De-a lungul anilor, Banca Transilvania, a stiut cum, necum, sa se tina destul de sus in ceea ce priveste marketingul. O unealta de comunicare, folosita de negustori inca din cele mai vechi timpuri, pentru a crea iluzii potentialilor clienti. Nu puteam sa nu ne amintim si dupa aproape 10 ani de celebra reclama cu “Zanul” si ai lui “Sase cai frumosi“.
Zanul, un tip simpatic, putea fi privit totusi din mai multe puncte de vedere. Multi se amuzau pe seama lui si a expresiilor haioase din reclame, altii, ca mine, se intrebau daca nu cumva se vrea scoaterea in evidenta a “cefei late” si a ceea ce te asteapta in “spatele gardului”. Stiti vorba aia… “Afara-i frumos vopsit gardul, inauntru-i leopardul“. O experesie care de altfel scoate cel mai bine in evidenta ce se intampla atunci cand treci pragul unor agentii ale Bancii Transilvania. Te poti lovi de o contradictie logina – nonsens sau de o discrepanta foarte mare intre ceea ce se spune si ceea ce este de fapt.
La partea de servicii “hot”, Banca Transilvania a fost in primul val de banci din Romania, care a introdus Apple Pay. Un serviciu foarte fain, ce permite posesorilor de iPhone sa faca plati la magazine, benzinarii, cinematografe (sau in alte locatii cu POS contactless), direct din aplicatia Wallet, fara a mai fi nevoie de card asupra lor si mai ales, fara comisioane sau taxe ascunse (aparent), asa cum se practica mai pe la toate bancile de prin Romania. Despre cum functioneaza Apple Pay, cum poate fi adaugat un card pe iPhone and how to make payments directly with the iPhone,I wrote here.
The other days, Banca Transilvania also launched BT Pay In the application iMessage / Messages. Service that allows call and sending money directly through iPhone messaging. The condition is that the conversation partner has an accountBTR and the service BT Pay activat / the application installed on the iPhone.
Unfortunately, these fine services are overshadowed when you cross the threshold of some agencies. My experiences with several agencies Trnasilvania banks, they are not the happiest.
Many of those who frequently use the service Western Union, they learned that most of the time “the Western application does not work“, “the application has been blocked for several days” – don't think of going back to the counter - or they'll bump into one burned and one categorically refuse al the counselor at the counter, when he hears that you need to withdraw currency (EUR, USD), through the service WU.
I don't know and I don't care if the banks make a profit or not from the transactions made through WU or if the employee at the counter is scored for these operations. The fact is that almost every time a customer arrives at the counter and requests to withdraw an amount in foreign currency, the adviser either tells him that he does not have the requested currency, or urges him to do so currency exchange and offer him the amount in LEI. Of course, at the bank's exchange rate, which is not the most advantageous for the client.
Last month, for example, at an agency from Bucharest – coral, consilierul de la ghiseu a refuzat sa-mi faca operatiunea, din simplul motiv ca doream suma in valuta. Asa cum ea mi-a fost trimisa. Am solicitat ca in cazul in care suma nu exista in agentie (suma mica), sa-mi faca o programare si sa-mi spuna cand sa revin. (Refuzand in doua randuri sa retrag suma schimbata in LEI, asa cum consilierul imi solicitase.) O balba scurta din partea consilierului, apoi: “Ne pare rau, insa nu putem sa dam valuta decat clientilor bancii“. Dupa ce am spus ca sunt client al bancii si i-am confirmat ca am un card la Banca Transilvania, dupa ce m-a intrebat acest lucru, au urmat un sir de cuvinte de neinteles, si un: “Ne pare rau, dar putem doar pentru tranzactii interne… clienti interni…“. !?!?#@?
I followed to do one notification through the feedback system, to which I received an answer quite quickly. One person apologized, accompanied by the assurance that the intention of the agency's representatives was not to cause me inconvenience.
Spun “a person” because I can't figure out if the apology came from a part-time employee who occasionally responds to some messages, or if it came from someone who represents Banca Transilvania. Although the signature of the lady or the lady “O. S.” is very pompous: “Claims Management Specialist – Contact Center Management & Customer Care“, written small, in the bottom, as banks like on A4, there is also a very interesting phrase: “Acthis information is addressed only to the recipient and may not express the views of Banca Transilvania.”.
Which, by the way, I tend to believe is the case. The apology came from the person “O. S.” and not from BT. After last month's refund, nothing has changed. The same BT agency, the same lady who keeps her badge under the desk, refused to do the WU operation. This time on the grounds that the application does not work. Being asked if he notified support, the answer was simple: “not yet... I will announce immediately”.
A few more followed “tentative” of “let me try again if the application works“, and: “please wait for the colleague“. The colleague who says: “if it doesn't work for you, it won't work for me either“. Well! That's it. Nowhere where I was told that the service is not working, I did not do anything to inform the customer. At least a simple A4 sheet to print on: “The WU service is not working!”. What should a customer do? Should he wait in vain for several minutes until he reaches the counter or rush to the counter over other customers and ask if the service is working? Yeah.
I left the agency disgusted, just like last time.
This is not a common practice in all BT agencies or only at BT. Not. I think this is a kind of cult of every bank agency and/or every counselor at the counter. At the agency mentioned above, many times, the WU service went without problems and the operations were done as they should be.
Solutions such as BT Pay or Apple Pay they are for nothing when you interact with such employees at the counter and when direct interaction with a bank from us usually means: long waiting time, the superficiality of counselors, callousness,obscure policies and aggressive sales, six beautiful horses put in the back of the cart.
