is up and running. Here you go, FuckRoyalBank.com
And Sigursson journeyed far to the end of the land of geyser flows ere autumnfall and had still not met his match. Ok, for an Icelandic saga, this is pretty weak, but for a tale of a billion dollar corporation essentially defecating on the little man, read on.
On the night of June 26, 2008, I was at the Royal Bank of Canada (henceforth RBC) branch at North Road and Lougheed. I had two envelopes with me, one containing a cheque for a hundred dollars, made out to me in my name. The other envelope contained 400 dollars in cash, my income from freelance programming. I prefer to be paid in cash and then declare it with my taxes in March.
I’ve deposited many a cheque at that branch’s ATM after hours, since I’m usually too busy to go in person when the bank is open. Like a hundred times before, I approached the bank machine and put the two items in two different envelopes. After depositing my first envelope with the cheque in it, I made a critical error, I deposited the second envelope into the open slot. The green light was on, leading me to believe it was ready to accept the second envelope. After all, I’d specified separate amounts on the ATM screen.
The ATM swallowed the cash envelope and to my horror, said “Transaction Cancelled” and spat my card out, but not the cash. I stood there, waiting to see if the machine might spit the cash out too, but no such event occurred. I walked to the car and told my girlfriend what had transpired and we decided I should go there the next morning, after all, they’d have a record of what happened.
I was the first person in the door the next morning, when they opened at 9.30 AM. I was greeted by a blonde lady who asked me why I was there. I explained the events of the previous night and she told me that such events were commonplace. In fact, there was no need to stand in line at all, since on finding the envelope with $400 in it, they’d notice the discrepancy and then adjust it against my account. I asked her if she was sure, since the cheque had my name on it and couldn’t be stolen, but the cash, now that was another story. She assured me everything would be fine and that I should return home. This was at 9.42 A.M. on June 27, 2008.
I checked my account balance religiously everyday but the money did not show up. Finally, on the following Thursday, July 3rd, I called the bank and asked about the matter. The gentleman who answered the phone told me a probe would be launched and they would investigate the matter scrupulously. I took his word for it and hung up. After all, I said to myself, this is the Royal Bank, if you can’t trust your bank, whom can you trust? I was to find out whom indeed shortly.
Seeing nothing in my bank account after another three days, I went back to the branch on the morning of July 7, 2008. This time I met with a customer service representative named Anna, who informed me that no probe had been launched on Thursday when I’d called. This is the first instance of RBC lying to me, telling me that they would launch a probe but not doing so. She then informed me that they would launch another probe and that the money was around and would be found and everything would be sorted out shortly. Probes took 2-3 weeks to complete, so if I could be patient, that would be great, she said. I agreed, I am not easily moved to anger, or indeed to thoughts of duplicitous behaviour from my own bank. I took her word for it, and her promise to get in touch with me when everything worked out and left.
The next morning, there was a $500 credit towards my account. I should explain that I had been expecting only $400, since the cheque had already been cleared. However, I assumed that the extra $100 covered the interest on my credit card or would soon be withdrawn. I checked the bank account on the mornings of the 9th and the 10th and nothing had been done. Then I forgot all about it, being busy with school and work.
Fast forward two weeks. On the 22nd of July, I logged in to pay my bills and there was a $500 payment reversal, leaving me in the hole for $400 again. The weird thing is that the payment reversal was backdated to July 7th and had to have been done after July 9th, since I’d checked my account on the two days following my talk with Anna and not seen the payment reversal. I raced to the bank and met Anna, only to see her as perplexed as I was. She had no idea what was going on and then spoke to her manager, something that everyone did when faced with my problem. She assured me that they would launch yet another probe, very NASA-esque of them, and would get back to me, but alas, it wouldn’t be her, since she was going on vacation next week. I was a bit frustrated and left once again.
This Friday, Aug 1 2008, not having received any phone calls or confirmation whatsoever from the bank, I ventured into the branch at 9.30 A.M. again. I met with another lady, her name eludes me but doubtless, I shall run into her again. She had to be reminded of the details of my case and then she fetched her manager and the following dialogue ensued:
Bank Manager (BM): Mr. Kumar, we have conducted a vast and extensive search and there is no record of the envelope
Me: What? That’s preposterous. Are you insinuating that I’m lying?
BM: No, of course not. It’s just that we don’t have the money, so I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do at this point.
Me: That makes no sense, it leaves me frankly speechless. How can that happen? You told me the integrity and honesty of your cash handlers was beyond reproach.
BM: Of course it is.
Me: So if I’m not lying and you don’t have the money, someone is BULLSHITTING me somewhere. What about the people who opened the envelopes? Can you not even entertain the possibility that one of them pilfered the envelope, seeing that there was no stamp on it?
BM: That is simply not possible. All the staff are watched by two cameras when the cash is opened. Security is very high with the cash handlers, there is no way that could have happened.
Me: But that’s outrageous, I’m telling you I saw the envelope go in, it has to be with you guys.
BM: Sir, we don’t have the money, we can’t find that envelope anywhere.
Me: This would be so funny if it wasn’t funny. Rewind the tapes, you’ll see I entered two envelopes.
BM: Well, you see, there’s no point, the tapes only capture your face, you see.
Me: If they capture my face and upper shoulders, they’ll show my dismay and the shoulder motions of depositing two envelopes.
BM: Sir, there’s no point.
Me: You think I’m lying? You think I have nothing better to do than come here everyday and fabricate some cock and bull story about missing money? Is that IT?
BM: Of course not, Mr. Kumar. But you may have left the money on the counter and gone home.
Me: WHAT the hell? How foolish and naive do you think I am? You think I would leave an envelope full of 400 dollars in cash on the counter of an ATM at Lougheed Mall at night and walk off into the night? What do you TAKE ME FOR?
BM: We’re just saying that there was no envelope.
Me: Okay then, tell me something. I stood there and waited to see if it would spit my cash back out. The only other possibility that remains is that the next person who walked in off the street came in to do a normal transaction and was rewarded with my $400 envelope, spat out due to some malfunction. Is that possible?
BM: We assure you, that would never happen.
Me: Okay then, you’ve sealed off every other path. You have to have my money.
BM: We don’t have that envelope, Mr. Kumar.
Me: Then what about the $500 payment? Can you explain that, what about the that payment and that reversal? Why did that happen? Obviously, someone saw something and credited my account.
BM: That was an error, nothing more.
Me: This is an outrage, I demand to speak to someone higher up. I realize I made an error, but to be punished in such a brutal fashion for it, that’s ridiculous. Who’s your boss?
BM: Well, my boss isn’t in right now. I can get him to call you on Tuesday when he returns.
ME: Will he really call me on Tuesday? Or will he actually call me in a month, when the trail is cold?
BM: I assure you, he will call you, here is my card.
I flip the card and the reverse of the card is full of advertising. Of course.
And it went on in that vein for a while. I’m surprised I didn’t swear, because I certainly was mad enough to castrate a million rabid bulls at once. They stonewalled me at every step, with the teller at one point trying to explain how certain computer sequences worked, to which I shot back that I knew how computers worked, thank you very much.
