I recently read Seth Godin's Blog postings, We Don't Have To Care, Part I and We Don't Have To Care, Part II. Seth Godin is always right. I hate that about him ;) He thankfully never had to deal with the Bank Of Montreal.
Here's my Bank Of Montreal hell-story. Let me preface this with some history:
1. I have been with the Bank Of Montreal since I was a kid - well over fifteen years.
2. I have never, in my life, had insufficient funds or NSF as the Bank Of Montreal calls it.
3. I only recently got a CIBC credit card and I do not have a bank account with CIBC.
It's Saturday morning (pre 8:00 am). I casually open up my CIBC credit card bill and see that my previous month had never been paid. This is strange. As soon as I get a bill, I hop online and pay it by assigning the same due date as indicated on the bill. Always.
I go to Bank Of Montreal's online home. I check my balance and see that I had more than enough money in my account and that the day prior to my CIBC due date, I had deposited some cheques as well.
I call the Bank Of Montreal's customer service line. After waiting over twenty minutes (again, it's around 7:00 am on a Saturday) I speak to a rep who informs me that when I opened my account at the Bank Of Montreal I was told that any money deposited over $1000 into an ATM would be held for one business day. OK. I am supposed to remember that from when I was a kid? No one can notify me (how about an email) that one of my bill payments would not go through? The rep is useless and painfully uncaring.
I call CIBC and they reverse the interest charge, thank me for being a customer and explain to me how it will be corrected on my bill. The rep even goes on to explain that based on my history, etc... it would be their pleasure to make the adjustment.
I am happy. For about two seconds. As the CIBC rep is being so helpful, I go back online to the Bank Of Montreal to pay CIBC. Because I am still on tilt about my own bank's inability to help me, I inadvertently click the wrong company - so I basically pay the phone company what I owe CIBC. No big deal, I'll just change that. Wrong. You can't do that online.
So, I get back on the phone with the Bank Of Montreal. The new rep also can't do anything. The money is out of my Bank Of Montreal account. Even though he sees that I have more than enough money, that all I did was click on the wrong account... there is nothing he can do and that it may take 10-14 business days to correct.
Can the Bank Of Montreal's service be THAT bad? I only have a credit card with CIBC and they are not even my bank but they can help. I have been with the Bank Of Montreal for my whole life - and in good standing - and there is nothing they can do. Please.
Seth Godin is right: They don't care. They don't have to.
I'm curious to see what my Bank Of Montreal Branch Manager does come Monday.
By
i recently noticed the bank of montreat slipped in an interest increase onto raise mastercard rates fromto 11.4%. i don't recall a notice or other explanation.
i was also given a mystery charge of 5 dollars and to this date have not been able to get an explanation.
i recently changed to an account fee of 13.95 for unluimited use. they charged me 25 dollars, a month later changed back to 13.95 but never credited me back.
today they show a bank payment was taken out despite the day being one day later ie 12 day.
the bank is abusive and is dinging us for money at whims.
jay schumacher
I have been a customer of BMo for the last three years. I do use this branch every now then, whihc the closest to my work and the only one in the area. Boy it is a mission to undrestand the staff when they talk. Its pretty clear that the only language used among the staff is chinse and I do not understand a word even when they try to speak english, leave alone getting some banking actually done. I dont know how the hell BMO employs staff with little or NO knowledge of english.
Hi Seth,
Ever tried to look at things from the other side? Because of a mistake YOU made, you expect the world to serve you.. also, we dont have infinite staff to call people when a mistake is done. Especially your mistake. One more thing, next time try to read our cardholder manual/agreement, i know everything is written in there very clearly, especially how long things take to process. I know no one reads these things, but dont blame us for your lack of interest. Sorry if i seem unfriendly, I'm just defending a company i not only love, but help to make the best bank in Canada. Noone is perfect, but we try!
Don't give me this bullshit that Bank Of Montreal tries. They disrespected me because I only had $500 in my account, lied to me about investment information, and charged me money for making a deposit. Oh I got all my money back that the wrongly charged me, but I am still sour after one douchebag working there told me that I didn't make enough for him to help me. After numerous complaints, all I got was a useless apology, and that there was NOTHING that they could do. All BMO employees are monkeys in suits...actually, that would be a damn insult to monkeys. After all the bull that BMO has put me through, SORRY ISN'T ENOUGH!!!!!
You're an idiot.
