Shout out to Sages, Prophets, Wizards, and Engineers of Community Forum!

[bashley]

I haven't often accessed the Public Mobile Community over the past 3 years or so I've had my account, but I have to say my experience has been stellar!  I just put up three posts asking questions about 1) prearranging data ADD-ONs (no need); 2) Interpreting Data Usage Spreadsheet (I have plenty to use up); and 3) typical data consumption (I have plenty for my uses). 

The responses I got were swift, sure, clear, thorough, and friendly.  

I'm especially thrilled to post these kudos to you heavy-hitter participants because I've just gone through a horrific episode of customer (dis)service with TD/Canada Trust trying to re-activate an expired VISA card. Compare today's marvellous and uplifting experience with you folks with:

1) The bank sent the card to an address which is 10 years out-of-date, despite sending bills to the correct address

2) First day I called the 1-800 number and sat on hold for more than an hour

3) When I finally connected, a rep took me through the steps, then gave up and put me back on hold...I hung up after another 20 minutes of waiting

4) I went to the physical branch, and although they sent the card to the wrong address, more or less insinuated that I had lost the card.  WTF.  I was instructed to go home and try the number again. 

5) Called again the next day and held for a much lesser time...sheesh only 20 minutes!  Wow, then got transferred two or three times and finally thought I had it wrapped up with the final rep, her saying, "Yes, Mr. Ashley, you're good to go; I've authenticated your card.

6) This particular card has a low credit limit because I use it exclusively for online purchases and I feel more secure with a low limit for this purpose.  I proceed to update my Amazon, Kobo, and Public Mobility accounts, and further to make a few transactions.

7) "There is a problem with your card" so sayeth all of the vendors!  Couldn't make the transactions.  Card declined.

😎 Called the 1-800 number this morning, waiting only 10 minutes (a new record time!) and the second rep, not the first, says, "Oh I see you ordered a new card because you lost the original".  NO, NO, NO, YOU, TD/CANADA TRUST LOST IT...SENT TO AN ANCIENT ADDRESS!  Oh, yes, right, I see Mr. Ashley.  I also see that this new card has not been authenticated. Wait a minute, I was told yesterday it was authenticated.  

9) Finally, the card gets authenticated

10) I make the originally intended transactions and they go through successfully.  

So, all this malarkey over the span of wasted hours, wasted trips, wasted online account revisions, exasperating bank errors...all the while, while listening to "Your call is important us....all our agents are busy right now" 

Muzak, playing god awful music....on and on and on.

You guys are the best.  TD/Canada Trust?  They suck. 

[dust2dust]

I really like the refillable prepaid kind of card. Koho is one. Stack is another. MyVanilla (not just Vanilla) might be another. I use Koho. I use it for Google Pay on the phone. Totally to not expose my main primary larger limit credit card. I also have it on Paypal and Amazon. Nobody will care to steal info of a prepaid card. It's the big limit cards they like.

Koho has a referral deal too. But they do require all kinds of identity verification that was not needed when I signed up. I don't know if the others do too.

[bashley]

Thanks @darlicious. I'll probably end up dropping this TD/Canada Trust VISA.  Coincidentally, my main bank is RBC, too, and the TD/Canada Trust card I reserve strictly for online purchases. Kind of a security thing whereby a different bank with none of my assets, a low credit limit, and unlinked to my RBC, gives me a bit of separation from my RBC stuff. Plenty of options out there for replacing TD/Canada with something else. 

[darlicious]

@bashley 

That's some lovely feedback for the community who indeed as far as mobile providers go....is the best community on the block. Most others are utterly useless. I was looking for an answer on T-Mobile's community the other day and saw a post from a member that day sitting unanswered 10 hours later. I wonder if they have recieved answer yet?

Seems to me your bank doesn't appreciate your business. I am quite pleased with mine (rbc). I am greeted by the tellers and the ones I have dealt with more than twice go out of their way to say hello even when they are not serving me that day. They remember my name without looking at my card and are extremely helpful. I am by no means a "VIP" client and the branch I use on regular basis which is not my home branch and one of the largest ones in Vancouver is still able to give my excellent personal service. Maybe it's time to consider changing your banker? 

[tweakthis]

IMHO, it's always nice to know that someone hears you and recognizes you issue. And hopefully can offer some guidance..

[tweakthis]

I guess the difference is that I know the board is primarily volunteer run. I respect and appreciate the work of the volunteers who invest their time in the board. I also appreciate that for new people who have issues that need immediate assistance, they need guidance in how to ask for assistance.

[JL9]

Glad to hear 🙂

[bashley]

Thanks to @dust2dust and @County and @tweakthis and @softech for contributing your perspectives on my thumbs-up thanks to the Public Mobile Community, and my abominable experience with TD/Canada Trust. 

I do realize that participants here are not delegated any decision making authority, however, as a "community", you wield a great deal of strategic authority or knowledge sharing authority or even therapeutic authority. Queries don't always have to be about making decisions, but often along the lines of "What should I do?", "How does this work?", "What does this mean?", or "How do I go about accomplishing...x" .  And in my books, that' s golden.  Again, a hat tip to the friendly, helpful folks who make this community forum live and breathe.   

bob

PEI

[softech]

@bashle @tweakthis   Happy to hear the positive feedback

PM Support model is different.  Some people hate it, some people ok with it.

Yes, live support is what people always comes in mind.  But waiting on hold for an hour is not that fun.  It's in fact not bad to open ticket with PM , and come check for their reply every 15 mins then constantly holding in queue for an hour

And yes, if you willing to post your question in the Community, there are some good answers here.  Certainly we are just customers and cannot provide you with refund or reset your password, but talking using your phone, workarounds, I can tell many of the members here know more than those paid support agents

🙂

[tweakthis]

100% support the shout out. The community and mods have always been very helpful.

[CountyDownIeUk]

I “had” a mortgage at TD. That is and was the last time I dealt with them. 

They would rather you call the 800 number vs tie up a real teller at a branch as the 800 number is answered by a low paid employee in India that may or may not  provide you with help you need. Waiting for them to answer should take no longer than a few minutes...otherwise “call back” service should be offered. 

NOTE: Branch  visits usually have long wait times as most customers their have problems with their accounts vs asking for a few hundred US dollars. 

With online banking and ATMs......personal contact and recognition has been totally lost. Truly you are just a number only. 

[dust2dust]

That's lovely to read.

The catch is whether the question asked would need the support people. The people here can't see or do anything in your account (except the odd times a support person replies here). Then you have the pleasure of waiting for a response and then typing messages back and forth. Many people find this trying. Many people would prefer to wait on the phone forever listening to awful muzak rather than typing back and forth just for their comfort level of having someone to talk to rather than type.