I feel that my previous blog entry deserves an explanation. I was checking my bank account, and realized to my dismay that I had been debited $9.50 for a monthly service. This was the first time Citibank has ever charged me for having a checking account, so I decided some mistake had been made and called customer service. This ended up ruining my day. I got a customer service rep in India. The connection was not very strong, so his voice was very faint, and his accent was very thick. I could not understand what he was saying, and he apparently could not understand what I was getting at, because he could not/would not answer my questions. At some point, I got the impression that my checking account had been switched to some new plan that had certain requirements, which, if not met, would cause me to incur penalties. I asked why I had been switched to that new plan, and here is the following conversation, only keep in mind that I asked the guy to repeat everything he said at least 3 times, because I couldn’t understand him.
“Well, are you a student?”
“No.”
“That is why you got switched. If you don’t maintain at least $6,000 in your checking account and are not a student, you must pay the fee.”
“Why did I get switched to this account?”
“Because you are no longer a student.”
“Are you telling me that Citibank only has checking accounts that require a minimum balance of $6,000?”
“That is right, if you are not a student.”
“That can’t be right.”
“You’re right.”
“I’m right?”
“You’re right.”
“I don’t think I should have to pay a fee for a plan that I never agreed to, and I certainly would not have agreed to if I had known about its ridiculous requirements, which weren’t even outlined to me. How was I assigned to this account without my knowledge or permission?”
“Because you’re not a student.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“If you are no longer a student, you have to pay a fee if you don’t meet the minimum balance.”
“No one told me I even had this new plan.”
“That is right.”
“So I shouldn’t have to pay and I want a different checking account plan!”
“Well, are you a student?”
“No!”
“Then you must pay the fee or keep the balance.”
Anyway, at this point, I was sick of going around in circles because he obviously had no idea what I was asking and what my arguments meant. I ended up asking him if I could get this straightened out at a branch. He referred me to one in Norwalk, but I said, “No, I am going to give you an address, and you tell me if this is a branch that can straighten out my problem.” I gave him an address in my city, and he verified that it was a branch, but that even though they could provide the services I needed, I should go to Norwalk, which made no sense. I hung up the phone, fuming that something so simple could not be resolved because Citibank had decided to save money by hiring people with limited English speaking skills to work at a job that required communication skills, above all else.
Today I went to the branch that I chose (not the one in Norwalk), and talked to a personal banker. He was polite, answered all of my questions, sympathized that I had been given an account I didn’t want with requirements of which I was unaware, and waived the fee. He then switched me to a new account with requirements that fit my needs. He gave me his card and told me to let him know if I had any other problems or questions. I thanked him and then said, “So, you were wonderful, by the way. But I want to complain about Citibank’s customer service, specifically, their phone customer service.”
“Ahhh… I’m guessing that you spoke to someone in India.” I wanted to hug him when he said that.
“Yes! Exactly! It was horrible!”
“We just had a meeting about this. They told us to let you know that the next time you call, you can request to be connected to someone in the U.S. That should take care of that problem.”
“Oh, wow. Thank you, again, SO MUCH.” I left in high spirits, extremely happy that Citibank knows about this problem of theirs. I was also laughing that the guy knew right away what I was talking about.