I left, came home and bought www.fuckroyalbank.com. In olden times, the Church, the government, the king could shit all over you and get away with it. I don’t intend to let this happen to me, not now, not ever. Here we go, this is 2003 all over again. I may not be Rupert Murdoch and thus not have RBC bending over backwards to please me, but by Jove, this won’t fly!
If you didn’t read all that above and want a quick synopsis:
- I deposited an envelope into the RBC ATM which didn’t get stamped or otherwise have any marks leading back to me, the rightful owner.
- Instead of holding it for me, RBC claims they don’t have it, in effect, stealing (whether by them or one of their “beyond reproach” agents) my money.
- This is the textbook definition of THEFT
- Main Entry:
- theft
- Pronunciation:
- \ˈtheft\
- Function:
- noun
- Etymology:
- Middle English thiefthe, from Old English thīefth; akin to Old English thēof thief
1 a: the act of stealing; specifically : the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it b: an unlawful taking (as by embezzlement or burglary) of property2 obsolete : something stolen3: a stolen base in baseball
I shall update this as and when updates happen. This is no way to treat anyone, much less someone who’s been a good customer for 10 years. If the bank fails me, the Ombudsman awaits. If the Ombudsman fails me, the next step!
If you’ve had a similar experience or would like to comment, go ahead. I promise I won’t be partisan.
Aug 5, 2008 Update
The bank manager’s boss didn’t call me on Tuesday. How shocking.
So I went ahead and called the RBC Complaints Centre 1-800 number and spoke to a lady who seemed to care a tad more than the officials at the Lougheed branch. In any case, I repeated my story to her and she said there was an extremely minute chance that the envelope might still be stuck in the ATM. She said I shouldn’t have too much hope of that being true, but she’d send someone to check. Then she got the names of the people I spoke to and said she’d call me in 3-5 business days. Let’s see what happens.
Aug 8, 2008 Update
I received a call today from the lady I spoke to on Tuesday. To maintain consistency with the dialogue description above, here’s a brief transcript. After a few pleasantries, I got right down to it.
Lady: We did a thorough search of the bank machine and there was no envelope. At his point, we are prepared to meet you halfway and give you 200 dollars.
Me: I must say I’m less than impressed with that. Why 200?
Lady: Well, you see, there was no envelope and such decisions are made at the discretion of the bank manager, and I spent a lot of time convincing him you were a valued customer and as a gesture of goodwill, he offered to meet you halfway.
Me: I’m still upset, why is it only halfway? Where is the envelope?
Lady: There is a possibility that the ATM spat the envelope out onto the floor to be picked up by the next person who came along. So we don’t have that envelope, Mr. Kumar.
Me: I’m sure you can see how I’m not happy with this. I’m still 200 dollars in the hole for no fault of mine.
Lady: Of course, I totally understand. But you must appreciate the generosity of Tyler, who is making this offer.
Me: Who is Tyler? And his generosity?
Lady: The branch manager at the Lougheed branch. The money comes out of his branch’s ledger, so he has to account for it.
Me: The guy who said would call me on Tuesday, but never did?
Lady: Yes, you see he found out you had called me and so desisted from calling you, knowing that the complaint had passed on to me.
Me: Alright. I’m afraid I have to ask how I can escalate this, I’m not satisfied with the 200 dollars.
Lady: Certainly, though I would advise you to accept this generous offer. You can escalate this by talking to the Ombudsman. Although, I must inform you that the local branch is the final arbiter in a case like this.
Me: Ok, I’ll call you back about this. Thank you for your time.
Lady: Certainly. Good bye.
So, in essence, now they admit the machine might have spat the cash out. Either way, even if they are sweeping something under the rug, now the blame lies with their ATM, which should not be spitting out other people’s cash willy-nilly. The lady didn’t sound too impressed that I wasn’t jumping for joy at the offer, but who would be? Maybe if I’d been lying all along, I’d be happy to get something at least. But in this case, I DID deposit 400 dollars and I aim to see that money credited to me. The interest accruing on it is another can of worms altogether.
Another interesting point is that I called the lady at 3 PM PST, and the branch closes at 4.30 PM PST. Boy, news sure travels fast in the hallowed echelons of RBC, if he heard about it in the slim time window left for him to call me on that very day.
One final point is the supposed “generosity” of the offer since it’s coming out of the local branch’s coffers. This is a load of bollocks if I’ve ever heard any. If they can go from 0 to 200, they can go from 200 to 400 and settle the matter. And “generosity” makes it sound like I should be happy to get some sort of handout. Well, I’m not asking for any handouts, simply MY OWN money back. An extra $200 is not going to send RBC to the poor house. For comparison, here is RBC’s net income from the financial statement for the 2007 fiscal year ending in March 2008:
See that? Net income of $2.987 BILLION, an increase of $561 MILLION over the preceding year.
Sure, RBC, make me jump through hoops for that measly $200. You disgust me.
Aug 12, 2008 Update
I got a call from the lady at the RBC Complaints Centre, Doris, whom I advised of my rejection of their offer. She gave me the address and number of the RBC Ombudsman and I have to contact them now. My machete’s getting dull from hacking through the jungles of red tape, but what choice do I have? I’ll post the letter to the Ombudsman as soon as I compose it. I intend this website to be a written record, documenting all the miasmic nonsense I have to wade through to recover my funds.
Until then, here’s a picture of the ATM’s receipt of the transaction gone awry. My proof that I deposited two items, including one envelope with $400 cash. Notice how it says at the bottom, “Transaction Cancelled, Your Balance will be Adjusted”. Truer words were never spoken, right?
I’ve shown this to everyone concerned, yet it seems that this little piece of paper matters not one whit. Here it is for all of you to see:
Note the date and time confirming my version of the events. That is all.
Aug 14 Update
As someone recently told me when I recounted my predicament to them: “Viren, it’s been seven weeks and there’s no sign of your money! Why the FUCK are you so PATIENT? I would have gone on a killing spree by now”!
While some might go on killing sprees or cattle decapitation rampages or cannibal holocausts, the more civilized among us pen letters to the Ombudsman, hoping for a rational, civilized resolution.
Here is mine.
Viren Kumar
Aug 14, 2008
Wendy Knight, Ombudsman
RBC Office of the Ombudsman
PO Box 1 , Royal Bank Plaza
Toronto , Ontario M5J 2J5Dear Ms. Knight,
I wish to inform you of a matter that I hope to speedily resolve, with your help. On the night of June 26, 2008, I deposited two envelopes meant for my VISA account, into an ATM at the North Road and Lougheed branch, transit number 1200. One envelope had a cheque for $100 in it and the other had $400 in cash. I created one transaction, but had the two items in separate envelopes. After depositing the cheque first, I inserted the envelope containing the cash into the slot, since the green light was still on. The machine swallowed the envelope, then said “Transaction Cancelled” and rejected my card, but not the envelopes. I retrieved my card and stood there, but with no envelope forthcoming, I left.
I returned the next morning, June 27th, to the branch and stood in line to talk to a teller about my predicament. A blonde lady, purportedly someone senior, approached me and assured me that such matters were commonplace and that my account would be adjusted, after all they would be imbalanced by $400. I told her that I didn’t think the second envelope had a stamp on it, since it was the second envelope for a single transaction. Additionally, being cash and not a cheque, it was more likely to go missing, but she assured me that they would find it and it would be sorted out. Thus reassured, I left.
