ian writes:

“I recently tried to add an additional bank account to my ING Direct Savings account, by sending them a cheque for decently sized chunk of money. After confirming that the cheque had been cashed, I call them to find that they cannot deposit the cheque into my savings account because my bank told them it was tied to a line of credit account.”"Line of credit? I don’t have one of those. It’s a regular everyday chequing account.”

“I would suggest calling your bank and sorting this out, and then calling us back.”

So I call up my bank.. “This chequing account I have with you.. what kind of account is it?”

“Why… its a chequing account.”

“Thank you. ING Direct is trying to tell me that you told them that my bank account is linked to a line of credit.”

“No, You definitely do not have a line of credit with us sir. Just a regular chequing account.”

“Great, thanks. Do you know why ING might think otherwise?”

“I have no idea, but your account is a regular chequing account.”

So I call back ING Direct.

“Hi, I just spoke with my bank. They confirmed that my bank account is not tied to any line of credit whatsoever and is a regular chequing account.”

Of course its a different Customer Service Representative, so I have to re-explain the situation and wait for them to get up to speed. Lots of hold music ensues. (The same MIDI rendition of a Phil Collins or Genesis song OVER and OVER and OVER). I feel like there should have been “Hold on! Hold on!” in the chorus, any ideas?

“Ok sir, you are sure your account isn’t a line of credit?”

I thought we established that. Perhaps a 3-way call to my bank is in order?

“After speaking with their supervisor, and more hold music, I am told that a request will be put in to contact my bank to re-confirm that my account is indeed not a line of credit. This will take between 1-2 business days.”

{Sigh}

I know its logistically complex, but customers would be much happier if large organizations gave them back the ability to reach a direct extension - even just as a first option to try to redial the same CSR you had before so you aren’t banging your head against the wall explaining your situation 3 different times to three different people. It saves frustration on the customer’s side, and saves dollars for the organization not having to pay 3 different people to try to understand a situation that should already been “learned” by the organization. Not to mention, it allows customer service employees to take ownership over solving customer issues. Where did we go so wrong?

Update: Within a couple days, they confirmed the account was not a line of credit, and linked the accounts. No notice, however, was sent to ian. He discovered this by checking his account online two days later.