De-a lungul anilor, Banca Transilvania, he knew how, how, to hold himself quite high in what he regards marketing. A communication tool, used by merchants since ancient times, to create illusions for potential customers. We couldn't help but remember even after almost 10 years the famous commercial with “The fairy” and his “Six beautiful horses“.
The genie, a nice guy, could still be viewed from several points of view. Many were amused by him and the funny expressions in the advertisements, others, like me, wondered if it was not meant to highlight “wide neck” and what awaits you in “behind the fence”. You know that saying… “Outside, the fence is beautifully painted, inside is the leopard“. An expression that, by the way, best highlights what happens when you pass the threshold of some agencies of Banca Transilvania. You can bump into a logical contradiction – nonsense or by a very large discrepancy between what is said and what is actually.
On the service side “hot”, Banca Transilvania was in the first wave of banks in Romania, which introduced Apple Pay. A very nice service, which allows owners of iPhone to make payments at shops, petrol stations, cinemas (or in other locations with contactless POS), directly from the Wallet application, without the need for a card on them and above all, without commissions or hidden taxes (apparently), as is practiced at all banks in Romania. About how Apple Pay works, how can a card be added to the 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, the counselor at the counter refused to do the operation for me, for the simple reason that I wanted the amount in foreign currency. As she was sent to me. I requested that if the amount does not exist in the agency (small amount), to make an appointment and tell me when to come back. (Twice refusing to withdraw the amount changed in LEI, as the counselor had requested.) A short stutter from the counselor, then: “We are sorry, but we can only give currency to bank customers“. After I said that I was a customer of the bank and I confirmed that I had a card at Banca Transilvania, after he asked me this, a series of incomprehensible words followed, and one: “We are sorry, but we can only for internal transactions… internal customers…“. !?!?#@?
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. Aceasi agentie BT, aceasi doamna care isi tine ecusonul sub birou, 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.