I checked my bank balance every morning and when nothing happened for a few days, I called the branch on July 3rd, and spoke to a gentleman manning the phones. He advised me that he would launch a probe into the matter. By July 7, seeing the $100 cheque appear on my account, but not the $400, I went in to the branch again and spoke to a lady named Anna. She said that no prior probe had been launched, but that she would launch one that very day. She did so in front of my eyes and I left the branch, frustrated.
I saw a $500 credit the next morning in my VISA account and wondered about the extra $100, since the cheque had already been cleared. I checked the account on the mornings of the 8th and 9th and saw that the $500 credit was still there. At this point, being busy with school and work, I forgot about the matter.
When I logged on to my account on July 22nd, I saw that there now was a $500 payment reversal, backdated to July 7th. I went to the branch and asked Anna about it, but she seemed as mystified as I was. She said they would launch yet another probe and get back to me. On the 1st of August, not having received any calls from the bank whatsoever, I went in and spoke to the teller, who called over the assistant manager, Nina Bordignon. Nina informed me that a vast and extensive search had revealed no envelope! I was stunned to hear this, having seen the envelope disappear into the ATM with my own eyes. I asked her if they could rewind the cameras and see me insert two envelopes, to which she replied that the cameras only capture the face and upper shoulders of the person at the ATM. I asked her to see them regardless, since she could then note my dismay and horror at the transaction gone awry. She simply re-stated that there was no envelope, in effect, casting doubt on my entire account’s legitimacy. I asked her if she was insinuating that I was a liar, which she denied. I told her that in that case, there were two options, either a crooked employee had seen the unmarked envelope with cash and claimed it as their own, or the ATM spat the envelope out, due to a malfunction, to the next person who walked in off the street. She assured me that neither of those was an option, thereby re-iterating her stance that I was inventing this entire tale. She told me that the most she could do was to get her superior to call me. Frustrated and angry, I returned home.
By late Tuesday afternoon, Aug 5th, not having received a call from her superior, I called the RBC Client Care Centre and spoke to a lady named Doris Mandy, who advised me that there was a slight chance that the money might still be in the ATM, after seven weeks. She said she would call me back after checking with all concerned. On Aug 9th, she called me and told me there was no envelope. However, she admitted that the machine might have handed over the cash envelope to the next innocent person who used the machine. She had spoken with the bank manager at the branch and as a gesture of goodwill, he was prepared to meet me halfway and settle the issue by giving me 200 dollars. Doris informed that was the most he would offer since it came out of his branch’s ledgers. I was shocked by this cavalier offer, masquerading as a token of generosity. Does meeting me halfway imply that only half my story is true? Does the manager really think that I have nothing better to do than go around inventing fictitious tales of cash deposits to try and make a buck? I tried to point out that I had been depositing cash regularly into the ATMs at that branch, but to no avail.
I refused her offer and she advised me that the next person to contact was you. I hope you can see why I refuse to accept the offer, since I don’t see the logic in accepting only half of my hard-earned money for what is essentially the bank’s fault. One of two options is true in this case:
- The envelope was pilfered by an employee or someone operating the machine, for whom it was an easy windfall.
- The envelope was handed over by the ATM to the next person who used it, in which case the ATM is at fault for not holding on to the envelope. This malfunction of the ATM is a design flaw in RBC’s equipment and I don’t see the logic in being penalized for it. Perhaps if RBC posted a sign stating that their ATMs were fallible and not to be trusted, then the fault might have been mine.
In either case, the burden of culpability lies with the bank. I’m frankly amazed that there are no cameras on the people using the ATMs.
Ms. Knight, I am a straight-A, Dean’s Honour Roll, Computing Science Master’s student at Simon Fraser University, with far better uses of my time than to chase around after bank managers demanding my money back every week. I have also been a good customer of RBC for ten years. I ask that you restitute me for both
- The 400 dollars in the envelope
- The interest on the 400 dollars which I have been paying on my VISA account, since June 26, 2008
It has been seven weeks since I deposited the money and there is no sign of this matter being resolved. I hope you will assist me in bringing this matter to a speedy resolution.
I am enclosing the ATM receipt of the transaction gone awry, as well as a printout handed to me by Anna showing the deposit and the error code. My RBC Client Card number is 0000 11 22222222 33. Please contact me at 555 666 7777 if you have any further questions.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Yours sincerely
Viren Kumar
Let’s see what results this nets. Perhaps I should alert them to the fact that roughly 2000 people are exposed to their chicanery every day, thanks to this site.
Aug 30 Update
I’ve received an acknowledgement letter from RBC, stating that they’ve received my written complaint. It states that Senior Management at RBC will review my case and respond directly to me. If I’m not fully satisfied by their response, I have to re-write them, stating what issues haven’t been dealt with and my anticipated outcomes.
I think my letter above makes it eminently clear what my “anticipated outcome” is. Perhaps years of taking Business Rigmarole courses and spewing out Corporate DoubleSpeak have inhibited their ability to be plain-spoken. I just want my money back. It’s a long weekend, so the earliest I can hope for a call is some time in early September.
I’m not a betting man, but it seems to me that the probability of having to write yet another letter is quite high. What do you feel?
Also, I wish to thank all the people who have left comments and expressed support. I never expected to recieve so many hits or so much support, in my protest against RBC riding roughshod all over me.
Sep 09 Update
The only update is that there is no update. It has been 10 weeks now and there is no sign of my money. Also, no one from the RBC Ombudsman’s office has called me or emailed me. I can imagine the dialogue that ensues during the Sunday morning golf sessions:
Corporate Bozo #1: Well, that Viren chap, I reckon if we just ignore him, he’ll go away.
Corporate Meathead #2: Indeed. Hopefully, he forgets all about this and we can get back to our little lives as corporate highwaymen without any damn plebeians annoying us.
Corporate Bozo #1: Fore!
Corporate Shill #3: Well, I imagine that him and the thousands like him can’t really do too much, we’re the behemoth here, the real juggernauts!
Corporate Meathead #2: When will they realize they should just shut up and do as they’re told. Don’t they know that dissenters hate freedom?
Of course, the only-too-real possibility is that there is no such conversation and they’ve forgotten about me and this matter completely.
Oct 09 Update
I called the RBC Ombudsman’s office today and left a message, asking them about the status of my complaint and demanding a call back. I don’t hold much hope for them returning my call, what with the global financial meltdown and all, but there it is. I’ve been too busy with school to do much more, but hopefully I have some more spare time now.
Nov 07 Update
On Nov 3rd, I received a call from someone at the Royal Bank, Shauna Stewart from the Proctor Department in Mississauga, Ontario, to be precise. She called me to ask about a new credit line that they were offering their long-time customers (anyone else smell the acrid fumes of irony yet?) and after I declined that service, she asked if there was anything else she could do. After a derisive snort, I asked her where the Ombudsman was, and why no one had replied to me yet. She told me she had no idea what I was talking about, and I agreed, she being just another cog in the faceless corporation called Royal Bank that grinds away at souls daily.
Instead of launching into my epic saga all over again, I just told her to get someone to get back to me and she said she would.
