I have been a CIBC customer for a number of years (since 1993) and I experienced the most horrific customer service  representative.  I have never been so de-humanized.  The lady was from a collection department at CIBC calling me because they had yet to receive this month’s payment.  Which, by the way, I had sent only a week prior.

When I answered the telephone, I knew why they had called.  I started a little chit chat, as I know these kinds of calls can get quite tense, and wanted this person to know that I knew I had missed the payment and I had already sent one.  She would have none of it.  It was straight to business.  Fine, no problem, so, I told her I knew that I had missed a payment.  But, before I could really explain anything further this woman commented that I was close to having the credit card in question canceled.

“Sorry, canceled?  Missing a payment or two is a cancel-prone event?”

“Yes it is.”

“Shouldn’t I be notified of such an event before it happens?”

“Well, you aren’t as important as our bigger clients who get more flexibility.”

Here is where I shut down.  No chit chat.  No nothing.  When a company says that I am not as important as other customers – this is a show stopper in my book of life rules.  Sure, yes, I am evil because I have sent in payments late (apparently, four in my history) but CIBC is earning interest.  One would think that they are happy to charge me more money. 

I won’t pretend to understand the credit system of the world but when I get a call, I would like to be treated like a human being.  Something this woman didn’t even come close to doing. That was the moment I went from friendly to stone cold angry. 

I said to this person: “Sorry, did you just say that I am not as important as bigger clients?”

I didn’t hear the answer because I didn’t want to hear it.  I couldn’t believe it.  The worst thing I have ever done at CIBC is missed a payment here or there.  Mainly because I forget.  But, wow, the dehumanizing attitude of that woman was astounding.  With all of the over time complaints, you’d think these workers would be a little more jovial – especially, at this time of year. 

I did call back after hanging up on her and complained to the next agent I spoke with who did tell me that the lady should never have said that to me at all and he apologized on behalf of CIBC.  This made me happier.  How that woman felt that it was acceptable to tell me that I was unimportant just blew me away.

Tags: cibc, customer+service, cibc+sucks

Walking home from work on a Saturday should be a forgettable experience.  All you want to do is go home, open your front door, take of your shoes and coat and continue with your day.  Simple.

Yesterday was different.  As I walked home in the rain, an umbrella passed in front of my vision, quite near my face.  I turned to look and standing mere feet away from me was a terrified woman swinging her collapsed umbrella around herself and staring directly at me.

“What do you want from me?  What do you want from me?”  She was saying while swinging her umbrella around.

“Nothing, crazy woman.” I replied.

I didn’t know what to say.  I just hate such situations where I don’t know what to say or do because there was no reason for this woman to attack me.  I was no threat to her – well, maybe my good looks.  She was only about sixty.

On that note…

This is just a quite web note from the ranks of my day job, but we just released a new update to the Bait Car web site.  It was a quick turn over as we all thought it needed “something new” on it.

Oh, and there are new videos…

Tags: baitcar, bait+car, leftrightminds