Please CBA - tell me you are KIDDING

[tubs]

This has to be the MOST ridiculous thing I have EVER heard.

I've got some money in a redraw I want to access. So I got it all sorted out over the phone and while I was on the phone I set a pin on my phone banking.

All good so far.

Next I needed to set up internet banking to transfer the money. I don't have it because it's generally a set and forget kind of loan.

So I called up the netbanking helpdesk. The conversation went kind of like this...
Me I'd like to set up internet banking. Here's my account number.
CBA Have you made any changes to your accounts today?
Me Not really, just set a pin number on phone banking
CBA Then I'm afraid I can't set this up for security reasons.
Me What do you mean?
CBA When you make a change to an account you can't go and make a change to anything related to internet banking. You have to do it in a branch
Me For how long?
CBA I can't tell you because of our security protocol
Me But I've just identified myself to the commonwealth bank satisfactorily to be able to change my phone pin. It's accessing the same money. One is just as secure as the other.
CBA Sorry, but that's a different part of the bank
Me So if it's different why does it matter?
CBA I'm sorry but that's bank policy
Me Well when can I do it then? Is it later today, tomorrow, next week?
CBA I'm sorry I can't tell you when.
Me You have to be kidding me. I've already identified myself to the bank today and they're happy with who I am.
CBA Please hold for a moment
CBA I just spoke to my supervisor. She said to give it a couple of weeks.
Me That has to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.

 

[Bigtone]

call back u will get a different answer

 

[Propertunity]

You: I am taking my complaint to the Banking Ombudsman
CBA: I will put my supervisor on the line, please hold
You: Gimme my money now or I am going to to complain to the Banking Ombudsman
CBA: Please don't do that, it costs the bank about $1,000 whenever that happens. How can we fix this for you now?
You:

 

[jaycee]

call back u will get a different answer

Exactly what I would have done - ok thanks, yeah I understand, thank you.. hang up.. .redial get someone with common sense

 

[The Fence]

I know the banks are competing for deposits but this is extreme....lol

Telephone dealing sucks with big corps....

 

[rugrat]

Exactly what I would have done - ok thanks, yeah I understand, thank you.. hang up.. .redial get someone with common sense

We do this all the time. DH has been caught out a couple of times though, the person who gets his first call happens to be the same one he gets the second time. bad luck I guess

 

[Evachange]

Comes back to lack of training, I remember working at Westpac, what some of my trainees did used to shock me!

What made it worse was when I pulled them up on it they did not seem to understand what the issue was.

But then I am Really not surprised.

BTW, cost from the BO can go upwards to $20k, $30 in some cases.

I used to train staff at WBC on COLTS (Complaints Online Tracking System) and used to go into the details of the costs of a complaint to the BO.

 

[wylie]

Hi Evachange. I don't know if you have seen the thread by Sue about letting her loans go into default as she was selling the properties. It seems Westpac said "she'll be right" and "fix it up from sale proceeds" but now say they didn't record the calls and are very unhappy that the loans were allowed to go into default.

My dealings with Westpac seem to always be recorded (kept for how long???) and notes made so the next person can follow a thread.

I'd be curious to hear your take on that thread, if you have time.

Link to the thread - http://www.somersoft.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64401

 

[Evachange]

My dealings with Westpac seem to always be recorded (kept for how long???) and notes made so the next person can follow a thread.

I'd be curious to hear your take on that thread, if you have time.

Should I get into this thread?? What I got was or my take on the thread;

Is that some advise seems to have been given and then that advise was acted on.

It would appear that the advice was incorrect, ie no need to pay loans etc until settlement.

If I was the one taking this complaint? gee! it’s a hard one!

Firstly I would listen to what the customer had to say, next;

I would inform the customer that the information given was incorrect, apologies that incorrect information was given, I would then advise the customer the correct information.

I would have then collected all the details of what happened from the customer, or the facts as they believe them to be.

I would then have lodged a formal complaint into COLTS which would then be investigated by the Customer Relations team.

