Banks...simpler, better, faster? Comment by David Batzofin

 

Why are we so loyal to the banking institutes that we deal with? Do they really care about me, their customer?
                              I REALLY DON'T THINK SO...
Yet we figure it is better to be with devil we know than change,with all of the associated hassle and effort that goes with that....and it exactly that "fear" that they play on...
We complain constantly, but do we ever change? With a few exceptions the answer is a resounding "NO"...
What sparked this for me was an incident that happened to me recently...I am certain that I am not alone in this one...
To quote Sophia from the tv series "The Golden Girls"..."Picture the scene..."
It is early morning (7am to be exact) and I was doing an EFT and as I pushed 'send' I realized that I had sent the money to an incorrect account...
Know that feeling?
To be fair to my bank, the web-site did ask me twice if all was correct...and there is a disclaimer regarding mistakes on the page I was working on...BUT come on! It was an honest mistake...
Try phoning customer services at 7.15...laugh that off...they only open at 8!
The stolen card phone was answered but the operator was unable to help me..."Call your branch when it opens" was the retort.
And as an aside, why do the majority of banks still only open at 9am...or often past 9? Most inconvenient for most customers...
Eventually I was able to get through to customer services(an oxymoron if there ever was one!) only to be told that it was my mistake and there was nothing that could be done.
Except for a service that would cost me R285.00 and would take 20 working days to get my money back...and that was not guaranteed...a whole month!
Seeing I had tried to rectify my mistake within minutes and the money had not yet left my account, surely there must be systems in place to stop that transaction...even if there is a fee involved?
I did go into my branch, which was unable to offer any solutions other that see it as an early payment for the following month.
As I was about to leave, I mentioned in passing to the clerk I was dealing with that what really annoyed me was the fact that a post dated EFT for the same account would be coming off in a few days.
Her face lit up..."That we can stop!" and she explained how...
By stopping that I was able to recoup almost all of the incorrect money...and pay that to the correct recipient!
Yes, we do complain, but sometimes the mistakes are ours...
In the USA banks will offer you household appliances to get you to change, not in SA!
Would you change your bank for a toaster...or should that be out of the frying pan and into the fire?
Today, tomorrow, the future...they will continue annoy and irritate...