Do you know what I hate? It's poor customer service.
I never thought I would ever have to write this one, but the customer service I have received and subsequently not received from a place I have utilized for decades is annoying.
I have been dealing with the CIBC (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) since around 1990 when I first began working for the Toronto Star newspaper upon graduation from Humber College's journalism program (damn fine school, by the way!).
I actually have nothing bad to say about the CIBC as a banking institution. They have been more than fair to me and their customer service has been pretty decent.
My complaint actually revolves around the CIBC Visa department. That's the CIBC's credit card department.
I have actually had a CIBC credit card since 1990. I even took one with me to Japan for three years and used it with aplomb to purchase many an antique piece of art I have. Thank-you for allowing me to do that.
I did cancel it a few years ago when I received a mortgage from another institution (arranged by my wife), even though I did continue to be a CIBC bank customer. That loyalty was rewarded in 2010 when the bank without much prompting offered me a $45,000 line of credit at a fantastic rate... simply because I had been a customer in very good standing. Again... thank-you very much. I owe you. Don't I?
However, in September of 2011 after learning from the CIBC that I could get a better banking account than the one I currently had with fewer bank charges, I jumped at that chance. Unfortunately, one of the things I had to do was open up a CIBC Visa credit card to get that better account. Sure there was a string attached to the bank account, but whatever.
CIBC Visa sent me a statement earlier this month warning me that I had charges totaling $357.22, and that I had missed a $20 minimum payment on January 14, and that I should pay a total minimum payment of $30 by February 14, 2012.
All cool. I should have made the measly $20 payment - but I forgot to do so. My car died (I hate SAAB!) on me and I had no time or even a way to make it to a bank.
However... on Saturday, January 21, 2012, I received a phone call from CIBC Visa. I should note that they also called on January 20 and again the day before that on January 19 - five days after my little $20 payment was due.
I picked up the phone this time, as I was in. By the way... no message was left the other times from CIBC, but thanks to Call Display on my phone, I know they had called.
The call was from some young woman with a thick Indian accent who identified herself, but not clearly.
Just for the record... I am of Indian descent, and although I have never been to India, my parents were both born there.
She began to warn me that I had missed a payment (Heavens! I am a whole seven days late! The sky is falling!), and that she didn't want my credit rating to be affected by any non-payment of bills owing.
First off... my credit rating is pretty damn good. I've also been a CIBC customer for decades, and have also been a credit card user with CIBC Visa for many years. However, according to her records, I am a new CIBC Visa credit card customer and she felt the need to inform me all about how I need to pay bills on time or suffer the wrath of the dreaded credit rating penalty.
Big whoop. I own nothing and am currently in no danger of owning a house or car. How will the threat of my credit rating going down affect me? Truthfully, it won't.
Still... I was late with a payment, and the CIBC Visa department was fair to warn me.
I do think it's ridiculous to call me and harass me for being seven days late. Only the day before had I received my credit card statement informing me I had missed a payment and to please make sure I paid the minimum by February 14, 2012.
But she kept on yammering at me. Chastising me. Trying to make me feel worthless.
Now maybe it was the nicotine withdrawls, or maybe I just don't care for people being dicks, but I had enough.
I told her I would make the $20 payment tomorrow (the 22nd.... which I did), but then she wanted to know how much of a payment I would be making on February 14.
I beg your pardon?
That's none of your business, I snapped.
She said it was.
Uh, no. I'll pay what I owe because I missed a payment, but it's no one's business how much money I will be paying for the next credit card statement! I have three weeks plus to think about it! I don't owe any sort of explanation to some stupid bitch in a call center whose weekly salary equals my daily salary (I exaggerate, but you know what I mean).
I told her I don't have to tell her what my future payment will be.
She argued that I had to, that it was CIBC Visa policy.
Bull.
I asked to speak with her manager, please.
She asked: "Why? Why do you want to speak to a manager?"
Are you serious? Why? I'm just thinking that. I tell her because I want to talk to your manager. That should be explanation enough.
She starts up again about the need to maintain my credit rating because I am so new to the CIBC Visa credit card.
Frustrated with not getting my request for a manager, I hung up on her.
I immediately called up the CIBC bank and asked who I could complain to about the CIBC Visa customer service. While they apologized profusely for that department's lack of tack, they are indeed a separate department, and I would have to call them. They politely transferred me and I was quickly picked up by a young Indian man whose name I can not pronounce. Still... his English was good and he was polite.
He heard my complaint, apologized to me, and even noted through his computer that someone from CIBC Visa had indeed talked to me minutes earlier. Good... they now believe I wasn't making up things.
I told him I wanted to talk to a manager to lodge a complaint.
He said no problem - that someone - a manager - would contact me within two working days.
Two days? Two working days? Is there not a single manager at this call center? Or... could this call center be in India... and it's going to take that long to get hold of some dumb Canadian manager to chat with me?
Two working days?
Uh, people... you dumb asses are working on a Saturday. As well... if I call CIBC Visa on Sunday, I'm pretty sure someone will be there to talk to me... that's also a working day. So technically, someone could call me on Sunday... or Monday if I really want to give them 48 hours and two working days.
But let's suppose the guy meant two business days - even though he did not state that - that would mean Tuesday, January 24, 2012.
It's Friday now. Friday, January 27, 2012. Seven days late. No one has called me back. No one. I know... I have Call freaking Display.
I suppose my request may have been lost in translation over this new interweeb thingamabob that Bob Dole invented a few years ago.
How quick CIBC Visa's customer service department was to get on the telephone to harass a long-time CIBC bank customer for being five days late with a $20 payment. Oh my god... did I cause CIBC to not make an extra couple of million dollars that week? I'm sorry. Please arrange to garnish my salary for a few weeks if that will help.
But look how slow they are to respond to a customer who wants service from a manager! It's all fine when you want my money, but not fine when I want--no demand--customer service.
For shame!
I will pay off my CIBC Visa, and while I will not cut it up, I will not use it ever again.
Do you know what I hate?
I hate the poor customer service offered by CIBC Visa. You suck.
