CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR THE LOYAL CUSTOMER – THE TD/CANADA TRUST WAY
My story is a simple one. I went to my local branch of the TD/Canada Trust where I have banked for eight years and my husband for over twenty years. I went to make a deposit of a check that I received from the United States for income from a small farm I hold jointly with my siblings. I receive this income once a year. I have been getting this check for the past eight years. The first year I lived in Canada, the check I received was drawn from our small business account in the US and since I had just recently got married and moved to Canada and opened an account with what was then Canada Trust, this check was held for 30 days. Frustrating, but not totally unexpected either.
At that time I discussed with the bank how I could best handle this money transaction for the following years in order to avoid a hold being placed on the money. The bank recommended I get the money sent to me in the form of a bank check drawn from the USbank where our farm account was held. So that’s what I did. No more problems with holds being placed on the check for the next six years.
Then suddenly this year, January2006, when I stop in at my bank to deposit my check, I get questioned. Now in all fairness, I was also questioned last year about the check, what it was for, where it came from etc., but when I explained the situation, had the teller go back into my account and showed them where I had received a similar payment the previous year, the check was deposited, no questions. So I did the same this year. But the teller said she needed to run it past her manager. When she came back out, she told me the best they could offer me was a five day hold on the check since there was not a “code†attached to the deposit last year which showed it was made yearly. Now this hold was of course for five “business†days meaning that the current day (Thursday) didn’t count so I wouldn’t be able to access the money until the following Friday. I was upset. I informed the teller that I’ve banked with TD/Canada Trust for eight years and my husband for over twenty. We have our mortgage through this bank. I even asked for the manager to come over to speak with me. Well when the manager came over, he really didn’t look old enough to even be working, let alone be in a management position. He took one look at the check, NEVER made eye contact with me and said, “Nope, that’s the best we can do.†and walked away. I was livid! I told the teller I would take my check and my business elsewhere and walked out the door.
Well of course, the threat of me taking my business elsewhere did nothing for them. I’m sure they were secretly applauding that it was one less paltry account for them to deal with, but it felt good for the whole of the five seconds it took me to walk out the doors of the bank. So after a small rant with my husband, I told him to take the check back into the bank and deposit it into my account, as I knew taking it to another bank would not be a plausible solution. I knew I would not be able to get my husband to follow me in my trek to find a new bank to do business with. So the check was deposited with the five day hold. My husband later told me that another teller had come over and told him that we were lucky with just a five day hold as most of the time it was a thirty day hold. Well….let’s just say it was a good thing my husband didn’t tell me this until a LONG time after.
Now my story doesn’t end here. An hour or so after returning from the bank, I calmed down enough to have a rational thought. I decided I was not going to allow the bank to treat a loyal customer this way. So after digging and searching on the internet, I found the phone number to call and lodge a complaint with TD/Canada Trust. The gentlemen I got when I finally was connected to a live person had obviously been well trained in the art of diplomacy, as he had just the right amount of care and concern without giving away anything he could be held accountable for later. He said he would take my information down and someone would get back to me….. Now are you ready for this??? Wait…it’s a good one!! Someone would get back to me in three to five business days!! Well I told the guy that wouldn’t solve my problem of not being able to get my money now would it! But in his best well-trained concerned voice, he thought they might get back to me the next day if they weren’t busy. (Good comeback don’t you think to keep the angry lady appeased?)
Well I ended by telling him all over again what I thought of TD/Canada Trust and their customer service. I summed it up at the end by saying. If going through my banking history of the past few years plus the long history that my husband has had with this bank, isn’t a clue that we have never committed bank fraud or theft during this time, the likelihood that my New Year’s resolution for 2006 is to turn to a life of crime, show up at my bank with a bogus fraudulent US bank check….is pretty remote.
I’m still waiting to receive the call from someone about my complaint. I don’t hold out much hope that it will happen before the hold runs out on my money. But I do know that I’m going to make a comment to them about how busy their complaint department must be if it takes three to five business days to get back to me about my small complaint…ha! I might also discuss with them about how TD/Canada Trust gets to use “my money†during these five days of the hold. (But that’s another topic for another day.) And then I will also share with them what I’m going to do for TD/Canada Trust in the future. I’m going to make sure I tell anyone and everyone about my experience at TD/Canada Trust. I’m going to write about it as often as I can, and maybe….just maybe with my small ripple in this big pond, I can make a difference for all of us who have been loyal bank customers for many years and for any new customers that might be thinking of banking at TD/Canada Trust.
Lynnette J. Thorne
Calgary Alberta
Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.
May 15th, 2011 at 9:49 am
I work for TD – let me start by saying, Lynette, on behalf of me and everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, at TD Bank Financial Group, I AM SORRY FOR THAT TERRIBLE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
This is where I stop speaking for TD Bank Financial group or any of it’s affiliates.
OK – I’ve worked for TD Canada Trust for the past 15 years, all on the “front line”. I’ve seen it all. It’s a tough job, but what happened to Lynnette is inexcusable, and I will not defend it. Here’s what I think happened. The teller was obviously a rookie. It’s very easy to do a search many years back to see those regular deposits. The Manager was also probably a Rookie as well, and didn’t really know what he was doing. There’s even a good change he was hired because he’s someone’s son or nephew. (Sounds terrible, but that’s exactly what happens at my branch). He probably also didn’t wan’t to go against his teller (he wants to be liked, as opposed to admit that the teller may have missed something). BTW – I know all about AML matters, this is a REGULAR deposit made by a FAMILIAR customer. AND BTW – A 5 DAY HOLD ON A US CHECK (US sp) WILL DO NOTHING TO PREVENT ANYTHING – you either hold it for the required 30 days or you don’t, period. By holding the funds for 5 days, you are just refusing to take ownership of both the transaction and the problem created by TD Staff. She’s also right about the Bank using her funds during this 5 day period as well. Then after Lynette left the branch, i guarantee you that her account was flagged so she would not get a call asking how her service was BY THE DEPARTMENT THAT MEASURES THIS, AND GIVES OUT BONUSES BASED ON THIS. The call from the manager does not count and would not reflect in the CSI -Customer Service Index (it’s now CEI – Customer Experience Index). BTW- They aren’t trying to keep you happy out of the goodness of our hearts, were building “relationships” to get more of your money at our bank, to give us more profits. Her portfolio probably was also messaged as a “Difficult”, or “abusive” client, so that every person from that point on would have a “pre-judgement” or “warning” about her, so when she called to make the complaint, the people saw this, and were dealing with “one of those clients who just likes to complain”. This is how it goes down the line, and a lot of the idiots they hire who like to drink the company “kool-aid” don’t and won’t see this.
