $900 a year versus the $1500 I'm paying now.

 

Re: Arn't Banks Just the Best??? - Sorry but it's a long rea

I'm sure they told him. It was on fine print on one of those pieces of paper in an envelope full of junk like balance transfer checks and other junk that he shredded.

 

Re: Arn't Banks Just the Best??? - Sorry but it's a long rea

Could have been lost in the post during a few moves in recent months.

Either way I still thinkk it's stink that they have taken this attitude that I must pay because they charge.

 

You have reached Customer Service ... Press 1 and you'll go to Helen Waite.

Press 2 and you'll get the Complaint Team: Ben Dover and Kizzma Azze.

Press 3 for Closing your account and going to Donna DeRoade.