the ANZ bank – an anti customer service case study
I recently received a letter from the ANZ bank telling me that my term deposit was about to mature. It noted that my instructions were to have the principal sum and interest paid into my main account. It then went on to say that if they did not hear from me they would automatically reinvest the money for another term. WTF? This logical contradiction annoyed and concerned me. Anyone so stupid as to write this nonsense could not be trusted to manage my money.
I rang the bank on the customer service number printed on the letter. The employee I spoke to told me she could not help me. She put me through to the ’solutions centre’. The employee I spoke to at the ’solutions centre’ told me she could not help me and that I had to speak to the branch. I was put through to the branch, which was closed (it was after 5pm by this time). The branch answering machine asked me to leave a message and then warned me that they do not check their messages regularly. WTF? Who are these morons?
I searched the ANZ website and found a 1800 complaints number, which I rang. I explained the situation and made specific complaints about the illogical letter, the inept customer service and the retarded answering machine message. The solitary intelligent person at ANZ seems to work for the complaints number. She must be busy. She said she would send an urgent email to the branch manager about my account and sort it all out. I thanked her and we hung up.
15 minutes later I got a call from a woman at the branch. She confirmed that my original instructions would be followed and to disregard the letter. So why send it to me in the first place? And why write a letter that contradicts itself? She said she did not write the letter and therefore could do nothing about it.
Wrong, loser. You could acknowledge the problem rather than make excuses for your own inadequacy, treat the customer with respect, trace the source of the problem and FIX IT. Instead you let the complaints office do everything. Apart from the helpful woman at the complaints number, ANZ employees seem to be a league of morons. ANZ – you are on notice. If you waste my time again I will move my money elsewhere.
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January 5th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
If your foot stomping rant here is any indication of the manner in which you approached the various people you spoke with, then I’m not surprised that no-one wanted to help you.
Grow some manners and then try approaching customer service people again. Your time is not important than theirs.
January 5th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Actually I started politely, but I think you miss the point. I pay them to provide me with a service. If they are too lazy or stupid to earn their fees then they will lose my business. Do you like having your time wasted?
January 5th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Seems to me the point is more this: what are you going to do? Change to an equivalent service provider? 16bn of sector wide profit doesn’t suggest efficiency. Also, I have no idea of your financial position, but unless you are moderately well off they may lose nothing if you do choose to switch banks. Until you get to the mid-range, customers can be a break even proposition unless they are bad at paying off debts or get a home loan.
January 5th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
I’ve changed banks several times in my life due to repeated errors and, more importantly, the respective banks’ refusal to admit their mistakes and fix them. Westpac once decided to stop my supposedly automatic payments from my savings account to my VISA, leaving me stranded in Italy with no money (apart from traveller’s cheques I had to wait until business hours to cash) in the era before mobile phones and the internet. They lost my business just before I got a home loan. ANZ started off trying hard to provide good service but lately they have become indifferent. If they underestimate my financial worth that is their problem.
January 5th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
go with HSBC, they’ve the best customer service.
and a fee-free savings account
just dealt with incompetent idiots from TPG and Australian Air Express who was in charge of my modem delivery .. dont they know the customer is always right :p
like your blog btw!
January 5th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Thanks! Agreed re HSBC – I have an account with them too. You’re taking a chance with TPG – their customer service is poor based on experience and also what is said at Whirlpool. Good luck!
January 6th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Don’t worry – they are all the same – it takes NAB 10 pieces of paper to roll over a term deposit and it is all incomprehensible.
My solution has been to find someone on the counter staff at my branch who is customer focused and who returns calls and deals with the incomprehensible system. She evens rings treasury and gets me a higher interest rate on renewing a deposit and I am not telling anyone who she is.
January 7th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
@ the second cam: I once deposited money into my CBA account, the amount that went in was $50 under what i gave, the bank refused to give it back to me until i told them to close my account of $267.80 (no debts, no homeloan). the $50 then appeared.
not having a go, your post just reminded me of the situation
May 15th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
have you ever considered that the people who work for these organisations are controlled by management and guidelines and are simply doing their job? if banks are so terrible then hide your money under your mattress and stop whinging
May 15th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
How many bank shares do you own? Just doing your job is the default excuse for mediocrity. Customers pay fees to receive services, yet banks and other service providers seem to want to take fees without providing services. Not good enough.