Customer Service Hell

[Lisa]

If you have ever had to deal with a major corporation's customer service then you will really appreciate this. My Aunt died this past January. Citi Bank billed her for February and March for their monthly service charge on her credit card, and then added late fees and interest on the monthly charge...the balance had been $0.00... now was somewhere around $60.00) I placed the following phone call to CitiBank:
Me: "I am calling to tell you that she died in January."
CitiBank:"The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."
Me:"Maybe, you should turn it over to Collections..."
CitiBank: "Since it is 2 months past due, it already has been."
Me: "So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?"
CitiBank: "Either report her account to the frauds division, or report her to the credit bureau...maybe both!"
Me: "Do you think God will be mad at her?"
CitiBank:"...excuse me .....?"
Me: "Did you just get what I was telling you.... the part about her being dead?"
CitiBank: "Ma'am, you'll have to speak to my supervisor!"(Supervisor gets on the phone)
Me: ''I'm calling to tell you, she died in January."
CitiBank: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."
Me: "You mean you want to collect from her estate?"
CitiBank: ".....(stammer)" .... "Are you her lawyer?"
Me: "No, I'm her great niece." (Lawyer info given... )CitiBank: "Could you fax us a certificate of death?"
Me: "Sure." ( Fax number is given )( After they get the fax. )CitiBank: "Our computer system just isn't setup for death..."
Me: "Oh..."
CitiBank: "I don't know what more I can do to help..."
Me:"Well... if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her...I suppose...don't really think she will care...."
CitiBank: "Well...the late fees and charges do still apply."
Me: "'Would you like her new billing address?"
CitiBank: "That might help."
Me: "Odessa Memorial Cemetery #### Hwy 129 and plot number given. "
CitiBank: "Ma'am, that's a cemetery!"!
Me: "What do you do with dead people on your planet?!



No wonder they have to charge such HIGH intrest rates for the $ they spend on idiocy like this...

[dank7oo]

sorry to hear about her death but . LMAO that is too funny
dumb bum banks!

[jay76]

LOL what a story :)

[MAN OF STEEL]

sorry about your aunt. what fu@#$%g idiots!

[TheRedDragon]

*LMAO* Argh! I get that kinda idiocy from ANY bank I deal with; what a bunch of idiotic uneducated smegheads! *L*

[Clownfishie]

Oie! Don't quite know what to say to that one... what idiots.

[sapphire_moon]

OMG.......you could probably sue for "emotional damage" brought on by these idiots.......but still you have to laugh at someone (something) so stupid......

[paul vader]

that story doesn't suprise me too much...I think I'll be cancelling my citi-card ...before it's too late!!! lol :)

[unknownclown]

Oh dear lord did that realy happen to you? Or was it just a story? I gotta ask since near the end the manager calls you Sir. If it was you Im sorry about your loss :(

[daver676]

Sorry to hear about the death Lisa. It's great that you gave them a hard time though!!

Dave

[Lisa]

it's a story. i got it in my email.

[Invictus]

I'm speechless, especially if this actually is a true story. Just cuz you got it in email doesn't mean it's not true! :D

I hate banks. Hell, I've discovered in my white collar adventures that no matter where you go, the people making the decisions are the people least qualified to be doing so. :D

[Lisa]

Yes, it doesn't mean it's not true, and who knows, it may even be citybank that is the culprit here.

But I hate banks too, mainly because they are stacking everything against you, now I have to pay a convienience fee to use a bank machine. Not only do they not have to pay an hourly wage to a teller but they don't have to pay benifits etc and the teller doesn't have to think. Seems like more fees and less payback. Pay for internet and telephone banking too, now they don't even have to pay for bulletproof tellers. They take your dollar and loan your dollar out 10 times. So not are they taking in double the intrest (at least) but they're taking it in 10X... Thats 20X the money they're paying you for your dollar. Pretty much a licence to print money if you ask me.

Here's one from the other side (I work technical support and support printing, scanning and faxxing devices)

Anyways, I get a call tonight and the caller had just bought one of our fax products and were setting it up. The reason they called was they wanted to know their fax number. I had to explain to them that we only made the product, not provided the phone line.

[jay76]

If it wasn't for automatic withdrawls to pay bills, I'd sign up with the Undermattress Bank of Canada :)

I had to explain to them that we only made the product, not provided the phone line.

There sure are some deep thinkers out there, eh Lisa? I work for a company that makes cable TV amplifiers and devices, and while on the afternoon shift, got a call from someone bitching about how they couldn't get channel 12. It's surely fun explaining the difference between providing a product and providing a service.

[mark129er]

I hate banks too