Now, I know many of you out there who happen to drink the “Company Kool-Aid” will say, well he’s complaining but who’s promoted him, he’s just sour – well, I’m not a “Yes” man (as you can probably tell), I won’t say “Great idea”, when I know it will impact customer service negatively. I’m also known for standing up for the little guy. Not a popular stance if you want a promotion in the bank. I do voice my concerns in meetings and it gets noticed I’m sure. So they tend to promote the “yes” people and people like me don’t get the promotions (who BTW is consistently at the top of SR pace board – and not doing it by saying certain products are “free” when they aren’t – I do it honestly). I like to think that, at least at my branch, I keep them a little more honest, by bringing things up at meetings.
(BTW GET THIS PEOPLE -> TD Canada Trust’s 6 Guiding Principles – One of them used to be “Help the Customer Grow their Wealth” – It’s been changed to a wishy – washy statement that wouldn’t hold the Bank accountable in any court or setting, investigation, or tribunal, it was changed to “Be Customer Driven” – WTF does that really mean??? – it mean’s the bank knows it’s nickel and diming the customer at every opportunity)
May 15th, 2011 at 10:10 am
Oops – Lynnette – Again I am sorry for mis-spelling your name in the apology above, not sure what happened there – I hope it didn’t make the apology seem less sincere than you deserve.
I also want to say, I don’t think it really matters what financial institution you go to, they all do the same things, and they all will make mistakes. It’s how and WHEN they recover from those mistakes that matters.
The real trick, is to find that person or people to deal with on a regular basis that you know won’t steer you wrong at whatever Financial Institution, and that you trust. I know it’s unrealistic to expect to get the same person whenever you show up, but that person can bridge any conflicts that may arise. I’ve been a teller for 15 years and I have many customers that come to me, and only me. I think if I left, they would leave as well (not that I would entice this to happen).
I say at any Financial Institution, because quite frankly, were like gas bars, were basically going to give you the same rates, and charge the same rates, we just put different colours on the signage, but we all basically work for the same corporate mentality.
IMPORTANT TIP FROM THE INSIDE:
People need to start demanding to get rates on their savings accounts thats are greater than inflation rates. If your Bank gives 1% on your savings and Inflation is at 3% – your money (all of your savings) is LOSING VALUE by 2% – and who do you think that 2% wealth is transferred to???
May 15th, 2011 at 11:48 am
I think “Really” has a point above – engage the conversation if your sincere, if you don’t care, DON’T ASK – the customer can tell, plus – if the customer is in a hurry, shut the f’ up and do his banking. I am a male teller, and I know exactly what “Really” is talking about. “Really”, I am sorry. What’s going on is he’s trying to get cues to see what he can try to sell you.
We all get caught up in trying to make that “connection”, then we need to get our “Sales Revenue or SR goals (which should NOT exist on the front line – but that’s another story – and yes I meet them – right now I’m pacing at over 350% and the only teller on the 1st page at my branch – so my goals aren’t skewing the numbers – I don’t have “low” goals to meet – 10k), then we need x amount of referrals, have to keep the signature cards in order, while customer traffic goes down, and our goals go up, and products get worse. So it’s a hard job, and sometimes you get people on the front line that get overwhelmed by it all, and their customer interactions is what always seems to suffer.
BUT, who the hell am I, I’ve only seen it for 15 years, yet they, hire some kid who has 3 YEARS EXPERIENCE ON THE FRONT LINE – WHO I TRAINED – TO BE MY MANAGER! This person never beat me in referrals, nor in SR – NEVER (I was usually double this person’s BTW). I’ve always had better customer reviews than this person and again – 12 years more experience. I’ve had less “incidents” than this person in terms of HR (in fact I’ve had none). We both worked at this branch when we applied. Other candidates who I know applied for the job were much better candidates than both me and this person were. I had my IFFC, this person did NOT!!!!! (SERIOUSLY!!! – person had to get accreditations in 6 months or something like that – not making this stuff up – I’m not that creative – Only candidate with an interview without accreditations – don’t ask how I know – when decisions happen like that – this kind of stuff gets out). Now I know I’m not a “Yes” person, and this person is. But others applying are also “Yes” type people as well, and again, much better candidates. The difference? The deal-braker? One of this person’s parents (won’t say which) works for TD and is up the ladder, so to speak, pretty high. Now the rest of us have to work around this person’s incompetence. This is why customer interactions like Lynnette’s and Really’s happen. It starts from the top and goes down from there. Unfortunately, I don’t see it getting any better.
Anne – about you GIA accounts – I truly believe that was done on purpose – I would even to bold enough to say that meetings were held on how much money they would make or save on the customers that were away for a year, or incapacitated, or that just “trusts” us and not paying close attention. They realized that certain people would not be on the ball right away and therefore not be given a proper choice of where to put that money. Trust me when I tell you, the Bank saved millions for their shareholders on that little switch-a-roo.
Others will defend the banks by saying it’s in the fine print of the agreement blah, blah, blah – what’s important is the “spirit” of the agreement. When someone opens the account, I know the FSR doesn’t read the entire agreement on account openings, IN FACT, if the customer decides to actually read the damn thing, 95% of us get annoyed because they are taking valuable “selling” time away from you, so don’t give me that crap about what the agreement says. We don’t tell the customer that the “wonderful” product we sell could change at any time, otherwise we wouldn’t sell as much. Hell, we open chequing accounts and Visa cards for students and send them on their way, without explaining to them how to write a cheque or how a credit card even works! So, again, don’t give me that B.S. about agreements and signatures. We don’t provide the proper “environment” to do contracts legally – and I do think that was about to hold up in a Saskatchewan court before TD settled. You won’t hear about that in the press though, just like you didn’t hear about the Sudbury branch fighting to Unionize, getting it, and the bank then crushing it. But it happened (the stories are out there, just not predominant in the press, you really have to dig).
When you put a word like “Guarantee” on an account and a word like “Trust” in your company name, people expect to be able to “trust” their account is “guaranteed”. HELLO? Does this make any sense to anyone out there.
Dan – you are an idiot, easy things for you to say, when if it happens to you or your parents, you know ahead of time and can react or get back money for income lost by you parents accounts they didn’t switch. What about the honest guy scratching and saving just to feed his family, never given the opportunities he deserves because of his discoloured front tooth (this is an actual client of mine – I actually got in trouble for reversing an NSF fee, when he never bounced anything, just before CHRISTMAS no less) Not everyone get a job because of who they know, some actually have to rely on their own merits. (Not saying this applies to you, Dan – but it seems these kinds of people are often the ones getting the breaks in life).
