🚀 go-pugleaf

Kevin:

I use the Bank of Montreal. I pay a monthly fee of $13 that includes
everything, including printing my cheques, deposits, transfers (sono as
they are called, to transfer amounts to other accounts, etc), telephone
service, etc.

My problems with the Bank of Montreal are: their computer system is very
bad. It took them 28 days to catch the fact that my loan payment wasn't
paid (it's a weekly payment) because my account had been transfered and
they had forgotten to reprogram my loan payment. To me, this is a SERIOUS
indication of a computer programming problem. One day after the loan
payment didn't go through it should have appeared on someone's desk to be
corrected.

I also have a serious problem with the way their MasterCard division does
things. If you don't request a special payment, it takes 2 to 3 days to get
your MasterCard account creditted. Despite the fact that Visa payments are
creditted the same or next day. If you have a personal line of credit it is
with their MasterCard division, and falls on the same rule. Sure, you get
creditted with the deposit for the day it was made, but you have no access
to the money while it's in limbo (ie it's not available credit on your MC
account, and it's already out of your personal account). If you need a PLC,
and the credit availablity is a question, then this is a serious drawback.
Again, this is an indication of bad programming and bad analysis

Their phone banking system can not handle anything other than a single
savings and chequing account. Everything else has be handled manually. For
example, if you have a joint account and you want to use it to pay
something, you have to transfer to your personal account, call back an hour
later and make the payment then (it takes an hour to do a transfer from any
other account other than your chequing or savings account). Another
indication of bad programming and bad analysis.

On the positive side, the Bank of Montreal will recognize same sex couples
for their "spousal" discount, if you ask their infoservice for it (I know
this from experience) and if you have a serious problem, you can call
infoservice for help to check what normal procedures are, get information
on services etc.

In the last few months they have put a new phone system in that makes it
extremely difficult to reach a human at any branch. This system is rude,
IMHO, and prevents you from getting anything really done quickly. Sure it
clears up the staff at the branch, who no longer have to answer the phones,
but on the other hand, it puts it back on you, who might have to run in to
the branch to get something done that you didn't need to do before,
therefore inconviencing you.

Personally, I don't like their new system where everyone is now a CSR
(Customer Service Representative - why does it seem that whenever someone
has the word service in their title, their job is less service and more
dis-service, but anyway....) and you take a number (usually pointed to by
some rude guard who's there because the branch was just robbed in the last
month) and then sit down and wait till someone wants to serve you. I
personally prefer the old system of standing in line, because there was
more of an impetutus to get you out of the branch when you were standing
there. They could see how many people were there, they knew you were on
your feet, and they knew you wanted to get the heck out of there. If you
are sitting they dont' seem to think that you want to get out of there and
be productive and do things in your own life (No, I don't want a coffee, I
want to get my damn money order, get my cheque certified, find out why you
deducted $150,00 from my account with the notation of "felt like it" and
get the heck out of there. Why don't they get the point. We don't want to
use a machine, we don't want to sit around having coffee, we want good,
fast and effecient service, and if you can do it right, we are willing to
let you make your profit and shut up.

<stepping off the soap box>

Kevin Everets <6ke2@qlink.queensu.ca> wrote in article
<57vhuc$5in@knot.queensu.ca>...
> I have a question concerning Consumer Issues: specifically bank fees. It
seems 
> as though it is becoming more common for a steady increase in these fees,
and 
> as such I've started to re-evaluate where I do my banking. It does me no
good 
> to leave my money in an account when it's just going to be eaten away by
bank 
> charges.
> 
> So, if anyone's had experience (good or bad) with a bank, I'd be
interested in 
> hearing about it... or (to introduce yet another topic), where else
should I 
> put my money? Investing in: GICs? Mutual Funds? Stocks?
> 
> Kevin.
> 
> In article <32A3235E.6AAD@julian.uwo.ca>, Ben Singer
<singer@julian.uwo.ca> 
> wrote:
> >This group used to be concerned with CONSUMER ISSUES--products,
services, 
> >relations with firms. It now features irrelevant junk. Hopefully the
junk 
> >artists will fade away and posters with something to say or ask that is 
> >in line with the newsgroup's subject will reappear.
>