EDITORIAL:
Quite the mystery
by Brandon Mayer
A bad customer service experience can leave a horrible taste in a person’s mouth. A dozen of such bad experiences with the same business can pack an even harder punch. We all likely have a bad customer service story, and the worst customer service experiences can sound so dramatic that they are almost unbelievable unless you were there.
My baker’s dozen of bad customer service experiences lately has been with Scotiabank. Not specifically anything about the Chesterville branch, but with the company in general. I have been treated like utter crap by Scotiabank for the last 10 years or more. After the closure of my home branch in my teen years, the next disappointment came when they wouldn’t give me a student line of credit despite having a great credit score (I got a student line with TD no problem).
Next issue – fees that are comparably higher than other banks, despite the fact that their ABMs are slow and often not working. I will also never forget seeing elderly folks escorted out of Scotiabank branches and being told to use their ABMs during the pandemic. Banking is an essential service, is it not? Sure, the staff would stay there and help them use the machines, but if two people are going to be standing side by side anyway, why not do so inside the branch, where true customer service can take place?
The bigger issues for me started when a certain club that I volunteer for needed to switch over to a two-signer system for making payments. Not only did it take me two separate branch visits just to get an access card for an account I already had signing authority for in the 8 months previous, but I soon discovered that for business accounts, Scotiabank does not have in-person advisors (at least not for small town branches, I can’t speak for cities). Their out-of-province advisors can take close to a month to get in touch with. It’s not convenient and certainly not good at making a customer feel that their business is valued. It took nearly two months of the club getting behind on payments and bills before we could be set up with the most basic service ever: access to our own money!
The most recent incident that bothered me is comparatively small in nature, but absurd nonetheless. On my way back from Ottawa last week, I needed some cash and stopped in Kemptville. A $400 withdrawal – deducted from my account balance at Scotiabank – netted $380 cash out of the machine. What does a person do in that situation at 9:00pm? I didn’t think such advanced machines could make such a simple error like counting out 19 bills instead of 20. I called the customer service line and was quite shocked that someone answered – one small feather in the bank’s customer service cap. Then I found out that $20 will be credited to my account... in 7-10 business days. Imagine the same situation, but with a person living paycheque to paycheque and trying to withdraw rent money. And what they get from Scotiabank is “oops...” Something tells me a bank has the means to provide the $20 up front, despite choosing not to.
At this point, you might be wondering what my point is. Why not just switch banks? Well I will say... there is a reason that our mortgage is through RBC, as is my ND Times business banking. The customer service from RBC has been unparalleled. There is more to my frustrations though. If I were to call up Scotiabank’s customer service line to raise my concerns about well over a decade of poor experiences, would they care? What could they possibly do to make it right? Meanwhile, bank executives as well as CEOs of any number of top companies are undoubtedly dumbfounded day after day, remarking that it’s quite the mystery that customers are leaving in droves. The key function of corporate executives is to keep customers happy to increase business, so it’s laughable – given the salary these individuals make – when customer service takes a turn for the worse.
There is thankfully hope for those of us who live in small communities. It’s true that small businesses can cost more than large corporations, but the extra cost is often compensated for by great customer service. Anyone who has a problem with a local business or organization here in North Dundas – or any other small community for that matter – can just reach out knowing that the business owner (quite possibly their neighbour) will make it right. We make mistakes at the Times, too. I can’t imagine getting a customer’s ad wrong and responding with “oh well...” Even a small error in an ad means a free ad next issue, or a refund if the ad was time sensitive. This is basic customer service etiquette. Meanwhile, last week, a bank machine stole $20 from me, and my compensation will be... $20. If I had $20 of the bank’s money for 7-10 business days, I would be charged interest.
To end on a positive note, my point is this: enjoy the royalty treatment that only small local businesses can provide. You deserve the amazing treatment, and your friendly neighbours deserve the support for their livelihood. The paper you’re holding is not only locally created, but also locally printed. I am consistently blown away by the customer service we receive at Winchester Print & Stationery. It has served as a great reminder for me that local really does make a difference. As we roll into the summer season, don’t forget to treat yourself. Shop where the staff know your name, and where your concerns will never fall on deaf ears.