Friday, October 19, 2007

Unique Experience of American Banking Customer Service.

Yesterday, I had very unique experience of Customer Service of a Large Bank and Mathematical Skills of the people who are efficiently helping people who called customer service.

Scenario: ( the data used is to illustrate the example)

Time : 9:00 pm

Krishan checks his bank statement online and see some error in interest rate that has been applied and decided to call the customer representative of the Bank.

( in btw error was...... They gave $3 interest rate on $ 1200 last month where as they gave $ 2.80 interest on $1500 Current month.....with fixed interest savings account)

The ring goes and then Polite computer voice tells you all the deals they have and i can do banking online and all crap....and since i tried all the digits on phone finally they transferred to me to Person but before that i have to enter my 16 digit account Number and last 4 digit of SSN. Now you assume that person who picks up phone knows this already but noooooooo..

He like This xyz bank how can i help you( very lazily...no enthusiasm and i thought may be he is hungry as its dinner time so i said i am fine as long as he can answer). I explained him the above interest error scenario. The first answer he gives me is... Sir, Interest can go down..... I told him if you don't know about your own bank's saving account that it has fixed interest rate. Then he is like sir, you must have withdrawal money out of account that can reduce the interest. And i was like can't u see on your screen the balance you are giving me interest rate on is higher than last time and that says it should have higher interest than last month regardless i withdrew money or not... He is like Sir did you calculate Interet rate that it is actually correct or not....( as if i am free and just decided to call him to say hi...how are you doing..... how is your day going ).. I said...forget about using calculator...If the interest rate stays same ..then if your balance increased over the period of the time you get higher interest not lower....He is like computer calculates our interest.....(I am like....can't he see its wrong.)..then he just stopped talking all of sudden and i thought he must be checking something.....so i waited like 5 min on the phone ( no hold music nothing)....now i was like something is wrong...i keep on saying hello you there...no response......( it seems that he put on mute and went to get dinner or something)....... after 10 min i hang up and called again.

Now guess what same whole thing again............................but this time the guy who was on the phone was nice....and he assumed that i am smart enough to calculate interest and i am right and he is like i will put you on hold for a while.....he comes back and say i will transfer you to some department he said and those people will take care of it. and Transferred me to this other dude.

and he like this is XYZ bank how can i help you....( I am like ohhhhhhhhhhhhh my GOD......not again i don't want to tell whole this again)....i did the whole story again...he again gave me crap of computer can't be wrong, you must have withdrew some money & interest change... And i am like ..........look this is the third time i am explaining all this and if you don't understand what i am trying to tell you please transfer me to someone who can understand...and this is the last time i am trying to explain you.
--- I have not withdrew any money of this account everrrrrrrrrrr so forget abt just last month
---- this account has flat fixed interest rate....doesn't change.
----- Simple Math rule....higher balance get higher interest than lower balance with same interest rate.

Again...he is like i have to do some research....he goes come back again.....it seems there is a mistake we will adjust your interest and will get u letter.

So out all this 1 & 1/2 trouble.. i was like can you please even tell me how can this happen....he is it must be computer....( i am like oh my god...another gebbsy coding......)

BUT LEARNED SOMETHING VALUABLE ......CHECK THE INTEREST RATE EVERYTHING MONTH....SORRY CORRECTION...CALCULATE YOUR INTEREST RATE EVERYTHING MONTH THAT IT IS CORRECT........

AND TAKE LARGE CUP OF COFFEE WHEN YOU CALLED BANK SUPPORT WITH SOME SIMPLE MATH PROBLEM.....

P.s. Still haven't got that interest adjusted to account...so looking forward to this utmost satisfying experience again tonight.

3 comments:

  1. Oh u might have asked luke how to talk to customer care guys :) i have never seen him talking to them softly he will always yell at them .......By the way always don't call customer care during night :) Hope u would get those interests soooooooon .

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  2. WOW...sometimes those customer service are SO stupid. I wonder how they get jobs sometimes. I hope they fix it for you soon.

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  3. Oh man! I hope that it all gets taken care!

    I think the said thing is that no one really balances/reconciles their accounts anymore. Most people just go off the computer generated statement. ;)

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