I truly am embarrassed by some of the comments posted in here by some so-called bankers. It’s been proven that people without money and the means, given the same opportunities as the wealthy, pay back their debts more often! Just Google “Microcredit” or “Grameen Bank” if you don’t believe me. If the Banks really cared for you, this is how they’d operate, not the way they do now. It’s less profitable in the short term for the banks to lend to the poor but more profitable to society, which in turn would generate more profits for the Banks in the future, but the banks only see what they can make in the next few quarters, so promotions can be accomplished for the people that run the banks, in other words, no one looks out for the little guy anymore, just themselves and others like them.
May 15th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
GIA Account switch – I know someone will defend the switch and will point out that the EDS rates were better at the time of the switch. Yes, it’s true, they were. But consider this…
The decision was probably made at least 6-9 months prior to the switch, when the GIA rates were better that the rates of the new accounts at the switch. So the bank, after the guarantee cut-off date lowered the rates (theres more involved with BOC interest rates, etc… but basically this is what happened) and lowered them again.
So at the switch date, it looks great, and then they even say they’ll let you transfer between your TD accounts for free now (gee, thanks – shouldn’t that be free anyway- especially if you do it on-line?) as an added bonus.
Yes, they sent out notices prior to the switch, but people with money in GIA accounts travel, take sabbaticals, are incapacitated at the time. These people were not able to get in to see if there was a GIC or other options before they lost 4 months worth of interest (not to mention the lowering rates leading up to the switch). Sure that may be only 0.02% of our customers, but it may have represented about 10 million in money not paid out to higher rates in GIC as opposed to the EDS account rates.
And that, was planned, pure and simple.
Another similar Switch – TD Infinity Account
At one point, if you maintained $500 in that account, you didn’t pay any Other Bank Fees at month end. There was a real push on the front line (Tellers) to get people switched to that account – that was one of the main selling points of that account. So, the customers that it would benefit were switched, and were saving money on month end fees. Then 1 year after that “push”, they took that feature off the account, and people were now paying the $12.95 monthly fee plus the Other Bank Fees they were promised they would save (a lot of times adding up to over $20 per month). This happened to a lot of people. It make me look bad, as I sold a lot of these accounts, as I thought I was doing them a favour. I waived every one that came to me, I got into trouble for it, but what right is right. i’m not stupid, that was done on purpose. A lot of the people on that account and that were switched to that account were of a demographic that did not pay as close attention to fees and notices as they should, and the bank counted on that, and again millions were made.
Bad Sales Team Advice Story:
This is a good one that I tell everyone I know…
It seems people can have a youth account until they are 19.
I had a 17 year old customer with two “single signing” Student accounts.
She explained to me that the person who opened the accounts told this poor girl that once she got to 25 transactions to use the other Student account, to save on fees. (First 25 Transactions are Free then $0.65 each after that).
She was in to close the accounts because it was too confusing, and the other
bank fees on her CIBC account were worth it.
The TD Idiot could have opened just 1 Youth account with unlimited transactions, had the customer switch it after her 19th birthday, but more sales revenue is offered for a Student account than a youth account.
I closed 1 account, switched her main account t a Youth account, She had her bank statement from her CIBC account she opened and was using for the last 5 months. I reversed her CIBC extra fees into her TD account, apologised, asked her if that would convinced her to not close the 2nd account, I gave her the Branch Managers card.
She decided to stay with TD because of my actions.
She called my Manager with the card I provide, told her story.
Who do you think the Manager called into the office and reamed out? ME!
Oh – more good news people. Your Account service charges are going up sometime between July and September. So are the Balance thresholds to keep you from paying your monthly fees. Watch the mail-out, They will bury that piece of info, hoping to catch many of you leaving only $5000 in your account as opposed to the new $5500.
Select serve accts from $24.95 to $29.95 – Min. balance from $5000 to $5500
not sure about the other accounts. I think the only account not being affected is the Value account for $3.95. They didn’t change that one because we have to legally offer at least 1 account at a reasonable price for anyone.
Wow – I sure am venting a lot this Sunday – and this was not even a bad week!
Reading Lynnette story and the other responses, it struck a nerve or two.
May 15th, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Christian Rondow:
OK you seem crazy – there are laws in place that prevent us from looking up account holders by name. It sounds ridiculous, by that is the law. If you want to make a deposit, you must provide a branch and account number. Cheques are usually held when deposited by a third party.
Bankers:
Hold are place on Cheques for reasons yes, but stop acting like f’n robots, that’s the ATMs jobs (Green Machines for TD). Use your brains, look at the portfolio and history, and make a decision. TALK to your customers
Customers:
We need certain info, and sometimes we need to record ID (even though we know you). Anti-Money Laundering laws make us ask questions, making us appear to be “nosy” at times. We really don’t enjoy asking those questions.
Holds are there to protect you as well as us. Sometimes, it may not be your Teller’s call. Also, if you do your Banking at one Branch, another Branch, or a new Teller may not know you – If you don’t know the Teller, expect to be asked for ID, because he/she doesn’t know you either, otherwise they aren’t doing their job in protecting your money. Also, for the few of you that believe this, we aren’t there to be crapped on.
James – You seem to have a bit of knowledge about the fractional reserve banking system being used IN THE USA, The Canadian banking system is similar but has it’s differences and is harder to research.
Dan – Give James credit, he does know more that you seem to think. Stop acting like a pompous ass. The bank makes mistakes all the time. Allow the customers the same bit of humanity; we all make them.
To Both of You – I am a teller on the front line. Believe it or not, for the most part, I do like my job. Not all tellers are morons (although there is a fair share in my profession – I’ll admit). I do have an IQ at 142, so I’m not a moron. I could run circles around many of the FSRs and management team I have encountered. It’s just as a Teller, I can get away with no co-operating with the Corporate B.S. handed down to me. It’s a decision I made, knowing it would cost me financially, but I can look at myself in the mirror every morning knowing I do my job honestly, and never try a Fk over anyone.
May 15th, 2011 at 3:28 pm
Sorry about all the spelling and grammar mistakes – I get lazy 😉
May 17th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
Randall, your posts are some of best in this blog. I wish more insiders would post good information rather than bash customers for their own poor service and incompetence.
