I always strive to be debt free.
Young as I am, I have small investments, a good business and a job that pays well. Suffice it is to say that gone are the days when I would walk from UP Cebu to Ayala(kay wala nay pamelete) to withdraw from the ATM because I haven't had a decent meal. Well if Lucky Me Pancit Canton will pass as a decent meal then I had plenty. :D And this post is not about that.
Disclaimer: There is nothing wrong with credit cards per se. It helps roll over your cash and it can work to your advantage as long as you pay on time.
Due to the overwhelming air fare promos, I applied for a credit card to gain access and convenience at the same time. It was very helpful especially when you book for group flights. Moreover my credit card provider (RCBC Bankard) keeps on increasing my limit since I was able to pay my dues on time.Anah!(Kudos! No frustrations so far.Keep it up!)
My second card *drum roll* is under Metrobank(Femme Visa). It is very elite to say the very least. Not eager to increase your limit and strict on their payment policies,etc. After months of using it they forced two supplementary cards for my mother and father whcih I did not need nor did they and did not care to use. I told them(Customer Service) I'm cancelling it to which they said okay.
Guess what? After a year I was charged with the very infamous ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEES for the supplementary cards. With call center history, I would always immediately call their customer service to solve the matter asap.Not that this was the first time( in fact it happens all the time this crazy love of mine)but I spoke in utmost sincerity and humility that I will not pay for those since it hasn't been used and I'd like for it to be cancelled. My call got transferred thrice! And I didn't mind as long as my concern gets fixed.
Next flash, this month's bill indicated to my surprise finance charges. I was like, for what??? Curious as I was, again I called up their customer service. Their number was already etched into my memory 02-8700700 and you press 1-then 1- then 7 for the other options.
For the purpose of discussion, I'll name the first representative, Conchita. Conchita told me that the finance charges is due to the fact that I didn't pay the ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEES of both supplementary card.( Gi-amnesia ba ko leng??? Di ba mao mani ako gitawag last time???) When I told Conchita about last month's calls she then transferred me to another rep. (Murag dili to ang supervisor kay iyang reply murag lahi ra.) Ramona, the second rep, answered resoundingly, " Ma'am, we cannot access your account for now because our system is down. We will just call you after 48 hours to address your concern.Of course I had to say something so sarcastic like, "How come the other rep was able to access it and in a difference of say 10 seconds the system went down?" Just to air out my frustrations, I had to tell her some facts that would somehow stir up her imagination and help me understand my dilemma but Ramona just answered the system is down,etc.God heavens who trained you guys on customer handling. :((
After 48 hours, no call from Metrobank. I must have not heard it right maybe she meant 48 years!
Today, 216 hours from the promised call, I called them up, ask them to cancel the supplementary cards and cancel my card too.
I am not a delinquent card holder.I pay on time and I expect to be treated fairly. Not even extra special just FAIR. We too have jobs you know. If we keep on spending time just calling you for clarifications we expect to get answers and by answers I mean solutions and solutions that gets done. I'm hoping that one of your Quality Assurance people gets to hear our conversation to reprimand your sorry ass. Or to put it professionally, send you to further training.(Yes nalang!)
One thing I learned from my short-lived call center career is that you SET THE RIGHT EXPECTATIONS. When a customer calls you back for the same problem, that's not a good sign of excellent customer care. Never mind if others won't mind if you say a fictitious department or suntok-sa-buwan number of hours of a call back but for some of us who listens and understands the job, honor your promise because in this case it cost you one client whose not gonna say good things about you and your service.Moreover, she's gonna bash you in her blog. Hey I just did that here.hehehe
According to Manong Henry Ford, It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages.
