how many calls does it take???
I applied to extend my overdraft limit online 11 days ago, I only wanted to do it for a short time as I have to pay my tax bill and had forgotten about a rather large cheque that I will get reimbursed for from my work (eventually).
This morning I thought "I'll phone my bank and enquire about the o/d as I haven't heard anything..." I phoned my bank, had a nice chat with someone who said that I needed to speak to a different department and gave me the number. I had a nice chat with another person who said they couldn't help me because they weren't the right department and gave me another number. I had a nice chat with a 3rd person who said they weren't the right deparment and gave me another number....
By this point, I was starting to get frustrated but remained polite and had a nice chat with another person who said "oh you should have phoned, we could have sorted it out then and there" - yes I know this NOW!! However, he said that he could see the application had been made but couldn't access it and gave me another number. As I called this number, I realised this was the 2nd number I had called (who specifically only deal with opening new accounts and have nothing to do with lending), I spoke to them anyway, and they said that I really did need to speak to the people at the 3rd number I had dialled. So, I duly dialed them again (now phonecall number 6!) and explained that they were the 6th person I had spoken to and they said they were really sorry but said that my account was being dealt with by another department so they couldn't help me!!!
Fortunately, they put me through to the customer services department so I didn't have to dial any more numbers... I spoke to a lovely lady who was most apologetic that I had been passed around, she spoke to her supervisor who advised that I really needed to speak to the people I had spoken to 3rd (and 6th) but kindly said she would speak to them on my behalf and sort the issue out and then call me back...
The irony is that I get paid on Monday and will hopefully have been reimbursed for the cheque I had forgotten about and also will have sufficient funds to pay my tax bill (although of course I have a horrible suspicion that my tax will have been accruing huge amounts of interest whilst I haven't been paying it)
...she's just called me back to tell me that my account has a pre-approved limit of 4 times my current agreed o/d limit and twice what I wanted to extend it for!!! so why on EARTH didn't the application just go through online? Apparently when she spoke to the appropriate department, they simply said that the application was closed without a decision being made (ie a system fault!) but unfortunatly, that meant that when I have tried to apply again I am greated with the message "application ongoling for this product" or something similar. She has now sorted the o/d out over the phone instantaneously and refunded the charge I will have accrued bu going over my agreed limit and she is putting a complaint in on my behalf because I shouldn't have been passed from pillar to post to find this information out!!
/rant over
This morning I thought "I'll phone my bank and enquire about the o/d as I haven't heard anything..." I phoned my bank, had a nice chat with someone who said that I needed to speak to a different department and gave me the number. I had a nice chat with another person who said they couldn't help me because they weren't the right department and gave me another number. I had a nice chat with a 3rd person who said they weren't the right deparment and gave me another number....
By this point, I was starting to get frustrated but remained polite and had a nice chat with another person who said "oh you should have phoned, we could have sorted it out then and there" - yes I know this NOW!! However, he said that he could see the application had been made but couldn't access it and gave me another number. As I called this number, I realised this was the 2nd number I had called (who specifically only deal with opening new accounts and have nothing to do with lending), I spoke to them anyway, and they said that I really did need to speak to the people at the 3rd number I had dialled. So, I duly dialed them again (now phonecall number 6!) and explained that they were the 6th person I had spoken to and they said they were really sorry but said that my account was being dealt with by another department so they couldn't help me!!!
Fortunately, they put me through to the customer services department so I didn't have to dial any more numbers... I spoke to a lovely lady who was most apologetic that I had been passed around, she spoke to her supervisor who advised that I really needed to speak to the people I had spoken to 3rd (and 6th) but kindly said she would speak to them on my behalf and sort the issue out and then call me back...
The irony is that I get paid on Monday and will hopefully have been reimbursed for the cheque I had forgotten about and also will have sufficient funds to pay my tax bill (although of course I have a horrible suspicion that my tax will have been accruing huge amounts of interest whilst I haven't been paying it)
...she's just called me back to tell me that my account has a pre-approved limit of 4 times my current agreed o/d limit and twice what I wanted to extend it for!!! so why on EARTH didn't the application just go through online? Apparently when she spoke to the appropriate department, they simply said that the application was closed without a decision being made (ie a system fault!) but unfortunatly, that meant that when I have tried to apply again I am greated with the message "application ongoling for this product" or something similar. She has now sorted the o/d out over the phone instantaneously and refunded the charge I will have accrued bu going over my agreed limit and she is putting a complaint in on my behalf because I shouldn't have been passed from pillar to post to find this information out!!
/rant over