Thanks for pointing out my post. I still have a checking account in TD that was originally a Canada Trust account. The account is free of fees with a minimum balance of $1000. As noted in my post I am regularly interrogated about my deposits on top of the inappropriate conversations. Having read your posts, I wonder if they have profiled or flagged my account to make my experience so unpleasant that I close it. I only make a few deposits a year and only keep enough money in the account to cover monthly bills and the minimum balance. I was going to close this account, but ordered some more over priced checks, $36 for 100, I used to get 200 for $22. So for now I will keep this account open for a while. My question to Randall is, would TD deliberately try to make account holders who don’t pay fees, close their accounts? If that’s the case, I will keep this account open just to piss them off. It must cost them more to service this account, than the interest it could make.
I sometimes wonder if TD reads this blog, as nothing seems to change with TD, and only gets worse. I picture a bunch of pencil necks sitting around a table trying to come up with ideas on how to screw the customers over.
Look forward to more of your posts Randall, great stuff.
May 20th, 2011 at 12:57 am
Randall:
It’s not all that different in Canada.
The following is from wikipedia and I think it sums it up concisely:
**It is important to distinguish between the right to “issue money”, which is the sole right of the Bank of Canada, and the ability to “create money”, which, through legislation and regulation enacted by Parliament, is largely done by commercial banks through the taking of deposits and the issuance of loans. Presently, the Bank of Canada “issues” less than 5% of Canada’s money; more than 95% of Canada’s money is “created” by commercial banks, bearing interest, through the process of fractional-reserve banking.**
Such is the problem with fiat currencies.
With regard to your comment about limiting your career by shunning the corporate bullshit, I can relate to that. I openly speak out when I disagree with certain things. Many of my “superiors” look at me in dismay when I do so, but there are others in the hierarchy who respect me for my directness, intelligence, and logic. Some even grudgingly admire the fact that I have the cojones to say some of the things I say. Having said that, don’t give up.
May 23rd, 2011 at 2:14 am
Really:
You have a Preferred Account, which has been grandfathered. Keep that account, keep the min. balance threshold, and you shouldn’t pay any “regular” fees. If you close this account, we cannot re-open it as the same type of account, AND NO BANK WILL OFFER AN ACCOUNT LIKE THIS EVER AGAIN – WITH THE FULL SERVICE YOU GET FROM PEOPLE. What I can say, If you can make this account joint with a grandchild to keep it going for as long as you can DO IT (make sure you choose proper survivorship options). I’m guessing TD will probably not allow this to happen, when at one time you could make the account joint with someone else (at least you could when you opened it, a week later you could have made it joint – but I don’t think they allow it now). Try it though, it may depend on your branch.
As to trying to “cheese you off” enough to make you close your account, that wouldn’t happen at my branch, and it’s not something discussed at any meeting I’ve been to, however, I’ve heard some pretty bad “horror stories” from other branches, so nothing surprises me any longer.
The thing to be aware of is an FSR (sales person) who is behind on their sales targets, who may try to convince you to close this account and she’ll open a new one (she won’t lose “SR” on the account closure, but will gain “SR” on the new account). I’ve seen that happen.
Or if you move, some branches try to make the customers close their accounts from out of town branches and re-open accounts at the new branch. All this does is A) Inconveniences the customer B) Fudges Branch Totals (stealing) C) generates Sales Revenue (SR) for the sales people and Branch. THIS IS NOT NECESSARY. ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS PROVIDE APPROPRIATE ID. If we need a signature card, theres a lovely little invention called a “FAX MACHINE” that we can do from branch to branch.
James:
You are correct. However, beware of Wikipedia – a lot of B.S. also gets posted on there – sometimes never to be edited out. Thanks for your words of encouragement. I also get the looks of “I wish I could say that” and disbelief at meetings. Some people at my branch count on me to stand up and say things about certain issues, which gets a little dangerous if you don’t know the “games” going on in your organization. The trick: Know the “Games”, but don’t take part in them. Speak on the issue of importance to you and your morals, not someone else’s.
I wold like to say, overall TD isn’t that bad to work for, you get the same problems anywhere, a lot of the work related problems today are more about our society.
May 23rd, 2011 at 3:13 am
James:
Sorry about the “Interrogative” style your teller seem to be providing. In a world where even cash is not guaranteed any longer… My branch sees at least 1 fraudulent item per week and we catch most of them, just by asking questions.
I once saved a student $4500. She sold something on-line for $500, received a $5000 bank draft. She was asked via e-mail to send back the difference as they made a mistake at their bank. This is a scam, which is quite popular (I may have mentioned this above – another day). The draft came back fraudulent. If I had not asked her the appropriate questions, she would have sent this scammer $4500 out of her account.
What Happens:
Your ACCOUNT BALANCE IS ($10,000) and you sell an item on line for $500
You get a bank draft for $5000, and an e-mail to send back the difference.
bank draft goes in bank +$5000 ( $15,000 bal.)
Item is sent through mail (lose the item and it’s cost)
Real Bank Draft is sent (less cost of item) b -$4500 ($10,500 bal.)
bank draft comes back fraudulent. -$5000 ($5,500 bal.)
This almost happened to a “landlord” at our branch with 10 drafts this way (students only rent here for 9 or 10 months). If the girl I work with didn’t ask the appropriate questions… Sheeesh! That would’ve hurt.
Also, you get the “smurfs” people who are hired to put money through their accounts, getting it out as bank drafts later in the month.
If a waitress is depositing $200 a day worth of tips in cash into her account, believe it or not, this is considered to be suspicious. If she does this (average od $200) for 300 days, thats $60,000. By law, we have to ask questions, or we could lose our jobs, and depending on the “instance” or “crime”, even serve time (if we are a knowing party to the crime). This is an actual example. She turned out to be dealing drugs on the side, and was running the money through her account with her tips from her actual waitressing job. This is money laundering.
So, at times, we may seem to be “harassing” you. We are not trying to. I admit, some people like the “power trip”, and those people need to be weeded out of the company. We don’t like asking those questions, but we are only human, if the customer is being obnoxious, arrogant, or “pissy” as I like to say, then it becomes a lot easier to ask those questions.
If you have nothing to hide, don’t sweat it. Once we start asking “Big Brother” type questions, I will stop asking them, and encourage my co-workers to follow suit.
May 25th, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Randall:
I have to take back what I said about not giving up. I was recently advised by my immediate “superior” to tone it down because I’m “perceived” to be negative.
