I got the shock of my life on Sunday 24 March 2013 when l had
ordered some grocery for breakfast just before going to church. I was in a
supermarket and l intended to use my BancABC card to buy the groceries. I had
left $50.00 of my hard earned money in my account for moments like these when l
will be looking forward to the next pay day which was Monday the 25
th
March 2013. My card was swiped 3 times and the till operator then gave up and
said are you sure there is money in your account. I was adamant l had left
money in there. Dejected l walked out of the supermarket with no groceries and
l decided to go to BancABC Samora Machel branch fortunately they now open half
day on Sundays.
The bank has come of age in terms of opening times and the
ambience in the banking halls. Since inception it has shown an inclination
towards “fresh thinking and smart banking” their brilliant tag line. I became a
customer of BancABC in mid 2011 via the Msasa branch after having been enticed
by the lure of a personal loan which haunted me this particular Sunday morning that
l am talking about. To prove that l fell in love with this bank in 2012 l
opened a second account with them. Things were going on well, we had our rough
moments especially with Lilyosa at Msasa but nothing out of the ordinary to
write home about.
In the banking hall at Samora Machel branch I spoke to
Maureen at the enquiry desk. I explained to her that there is no money in my
account but l had left $50.00 in there on the 19th March 2013 which
was the last time l had transacted. She told me that the money had been wiped
out because they had debited my account the previous day for a personal loan
that l have with them. I told her that my agreement with their bank is that
they deduct the loan on the 25th of each month when l get paid by my
employer. I needed the money to buy groceries for my family to last us for one
more day before pay day. I explained all this to her but Maureen was indifferent;
she didn’t care a bit for me. She was not moved by my plight. Her advice was
simply that l should talk to people at Msasa branch the next day because there
was nothing she could do for me.
I was dejected and stood there for a good 2 minutes not
knowing what to do and what to tell my family which was waiting for breakfast
goodies before going for Sunday service. I walked out frustrated and not
knowing what to do. I composed myself as l got into my car and called my friend
Washie who came to my rescue in the form of a soft loan. I tweeted about my
ordeal on Monday morning and one of my friends Tasara commented that he had
faced the same predicament at the hands of BancABC. His was such a sad story. He
needed money to buy medication for one of his relatives and had another
relative send him the money. BancABC decided to get their loan from this money
before waiting for his salary to go through. The inconvenience was unbearable. If
this happened to Tasara and me, what could have happened to many other
customers out there? Food for thought!
I wander why they give salary guaranteed loans and decide to
debit accounts before the agreed date arrives. This is clearly stale thinking
and dull banking; looking after the bank’s interests with no regard whatsoever
for their customers’ interests. I was prepared to suffer in silence without
writing about this, if it wasn’t for events that occurred on the Monday
evening.
I work an 8 to 5 job which means the only time l can go to
the bank is after 5pm. I went to Samora Machel branch once again to withdraw my
salary (which had been credited on time as usual). It was just after 6pm when l
got there and l wanted to use the ATM. Guess what, the 2 ATMs available where
not working. Maintenance work was in progress and one could hear the employees
servicing the ATMs chatting and laughing as they went about their pace. I enquired
with the security guard how long it was going to take and why where the ATMs
not working. He told me that they were feeding the machines with cash as they
had run out. I asked the employees in the ATMs (who by the way could not see
me) how long it was going to take them and they replied, “about 10 minutes.”
So l joined the short queue of 5 people which was slowly
building up at the bank. The 10 minutes became 20 and then 30 minutes.
Frustrated
l went back to the ATM area and asked the employees who l could still hear chatting
and laughing, how long it was going to take for them to have the machines
ready. One of them responded that “in about 10 minutes.” Oh my goodness! The only
time interval these employees know is 10 minutes. At this point there where
over 20 people queuing to withdraw money at the ATM.
I got annoyed by this and
left the ATM only to come back after 2 hours to get my money. Imagine the
inconvenience this caused me. I had to look for something to do in town to
while up time to avoid getting frustrated by BancABC’s stale thinking and dull
banking. I wandered why the powers be at BancABC decided to allow the ATM to be
serviced at 6pm on a day such as 25th of the month. The banking hall
is closed and the only way to withdraw money is through the ATM and it’s out of
service due to some stale thinking of someone within the BancABC family.
As I was driving home l reflected on the many encounters
that l had to put up with BancABC’s shoddy service. From being given excuses
about how they could not send me a bank statement because of system challenges
to not getting confirmation of how much is left on my personal loan repayments.
I have been patient, but everything comes to an end. Patience does run out at
times. I have had enough of this and l’m moving my account elsewhere.
The kind of service that l have been getting is bad to say
the least but a time will come when customers will have the power to kill off
brands that give shoddy service. I am glad to be a former customer of yours and
I have decided to terminate the relationship. I have the power to walk away and
there is nothing you can do to me. I am going away but it will not be fair on
my part if l do not give you hints and tips of what you can do for the next
customer so that you can keep them for good.
Faced with a situation like mine, Maureen should have
referred me to her superior who should have verified my claims and checked my
account and profile. The superior would have authorized that I get the money as
l was going to be paid the next morning and probably the money was already
sitting in their suspense account waiting to be credited. I would have become
ecstatic and would have told the whole world about them going the extra mile
for me. I would have become a loyal customer. Secondly the ATM should be fully
functional each evening for the convenience of your customers. Such moments are
not meant for engaging in maintenance work you know.
BancABC, l leave you with your stale thinking
and dull banking. Goodbye it was such a challenge doing business with you.