BMO does suck. I have actually wrote a letter to the editor of my local newspaper, and they are going to publish this, with names, and everything. They closed my accounts due to items going through that I had not authorized, and I had to go in and fill out a delaration, once I did that I opened a different account, and informed my payroll department. I sent a request to close the original account and I was told it would take 1-2 business days, well 4 days later the account was still opened, and the same people that I had done the declaration for tried to take money again. I was fuming, and then the payment bounced back, and BMO tried to charge me for an NSF fee, I asked how can I be charged when I have confirmation that this account was to be closed before these funds came out?? They did not want to help me, and when I called the branch assistant manager kathy, she said "we have decided to close all of your accounts, pleease take your business elsewhere" Well if she thinks that this will end there, than she is wrong. I will let everyone know how BMO does not care, and the best part of this is I have kept all the on-line messages in regards to this, so eventually they will realize that it was there error, and by then, it is too late. Even my grandmother, and my brother have since closed there accounts and went elsewhere.
I had bad expericences with BMO too. I take an appointement and after I waited 1 hour and a half, I decided to leave, since the rep was not available to talk to me.
So, I decided to liquidate everything with them, my mortgage, my account.
They are too arogants and they do not care. Do not do business with them anymore.
These kind of issues happen with all the banks not only with Bmo. This is how the banks earn money from you. I will suggest all you BMO haters read your cardholder Agreement as someone said before, or watch the news more often, this should help you to learn more about the bank business. So stop complaining And just balme yourself of being a lazy Ass for not reading or trying to learn what's going on around you.
Lee, of coz you didn't get anyone to help you out, you should book an appointment with a Fsm but not a rep. maybe next time u should make a phone call before you go there. Also, why don't u put urself in the REP's situation. If you r really busy at work, do you want ur customer to complain about u while u r trying ur best to service all the clients ?
Have a little respect and thank you once in a while for the service you recieve. What you you don't understand is it has nothing to do with the bank... Its your ATTITUDE and lack of appreciation for anything in life. You would feel the same at any bank you went to! Change your attitude!!
BMO is the worth bank u will deal with the stuf know nothing about banking it is fish market
BMO suck money grabbing pigs
They tried to rip me off. After years of saving to pay off my mortgage early I came into the bank at Eglinton and Brimley to give then a final payout check. The loan manager got on his calulator and told me I owed $9730. Silly me I payed the man. When I got home I checked the figures and they didn't add up. They over charged me $118. The next day I tried to call the bank but only got voice mail, then I got put on hold for over 40 minute,when I finally talked to someone they were totally useless and told me to call the branch. Again I got only voice mail. It took forever for them to get back to me. When I finaly was able to discuss the matter with a loan officer he said he would look into the matter. He calls me Monday admits I was overcharged but since I already paid it was too late for me to get my money back. I told him in no unclear terms about the battle he would face and the stink I would cause. Five minutes later he calls me back and says they will send me a mnoey order for the overcharge.
While I have had my complaints over the years, the biggest irritation is a willful electronic lie on their part. On numerous occasions I've had a message at their cash-dispensing window that my card cannot be accepted. Experiencing a very unpleasant shock with visions of stolen identity and zero balances I would go home and check online. There was always a balance and normality.
Eventually I confirmed that BoM doesn't LIKE to say "we messed up; there's no money in the cash dispensary". Lies of various kinds are acceptable in our society and BoM makes use of this version.
But read 'THIEVES OF BAY STREET' by Bruce Livesey to inform yourself of the real sins of Canadian Banks and the damage they do.
TWL
Absolutely correct -- BMO DOES suck and could care less about its customers. I had to call 4 times to get a simple issue resolved, which involved having access to money I deposited. They agreed to release it to me right away when I spoke to someone at the counter; when I tried to pay a bill later, it wouldn't go through because the money was still held. First three times I called, they said they'd take care of it and did not; on the 4th time, I left an angry voicemail threatening to take it up with the manager if the issue wasn't fixed (after which they fixed it quickly and released my money to me). Soon after, I closed my accounts with them, switched over to TD and have been very happy with the service there. Never again, and would tell all my friends not to do business with BMO, either!
I also have an unpleasant experience with bmo's service. I call inquiring about a bill not getting to my mail box, and they just basically said they don't care; however, if the payment is late it is my fault and bmo will charge me. I asked for the manager, and all he did for me is to encourage me to file a complaint. Bmo suck and I never want to do business with them again