So I have been a long time customer of Citibank in Singapore, since 2001 or thereabouts. I usually have no problem with them or your customer service, be it at the branch or over the hotline. The CS could always solve my problems and in double quick time. So yes, I was (past tense) a fan. No longer a fan due to its consecutive failures to satisfy basic customer needs.
Since November 2014 to now, I am facing problems after problems with Citibank business practices. Though technically the issue probably stemmed from late October 2014.
Late Oct 2014, I could not find my credit card and called to cancel it. I did not want to cancel it as I would be traveling the next day and was worried the new card issued with new card number would interfere with my travel booking made with the card. Later I found the card and went to the branch office to check if the hotline CS has already canceled it or if I could reverse it. Too late, the card was canceled. So that was it.
In November 2014, I was waiting for my cc bill and decided to call the hotline to find out what happened to it. It turned out Citibank has auto-enroll me into e-statement. I did not get any notification about it at all. Apparently Citibank sent an SMS about it. But as I was overseas and not using my Singapore SIM card, I did not get the SMS at all. So I also found out SMS does not get through if SIM card is not in use. I told the CS to remove me from e-statement as I am used to paper statement and I write cheque for payment.
I went down to the branch a week later to check on my statement as I did not receive it. The branch CS was very helpful and printed my statement for me. A couple of days later, I received the paper statement. But with the change of card number and the change from e-statement to paper, the format was a bit different. No matter.
I made payment with cheque and dropped it off at the branch cheque box a few days before due date. The cheque was in the Citibank envelope with the statement payment slip. The following week I received an SMS from Citibank saying I have not made payment. I called to check and encountered the worst Citibank hotline CS ever. I told her I had dropped off the cheque, she said no. I asked her to check. She refused. I asked to speak with her supervisor and was grudgingly put on hold and someone spoke to me. The other person promised to check and to raise the case to investigate.
I was concerned and dropped by the branch the next day to find out if the case has been raised. It was under investigation. The ever helpful branch CS said not to worry and to wait for the outcome before making another payment and that all late charges and interest would be waived as this was being investigated. So I waited. A few days later the hotline CS came back with the news that they could not find my cheque and if I could make payment again. In the interim I received another call from Citibank asking for payment, and I had to inform the person this case was being investigated. Don't they share information?
So the hotline CS told me to make payment. I asked who would pay for the stop payment on cheque as there was a fee to do that. I was told it was MY problem that CITIBANK LOST my cheque. This was quite unacceptable as I dropped it off in good faith in their own branch, I did not even mail it through the post. I told them they could check their CCTV as I know the time and date of when I dropped off the cheque. They refused, of course. I asked if I could go to the Paragon counter to drop off the cheque. The CS snootily told me I could not as it was Citigold branch and I am not a Citigold customer. She told me to go to the other branch where I dropped the cheque before and to approach the staff there for the envelope when I asked about it. And also to get the staff to witness me dropping off the cheque into the box. I asked what would happened if they lose my cheque again. It would be my own fault again if the cheque got lost was the message I inferred.
So I had to go through another round of hassle with my cheque issuing bank on stopping the cheque payment. They want to charge me for that. Again, I so feel I was being penalized for something I did not do. It was not like I lost the cheque or dropped it somewhere while walking.
Anyway, I got the branch CS to witness my dropping the cheque and we verified the amount for each cc I was making payment for - 3 total. The branch CS was the only bright light in this whole saga. She helped to check again on the missing cheque and helped to put in request for the waiver of the late charges and interest and just kept me updated throughout the whole week. Kudos to Christina. That is customer service. Anyway, the cheque cleared.
So I called the hotline again today to check if the late charges and interest waivers have been approved. They had. I asked for the amount due for all my cards. To my horror, the cheque cleared 2 credit cards but not the 3rd. The frustration from the weeks past just surfaced again and I insisted on an investigation on it and to let me know the next day. As usual the hotline CS gave me the 3-5 working days to investigate. I told him this was an on-going thing which has dragged for over a month and so they should not waste another 3-5 days on it.
So what has happened, Citibank? What kind of employees are you hiring?
1. To send SMS without any verification or confirmation it has been sent, and expecting your customer to know what you sent?
2. To lose a cheque from your own cheque box, and the cheque was inside your own envelope.
3. To clear a cheque to pay 2 credit card accounts but not the 3rd account. Where did the money go to? What account number has your employee input?
This is worrying. To know the bank can actually LOSE cheques on their own premises. And now to know payment can go MISSING.
The era of relying on computer systems has its own problems and now we are seeing such issues. So should we go back to the old way of making payment at the branch counter and to get a receipt that yes, payment is received? This is also why I do not like online banking much. Any bug can just interfere and make it looked like you never make payment even if you did.
Super disappointed with Citibank now. I don't even know how to make my next payment. I am thinking of just depositing cash into the machine but I wonder if that works too. Or do I need to open another Citibank savings account just so I can transfer money to the account and make payment from it?
Or maybe I should just stop using credit cards.
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