SCB Headache

Sometimes, certain promises may be too good to be true, even if they are corporate banking giants.

I am frustrated by SCB's inefficiency.

After applying for SCB's credit card, I opened my mail only to discover this. Clearly, the tele-marketeer who called me over the phone had failed to inform me about this. After contacting him, he "added" the extra info that company name will be printed on all platinum business c.c.

So, fine. I had to call customer care to make the necessary change as I absolutely will not carry a c.c. with a person's name in place of company name. Therefore, my previous 'company' name, "XY", was printed there.

Next, I received the first e-statement and found that I had to access it with a default password. Following closely to the instructions given, I failed to open up the document. I thought I must have gotten something wrong. Yet, I wasn't too concerned as I knew I'd be getting the paper statement and it arrived a few days later.

Within one month of receiving their first paper statement and e-statement, I received a letter in March informing me that the bank will cease to send paper statement to their customers as they are adopting an environmentally friendly approach to "save" trees and cut down on the use of paper. Should I wish to continue receiving paper statement, I'd have to call customer service to activate it and I'd be charged a fee. I wasn't too happy about this as I prefer to keep hard copies especially on credit transactions for my references. I had specifically asked the marketeer about this and was assured that there will be paper statements at no extra charge and the box for 'paper statement' was clearly pre-checked in their application form.

So I went online to check on their policy but could not find how much they are charging. So I thought that my web-surfing skill was flawed. Still, I could not access the second e-statement and yet I wasn't too concerned as the second paper statement arrived a few days later and I knew how much to pay.

I knew I wouldn't be receiving any paper statement this month  and I still couldn't access the third e-statement. Finally, I called up the customer service to inquire about accessing the document - just to double-check where I had gone wrong. The instructions given were exactly how I had been keying in the  default password. To give them the benefit of doubt, I tried again upon hanging  up but to no avail.

So I called again, this time to the BM line, to inquire why I still couldn't access it. He suspected that the bank has yet to update my birth date and true enough, after clicking on his keyboard, he confirmed that it wasn't. So for three months, this fine bank has been sending three password-protected documents to me which could not be accessed since it has yet to update my particulars! Don't they know that? Isn't the system linked or something or whatever? Why do they insist on e-statement when they did not even get their data correct? The fact that the operator could guess beforehand why I couldn't access my password-protected document shows that this must have been a common problem. Why is it still happening? And I had to call twice just to get to the bottom of the problem!

I was very annoyed by now. The operator said that once updated, I'd receive new documents which would be accessible. It would be emailed within 24 hours but since Saturday and Sunday are non-working days and Monday's a replacement holiday for Labour Day (Sunday), I'd get the email on Tuesday. Double annoyed.

Upon asking him about the charges of paper statement and informing him that I couldn't find the info on their website, he said he wasn't sure as it is a newly implemented policy. However, he said  that if I were to request a printout from the branch, I'd be charged RM5 per piece and then proceeded to inform me that the bank would be charging me RM5 per statement if they mail it to me. Sigh... Does he know or not know?

The operator's line: "The bank has yet to update my particulars" sounds familiar and I immediately recalled that the lady operator had said the exact same thing when I called them in January to remove the company name. She said that I must put my exact company name and yet asked me for the name again and said, "The bank has yet to update my particulars" and the company name wasn't listed online. I could have just rattled off 'Bloomberg', 'Pfizer', 'HSBC', 'Ernst & Young', etc and they wouldn't know. But silly me was too lost for words and chose "XY".

Actually, I am now quite lost for words though the post is lengthy and seems incoherent. There is just too much inefficiency during such a short period of time in using just one of SCB's products. SCB's inefficiency does not live up to its aggressive effort in gaining a new credit card user. For a bank of SCB's status, this is too much of a disappointment. I guess my expectation was too high.

And by the way, I find the customer service quite 'icy'. Had spoken to three different operators in three months. Can't really put a finger on it but somehow there's this iciness or am I being defensive?

I doubt I will be using SCB's credit card for the long run. Sigh... my quest for a good credit card for my convenience and advantage remains illusive.

Company Name?