The problem, as I see it, is that they don’t like anyone to reside outside the hive mentality. I get tired of the almost religious fervour that some employees have in that place. Ever seen the majority of the comments on the intranet? You’d think TD was some kind of messiah or something.
Many people, instead of growing a backbone themselves, will get jealous and resentful when you voice a contrary opinion. They don’t like intelligent people and would rather have a dummy who toes the corporate line no matter what.
Think about it in general. How many people voice their opinion unless they do an informal poll to see if they have others who agree with them first?
Gutless punks.
June 7th, 2011 at 2:23 am
James? Randall?
You two want to get a room?
Spend some quality stroking one another’s bruised and battered egos?
I’ve been gone from here for months only to come back the homoerotic longings the two of you apparently are having for each other; complementing one another’s oh so wonderful points in the world of banking and finance.
James, your superior was right you come off like an jackass, anyone reading your previous postings can tell you are someone who likes to speak (in this case write) just to feel important, and this blog seems to in your opinion make you important, it does not.
Randall, you unquestionably are one of these people who are in serious need of getting laid, good god man, you sound like a raving lunatic. No wonder you are still a teller after 15 years, who the hell would promote your negative spewing self.
Do you take your meds before or after you log on here Randall?
At least James makes a point now and again; you Randall just sit back and rattle off half truths.
E.g. you made a point that there is a way to “flag” accounts when the bank deals with a difficult people? You lied; why not tell people the truth.
I passed along this information to some friends at TD, and if you had ever made it past the role of Jr. Peon, you’d know that TD employees have been let go when they have placed inappropriate messages on accounts, and that clients can request in writing copies of any messages on their accounts, it’s their right. (I know Randall, why would mention this? Your version makes it sound more like George Orwell was taking about TD rather than Big Brother)
Stop rattling on about banks thinking you know what’s what, you don’t!! You’re the guy who takes my cheques, and if you like your job will take my abuse behind your little counter, and at the end of the day the one person we all make fun of for being in the same boat for 15 years and has made nothing of himself.
Do you still live with your mother?
Why not tell us why you get so angry about more proficient individuals getting ahead of you in the company? You’ve gone out of your way to attempt to make the bank look bad…I want to hear more about the kid, who was not as good in sales as you, who had less referrals than you, why he left your ass behind at the counter, and is now running a branch of his own…we’re all waiting Randall…tell us what your last managerial review said about you…why they told you can’t get promoted…why you are not the manager…why you always get passed up….apparently having a 142 IQ is not doing you any good…
Have you ever dated?
Bottom line, any sane person can see you are disgruntled, lonely, desperately looking for attention, looking for some type of acceptance from anyone, and I’d bet your meagre salary you’re also sexually frustrated, and are proficient in one handed typing since that is the closest thing to procreation you’ll ever get.
Randall why not take a loan out from that bank you work at, go get a lady for the night, and maybe that will do you some good.
They call them hookers Randall, you need one…bad.
James? Stop enabling him, can’t believe I’m saying this but again, occasionally you make a point, and it actually has some merit, but your now associating yourself with someone that will probably quit the bank get a job at the Post Office, and we’ll see him on the evening news cause he decided to go postal.
Randall get help!!
June 9th, 2011 at 12:57 am
Go fuck yourself, Brian. You wasted your effort there because I stopped reading it after the second line. Asshole.
July 14th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
Personal attacks are not cool. Keep to the issue(s).
October 15th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
I’m back! Really great, entertaining stuff has happened since I last checked. I was actually laughing out loud while reading Brian’s latest post. Okay, so I’m an idiot, according to this Randall guy, and I assume James still hates me, but it’s all in good fun, isn’t it? Now it looks as though Anne is upset with me! Anne, I never said banks don’t make mistakes! They do, I should know, I work at one. However, customers can be outrageous Anne. Some customers are a genuine pain the ass, and the more they press, the more you just don’t give a fuck about helping them. Take you for example. Your most recent complaint is they switched the account type without gaining your consent. Hate to break it to you, but they don’t need it. They also didn’t even notify you, apparently. Again, you are wrong, they did. They sent you a letter, very generic, but it was sent to all customers who have the type of account you have. Did you expect that they would call everyone up across the country and notify them personally? Perhaps a candy-gram to your front door would be best, next time they do this? Anne, people like you are chronic retail complainers, who on any given day can find a million reasons to complain to anyone who’ll listen. Oh, but they’re not listening Anne. As you flap your gums at the bank manager, he realizes within the first minute that your complaint is really not that important, so he nods his head and raises his eyebrows in feigned concern, reciting his mantra “yes, I see, I understand”, and all the while he day-dreams about a life that doesn’t involve people who waste his time, or maybe he drifts off and thinks about a threesome that he’ll never have, but at the moment, the fleeting fantasy sure beats listening to you. Honestly, where do you people find the time to complain to companies?? Do you just stay up fuming at night, writing your latest letter of complaint or building your arguments? I guess I just don’t get it. Life is too short to always be complaining.
October 30th, 2011 at 10:51 pm
I work for a major bank and will explain deposit holds.
Deposit holds are strictly risk analysis and are entirely the discretion of tellers (up to a $$$ limit) and their managers when above that limit.
When provided with a cheque, a teller first looks for immediate signs of alteration or irregularities in an attempt to verify its authenticity.
Next, they look to see if the deposit is regular, or expected behavior for the account holder. This is accomplished by reviewing account activity in addition to questions about the cheque and source of funds.
If a cheque is drawn on the same bank as it is being deposited, we can also see the account holders assets and varify funds are available.
Basically, when a cheque is NOT HELD it acts as a temporary loan on the funds until the cheque clears. We are looking to see how the bank can retrieve it’s funds should the cheque bounce. Having other assets with the bank (ie; investments, GICs, trading accounts) or significant liabilities (ie; mortgages, lines of credit etc) will help you clear cheques (no hold) that would normally be held.
When a cheque is held, it is done so to reduce the possibility of loss for the bank. It has relatively little to do with customer service. We are completely aware of how this inconveniences your rent payment, weekend plans, payment of bills etc and are not intentionally restricting your money. Releasing holds is one of the significant sources of loss.
Ask yourself;
– If this cheque regular for my account?
– Do I have funds to cover the cheque should it bounce?
– Do I have other assets or available liability the bank could seize if the cheque bounces?
– Do I have good cash flow (money in and out frequently) to suggest I can cover a bad cheque, or is my account activity minimal?
– Do I have a good relationship with my branch members?
– Have I been with the bank for a long time?
– Am I high risk or low risk (ie; how many cheques bounced in the last year)?
