why do people get so offended and angry when i tell them they can't have an overdraft

Voyager2002

JDC14 wrote: »

It's ridiculous, that I pay for my account but I can't get an overdraft over a tenner, yet they'd give me a credit card, which is more likely to mess my life up if I abuse it.

It's ridiculous. That's why. You can't agree with a banks ethics.

Firstly, change to a free account.

Secondly, the legal position is different for credit card debt and for overdraft debt. If something goes wrong, the bank has far more power to recover the money lent on a credit card.

Voyager2002

mayfair1985 wrote: »

And don't ring me when you haven't got time to talk or are in a bad mood. I'm not calling you, you're calling me, if you're rude before i've even tried to help you'll get the minimum.

Remeber, nice breeds nice....

You forget that they may have been kept on hold for goodness knows how long before they speak to you. No matter how good their mood may have been when they dialled the number, that kind of treatment brings out the worst in even polite people.

Personally, I refuse to telephone banks and utilities (particularly when they use premium-rate number) to avoid this kind of frustration. Sadly, many of them can't be bothered to answer emails.

missile

abbas5001 wrote: »

I work in a call centre part time for a bank and often we have people phone up to see if they can get an overdraft, more often than not they cannot have one and people are usually extremely snotty, rude and even abusive when i tell them they can't even when i try to be as nice as possible and explain why it might be.

There is no excuse for bad manners, but I do find myself getting increasingly irritated by banks endless recorded messages and being passed from one to another.

Last time I phoned Halifax online "help" three times because my password was being rejected. I had to wait for over ten minutes and the third time one of the security questions was "when did you open the account?" and I was disconnected because I could not answer.

I logged on to MSE to find several others could not access Halifax site. You would think the jobs worths would know there was a fault? Unfortunately the call centre staff employed by banks (and other organisations) are given rudimentary training and just work to script.

tagq2

opinions4u wrote: »

To be honest, as this sort of bank manager really hasn't existed for 20+ years, they really should have made the adjustment by now .

The last few were being killed off or transformed in the mid-'90s, I think.

I wonder whether, especially with social funds being reduced and the increasing demand for horrible payday loan companies, we'll see an expansion of the role of credit unions. They're not yet the obvious alternative in the UK that they are in the US.

Voyager2002 wrote:

You forget that they may have been kept on hold for goodness knows how long before they speak to you.

Use a speakerphone. I've got used to dialing a number then just getting on with something else. Harder if you're working in a busy environment, and still difficult to have to keep one ear open.

meer53

googler wrote: »

...because some of these customers have been clients of your bank, since.... let's say, the 1970s. They're used to dealing with real people. They're used to talking to a real-life Bank Manager, and having the Manager consider individual circumstances, and having the autonomy to decide what happens within his/her branch themselves.

Now, the Branch Manager is reduced to the role of an admin assistant, and , as I've found out with a certain Scottish Bank, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, and the client can quite easily be re-directed to seven or eight different departments when asking for anything outside of the norm.

Now, long-term clients have to deal with a call-centre operative like you - reading from a script, unable to take responsibility, given no flexibility, and at the end of the day - a faceless voice on the end of a phone

Frankly, from my experience in the last few years, having been a customer of my bank since 1976, I'm not surprised theirs and other call centre staff get shouted at.....

There are banks with call centres where real people answer the phone and customers aren't passed from one department to another. Where there are no scripts and your so called "faceless voices" can take responsibility, consider individual circumstances, and make decisions, just like in the olden days ! I work for one. You need to move with the times and choose your bank wisely.

samwsmith1

meer53 wrote: »

There are banks with call centres where real people answer the phone and customers aren't passed from one department to another. Where there are no scripts and your so called "faceless voices" can take responsibility, consider individual circumstances, and make decisions, just like in the olden days ! I work for one. You need to move with the times and choose your bank wisely.

It's Called First Direct - No other bank has been as helpful as them on the phone, previously I would have avoided calling my bank. I now do it quite regular with queries that I would have messaged them about.

Old_Git

abbas5001 wrote: »

I work in a call centre part time for a bank and often we have people phone up to see if they can get an overdraft, more often than not they cannot have one and people are usually extremely snotty, rude and even abusive when i tell them they can't even when i try to be as nice as possible and explain why it might be.

Have you considered telling people
"your credit is crap have a look at https://www.moneysavingexpert.com to see if you can improve it ".:T

Tiddlywinks

People facing financial difficulties are often at the end of their tether and this can influence how they communicate. The impact of "no" might be very bad indeed for them and that is all they can think about at the time.

Many years ago I worked in debt management and saw scenarios ranging from the really heartbreaking to the simple !!!!less overspending. I think the problem comes when staff dealing with customers stop seeing them as people and individuals and just deliver the stock answers in a kind of robotic fashion. Letting someone know bad news is helped by also showing that you understand the impact the news might have for them but that it is beyond your control to change the decision.

opinions4u

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

I think the problem comes when staff dealing with customers stop seeing them as people and individuals and just deliver the stock answers in a kind of robotic fashion. Letting someone know bad news is helped by also showing that you understand the impact the news might have for them but that it is beyond your control to change the decision.

I always found that lowering expectations before asking the computer to make a decision made dealing with a negative outcome easier.

ses6jwg

opinions4u wrote: »

I always found that lowering expectations before asking the computer to make a decision made dealing with a negative outcome easier.

If somebody comes into the branch to apply for an overdraft/ change to an overdraft it is always myself that they see and it runs something like this

Customer: Hello I would like to talk to somebody about my overdraft.

Myself: Not a problem Sir, we are quite quiet this afternoon so I can take a look at it today for you/ we will however need to make you an appointment as we are quite busy today, when would suit you best?

*sit customer down*

I then proceed just to have a chat with them, listen to what they have to say, and identify that an overdraft extension really is the most suitable thing for them, in some instances as credit cards give you 56 days interest free, a credit card with a low limit can occassionaly be a better option than an overdraft. Also get an idea of their financial situation, do they have savings, do they have existing debts e.g. loans or credit cards that they are paying interest on?

I would then have a chat about their existing account and run over the charging structure both for the arranged and unarranged overdraft.

When the application goes through, and is declined, I try to be sympathetic and explain that we can't go anything for them today, however they are entitled to appeal should they so wish but again no guarantee it will be upheld. I usually then give them a fact-sheet on credit scoring and how it can affect an application, and suggest they take a look online at their Experian for anything untoward.

I would also aim to determine if they have the correct account for their needs, as some current accounts offer lower arranged and unarranged overdraft charges than others.

All of the above could be done by a cashier at the front desk, simply looking at a screen and saying "No, the computer says you cannot have a larger overdraft, sorry" - but doing it this way is poor customer service and doesn't help the customer find any solutions.