Some banks are going all out to get more people to sign up for their credit cards. Whether you use it, that's another matter.

After some hard-chasing, by phone and through e-mail, by a very polite yet persistent agent promoting SCB card from West Malaysia, I finally succumbed and signed up for another card. That is after I'm certain that I won't be paying for the RM50 gov tax (contra) and future annual fees.

The perks are the RM188 rebate, 0.5% cash back on retail transactions,  and 50% discounts off "when you dine at Platinum Partners" (quoted from their brochure) although I doubt SCB are able to partner with enough "partners" in Sabah. Sadly, promotions and perks are mostly applicable to West M'sia while those of us here in the East will only get to browse through their catalogue.

After filling in the application form and I had it reverse-collected, the card arrived today. With a credit limit of RMXX,XXX printed on the letter - an amount so outrageous that I never will swipe on any given card, I checked out the new shiny platinum plastic only to discover an unwanted and wrong embossing of company name below my name.

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Company Name: Datin xxxxx!!!

Jan 24: SBC Credit Card

Gaaaahhhh!!! How frustrating! I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry!

Do they not know how to differentiate between the name of employer and the name of company?

I will never be caught dead with my former employer's name embossed on my c.c.! Called up the card centre to inform them of their mistake and to get rid of the company name.

Alas, since this is a 'business' c.c., the company name MUST be embossed on the card.

I will be getting another card within 7 days - with the name of my 'company' forever etched on the card.

How uninspiring! -.-

Serendipity - not!

My joy was actually short-lived and I only realize it more than a month later - yesterday. I decided to call up KL to check the status of my study leave seeing that it has been quite some time and I have yet to receive any letter from them.

After calling Mr ZY, the person-in-charge, he put me on hold for awhile to check on my file.

"Cik, kita belum dapat fax dari cik lagi. Cik dah fax ke ni?"

Haiz...

In about 15 minutes, after digging through my files (and that was after some venting of steam and kepanasan and whining and complaining to myself), I find myself at the same photostatting shop to fax the said letter again. There was some problem getting through initially but it was done when I heard the familiar sharp-pitched sound generated by the fax machine.

Upon reaching home, I called Mr ZY to inform him that the letter had been faxed. After some (feigned helplessness) questions on when I should call again to check if he has received the fax, he obligingly went to the machine to look for it and said that he has got it. Phew. At least I'm spared of making another call to the gov dept just to check whether they have got my fax.

I did not stop there. I further inquired when I should be expecting the official letter (if I could get it within two weeks' time) from them now that all my documents are intact and they could proceed to process my application. Mr ZY said he would process it immediately BUT it all depends on the pegawai yang meluluskan.

"Kalau dia cepat, tak de masalah, rasanya cepatlah tu surat cik dikeluarkan. Cik bolehlah call balik saya untuk check status surat cik nanti."

Haiz... so I'd have to call again...

***

The reason why I'm so frustrated about this whole thing is that my coursemate who is also on the same study leave as me has got his letter in September. His application was processed without the need of extra letters of verification of our uni whereas they required that I get the letter.

We are doing the same course in the same uni, registered at the same time, offered the same study leave by the same gov dept in KL which is handled by the same people and yet one needs verification and the other need not. And yes, once I found out that my coursemate had received his letter already without needing any extra verification, I did inform them and Mr ZY was surprised but... they still want the extra doc from me.

Where is the logic in this?

Why, oh, why, DD?

Having grumbled and all, I'm still grateful for the liaison man, the patient, soft-spoken and polite Mr ZY. I can assume that he is a nice man, at least based on our few phone conversations.

Lesson:
If you want things to get done at gov dept (if you are too far away to be there physically), don't forget to call, call, and call - just to remind them of your existence and to 'help' them to keep track of your stuff coz they can't really keep track of so many things, can they?

Grit your teeth and speak nicely, gently and politely though you are steaming and boiling inwardly and outwardly.

Try to push them to process your stuff a lil quicker without them knowing that you are pushing them by asking more questions; feigning cluelessness and helplessness.

***

I will only know if the above really works only AFTER I have the black-and-white safely in my hands.

Oh, please, oh, please, DD...