The next day, Doris Mandy (the lady from the Aug 12 update) called me and said someone would get back to me, the delay was unfortunate since they’d been backlogged with cases. After listening to her spout some more slave lines, I asked her if by “soon”, she meant “decades” and she insisted that wasn’t the case.
Yesterday, Nov 6th, I finally got a call from the Ombudsman. Here is what ensued:
Male Voice: Hello, can I speak to Mr. Kumar?
Me: Yep, speaking.
Male Voice: Hello, this is Leslie Ince-Mercer from the Office of the Ombudsman at Royal Bank, we’d like to talk to you regarding your complaint, if you have the time right now.
Me: By all means, go ahead.
Leslie: We’ve reviewed your case and as such, we can’t find any evidence to back up the claim that the money was deposited. At this point, I feel obliged to mention that the branch manager at the branch where the incident occurred still has the previous offer of $200 on the table.
Me: Well, so this whole thing was a farce, an exercise in futility then. If I’d wanted to accept that offer, I could have done so in August and saved us all this trouble.
Leslie: It depends on how you define satisfactorily solved, if you’d be willing to consider his offer, you can definitely get in touch with him, his name is Tyler Vanhorn and he’d be willing to discuss this with you.
Me: I’m sorry, I just don’t see the point in this. I knew this was a charade all along. I was told it would be no good to even get in touch with you, mockingly by your own staff, which implies that they knew all along that the outcome would be in their favour. So why do you even pretend that this entire thing was worth something? I define satisfactorily solved as getting all my money back, that’s all.
Leslie: We’re not saying your story is false, your credibility is beyond doubt.
Me: (cuts him off) Yes, but that’s exactly it. You’re doing just that with your corporate double talk. If I’m not a liar, then you have my money. The mere fact that I don’t have my money means you think I’m a liar and my credibility is suspect.
Leslie: You see
Me: (cuts him off again) You see, I just don’t get it. It’s only 400 dollars. It’s not a big deal to you. If my story wasn’t legitimate, why would I be so persistent? Did you ever consider that? Why would I be pursuing it so persistently? Think about it. Also, you told me that you couldn’t give me the 400 dollars because it comes out of the branch’s coffers. Well, that’s too bad. You, and the corporation you represent tell me there are cameras but then say they’re no use in situations like this. Why isn’t there a sign beside the ATMs stating that there’s a possibility that your money won’t ever reach your account? You’re just making me very angry and frustrated right now.
Leslie: Our job is to examine the evidence, we’re sort of like a third party in that we just see what’s there and then suggest solutions. At this point, I would like to leave you with the 200 dollar offer component of our solution.
Me: So, essentially after all this drama, I’m back at square one! I’ve gained nothing, we’ve come full circle and there’s that offer again, which is not even a real offer, it’s only half of what I deposited.
Me: And there’s another thing. The matter has been under arbitration since June 26. Why am I being charged interest on my Visa for your tardiness? It took you so long to get back to me, and I’m keeping the account alive with minimum payments, that’s really not my job. I’d like to see you settle that as well.
Leslie: I see, well that’s a new component. At this point, I’d like to leave you with the 200 dollar offer and Tyler Vanhorn’s contact information. This is about as much as we can do. It’s really your responsibility to keep the account alive with minimum payments or whatever it is you need to do.
Me: Alright, Leslie, I guess that’s the end of that.
Leslie: Is there anything else I can do, Viren?
Me: No.
And it ended there. So after all this, I just get handed another priceless piece of RBC chicanery. I have to go in and talk to this Tyler fellow now, and something tells me he’s gonna be a real hardcase. Well, we shall see. Hope springs eternal. If all else fails, the small claims court. Ah Lady Justice, you are a real siren indeed, ever beckoning.
Until then, Royal Bank shall continue to feed yours truly more lies than all the world religions combined!
Nov 26 Update
How time flies when you’re having fun. I’ve been too busy to do much, but I finally called RBC and started pulling all my investments out. When asked as to what the reason for the withdrawal was, I replied, “Because you guys have been dicking me around and lying to me non-stop since June 26, 2008. I just want nothing to do with you guys anymore.”
I’m transferring all my funds out and am in the process of creating more awareness about what a stinking cesspit of dissimulation and humbuggery the Royal Bank really is. Here are two posters you can put up in your neighbourhood. If you’re in Canada and want to help me out or just draw people’s attention to the “customer service” one gets from RBC, please put these up. In a prominent place frequented by thousands during rush hour, preferably. In your university campuses. Wherever.
Have fun, kids! If you have any ideas for a better poster, or can help me design a better one, please let me know.
Jun 30 Update
Well, it’s been a year and four days and the issue hasn’t been resolved. I’m quite pachydermous like that, except that I haven’t forgotten or forgiven.
A small thing called life got in the way and prevented me from achieving closure on this issue. School, work and so on have conspired to keep this wretched matter out of my hands until now. But I’m close to graduating and should have a lot more free time on my hands after that.
One last thing, I’m not giving up this domain name. For the pittance it costs, its ROI is bound to be phenomenal (purely in terms of the angst and general thorniness, of course).
That really sucks. I’ve had terrible experience with Bank of Montreal many, many years back, and switched to RBC, which has treated me very well for the last 15 years or so.
Sounds like you’re on the right track by perservering and not taking any crap.
Phil
Ten bucks says that the security guard, noticing an envelope that was full of cash with no stamp on it, said, “party”!
I am absolutely stunned at the cavalier way the bank has treated your situation. $400 is a lot of money when you’re putting yourself through school. The “what’s the point” quote is particularly heinous. I’ll be doing everything in my power to spread this story; you should also compose it in a letter to the local (and provincial) newspapers. Good luck with your cause, friend!
” If you’re a customer, that’s when they give you the really big smile! The customer always gets that really big smile as the businessman carefully positions himself directly behind the customer, unzips his pants, and proceeds to “service” the account.
Now you know what they mean when they say, “We specialize in customer service.” Whoever first said, “Let the buyer beware” was probably bleeding from the asshole. But that’s business.”
- George Carlin
When ever I’m dealing with these kinds of companies like banks or car dealership I always think of George Carlin.
What does RBC stand for again? (R)eally (B)ad (C)over-up?
To Do List:
- Record the names of RBC employees and managers who give you the runaround – as much as they hope you’ll just forget about your $400 loss, nobody likes to have their name publicized negative light!
- Since they love to pass the buck, why not pass it over to a higher-up? Talk to someone above the manager. Better yet, since this branch sounds corrupt, try contacting a district manager or any RBC representative outside of the Lougheed branch. Be sure to forward names, dates, times… anything and everything to prove your case.
- If all else fails, go to the press and send a quick note to everyone at the branch who was involved in screwing you over the day before it gets aired.
Good Luck!
Viren,
this sucks the equivalent number of balls as the ones you’d fantsized deprived the bulls of.
Though, really, the tells aren’t the ones screwing you over. They gain no personal points or money out of screwing you over. They’re tied by the system, which is screwing everyone en mass. Sucks.. sucks..
good luck!!
That sucks buddy. I wanna see the tapes. FO realz.
A quarter ounce of marijuana once fell out of my bag while using an ATM. I guess the person who picked it up had a nice day. But it sucked for me.
Yours is worse.