If you answer yes to majority of the questions, you shouldn’t have a problem with your deposits being held (within a reasonable $$$ amount).
Also, you can negotiate for partial holds. Sometimes, we will release part of the cheque and hold part of it.
Don’t think we’re holding cheques to piss you off or that we don’t trust you. The bank is the target for a tremendous amount of fraud and loss and we need to be vigilant with every customer. Our jobs are literally on the line and a $5000 loss will give you the axe.
December 5th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
I been banking with td for years .A cash loan store i borrowed from with a cibc acount last year was able to get my td acount information and withdrew money without my permission .The bank would not do anything about this company stealing my money they told me close the acount open another one ;;;;FOR WHAT THE SAME THING TO HAPPEN ITS CALL FRAUD SECURITY BREACH WAKE UP TD BANK
December 7th, 2011 at 7:13 pm
Please try calling the OCC at 800 613 6743. They regulate national banks and offer good advice. You can file a complaint at their web site (www.helpwithmybank.gov) a legal complaint. Let’s not waste the righteous energy we get from their abysmal behavior, some of which IS fraudulant. I’m going after them and so should you. Life is NOT too short to demand justice.
February 17th, 2012 at 12:09 am
I am in the position most of you are talking about right at this very moment. My mother has been a TD customer for over 40 yrs and being her daughter I have over 25 yrs for me in fact several years back they called and asked me to close my account and reopen a new one due to the fact I was the only one left with a 4 digit account number. Anyways, I’ll try to get to my point quickly…in 2008 my mother had a stroke, she came to live with us after my fathers death almost ten years before. Since the stroke it has been difficult financially, we were never informed of any programs for her till almost 2 years later. I have desperately tried to keep up with her banking, keeping hers and my own in check became extremely frustrating. We lived respectfully of each other and never poked around each others business. So in the last few months the big old house has become very hard to make ends meet. So she made a choice to take a loan on her London Life Insurance Policy to get caught back up and stop those viscious NSF charges of 42.50 and whatever the company charges you too. Strikes me funny that the little guy misses a payment and are fined heavily when unable to make the small payment to begin with and they wonder why it’s so hard for people to pull themselves together. I truly feel my mother is robbed of money she can’t part with to begin with and am appalled that her loyalty means nothing.
So, yes we walk in the bank bills in hand hoping that day to catch her up and get back on her feet to be told they have to hold it 5 business days, today is the 5th day and I hope for there sake they release her money tomorrow morning. I don’t understand it’s London Life well known insurance company, call there bank for clearance why all the dame drama. Our technology doesn’t seem to apply here. Check was issued in St Catharines mailed to our address in Niagara Falls Canada and the teller said they had to mail out west for the clearance!! My mom wriggling in her wheel chair because she was in so much pain. Yet they are cold without concern for anyone else…its sad!! Scanner? Fax? Anything that could help your loyal customer of 40 years get through this just a little faster. I don’t think that is much to ask, do any of you?
Neither one of us has ever committed fraud between the 65 years we have dedicated loyally to them. My son just got his first bank account with them and now I wish I told him to go elsewhere!
I understand the policies I’m no idiot but the policies are wrong, theft is theft and they are doing it under the name of policy…we have not stolen from them ever. Regardless of a bounced payment here and there, due to a serious illness and was always payed up within the month and never, ever fraudulently taken money out! It disgusts me we are treated as a criminal before any crime has been committed!! Please go back the 65 years between us and check if my mom or I are high risk for committing fraud by all means hold my check if we are but if there is no fraud you have no right to it is our money and there needs to be laws against what the banks are doing to the working class citizens. My mom and late father held many mortgages, loans, credit cards, lines of credit etc with them through there entire life, sent business there way and for what when you get old and sick and things just go a lil awry they take what little money you have in NSF fees and hold the rest till they see fit to release it to you while more penalty fees build up! We are human beings not just numbers and without us you would have no bank or business!!
I’m sorry i’m severely disturbed and angry that I have been judged as guilty of fraud having never committed it…murderers get the right to be innocent till proven guilty.. YES???????
I think it’s time my money returns back to the mattress where my grandmother use to keep hers, I think i’d actually have some with none of this degrading society stereotype- you haven’t committed fraud but we know ur about to!!!!!!
February 29th, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Td Bank Is not a good bank for many reasons…
Your right they do not deal with complaints,
They do not help businesses starting out..
If they do help you out besure your not being scammed. Royal Bank Is best!!!
March 13th, 2012 at 12:09 am
My father had a heart attack i had to go pay his TD bills with cash;(he doesnt do online or telebanking) untrained highschool drop out at the desk asked me my fathers name; confirmed the address and requested the debit card; i informed her i do not have the card i dont need to anything with his account i am just paying his bills and following that she refused to let me pay bills as i was not a customer; even after explaining the situation that the customer is in a hospital and he cannot come to branch teller refused to take payment for td bills; so far stupid but not a big deal; the next day my father went for a walk in the hospital and tried to make a purchase to find out that his card has been cancelled; made a call to td to find out that he has to go the branch to be able to use his own money; and this is what was said “Sir; your medical issue does not matter in this case; there is nothing more we can discuss you have to go the branch” and she hung up, Now thank god we are okay and we can take care our fathers finances but what if you need the money desperately you are shit out of luck; Thank you TD for teaching me and my family a lesson to not to bank with you anymore
May 2nd, 2012 at 4:28 pm
My son David has a mortgage with TD in Prince George. He is being transferred to Victoria with Health Authority and wanted to port his mortgage to Victoria house. He checked with Mary Berry and TD, and was told no problem we can do that and that would avoid penalties, she reassured him he was pre approved to $237,500. We went to Victoria, after a week we found a condo within his price range that would be within the TD pre-approved limit. Made an offer and came home to sign papers and now TD is telling us that we have to remove the probation period on his employment which is impossible as it is a govt agency. The realtor contacted TD mortgage specialist Owen at ReMax, who thought this should not be a problem but since Mary keeps dragging her feet. We met with her and she had not escalate this the next level or the Manager. She had not even phone CHMAC to get acceptance for exception and this was after Owen phoned her. Mary appears to be incompetent or over her head when it comes to basic mortgage procedures. There are 62,000 govt employees in BC and they get transferred around the province all the time and there is always a probation period tied to those positions, so this is not something new. This whole deal could go south since Mary Berry is dragging her feet, she needs additional training or placed where she can do little harm to your clients.
Larry T.
