Which bank??

[billybones]

None... they are all the same.
For the past 2 days now I`ve spent my entire lunch break waiting in the queue to see a teller. I only get a half hour lunch and so each time I`ve had to go back to work without even seeing them.
Sure I can use the fast deposit or ATM but I want my money to be accessible straight away and not wait for some non bank employee to pick it up.

Why have 3 counters and only one person working?

Why does the business person always wait until I need the bank as well to count all their coins and deposit all their checks?

No wonder the banks make millions, they charge a fortune to borrow money and they also save millions by never having enough staff.

 

[Fudd]

...well that's the thing, BB.....the banks don't want people to attend the banks due to the cost of serving a person over the counter. Hence, their push to get you to bank online. Of course, once the majority have moved online, the banks will work out another way to hit you with fees.

It's amazing how times have changed.....when I left school I worked in a bank and, at the time, the focus was on customer service. When we had the "recession we had to have" in the mid 80s, just about all of the major banks made losses or made very minimal profits. As a result, they made what I believe to have been a fundamental error in implementing strategies to recoup these losses. The banks began charging for everything and anything.

As their bottom line improved, people began investing in bank shares expecting continued growth and, by default, increasing dividends. As a consequence of this action, the banks have had to do whatever they can do to ensure this consistent growth (read - dividends to shareholders). In other words, they've had to find ways & means to continue to return improved dividends to shareholders. Long queues in banks is just another of those strategies (together with charging for "over-the-counter" transactions when you finally make it to see a teller), the banks deliberately have in place to reduce costs so as to improve their bottom line.

As a result, the focus has shifted from customer service to satisying shareholder returns. If they don't, then bank shares will drop in value and this decline will reduce the overall value of the banks in the market place.

Fudd

 

[homer]

i think that during lunch break, their staff gets hungry too. So everyone except for the poor rostered bugger has to stay during lunch break. Thats really wonderful how the banks here work. Surely they understand customer's need for lunch break transaction at the counter. But they seem to put more understanding in their employees need for lunch during lunch break. Nothing wrong with that, but surely they can roster at least 2 more staff for the peak time of the day. But hey if thats what they call it setting their priority right then thats how it is. What can we say as a consumer? They got us at our balls with us parking our money in there.

 

[Fudd]

...But hey if thats what they call it setting their priority right then thats how it is. What can we say as a consumer? They got us at our balls with us parking our money in there.

...yep, spot on Homer as research has shown that the majority of us do not change banks. Sure, given that the major four banks all act in the same way......this tendenacy is not surprising. However, even if we did exercise the option to move to a non-traditional bank (ie a Credit Union of a Building Society), it probably wouldn't make much of a difference to the banks as their focus is on business accounts (especially the "big end of town") rather than us mere mortals.

Fudd

 

[billybones]

Anybody remember when the ANZ used to offer $5 if you ever had to wait more then 5 minutes to be served??? That idea didn`t seem to last long.

After one bad day I tried to call my local bank manager only to be told by the call centre they can`t transfer the call and can`t give out the number.
All they could suggest was for them to send the manager an email to try and got him to call me.
I then asked when would he call...

Sorry Billy, we don`t know...

 

[WRXXR]

I really like ANZ and the service I get at my local branch is exceptional. I'm in there twice a week and most of them at least know me by face if not name.

Changed the work accounts to ANZ as they offer great merchant services (about $4M p/a passes through the accounts so would expect better service than I was getting) and also changed my personal account and mortgage with them. Not cheaper than nab but more reliable.

Billy banking is very streamlined for the majority of businesses so you just get unlucky or people who have NFI

 

[Happy2]

And you see all the big guns want shopping hours altered so a "Better service" can be provided to the customer No banks or Govt Depts putting their hands up.

 

[Farm Boy]

Rabobank best bank in the world.

 

[Trevsa10]

IF you think standing inline has warts on it . I had some fradulant transactions on my credit card and spent 20 minuites on the phone in a so called que. Mind you if you think banks are bad try the TAX office

 

[antonov]

Absolutely agree that banks are the pits if you want to deal with people over the counter, but if you can get your act together and bank online, you can avoid a lot of the hassles. I can't remember the last time I actually went into a building and dealt with a real person - internet banking removes a lot of the stress, but you do need to be a bit more "hands-on" in shuffling money around to make sure all the bases are covered.

But what I really wanted to tell was a couple of "good news" stories (what am I thinking of!)

I travel a fair bit and regularly use my credit cards in SE Asia. On this occasion I had just paid the bill at a restaurant in Aberdeen, Scotland one evening and ten minutes later my mobile phone rang "This is .... from ANZ Bank in Sydney, can you tell us where you are?" I did so and enquired why they wanted to know. Reason was that they had spotted the transaction as being outside of my usual spending area and just wanted to check that it was kosher!

On another occasion, I returned from a weekend "down south" and received a similar call, this time asking if I could account for about half a dozen small transactions, all made in a small town within about half an hour period. As it happens, I could! Again, they were just checking an odd spending pattern.

I have several more similar stories. Good to know at least some of their staff are doing useful work!!