Real Customer Service

[draco664]

I found an 'account fee' charge on my bank statement that I'd never had before. It was $27, so I figured I should call to find out what was going on.

It turns out that since I cancelled my credit cards and paid for everything with eftpos, the multiple withdrawals put us way over the free limit for our kind of account.

I was ready to shrug my shoulders and say thanks for the info, I'll change my spending habits to keep the fee down from now on, but the CS rep offered to refund some of the fee, since 'we didn't know'.

I thanked her, told her that it wasn't necessary, but she insisted. Boom, just like that, she gave me back $25 and left me with a warning not to use the account as we had been.

I thanked her again, and she asked if there was anything else she could do.

I said yes, please put me through to your supervisor so I can tell her what a good job you do. (The sup was very pleased to receive positive feedback. I guess most times they just get complaints)

Damn, but it's nice to receive customer service beyond what you expect.

[bean]

I'm glad you got service like that, but.... in this day and age, what bank still limits you on what you can do with your account? Even free accounts?

I have a "free" "second chance" account with Wachovia and never have any fees except for overdrafts (and only if they exceed what I have in savings), and even get ATM rebates. They also waived well over $100 in fees when I was in the hospital when I called and asked for my account number so my mom could deposit money in the account - they said it was slated for closure the next day, I explained I was in a hospital 70 miles from the nearest Wachovia, and the CSR waived enough fees to bring me back to a (slightly) positive balance. They've gone far above and beyond what I expect any bank to do.

I also have a "free" account with Wamu (now part of Chase) and it has no fees whatsoever, unlimited transactions and checks... I just never use it.

Neither have a minimum balance (well, keep it above $0.00). The local credit unions have similar offerings as long as you open the account with at least $100 (Wamu's opening requirement was $1 when I opened an account, Wachovia's was $25.. been with both for several years now, though getting a real rep on the phone with Wamu is challenging)

[iradney]

You must've made the rep AND the sup's day! Go you