Customer Churn

Churn. I learned that word from my 9+ years in the BPO industry. Customer churn refers to the unhappy customers who is canceling their services or are returning their bought items versus the happy customers. And you know what they say about unhappy customers? 

People who had a bad experience about a certain company or product tells 11 other people in their network about it. While someone who had a good and pleasant experience tells 2 other person in their network.

So I’m telling —

I hate Citibank Philippines for so many things. I had one credit card from Citibank years ago - actually, it was my first ever credit card. It was a cash back card with 0.25% rebate. At that time (around 2004), I was also discovering the wonders of online and cashless banking that most of my bills are paid through Bancnet or Megalink ATMs. 

Guess the only company who wouldn’t allow me to do this? Yes, Citibank.

At that time, I was told that since my card is a Cashback card, it’s not entitled for online payment. Everything has to be OTC. I asked if there are other options. I was informed that I can opt for another card and use that. I agreed. In a few weeks I received my new Citibank Shell card. And guess what? I ended up with 2 credit cards but I still needed to pay OTC for the Cashback card because ‘I can not transfer my balance’ despite what I was made to believe. So one agent probably got her quota for ‘selling’ me another card I don’t need.

I ended up canceling both cards when I received my annual charges and nobody wanted to reverse them. Fine.

After that I signed up with HSBD and BDO. Every year, I get my annual fees reversed. All my bills are paid for online that I don’t even know how to pay bills OTC anymore. My questions are answered through emails that I don’t need to queue up on the phone line listening to “the great surprises” that awaits me for being a customer.

I’ve been getting regular messages and calls from Citibank agents offering me credit cards and pre-approved loans which I’ve always declined. This year however, I figured it might help me if I get their Citibank Mercury card with up to 10% rebates on Mercury Drug purchases. After all, I buy my daughter’s milk there and a 1.4k box of milk every 5 days ain’t a joke. So the next agent who called probably got his quota for the day because after 6 years I signed up and availed of another Citibank credit card.

Then last July I saw a P500 late payment fee on my bill. I was shocked. I reviewed my online banking account and saw that I made a payment 2 days after the previous month’s due date. I called and asked why my payment for the current bill got credited to the month before that even when the due date already passed.

Instead of the agent offering to explain AND actually explaining the situation and case I just got a “it’s included in that month’s bill, ma’am” and when asked why so I got a monotone, “that’s how it is”.

Feeling that the agent (1) doesn’t want to help me, (2) is sleepy (it was 3am) and (3) she doesn’t understand the bill either and can’t explain it to me I asked for the card to be canceled.

Several days after that a very nice lady called and asked if I can “please pay” my bill and they would remove the late payment fee charge. I complied and paid 20% of the total bill just so I’d get the late payment fee from last month removed and I won’t get penalized that current month.

After that I emailed Citibank asking if they can move my due date from August 6 to August 16 since I won’t be able to make the total payment in the middle of a pay period.

Guess what? I was told that they can’t and I will incur charges. So there, my next bills (despite having my account canceled already and informing them ahead of time I’d need an extra 10days to make the FULL payment) I’d have the monthly add-on of 3.5% PLUS the late payment fee charge ONCE AGAIN.

Citibank can’t even make one last consideration for a customer who’s willing to pay the bill in FULL and who will NEVER again occur any charge whatsoever.

And to share, my uncle who’s been a Citibank card holder since the 90s and who has 3 supplementary cards and whose credit limit could buy an brand new sedan in one swipe was NEVER granted a reversal for ANY of the annual fees. He’s been paying Citibank over 8,000+ in annual charges despite the ‘business’ he’s been giving them.

I’ve told him to cancel his card and just move to a different bank, he says he’s old and he doesn’t want to familiarized himself with another bank and another set of rules. Too bad. If I were a bank, I’d be happy to have him as a customer.

(Originally posted on 08/10/12)