The Kogarah Madhouse

2010-07-14T18:42:00.001+10:00

TO: Gail Kelly, CEO Westpac

Dear Ms Kelly

This is to alert you to some strange practices at the Kogarah Madhouse, your old stamping ground.

St George seems to have joined Optus in the infantile practice of sending out letters with no return address. That seems a very counterproductive response to their obvious expectation that their services will attract a lot of complaints.

So in my recent difficulties with them, I had to address my complaint to the credit card processing firm they use. The firm did obviously not pass the letters on. I enclose copies in the confident expectation of a more intelligent response from you

I use a Westpac Credit card these days but I have had a St Geo card for many years and there is a St Geo branch much closer to me than the nearest Westpac branch so there would be some point in my obtaining a workable renewal of my St Geo card.

To my considerable amusement I also note that -- through no doing of mine -- I also have TWO Westpac credit card A/cs -- but only one issued a card in the last round.

I leave it to you to come up with a rational solution to that!

Yours wonderingly

Dr John Ray

2010-06-03T18:41:00.001+10:00

TO: St George Bank, c/- Group Card Services

Dear Groupies

Who exactly are you? Your connection to St George seems to be tenuous. Yet you seem to be the only postal address that appears on St George invoices and mailouts.

I sent a letter to St George via your address around a month ago but have had no response. Do you just bin anything that is not a payment or a form? I can assure you that if that is the case, I will find a way to complain to Westpac about you.

I am particularly exercised in this matter by the mailout I received today -- offering to change my St George credit card to something called "Amplify". Since my previous letter was a complaint that I could not activate my existing card, that seems like confounded cheek

Please forward this letter to St George

Yours disgustedly

Dr John Ray

2010-04-01T18:38:00.000+10:00

TO: CEO, St George Bank

I received the enclosed letter and card recently. I was told that I had to activate the card but could not.

* I was apparently supposed to receive an activation code but did not

* I was given an internet address on which to look for a "My information" menu. I visited the address but there was no such menu there

* I was told I could call 1300 307080 to activate the card but was asked for all sorts of numbers I do not have.

* I was then told to wait for an operator. After wasting an inordinate time waiting I gave up.

Hence my return of the card to you. It appears to be unusable by me.

Yours etc

John Ray

2008-09-29T17:41:00.003+10:00

Fees: A post from another madhouse customer taken from "Not good enough"

Also in my experience they are very keen on fees

This goes back a few years but I ditched my St George credit card and refuse to have anything to do with the bank (despite being with it in its different forms since childhood). The reason: one month I had only spent $10 on my CC and accidentally paid it one day late.

Because I was one day late in paying off my $10, I was charged a fee of $25!!! After much complaint on my part as to the fairness of being charged a fee 2.5 times higher than the amount that I owed on my CC one day late, and having some revolting girl from St George try to make me feel like paying a bill one day late is a heinous crime and that a $25 fee is the least I could expect, they finally agreed to "generously" charge me a fee of only $12.50. I "eagerly" agreed and asked them to close my account at the same time as I definitely wouldn't be needing it anymore.

Source

More on the nonsense that the high fees bear any relation to the costs incurred by the bank here

2008-05-20T10:54:00.002+10:00

TO: John Curtis, Chairman, The Kogarah madhouse, 20 May 2008

Dear Sir,

This is the third letter I have written to you in connection with my new St George Visa card. I am getting the strong message that you do not want people to use your cards. I am writing to you because I think it needs to be known at the highest level how your bank treats your customers.

I note initially that the card was delivered to me by Toll Priority -- presumably in the hope of a prompt and secure delivery. The delivery was neither prompt nor secure. You sent it out in the middle of last week but I found it dumped outside my door this morning (Tuesday). Their ref is TATL 1362557 and 0025F370Z3. I suggest you ask for your money back.

But that is only incidental. The real problem, as always, is with your phone hotline. I had to ring it to activate my new card. Alas! I knew from past experience that I was in for trouble.

The first time I rang, all I got was a robot. I did all I could to follow the robot commands but was told that I had got some number wrong and to start again. I note that the robot did not explain what the three different numbers were and where to find them on the card. The first one was easy and I figured the second one by looking closely at the front of the card but the third was quite a mystery. I found some numbers on the back of the card and entered them but who knows if that was what was wanted?

Anyway, I am a patient person (would I still be dealing with St George if I were not?) so I tried again:

The second time I rang, the phone went immediately to an engaged signal.

The third time I rang, the system went dead after I had entered the menu number

I think three tries should be enough, don't you?

Please get a human being to call me on 07 33914168 and have them activate my card

I note that the letter with the card says that I should have received a "Welcome Pack". I have not. Perhaps Toll have that too.

Visa card 4564 5777 0382 **** refers. [Full number given in actual letter]

Yours amazedly

(Dr) John Ray

2008-05-02T10:58:00.000+10:00

TO: Chairman, St George Bank, 2 May, 2008

Dear Sir,

The incompetence of your credit card staff has just reached a new low. I have now TWICE asked for the name appearing on my Visa card to be changed. And yet again I have received a card with the name unchanged. Is there anybody there with half a brain?

Please get them to have a third go at this. Is there really anybody at home in that department? Your bank is beginning to make the government look efficient. I note that the latest card issue was supervised by one of your senior people in response to an earlier request from me. Maybe it is a requirement for getting a job at St George that the person has to fail an IQ test. Are YOU happy about this vast and wasteful inefficiency?

I enclose both cards as I do not wish to use them.

Yours faithfully,

Dr John Ray

2008-04-19T10:55:00.001+10:00

TO: John Curtis, Chairman, St George Bank, 19 April, 2008

Dear Mr Curtis

I wonder are you aware of the repeated frustrations that the bank imposes on its customers?

I am the holder of a St Geo Visa a/c no. 4564 5777 0382 ****. [Full number given in actual letter] I left it unused for some years after previous bad service but I have started using it again in recent months.

I recently received a notice that the card was about to expire and would be reissued. In response I rang your helpline and was lucky enough to get to speak to someone. I said that I felt it a bit boastful to have my full name and title on the card and asked for the username to appear simply as "J. Ray" on the new card. I was assured that this would be done.

You know what it coming next, don't you? There was no change to the card when I received it yesterday.

So I rang your helpline, again -- and again. Despite a lot of waiting I never got through. So I am writing to you. Are YOU happy with the way the bank treats its customers?

Sincerely,

Dr John Ray

2007-05-20T10:57:00.000+10:00

TO: Gail Kelly, CEO, St George Bank, 9 May, 2007

Dear Ms Kelly,

Please appoint someone of a sound mind to run your card issuing department.

I sent my card back for reissue about a month ago after a merchant "declined" it.

The reissued card is also cactus. See enclosed.

As a St George shareholder I am quite outraged that nobody there seems to give a continental about whether your cards work or not. I am inclined to raise the matter at the next AGM.

I also note that I received no apology for embarrassing me or any other communication after my initial complaint. All I got was the reissued dud card.

Yours etc

(Dr) John Ray

2007-04-20T10:51:00.000+10:00

TO: Card Issuing, St George Bank

Please find enclosed my St George Visa card.

I tried to use it but it was "declined"

Please mail me one that works.

Do NOT tell me to go to a St George branch. Where I live that is not convenient