This team will liaison with the various areas of the Bank and gather the facts, they would “be” independent in gathering this information, checking logs of calls, times etc to verify the information.

When you ring up and quote your 8 digit customer number as well as your 3 digit code this is recorded on various reports.

The bank should be able to find out who the customer spoke to, for how long and what date etc, if the call was recorded then also this would be checked.

If it was found that the information given was incorrect then the customer would have grounds and a case to argue.

A lot of bank staff will advise customers that they should have read the fine print, or read the PDS etc etc, I personally never used these lines, it’s easy for bank staff to get lost in Bank World like the ANZ Adds but you have to realize who pays the wages, where the business comes from.

Sometimes we would make a decision in favor of the customer even if we thought they were “wrong”, people are people and you have to take into account that customers are not “always” up on each and every detail of the fine print each and every time or every moment.

That is why customers contact the bank, to seek guidance and information.

If this were me, (I would like to think that I would not just stop paying), but if this was me, I would lodge a formal complaint with Westpac (I did in the past, about 8 times) and also advise that I would be taking the matter up with the BO.

Watch how fast they will deal with it, or for good measure, mention the media!

I used to get management come to me and say, “You need to deal with this now” as the customer is going to the BO and the media.

Issues were fixed within a few hours, (Missing chq for $40m, cleared funds into the account within an hour) (Credit card limit of $2 overdrawn by $160k, yes real examples!)

When dealing with the Bank you need to be specific, tell them your concerns, also tell them what you want done about it.

If you don’t do that they will not treat it as a complaint.

I am not sure if I have helped in anyway, but I believe its best to state your case formally, avoid emotion (it’s hard to not sometimes) and have the matter investigated based on the facts.

Once the matter has been investigated then an outcome will be reached, either in favor of the customer or the bank.

Regards,

 

[tubs]

Well I called back. Different answer, same result. Now I can't set up internet banking because I don't have a key card or a credit card. Again, have to do it in a branch.

So I went into a branch and they let me withdraw it, except for one month's worth of repayment. So now I'm puzzled by that one.

Message to CBA - Don't be different. Just find someone GOOD and be the same as them.

 

[jaycee]

easier to label yourself different than to try and be good ?

 

[Intrinsic_Value]

and what happens when our money goes missing, or internet theft occurs, we also complain, stupid bl**dy banks.

So you have to go to the branch to identify yourself, whats the big deal?
Put yourself in their shoes with millions of clients, numerous platforms etc etc.

Personally i am HAPPY to hear that this is occuring.

Sometimes when i do 'unusual' transactions at the bank, the tellers ask a superior, they go through the original document signing (thats now 'screened' onto their teller machines), they appologise for the delay.
But i always tell them, no problem, you are doing your job and protecting my money. It always brings a smile to their face, a customer that appreciates what they are doing, instead of always complaining.

Sorry guys, but if we are going to whinge, lets make it something important.

You know what the problem is, too many people whinging about everything, end result: people just switch off.

 

[jaycee]

but that wasn't the whinge - going into the bank and needing to idnetify yourself

it was one employee saying one thing, and another saying another....

same thing my my internet account - what's your password, I don't know it, never used the email account can we go through other identification - NO, I need your password - so he won't help me.

Ring again, next person says ok then, lets confirm this and that and the other inestead...

A bit of consistency would help us reduce our pointless whinges

 

[joycenmat]

Maybe they wont let you withdraw it as one month is in there to cover the next repayment?

Not sure but i have had the same happen to me. They said you have to leave enough in there. SO whatever bank ladies. Most i have dealt with are so great.

The one bank with good service is heritage. I occasionally lend money to unreliable sister number 9 and they seem to be cheery and helpful.

I once worked at CBA for a year. They offered me a promotion. I declined and left. who wants to be the face of all there problems, which mostly are created from higher up! And the embarassing stuff you had to say! Lile would you like a car insurance quote... EVERYTIME i saw a customer... Yawn.. boring...

