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Your call is important to us, please don’t lose your mind

Steve Williams

by Steve Williams

16 Jun 05:35am

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Filed under: Banks, Customer Service, Internet, Society

26 comments

An open letter to Mr. Greg Bartlett, Chief Executive St. George Bank. Dear Greg,

Pleeeaase don't put me on hold

I used to like St. George. I liked his work against that dragon back in the day, I liked the fact that they let my footy team win the 1975 Grand Final, I like Julie Anthony – I’m pretty sure my mum has some of her records.

I don’t like your bank’s customer service phone line any more.

I was overseas last week and wanted to transfer some money from our account to another – an account we often transfer into.

Should have been a couple of mouse clicks – because as you say Greg, “Our Internet Banking is easy to access, simple to use and includes loads of features to help you manage your accounts online”. Usually is, but not this time.

I received an error message about “validating the account” and to call and provide a phone number. No reason given why the transfer didn’t work. I tried multiple times before I felt RSI setting in. Once more because I’m a masochist – same message.

This is where the fun started. I called St. George’s toll free number from my mobile (would have cost the GDP of a small European country to call from the hotel). Couldn’t get through.

After a few more attempts, I tried the “overseas assistance” number. I was assured that the call was vitally important to me and would be answered within eight minutes. It wasn’t. Feeling vitally unimportant, I hung up after a hell of a lot longer than eight minutes.

Calling from Germany, the mobile call probably cost triple the amount the amount we wanted to transfer.

I called the same number – same eight-minute oath, followed by a few of my own. Then the recorded voice person told me that no one was answering due to the “high call volume”. Really? It was 2am in Sydney.

Come on Greg, do you seriously think people stagger home from a massive night out, grab a doner kebab on the way, wrestle with the front door keys, and instead of crashing out fighting the bed spins, think “Bugger it, I might apply for a home loan”? Maybe they do.

I hung up after another ridiculous number of minutes on hold. If I hear Michael Jackson one more time…. Now it was getting personal. I called again. After absolutely no idea on hold, a very nice lady answered the phone who sounded like she should have been tucked up in bed with a crocheted blanket and a nice cup of tea listening to Julie Anthony records.

Taking a very deep calming breath (it wasn’t this lady’s fault) I explained the situation – she wanted to put me on hold. NOOOOOO!! She took the subtle hint, and didn’t. After several minutes she managed to sort the problem out.

I can’t even remember what the issue was, it was that small and technical. I asked her about the high call volume / wee small hours thing, and she said with an absolutely straight voice that you’d be surprised how many calls they get at that time. I took Mrs. Nice St George Lady’s word on that one.

“The quality of service we deliver and the positive attitude of our staff, combined with the goodwill and loyalty we receive from our customers really does set St. George apart.” Greg I suppose that depends on how you define the word “apart”.

Next time I might ring Julie or her rather large green friend…

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26 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • Joel says:

      07:57am | 16/06/10

      So your basicaly whinging at being on hold, when a toll free number wouldn’t call from outsde if Australia.
      As well, the error message probablly helped with your acount security as Internet banking would of read the IP address of your computer being overseas and saw the transfer you were trying to make as a breach of your normal account transactions.
      Although Internet banking is designed to provide you with access worldwide did you think to assist the bank with helping you with your security.

      It looks like it was a good thing that you got am error message as if it wasn’t you it could of been a potential fraud on your account.

      Reply

    • uncle Pete says:

      09:23am | 16/06/10

      couldn’t agree more! Last year St George contacted ME to alert me to the fact that my credit card had been scammed to the tune of $15000.00 in Manila (neve been to the Phillipines in my life!) their dilingence picked it up; new card dispatched within a week, cash refunded within a fortnight and the real people I dealt with over the phone could not have been more helpfull . Yea! Go the Dragons!!

    • pete m says:

      07:59am | 16/06/10

      Shame your problem arose just when you were overseas.

      I just got off the phone to my bank and of course the problem could not be sorted out by the 24hr team, so I have to call back after 8am and speak to a bank worker.

      My frustrations with my bank are almost endless, and revolve around how they charge fees and penalties after assuring me there would be no fees or penalties.

      Next time I’ll get it all in writing!