That’s terrible! Although I know that this could of very well happened anywhere, and it does seem that this is very much a human error and even… seemingly lazyness on their part. I think it’s that particular branch mayhaps I would fault over this incident. never the less, royal bank needs to be more accountable for their actions and clearly, VERY clearly. someone, whoever was counting the money should be investigated. don’t they have cameras over that? you know… like banks normally do?
Thanks for all your support.
To Sandra: Yes, I thought so too, but they insisted that the cameras only focused on the face and nothing else. In any case, maybe the cameras weren’t even on, something that will be revealed when I insist on seeing the tape for myself, if it comes to that.
It seems like basic laziness on the part of the select people at the branch. They should really know that a person’s money is nothing to ignore/pass on like that. It’s really bad customer service. It sadly shows that the customer can’t take the person’s word for it and has to be rude, accusing and suspicious of the staff when there shouldn’t be a reason to. Not sure who’s fault it is, or what to blame, but it is definitely bad customer service.
A similar thing happened to me with HSBc.
I deposited the cash(1200) and took my reciept and walked out.
Then,2 days later there was a reversal of the money to my account.
I called the bank and their response was it had to be verified by hand before it could be deposited to the account.
A week later it was in there.
Sounds to me like a similar scenario here.It was deposited,then reversed for manual verification,then went missing somewhere in transactions.
Keep going with it,it will pay off.
I feel bad that i just deposited 700 cash into an ATM this afternoon…
Another point that also comes to mind is,the machines will sometimes misplace it.
Everytime an envelope gets deposited,it gets a transaction number and time stamp on it,thats the sound you hear like an old style printer.
The number of deposited received has to match the number of envelopes in hand,so something screwey is definitely going on.
rbc not very good .
cmon, on a scale of 1 – 10, the who collects da cheques?
3 .. 2 .. 1..
6.3 outa ten
–j
i meant to say this:
rbc not very good .
cmon, on a scale of 1 – 10, the guy who collects da cheques?
3 .. 2 .. 1..
6.3 outa ten, who is this guy?
–j
V,
As a former member of the Royal Bank “family” (although as a member of any bank, you feel like the inherited stepchild…included but never accepted), I share your disgust in this predicament.
I look forward to the aftermath of the situation and am thoroughly intrigued as to how far you shall take this.
Think about it…200 dollars? That’s only 80 common folk getting ripped off at those stupid little machines. Convenience charge my ass,
I’ll see you in hell along with ticketmaster, custom officers, meter maids and ferry terminal workers. Keep up the good fight.
Justin.
Just keep your cash in your bed like Scrooge Mcduck.
You should go urinate on that ATM.
Umm ya they sure do put those *envelope opener* employees through security and stuff!
So much so that my 20 year old son got a job doing it through Manpower with a BASIC security clearance!
It was a temp position which they over several of!
Now my husband had a problem with Vancity where he went to take out $300 from our account, and just as the machine was counting out the money, the CLOSED sign came up! My husband freaked because our account had already been debited and he didn’t get the cash, but how could we PROVE it?
Well needless to say I called Vancity as soon as he got home and explained the problem. I was reassured it wouldn’t be a problem and my account was credited the $300!
I love this site! The story is interesting enough to keep me wanting more. Website title caught my attention too. Ive never had such an experience before, best of luck. Do you really get 2000 visits per day? Email me. Thanks
Hey,
I feel really bad for you. I used to work at RBC and I saw all kind of bull shit like this. One thing I know for sure from your story is that you do nothave a gold client card. Am I right? If you had a gold client card, or a black one, you would not have to deal with this now. They would have given you $400 on the spot and kissed you ass with apologies. My guess is that your card is blue. They don’t really give a shit about you or your business.
All clients are ranked based on their profitability to the bank. They try to possition themselves are caring about all clients the same, but thats bull shit. Anyone who works there knows that it is bull hsit. It is just a “talk” that everyone there “talks” but no body “walks.” You are not allowed to “walk” it. If you are not too profitable to them they will not spend much time on you. That is why you are doing the right thing now. You should take up as much of their time as possible. Flippin waste their time if you can. It might be your only hope. If you become too costly for them to deal with then maybe they will just give you the $400 to get you off their backs.
True, there is lots of security monitoring the people who open ATM envelopes. But someone who works at it every day knows the “blind spots.” That is not to say that it is for sure the envelope openers. It could be so many things. But now that so much time has gone by there is no evidence to follow. Videos are probably long gone, taped over. In any event, they would not really invstigate this anyway because the manpower would cost them more than $400. That is why they should have just given you the money in the first place.
Thanks for your comments and support. Yes, you are right, I have a regular blue client card, not a gold or black one. Well, your comment simply echoes mine and a lot of other people’s sentiment about their apathy.
I deposited 1000 cash in a cibc machine once and the machine froze right after i deposited the envelope with no credit to my account. I panicked and went to the other machine on site and deposited an empty envelope for 1000 to make sure there was a record of the transaction. I phoned them right away and told them what happened and they actually told me i had commited fraued for depositing it twice even though it did not show up on my account that i had made two deposits. I thought that was very unfair as I was unsure the 1000 would be recovered if I didnt. In hidsight I am very glad I did deposit it twice and phone right away as I can see envelopes do go missing (this was my fear at the time).
Good luck!
V,
Great job !! This and other such websites will be of great service to all Canadians. Enough of customers suffering in silence for ever. The high handed attitude of banks is just unbelievable – especially if you have experienced the better quality of service with banks in other countries like U.S.
Three things
1 – A request to V that this site be expanded to allow people to share their experiences. On a daily basis if everyone who was being screwed around by these banks posted their experiences, the 2000 hits should go to 20,000 very soon.
2 – Readers – do something about it. If you are treated like crap, tell at least 10 people about it. Post online. If you spent one hour of frustrating time with their rude/obnoxious staff – spend at least 2 hours going online and telling others about it.
3 – Move your accounts – all of them (chequing/ savings/mortgage) to one of the institutions which is not in the BIG 5 Gang (RBC-TD-Scotia-BMO-CIBC). The new entrants/smaller credit unions – deserve our support to grow and challenge these rude/obnoxious giants who are doing nothing but stomping all over us. There is plenty of alternatives, and lets use them.
I am sure a country full of smart educated people can teach one of the most fu*ked up industries (banking) a simple lesson – the customer is the reason they are in business. And the bulk of us are the ones with the blue cards. We are the place they make their service charges and commissions and all kinds of fees. The gold card holders are too savvy to get screwed.
V – Good Job – You may have initiated something here !
More links –
http://www.discovervancouver.com/forum/add-reply-f5-to14007.html
This is absolutely absurd!!! I admire your patience, keep on fighting!
hey man, finally got around to reading this horrid tale of deception towards a loyal customer. It brings a smile to my face to know that there are people like you around who wont take any shit from a national corporation and will actually try and persevere through the corporate bureacracy they lay out to their customers. keep trying, they can’t ignore you forever and remember that these corporations are geared towards profit and every minute they spend reading your letters, on the phone with you or talking to you teller to customer at the counter is losing them profit. They’ll come around eventually but good luck until then!