May 3rd, 2012 at 8:49 pm
Closed my TD account today. Previously a Canada Trust account with no fees. Today I see a $2.25 passbook service charge on an account that had no service charges for a minimum balance. I was told that there was nothing they could do about it, they are trying to save money on paper, but if I want to go electronic banking, that would be free and I can get a printout at the bank any time I wanted. WTF, how is this going to save paper? I don’t even use one book a year!
I saw this coming a couple of years ago and opened an account at a credit union just in case. Couldn’t be happier, with profit sharing too.
Canada Trust was a great bank and there was a noticeable decline when TD took it over.
The $2.25 service charge was the last straw for me. I hope more people close their accounts. Good riddance.
June 8th, 2012 at 9:24 pm
The worst bank ever, went there tonight my parents dealt with the TD they are deceased. There was an amount that was deposited that I am trying to track, asked the bank if they could help me said no because there is nothing there said it was my fault because I closed the account and they can not trace something that was closed. I was then told to go to my bank BMO maby they would help me trace the amount. My parents had nothing to do with BMO. Tried to reason with her then was told that TD had no money for me. I was asking for the name of the company that deposited the pension received no help. Do not go to the branch in Brampton on Hurontario Street across from Longo’s Grocery Store the worst customer service experience ever in my lifetime and I work in retail and would of been fired if I had of talked to a customer that way. Thanks TD for ruining my day, I will never step foot back in one of your branches ever again.
July 23rd, 2012 at 2:47 pm
My husband had 3 accounts with TD Canada Trust in Kitchener Ontario. I live in Florida and I am executrix of his estate. My husband passed away last year and I have been trying to close these accounts and make payments to my husband’s heirs. I have only received 2 return telephones calls from this branch (one of which came to me on the evening of 4th of July) when I was not available. I sent 2 e-mails and made 2 telephone calls to the branch manager – none of which were retuned. I even had the attorney for my husband’s estate try to reach them and he received notification that they need more information including the original documents from when my husband first opened the account before they can issue payments (over 20 years ago). I have called the branch several times and both the manager and the person supposedly handling my husband estate are always on vacation. To top it all off, when I finally did reach someone at that branch today she was very rude to me. Once these accounts are closed I will never deal with TD Canada Trust again.
July 24th, 2012 at 8:07 pm
WOW… This is insane. It is called accountability. TD is a billion times better then the rest.
August 21st, 2012 at 8:28 pm
I work for a small restaurant – all the banks really have to same hold policies. The government just made it so banks can only hold funds for 4 days!!! The only way I have been able to go in to the two banks i primarily deal with is to go to the same teller everytime- I made the teller make a note on my profile saying that i always get cheques from this certain restaurant. hope this helps!
August 21st, 2012 at 8:30 pm
Ken, are you sure you did not fill out your td bank information when you got the cash loan. they can’t pull account numbers from thin air
August 28th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
Hey Randall,
Dont know if youve been on here in a while, but I too am an employee and see that their is a “good ole boys club.” The promotion or hire of unqualified staff is number one reason customers on here have the problems they do. What everyone on here needs to realize though, the fact is their are alot of us out there to help you but their are a shit load out there just to make a promotion or one day become an executive with the bank. A few bad apples always spoil the bunch. The bank as a whole does not try to screw you, however this being a “family business” alot of people get hurt by the politics and behind the scenes decisions that take place. We all see it, it’s a part of every corporation it’s the new human nature to get ahead by whatever means possible. Its also human nature to want to instinctively help your family E.G. getting them a job at the bank because they offer better benefits and your relative has pull there. We would all do it for our family’s so to isolate it by saying its only TD would be Bull S***. Now in regards to the service and the fees that TD does not deliver on, I can speak to that as well by agreeing with what most of the CSR’s on here have disclosed our policy and procedures for taking cheques. As new or old tenured CSR’s we all have to walk within the lines of the same box, We go by what “WE” meaning that individual teller knows at that point in time about you, your financial backgroud, and your credit history. If that teller does not know you or your finances their is an inflated chance that your cheques will be held because they simply cant vouche for what another branch has authorized. This is the pivotal downfall of being able to bank at any institutions branch within Canada (for some the US as well). unfortunately with the state of fraud, identity theft, and the current financial market place this will never change. However to better your chances with that teller it is so so so much better to just be open and honest with that teller than to be concieded and state you dont owe me an answer. That right their will shoot your case outta the sky. Also recognize that being a long time customer at TD is worth only as much as the people who remember it e.g. the people who opened your account, the staff at the branch who you bank with. Your history with TD is only one part of the process that is cashing or depositing cheques. The other various parts being , Portfolio value (or assets and liabilities), Cheque deposit history, Hold history, How long have you been a customer with us for?, Most importantly DO I KNOW YOU? As to the people with complaints in service fees and likewise. The bank along with the people in it are not trying to gouge you, unfortuantley as with everything in this global economy we must keep up with inflation prices rise and fall depending on the purchasing value of your currency. The bank has to keep up with this in order to stay profitable. Same with you in respects to how you invest your savings your trying to stay ahead of inflation so your money isnt worth less tomorrow rather its worth more. To complain about this is pointless because ultimately the only people able to affect inflation are the consumers. However I think most of the customers on here have valid points and I would agree with alot of you however their are a few people who arent really rational in terms of what they expect out of us. We the employees are just regular people helping you from the otherside of the wicket advising you in our area of expertise. Most of us work to make people happy while others get off on the power trip that is accepting or denying cheques. Power wise their is nothing a teller can really do to fix it we simply arent granted the ability to overide what some other idiot has done. The responsibility lies with you the person who has the ultimate choice in what happens to your money, and belongings. You in the end have to sign on the dotted line based on the information provided to you. So if you have doubts the best piece of advice we the good employees can offer is really just to educate yourself and ask “does it make sense for you.” Randall I think out of every employee on here you had the best responses and you genuinley care for the customer like I do keep doing what you do, eventually it will pay off.
Also the views and opinions i expressed are not those of TD Bank but those of my own and others shared experience I do not at all pretend or advertise that these are the views or values of TD Bank Financial Group.
September 29th, 2012 at 11:52 pm
Glad to see the blog is still up running..always good for a chuckle…
October 3rd, 2012 at 7:11 pm
OMG! Not sure why im writing this, but i think you shouldnt use the name Canada Trust- maybe you should change it to CANT TRUST, BANK OF GOVT (AS YOU DO AS THEY SAY), NADA TRUST, …ETC. I came in with a bonifide cheque from one of your customers.