      Reply

    • Robert says:

      08:10am | 16/06/10

      Well put! I hope someone from St George reads this because the call centre standard has plummeted since the Westpac acquisition. St George used to stand out as the customer’s bank, good service, easy to deal with, prompt response. Nowadays if you call them, you sit on hold for an eternity - that’s if you can fight your way through the dreadful voice-activated directory menu. “Say in a few words what service you would like”. Try organising a replacement ATM card through telling the system what you want. In the end I discovered screaming “operator! Human being! Please!” seemed to work…

      Reply

    • Edward says:

      08:12am | 16/06/10

      Been with St George for 6 or so year - love them to bits.  Tried calling another bank at 2am lately?  St George is the only one I know of with 24 hour phone service.

      Reply

    • Cynic says:

      11:11am | 16/06/10

      ANZ has one as well, but having worked in a variety of call centres myself over the years, I do my best to avoid them all like the plague.  Except one, AAMI has an awesome call centre because you never have to press buttons or deal with those cruddy IVRs, instead you get a person asking you where you want your call to go and they put you straight through

    • Robert S McCormick says:

      01:34pm | 16/06/10

      Cynic! I find the ANZ call centre great. It is that hideous monster system Telstra has that gets right up my arse! First you are put on hold for anything up to 10 minutes then their absurd Voice Activated question and answer programme cuts in. I am told I speak extremely good, concise, clear English but Telstra can’t even understand that. Then when you eventually get past that garbage you are connected with some clown in the Philipines or India with a phony Australian accent who calls you “Mite”. They are also usually very rude. Try and ask a question and they just ignore you. They are like those ghastly people who ring you asking you if you want a free phone, holiday and hell knows what else. They never draw breath! They talk over you. They are incapable of speaking intelligible English.

    • Adam Diver says:

      08:15am | 16/06/10

      I like St George but recently was unable to get on the website for internet banking.

      It took me a week to realise they had changed URL’s from stgeorge.com to stgeorge.com.au without any redirects. How can a multi-billion dollar company make such a small but significant error and then take so long to fix it.

      Very poor work

      Reply

    • DG says:

      11:41am | 16/06/10

      Please, please, please promise that you will never follow a redirected link on a website “to” your financial institution and then enter your account details. Please.

      If you can’t get on via your usual means - ring your bank, advise them of the problem and ask for an alternate URL. Do not rely on a letter in the post or a phone call from “the bank”  saying “Please go to our New URL”.

      I know that you didn’t follow one in this instance, but the fact that you were willing to follow one is worrying.

    • Dave Sag says:

      08:21am | 16/06/10

      Banks and indeed all businesses that claim to care yet have no qualms about putting you on hold for years are not isolated to Australia, this is a universal problem. One solution is to always travel with a laptop and make sure you have a working Skype account. I have a skype pro account that gives me free calls to most landlines in the US, UK and Australia from wherever I happen to be. And, unlike here, most European hotels offer free high speed wifi. Skype on the iPhone and iPad works well too if you are traveling light.

      Reply

    • KH says:

      08:39am | 16/06/10

      I’m assuming it was 2am here - not in Germany.  There is thing called a ‘phone card’ - old fashioned, I know, but you get 3 hours of calling for about $10.  Alternatively, do what I do - purchase a local sim card from vodaphone or whereever, and use that - then you only pay local call charges instead of international roaming fees.
      As for your whinging - its a bank.  What were you expecting? Service? Don’t be ridiculous.

      Reply

    • SM says:

      09:08am | 16/06/10

      Why do you people persist in dealing with banks?  Join a building society.  No shareholders to pay, no corners to cut.

      Reply

    • James1 says:

      10:19am | 16/06/10

      Or a credit union.  If you bank with a credit union, you own a part of the company.  I have never used a bank for anything and I never will either.  In fact, I do not understand why anyone uses a bank.

    • Nigel Catchlove says:

      11:29am | 16/06/10

      “Why do you people persist in dealing with banks?” Perhaps there are people living in different circumstances to you.  Perhaps there are people who have spent the past 30 years living in three different countries and five States in Australia and needed banking facilities that existed in all those places - not today in the era of electronic banking but over the past 30 years.  Perhaps there are people who bank with both a credit union and a bank for different reasons.  Don’t be dismissive of people who are slightly different to you and go easy on the “you people” comment SM - not nice.  I’m very happy with both my credit union and the bank which I use.