The exact same thing happened to me but with the Bank of Montreal. They all use the same stories- and I waited 8 weeks for them to be checking their video cameras for them to give me the same answer that they can only see faces. Only difference is that for me it was only 200$ and the Branch Manager finally credited my account for the full amount when I went in person to complain. He made it seem like a favor to me and kept claiming that i deposited a blank envelope- as if I was retarded and would just magically forget to put my money in…Looks like RBC is out as well as an alternative to my shitty bank! Every time i deposit money now by abm- i over emphasis what i am doing and hold the money and envelope up in the air towards the camera and i make motions of putting the money in & giving the thumbs up..
Good luck and keep fighting
I used to work in a bank, and the reason there are no cameras watching the ATM people is that a) those cameras could then see combinations on the safes being spun (which is why there are no cameras in a bank vault as well), and b) there are ALWAYS two people in there at all times, the reasoning being that it is possible that one employees might be desperate enough to risk their job for a measly $400, but it’s much less probably that two people will be so desperate at the same time.
Of course, I think RBC’s ATMs aren’t even managed by them. I think Securicor or Brinks handles it directly, and security guards are notoriously low paid.
Listen to this advise… Take this to the media!!! There is nothing that will make a big corporation get off their lazy asses and do their job quicker then the thought of bad publicity. In fact, I would write an a long letter explaining every little detail of what you went through, and then email it to every head of department at RBC, as well as cc it to every radio station, news network, newspaper, etc. in the country. Make sure to include names, agent ID #’s, dates, every little detail that was told to you. (always ask for a representatives name and agent ID# before you get into the details of your call, that way you know they don’t give you a fake one to cover their ass when they end the call with out solving your problem). Believe you me, if RBC head office, and RBC shareholder organizations receive this email and see that you have forwarded it to the media as well, I think you might get a response on this pretty soon. Make sure to be detailed in your letter, and make sure to emphasize that after 3 months of the run around you have had no choice but to go to the press.
All the info you need, (RBC email addresses, media email addresses, etc. you can find by using google, it might take an hour or two, but I think it will be time well spent!!!)
Good Luck! and don’t give up.
Hi Viren.
I am Geoff’s mom. I clicked on your website when I saw this shocking name on Nancy’s blog. Please do persever. Insist on seeing the video of your deposit. Insist on having a lawyer or a court see the video of the blameless people taking in the money from the ATM deposits. The RBC is failing you terribly.
Would it be helpful to collect letters from many people who know you. People from the University who will vouch for your character. Then send the collection of letters to the President of the RBC Canada. Have everyone state that they will close their accounts with the Royal Bank in protest for how you have been treated unless the Royal Bank will reimburese your $400 plus pay off all accumulated interest.
I was treated badly at CIBC. For the rest of my life I will stay clear of CIBC. Now I will add RBC as a bank to stay clear of.
What is left. Canada Trust was always really good. So far TD Canada trust has been keeping up the good work (from my experience).
Someone in the Royal Bank or someone through some failure of the Royal Bank has your $400.
There used to be a writer, with the Province news paper, who would take up cases like this….
Your money has been stolen by someone at the Royal Bank or through some failure at the Royal Bank.
This exercise in finding justice is taking your time and you should be compensated for this too.
After being a member of TD Canada Trust for 12 years + they recently decided to hold all my funds (even cash) deposited though any green machine for 7 business days without informing me of the change. This caused my insurance to bounce back and I had to pay NSF charges to the bank and to ICBC. I suppose all banks/credit unions will do it eventually.
I really hope you get all your cash back. Don’t let them get away with it. Good luck.
Hi Viren
As someone who would have just said screw it and moved on I have to commend you for not taking this lightly. I am currently in the process of being screwed over by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Criminals and am looking for a new bank. Thanks to your blog I will scratch RBC off my list. I will also be forwarding your website link to anyone I know that banks with RBC or is thinking about it.
Keep up the good fight and keep the faith!
Hi Viren;
We’ve only met once, I am Trevor’s Dad. I have dealt with RBC for over 30 years and a few of the other banks before that. I don’t believe for a minute that one bank is better than another, when it come to putting the customer first. Everything they do is only in their best interest (money). I have what RBC calls ‘V.I.P’ status, which is supposed to be “great” for me. I think it means “Valuable Income Person” for them, as I am still charged dearly for every little service they provide. Anyways Viren, I just wanted to commend you on your perserverance. It is a sad truth that honest people get treated like criminals because financial institutions don’t know or care of how to do the right thing.
I too have had many problems with 3 different banks
bank of montreal held my paycheck for 16 days once, bounced my insurance payment,
then the insurance co. suspended m coverage for non-payment, what a nightmare.
I have to call my current bank, Scotia every time I make a deposit or they hold it for 7 days,
just becuse my paycheques are always diffrent amounts, I am a commissioned salesperson, chques range from 2500 to 6000.
when MBO held my cheque, my car payment bounced at the local credit union, almost
lost my vehicle.
threaten to sue the bastards, they will back down and pay up.
Hi Viren,
So much BS and crap for 1 person to endure….and we all know there’s probably so many left as frustrated and ripped off/overcharged etc. every day! Maybe you need to just TAKE your $400. plus interest back….put an empty envelope in the ATM for that amount. When they ask where the deposit is, just tell them it must have gone exactly the same place your $400. went. Maybe then they’ll get the message. Thanks for informing us all about the antics and run around from RBC!!
Hello Viren – I have a Royal Bank horror story too – I am currently losing about $15,000 from my father’s estate and feel like suing the branch manager. In your troubles, have you found out if this is possible? Thanks.
Hello Viren,
I currently have a compaint before the Royal Bank Ombudsman, … and will not therefore go into the specifics of my complaint except to say that because someone at RBC Direct Investing could not follow and / or read written ENGLISH instruction I am out nearly $ 1000.00. After being a customer for 40 years enough is enough. I am in the process of transfering all investments as they come due away from RBC. I have found that not only due Credit Unions offer better interest rates on investments, … I can also count on them to keep me informed of changes that offer me a benefit rather than the Banks lack of personal service. Do not be put off by so few written comments on your site. Be happy that most reading about your problem will think twice about doing business with them. They will lose many thousands of times what you lost because of your site. Take solace in that fact !
Take the 200
In a perfect world, computers and people would have no accidents. You
said it yourself . You must made a mistake when you tryed depositing
two envelopes in one transaction.(not-allowed…)
The ATM is a Huge benefit That we all use, lets not go back to
the days of long lineups at the bank.
Take the 200 and just start standing in-line.
Good-day
Average Royal client
V,
I feel like you are writing my story. I had a mortgage through RBC and they are charging me $13,500 to pay it off early. Can you believe it? $13,000 of my blood and sweat, the money which look days and nights and hard work to earn. I should give them because I am paying back the money, I borrowed from them, earlier than what I said. This is not interest!!!! I have been paying them $1,300 just in interest every month. But since I will no longer pay them interest they want $13,000 lump sum. I have dealt with a lot of banks and majority of them will at least try to help you, but not RBC. They will squeeze out anything they can out of you.
And as far as the managers are concerned! I think you have to go to a special A$$hole school to become a manager at Royal Bank….
I hope all you F**king RBC managers out there loose some (hopefully more than some) of your hard earned money in bullshit situations and you know what??????? Karma will catch up bitch!
I rather place money under my mattress than deal with Royal Bank of Canada. You will never earn a penny of me ever again for as long as i live…. I PROMISE YOU THAT.