 

[RumpledElf]

I've had a few 'interesting' issues with CBA, first time we needed the CBA to sign off on our subdivision. Went into a branch for that, the woman we got refused to sign the form without seeing the original documents from the surveyor, we didn't have them with us, rang the surveyor, surveyor offered to email her all the documents, woman refused, they had to be the original. Surveyor tried to talk her out of it as he does subdivisions with mortgages all the time and this was the first time he ever needed an original, she argued the policy had changed, surveyor gave in and sent a letter. Some months later, we rang the bank and they had the title, noone told us.

Second time we had to ring several times to work out why we couldn't redraw. Turns out our account wasn't set up that way (joint accounts default to not working, apparently), they sent us a form, we filled it in, but they needed the original. We needed our redraw sooner than all this hoohah would allow, so someone bent the rules and let us fax a form back. Now we can redraw.

The most recent was trying to change our other loan from IO to P&I which took ages ... hit the button online, about a week later a message said we couldn't change for some unknown reason. Ring up, they can't do it over the phone, they need the original form at a branch. Bah, too hard. Ring up again another time and got someone else who emailed us the form, take the original back to a branch. Went to a branch but unfortunately missed the bank opening hours (sif close at 4pm!) Noticed it said 'broker' on the forms. Asked broker. Broker EMAILED the form in.

Seeing a theme here? They need freakin originals! We don't live anywhere near a CBA branch, this obsession with original documentation is extremely annoying. Fortunately the broker can do basically anything without originals, which is nice.

An alarming number of the online banking features don't work for joint accounts and lo-doc loans, btw. The buttons are there, you can click them, they just ... don't work.

 

[Mooze]

The issue with the Westpac loans is if it's a call to/from Branch, business banking etc it won't be recorded, however their systems will have a record of everyone who's ever looked at that file, and you also have the right to request access to your file and all the notes that staff have made on it (when I was at CBA this was reinforced to all staff many times).


As for the call and get a different answer - QCAT are the worst for that and that's in regards to legal matters!

A lot of staff in bank branches are either new (high turnover branch) or been around forever (mostly country branches) - so either a) don't know what they're talking about or b ) are several procedure updates behind.

 

[Peter_Tersteeg]

CBA Drone You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile. Your assets and income will now service US.

 

[tubs]

and what happens when our money goes missing, or internet theft occurs, we also complain, stupid bl**dy banks.

So you have to go to the branch to identify yourself, whats the big deal?
Put yourself in their shoes with millions of clients, numerous platforms etc etc.

Personally i am HAPPY to hear that this is occuring.

Actually the point is that I could set a pin for telephone banking over the phone, but then I couldn't set up internet banking because I'd just put a pin on my phone banking. And they couldn't tell me how long I had to wait if I wanted to do it over the phone!

This simply doesn't make any sense. I'd already identified myself satisfactorily to them 5 minutes earlier. Either that was enough or it wasnt.

 

[duckster]

Comsec

Me: I need to be able to trade options
CBA: Oh you need to open another account and link it to the options trading account
Me: Why can't you link it with my existing trading account with Bank West
CBA: We can't do that
Me: do equity trade with plenty of money in options account
Me: next trade fails because trading account suspended
Me:Why did Comsec suspend my account when my option account has enough funds.
CBA: We can't take money out of the linked bank account for options.
Me: Why not ring me, my previous broker that you took over would call me and I would transfer the funds immediately without a penalty fee.
CBA: No problem just do a transfer
Me: well I have waited 3 days are the funds in the trading account
CBA: Yes
Me: when will you un suspend my account
CBA should be ok tommorow
Me: it's still suspended
CBA should be ok tommorow
Me: it's still suspended
CBA should be ok tommorow
Me: it's still suspended
CBA should be ok tommorow
Me: it's still suspended
Me: I did not choose CBA Comsec you took over my broker and your fees are excessive and you did not ring me to transfer funds and you failed to un suspend my trading account!
Me: Close my bank account and my trading account and my options account

 

[cloudyday]

To the OP, this has occurred to me and other people I know. It's a security measure put in place to prevent fraudsters. Thousands of bank accounts get stolen every year, banks have to protect themselves.

I complained to the supervisor head, just got a sorry letter.