    • TtFH says:

      01:25pm | 16/06/10

      I did join a building society, and it was good. But it turned into bank, and now it isn’t nearly as good. Don’t be dragon me into that one… ;^P

    • PatC says:

      01:31pm | 16/06/10

      Because I went to my Credit Union (28 year customer) to get some money out of my account and was told that I couldn’t have any. I was politely told that “we’re not a bank, if you want to withdraw cash from your account you need to find an AMT and draw the cash out there.”

      I now bank with one of the big 4… I just never ring them.

    • Ned says:

      02:04pm | 16/06/10

      I joined a building society once. It was called St George. It turned into one of the smaller banks and was still OK, but not quite as OK as it was when a building society. Then a former CEO betrayed all her long-term loyal customers who now have to put up with being part of the Wstpac group. The service has since gone down the toilet.

    • xiaoecho says:

      09:18am | 16/06/10

      Keep your money under the bed

      Reply

    • Julian Thomas says:

      11:56am | 16/06/10

      banks, how about “your ..... may have been compromised so we dont wont to send you a message using that service”, thats right criminals are going to spend time playing mind games with comm bank after getting my money, wtf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Reply

    • Matt says:

      12:32pm | 16/06/10

      I dont think the issue here is the error message, its the fact that it took so long for someone to answer the phone, especially after being told it would be answered in 8 minutes, I used to bank with St George. Closed the account when I moved house and it took 45 minutes to get someone on the phone to change my address. I now bank with one of the big 4 and never wait on hold to speak with someone and when I head into a branch get friendly staff.

      Reply

    • papachango says:

      01:37pm | 16/06/10

      This just sounds like a bit of a whinge.

      I’m the last to defend banks in general as I’ve had appalling service from Commbank and Nab, but I’ve been with St George for close to 20 years and never had any issues with them. They always answered the phone promptly, not that I called very often.

      I haven’t rung their call centre since the Westpac acquisition so maybe that’s changed things.

      Reply

    • Robert S McCormick says:

      01:52pm | 16/06/10

      The most annoying, dishonest statement possibly ever uttered must be:  “Thank you for calling us. All our operators are currently busy. Your call has been placed in a queue. Your call IS importantant to us. Please hold and one of our consultants will be with you shortly”
      Yes, Right! we believe you all - Not. If our calls were important to the banks, Telstra etc. we would be put in touch with an English-speaking, Australian-based SERVICE officer immediately instead of having to wait for anything up to 30 minutes before some twit who speaks almost no English at all, is rude, obnoxious and not in the least bit interested in the problem you want to discuss! That they are totally disinterested in anyone’s voice but their own is because they simply don’t understand English.
      All of these companies, particularly Telstra and the banks, make the vast majority, if not all, of their Super Profits right here in Australia. They should be required by law to employ only Australian-based, fluent English-speaking SERVICE officers. Given the multiplicity of languages spoken by the hundreds of nationalities who live in Australia people should have access to someone fluent in their own language if their understanding of English is limited. Heaven knows how these people get on when having to deal with someone in India or the Philipines who speaks even less English than they do!

      Reply

    • Bitten says:

      03:10pm | 16/06/10

      But would you react better if the message on hold was “Hi, you’ve called the right number. Unfortunately, we’re f***ing busy right now answering about 17653 other calls made before yours. We’ll be a while, better get a book and settle in.” Personally, I would absolutely respect a message from a call centre like that, but my sense of humour is not widely representative.

    • Robert S McCormick says:

      05:33pm | 16/06/10

      Bitten you are so right! Why can’t they be honest and speak real Australian English - including the f***ing F-word! Even if they addressed me as “Hey! f***wit, hang up and call later or else you’ll be here all bloody day” it would be better!. Unfortunately now that some wowser goody-goody-two-shoes has told the Queensland Police they are now the arbiters of what people can say. (see today’s article inThe Punch) I guess the Keystone Kops of Queensland would issues arrest warrants for call centres which did use that sort of language

      Reply

    • teexunuse says:

      04:14am | 02/12/10

      ????? ??????: <a >http//??????? ????? ????? ?????????? 4</a>

      Reply
 
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