Raheel
I read your website and it entertained me. I am sorry to hear what had happened to you. I have been with RBC for close to ten years and while I’ve had great service, there was a few times where the ATM machine did not spit out my debit card. I think the security company shut the machine down as I put my card in. I banged on the machine and yelled to them about my card but either they were either deaf or ignorant.
Anyways, I called the RBC service centre about my situation and cancelled my card. Lesson is, don’t use the ATM machine when those security guys’ armored van is present.
And for those two envelopes you deposited, I would of done two separate transactions or put everything in one envelope and do one single transaction.
Hope you get all your cash back. Fight the evil corporation.
Viren,
Funny stuff this blog of yours – you must have devoted a lot of hours and work putting this all together online….I refer to some of the recent comments, in that all companies / humans / machines can make errors….and like one person commented, you facilitated the whole mess to begin with by trying to enter 2 envelopes during one banking session (not allowed)….hey, shit happens – Take the $200 bucks they offered and move on….Do Canadians really want to return to the times prior to the advent of ATMs, and line up at branch’s for 30 minutes to do account withdrawals or deposits???? Uummm, dont think so…..Half of the posted comments here are pure drivel, from frikkin deadbeats who cant meet their payment obligations, and get referred to collections……Newsflash – it’s normally a 3 month, or 4 month window before a bank will send a debt to a third party collection agency – 3 or 4 months!! But sure, it’s the big bad bank’s fault that they have not made their payments, of course….All the banks fault – the fault of the evil corporations…..Canadians are such frikkin whiners – would you rather have an unstable banking system? Like in the US, or Europe, where governments have basically had to take them over, and take equity positions in their failed banks??? Umm, I think Canadians would prefer a stable and profitable banking system….I bet all Canadians hope that the Canada Pension plan remains solvent, so that someday they are able to collect benefits from the plan when they retire – well guess what people, the Canadian pension Plan (CPP) depends on the sucess of our banks, and is heavily invested in Canadian bank stock positions….Wanna collect CPP someday? You better hope our banks remain stable, and profitable…..I bank with CIBC, and honestly, the service I’ve received has always been fair and respectful – and my guess is they probably would have refunded you the full amount, but who knows…..
All companies screw up, all the time, take the $200 bucks they offered you, be thankful all of them have invested huge money to support ATM infrastructure that supports thousands and thousands of machines across the country, or feel free to go stand in line your local bank branch for 30 minutes………..
Hey – I’m in a battle with RBC and I can certainly sympathize with your experiences. The Bank seems to feel that it has the right to do whatever it wants – you know the saying regarding the Golden Rule – “thems that has the gold makes the rules”…I’m in the process of starting legal action and hope that gets my issue resolved….all the best to you…
Hey Mary,
Good luck with the legal action, hope it all works out for you as well.
hi there, i am having an issue with Royal as well. i deposited $600 into my bank account and they called me 2 weeks later and said that it was empty? i know exactly how much the chq in there were for and how much cash there was. its been almost 1 month and htey havent reveresed yet but they are doing an investigation . i’ll keep u posted on the outcome. i am so surprised that something like this could happen..
Hi Leigh,
Your story sounds just like mine. I highly doubt you’ll see the cash portion of your deposit again. Alert them to the fact that we’re onto their tricks with this website. Maybe they won’t delay and let the trail get cold in your case, it’s a classic stonewalling tactic.
I wouldn’t believe a word they say, just demand and insist on getting your money back, be a real hardliner. It didn’t work for me, but it might work for you.
Good luck!!
similar thing happened to someone i know.rbc is supposed to have debit cards with stupid chiips which are fake and useless coz someone was able to make a fake bank rbc card and withdraw all the money from a persons account.and rbc wasnt even bothered to check what was going on.it was withdrawn at midnite.and they had deposited an amount then withdrawn it and had bene playing with it and rbc asked him …do u think it might have been your wife.yeah right like his wife wud make a fake card and go in middle of night to an atm far away from where we live (by the way she doesnt have a car) and withdrawn money and without him knowing about it ??? if she needed his card she wud ask him for it and besides she has more money than he does !.this is the stupid thinking of rbc employees.thye wud just find an lame excuse or theory and stick to it.i think thats their policy. they have been investigating and investigating so they say.but nothing been happening.THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE BANK OF CANADA AND ALL THEY DO IS FIND LAME THEORIES TO COVER UP THEIR MISTAKES!!!
I’m currently embroiled in a similar situation with RBC and love their saccharine “your business is very important to us” spiel. What’s important is their bottom line – not my measly low-life blue card account. I don’t expect any satisfaction, but I won’t stop bothering them either. Like other posters have said – just continue to be an irritant to them and they will eventually capitulate – it may take another 10 years, but they’re counting on you to give up.
Next step – email Gord Dixon.
Good luck!
I got another story about RBC that has just unfolded in the last 3 days.
I was out shopping with my son and I accidentally dropped my wallet in the parking lot. Then an hour later a good Samaritan found it and called Scotia Bank to let them know that he found someone’s wallet. Scotia Bank deactivated the card and later on I got my wallet back from the guy named Richard who restored my faith in humanity.
But anyways, I called Scotia Bank and they’re sending me a new card which will take some 10 business days. In the meantime however that leaves me with no credit card. But I have another credit card from RBC that I used for business and shopping online especially US where they require you to have US address. This RBC Visa card I have changed mailing address to Niagara Falls, New York. I thought since we’re living in an information age and I can rely on electronic statements sent to me to epost.ca. It’s simple and it works. I was getting my online statement successfully online until November 2008 when it was $0 and I was thinking, hm… it must be zero balance so they don’t send me the statement. That’s until I went to my US address a few months later and discovered there was some $90 balance and I was late paying it. So I promptly paid it in full and plus some positive balance since they add interest every month and whatnot. That extra balance should cover it. I thought it’s only $90, they will not make a big deal out of it, will they.
Wrong!
So what happened to the online statements you wonder? They stopped sending them and there was a letter informing me that they will not be sending me statements to epost.ca anymore. Just like that! They changed the order of things, did not notify the customer about it and then decided to hurt customer’s credit score. Which by the way dropped from “Excellent” of some 700 points and up to only “Fair”, below 600.
So now I’m calling RBC to get my visa reinstated (it was somehow mysteriously closed before) and guess what? They tell me my credit score is not high enough and that I should try again in a couple of months!
Now I’m thinking, what the hell! I have hundreds of thousands of loans and pay them on time. I pay my Scotia visa on time, and that too is thousands of dollars every month. How on earth is it possible for my credit can suffer because of some lousy hundred bucks!
So I thought, I’m going to call the RBC and explain the situation and ask them to clean up my credit. After all, if it’s a mistake, they can retract the report, right?
Wrong!
I called the bank numerous times and they told me, there was no error on bank’s fault. They told me that some 20 times. They told me they’ve notified me, but in fact there was no notification whatsoever on epost.ca that they will cease sending me statements. Other companies routinely change their practices, stop sending me payments, and they send me 3 notifications that, …sir, we’re planning to stop sending you statements and please check them at this other place… THREE notifications! RBC? – NONE.
