Generally, I tend to be rather patient and understanding. Especially during the current pandemic, I appreciate any business that remains open to serve customers. Doing banking for my business with TD bank has made my life difficult enough times now that I feel the need to say something about it.
How it started
My online business has been losing steam lately. Looking to minimize expenses, I noticed that we were paying $19 per month for our TD business account. We really only use it to collect payments from customers, pay suppliers, and pay taxes. I suspected there must be a way to lower those high monthly fees since our account activity has been minimal. So, I reached out to TD and inquired about ways to save on fees.
First, I tried to resolved it online, but was told I’d need to call them. I ended up having multiple calls speaking with different people.
Finally, they told me to present myself at my branch in person with my co-founder. They said that the branch could downgrade our account to a $5/month plan without losing anything. Preferring to avoid going in person and dragging my co-founder along, I called back. I got another person and reiterated my preference not to go in person to avoid spreading the virus. They insisted that myself and my co-founder go in person due to our 2-to-sign policy. Fortunately, the agent offered me a tip. He explained that the employees working at the branch have more powers than the general phone support staff. So, I called the branch and alas I managed to downgrade my account over the phone. Awesome, right?
I received a new client card in the mail. It specified that I would need to make a transaction using my PIN to activate the client card. Receiving the card reminded me I needed to schedule a payment. However, when adding a payee (the government), the website told me I no longer had the required access! What?!
My radical dream: To be able to do what I’ve always done again
Once again, I called their customer support line. It turned out that when they downgraded my account they reset my account privileges. Consequently, I lost the ability to use my EasyWeb account to make payments! They gave me precise instructions that I confirmed. I would need to present myself at any TD with 2 pieces of ID. They told me to request “full access with point of sale”. Okay… A quick Google search showed me that there’s a single TD open on Saturdays in Montreal. Perfect! I hopped on my bike and rushed over to Westmount to get it done!
I explained my situation in person to the teller. First she replied that I should have access. Obviously, I replied that I don’t; otherwise I wouldn’t have made the journey over to see her. She said she needed to escalate it to her manager. She returned from his office and confirmed that there’s nothing she can do. Because we have a 2-to-sign policy, my co-founder and I would have to go to our branch, specifically. I protested that I’d been using the account for years. I’ve been the only active person in my business for years. She retorted that whoever gave me that permission initially must have made a mistake. She asked me to step aside so she could help someone else. Her manager came to see me and repeated the same thing.
The reason why I’m particularly pissed off is not just that they wasted my time. It’s also that the information I’m getting from their staff, once again, is inconsistent or incomplete. Due to COVID-19, most business have adapted their ways of operating to allow most work to be done online. This expensive bank, however, insists on making people go to different locations along with other people.
What’s really grinding my gears here
- There’s a freaking pandemic. Why can’t the bank adapt like the rest of the world to stop making people show up in person? We’re already half a year into the pandemic
- Why did they remove my ability to make payments once securely authenticated to my online account?! I can’t even pay my taxes online any longer. I’ve had that access for years
- Assume it was a mistake allowing me to spend our own money online when they set up the account initially. Why didn’t any of the many employees involved warn me about losing that fundamental ability by downgrading my account?
- The customer service rep authenticated me to access my account, she should have seen we have a two-to-sign policy. She also failed to inform me that I’d need to bring another person. She also stated clearly that I could go to any location to have the change made
- The staff today realized that my account was initially misconfigured. I also made it clear that I was misinformed by the agent on the phone. Given this information, they made no effort to rectify the situation themselves. Also, would it not make sense for them to follow-up with the agent I spoke to? At least try to get aligned and see if someone is missing information. This would also prevent the further spread of misinformation since someone was obviously wrong. I really felt they just wanted me out because it was near closing time
Conclusion
All in all, I realize this isn’t a deplorable or noteworthy situation by any means. It’s an annoying inconvenience. I doubt anyone will even read this, frankly. I’m just irritated and feel annoyed. Why? Because I’m fairly confident I’m going to continue to bounced around before I can finally get this silly situation resolved. I mean, I’m just asking to be able to use my bank account to spend money again. I want to pay my taxes like I was doing a month ago! I’m aware that typically employees rarely care to make extra effort to ensure their business improves. So, I don’t think these employees are exceptionally bad either, but I find it super disappointing that TD has employees communicating different information depending on who you speak to over what medium or what location.
In protest, I shall buy more bitcoin 😉