This bank is just horrible from my point of view when it comes to customer service. They don’t care about you. They will make you go through pain every time you’re dealing with them. Whether you’re applying for a loan or have some checking to do. That’s one of the reasons I’ve stopped banking with them. After all if bank doesn’t care about the customer, take him(her) for granted, then why would I stay with them?
In this day and age there are many alternatives. Credit Unions is one answer. They are just like banks minus all the corporate bullshit and minus nickel and dime fees for every little service. They are membership based and everyone who banks with them has a share. When you call, they know you by name. They have better services, it costs cheaper to use them and not only have you saved every year about $100 in fees, but they sometimes pay you interest on your checking account. My Credit Union (www.parama.ca) even has an annual dinner with catered meal and cake once a year when they present their financial statement.
So stop wasting your time and energy, and switch away from RBC and live your life to the fullest.
Yep, credit unions seem better and better. I’ve transferred all my funds out and have nothing to do with them any more.
It really licks that you never got any closure on this Viren. I took a dump on the door handles at the Kingsway & Joyce branch for ya last night.
Good one Jason!
I was an employee with RBC for 5 years of misery and for me, RBC employees came in two forms either, a) Simpletons or b) Borderline Narcissist/Psychopathic personalities.
No sarcasm here. For reference I recommend a Canadian psychologist by the name of Dr. Hare- he has a book out called “Without Conscience” dealing with the Psycho in the cubicle next door.
Here’s Dr Hare’s checklist for identifying these individuals: Peruse at your leisure and compare to your own Personal Banker at RBC:
* glib and superficial charm
* grandiose (exaggeratedly high) estimation of self worth
* pathological lying
* cunning and manipulativeness
* lack of remorse or guilt
* superficial emotional responsiveness
* callousness and lack of empathy
* parasitic lifestyle
* impulsivity
* irresponsibility
* failure to accept responsibility for own actions
* criminal versatility
What this means for you?
When you go to your local branch of RBC, the care and attention you receive will be directly proportional to the amount of money the RBC employee believes you either have, or will have one day (ie. if your credit card says “Dr.”) They will smile and say “how are you today Mr. so and so?” and all the while they’ll be assessing your dress, manor etc to determine your profitability. They’ll even make polite sounding small talk and probably remember you have two kids and their names, if something’s in it for them. The front line tellers and CAO’s are pretty much your average shmarmy joes, but I can say with 100% confidence that anyone who makes it to Branch Manager is a Corporate Psycho….at CEO level they probably sacrifice babies.
Just to give you an idea of management thinking there my boss once said this about a nice South American housekeeper that had just come in to open an account. While the door to the office was closed he said, “poor people are wastes of time, but they make good practice for the real thing”… So chances are if you did receive good service at some point from RBC and your name has no Roman Numerals at the end, it was only because there was a trainee present who needed to work out the kinks.
Not to mince words, what I’m trying to say is that RBC is no different than organized crime, except it’s somehow legalized. Oh, and watch your backs depositing at those ATM’s late at night…an RBC employee may have stayed late with a little time to kill….
I had dealings with all the major banks and RBC ranks last. If you need help from RBC customer client service, RBC ombudsman department or their managers, good luck. The arrogance of RBC is going to catch up with them someday. In a few words in my opinion, this bank is shady, sneaky on how they conduct business.
If it makes you feel any better, RBC probably treats its branch staff similar to how they’ve treated you with respect to this case, like a second rate citizen. Anyway, I can’t stand their stupid catch lines, slogans, or whatever crap one calls it…”your business is important to us,” “leader in home financing,” “helping you achieve your dream,” blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I’ve moved most of my stuff away from RBC over a year ago, and have never looked back. I find most of the customer service managers to be incompetent, and not knowing the essentials of the job. Guess big banks like RBC enjoy hiring reject customer service managers since they’re usually the ones who will take the money they are offering, and not to mention be mindless zombies that can be manipulated into doing what RBC sees fit.
Yep, they dish out the same slave lines and expect you to roll over like little lapdogs. You know what they say, the bigger the monolith, the more it breeds mediocrity and subpar standards of troglodytic subservience to the almighty dollar . I suppose the best revenge is to live well.
EEEEEEkkkk….. I hate ROYAL Bank too!! I had a similar experience with CIBC…..but the thing was was that it was a cheque and I had a copy of it!! How in the world were they going to dispute it – which they did in the first instance until I said well I made a copy of the cheque!!
They think they hold us hostage don’t they!! Good for you to taking stand!
Same thing happened to me at RBC Atm on Jan 14th, Deposited $1000.0 cash & two cheques in one envelope.
They credited my cheques corrcetly on my account, but for cash They just credited my account for $80.00
so my hard earned $920.00 are missising.
So far they put investigation for this
I am waiting for the answer, but if I did not get my money back, I am ready to go as far as i can to get it.
I hope you’re willing to go really far to get it, and even then I think it won’t be far enough.
Good luck and keep me posted, I’d be interested to see how it turns out.
I don’t really know how to explain this so here I go!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was seeing a girl from royal bank in the summer she is a royal bank teller. I moved in with her for about a month and then got my own place, little did I know that she had set up an online bank account in my name and was taking money out of my account and into hers while I was away working in camp. This went on from July to December she was just taking little amounts at a time, and since I was away all the time I don’t see bank statements to often.
I have never ever given her my password or wanted to ever have online banking I phone in all the time. I discovered that she took my money out when I phoned the bank and the lady I was talking to said that a weird amount of money had been transferred out of my cheque account, where then she told me it was from my online banking account. I said to that lady and a few other choice words that I don’t have online banking and she told me to go online and enter my password. Then that’s when I lost it and said I would if I knew what it was. So she walked me through the online banking website I didn’t even have a clue what it was called, and she had to reset my
password because I didn’t know what it was because I didn’t have a online banking account that I was aware of.
When I looked at my online account with her assistance she told me where to go and I saw that person’s name of branch to branch transfers that had been coming out of my account the amount totalled $ 4000 dollars I was pretty mad.
The next day I went to the branch and asked for the manager .I was asked a few questions and then they said they were going to phone me later. They did phone me so I went in and I gave a statement of all the same info in the first couple of sentences and then the branch manager told me that it would be getting investigated. So I kept on his ass making phone calls to him. He was pretty good at first but then it was all bullshit and empty promises of him saying that he would phone me back so I was pissed.
I then phoned royal bank telephone services and asked how I could go above him because this investigation was taking too long. Little did I know at the time when I phoned in they had no idea of this investigation taking place because the manager wanted to handle it within his branch I guess. I really must have stirred it up because I had two other investigators phone me and ask me some questions. They thought it was weird that they never heard of this investigation either. But I kept in contact with them and they were really good about phoning me back and I got my full check from the bank of 4000 put into my account within the month.
I still phoned telephone banking to make sure that everything was still good with my accounts and it was up until a few days ago. I phoned in and they asked me some different security questions then they normally do so I asked them what’s up. He said you don’t have telephone banking anymore I was like what are you talking about. He said that I phoned in and cancelled it. I was like what the hell are you talking about I have done this for like four years I would never cancel. So honestly I don’t think too much of the royal. Time for a change
Hey, Viren..
This post is amazing and you totally have skills and patience when you had to deal with these pieces of usless shit. I wish you the best and hope you never have a terrible experience like this..
- Okay later Mate
Nidhi