October 3rd, 2012 at 7:40 pm
#281 continued It was dated, signed,and all in order. Yet it seems that since i didnt have an account i couldnt cash it. Well that now takes me to asking my clients personal information regarding who they bank with. For me its simple if they deal with your bank i will no longer do work for your loyal customers if they tell me they deal with you. Im a person with a nine year old single father that would have been in quite a pickle after driving from the west side of Edmonton to Sherwood Park living pay cheque to pay cheque Had i of run out of gas stranded on the side of the road or some other mishap i would have held you accountable! I am holding you accountable to the services that you should HONOUR yet dont. I was a client of yours for quite some time that was tired of being ripped off by you- all your banking fees. I am reminded again why i dont bank with you. And i see my comment is waiting moderation???? By this it would seem that you dont have a backbone and cant handle whats going to come your way. There are other ways to get this crap sorted out. Other sites, word of mouth,and constant complaining to over load your work day.Very sad that the govt dictates how you run you business, better keep listening or they might shut you down. So ill keep dealing with the banks i do deal with as they service my needs. Again unfortunately due to your ways your customers will no longer get my services. Have yourself a great day as i will knowing that your NOT my bank.
October 5th, 2012 at 10:22 pm
In all of this about “holds” here is my question: if the money is “IN” your account as a bank employee here admitted; but is “just” not available, then why is this itself even considered legal? ….if the money “is” in the account then it ‘MUST’ already be accounted for.
“Fraudlent withholding of funds” by organised CRIMINALS
is what a bank hold actually IS and these criminals need to be STOPPED – TIME FOR A HUGE CHANGE IN THIS COUNTRY –
Today there is NO reason to “hold” ANY funds more that the milliseconds it takes to contact the cheque issuer’s account over the internet, especially between different branches of the SAME BANK.
I have had cheques held by TD bank and been told by bank employee’s that no branch has any connectivity with any other within the same province. So a major financial institution in Canada has no networking at all amongst it branches
lie….lying criminals Banking “law?” in Canada HAS to change
December 9th, 2013 at 6:32 pm
What a crock!
First, I worked for Canada Permanent, then Canada Trust before the TD merger.
Tellers had ‘credit limits’ of cheques they could cash without approval, and you were trained to use your brain, and KYC – know your customer. The computer systems offered little information at that time, but a quick, on-screen scan aided the teller in making that ‘credit decision’ – how long the account has been open, cheques returned if any, and how often the account falls below zero. You also got to know your customers.
Since then, the systems have made the jobs easier – however, it seems the employees are a lot more clueless. TD is well known for using Temp agencies, and offshore workers.
1) Every bank routinely scans your credit bureau – I mean at least every six months. These are soft, automated inquiries that do not hurt your score. These inquiries automatically adjust your ATM limits, your credit card and variable loan interest rates, and even cherry pick for new products and services. These computer systems also analyze your debts with other banks. Do people really think it’s magic that you get an offer in the mail from a competitor bank for a low interest balance transfer with a credit line offer that is just enough to cover the debt of your existing accounts with just a little extra left over for fees and charges? Your bureau shows you have a $19,000 credit card at RBC with a balance of $15,589. Suddenly TD sends you a super sparkly, diamond class card, made with graphite with a $16,000 credit line with 0% interest for 6 mos (and shoots up to 24.50% when that six months expire). They know exactly what you have, owe, and how you pay with everyone, right up to the second the teller hit the ‘Teller A/B’ key (enter)
The systems are so automated now that the decision is made for the teller. I can’t tell you how many times I had to appease a customer who had a cheque held for $200, with $200,000 of business with the bank because the teller used their ‘GUT’ or even worse, just felt like ‘being a b*tch’!!
Afterwards, when interviewing, and retraining the teller, I question their gut, and some of the absolute stupid remarks that came back made it almost extremely impossible for me to resist the urge to slap them upside the head. Some of these, and just a few of thousands…
1) They didn’t appear ‘upscale’ even though they had a ‘Private Banking’ card.
2) They were dirty, and they work on a farm, there’s no money in that!
3) She’s the same age as me, there is no way that b*tch can make that much money.
4) I saw how much they owed on their Visa! (Never looked to see that the six figure balance was paid in full monthly!)
5) He had bad breath, was old, and smelled.
6) I just felt like being a b*tch!
….the list goes on
None of these, or thousands of others should ever be used for credit granting decisions. In my 30+ years! I was held up three times by sawed off shotguns, but never was burned by a bad cheque, with the EXCEPTION of ONE time, and that was by a fellow employee who worked as a loans officer, and was redeeming term deposits of senior citizens unknowingly, and the employee out ranked me! After that, my GUT did start to kick in, when dealing with others who worked in finance!!!
As for the smelly old man, he had been a customer of TD, when was still the DOMINION BANK, and had the teller looked at the screen carefully, that smelly, poorly dressed old man had a seven figure balance in his account, much more money than that teller could ever dream of making in her lifetime. He lived in what she considered to be a ‘bad, old, and scary’ part of the city, not knowing that this customer bought his house NEW, and paid his mortgage in full over 50 years ago, and didn’t feel the need to ever move, or move-up. Judging people by their appearance is a dangerous way to judge, in fact, it was those who carried the fancy credit cards, expensive designer cheques, and Gucci check book holders were the very customers that you needed to do a ‘little extra’ to ensure the cheque was good, more times than not, it was the customers in the less desirable neighbourhoods, with second hand clothes that were worth more than the customers with the fancy cards and three car mansion in the ‘IN’ Neighborhood. Very often it was those who looked like they had money, didn’t! Especially, Doctors, Lawyers and the like…if any cheque was going to bounce it usually came from one of them, and they’d also raise the biggest stink…feeling entitled to anything they asked for.
The ‘GUT’ feeling is a very poor method when used by the inexperienced, and the untrained.
The systems are set up to make the decisions these days, there is very little for the teller to do but cross-sell to other products. The banks don’t hire bankers anymore, they hire retail sales people who have no idea how banking works…they’re main function is to sell, well, sell.
Asking the who, what, when, where, why, and how of this woman’s check from the US in the story sounds more like a check-cashing business like MoneyMart, and not a bank. TD ruined Canada Trust, and ask any American who banked with the Commerce Bank in the U.S., TD ruined them too. The Commerce Bank in the U.S. was a carbon copy of the old Canada Trust way of banking.
I’ll bet the teller tried to sell a U.S. Dollar Credit Card or Borderline Service, and the customer no doubt denied – and in retaliation, the teller held the check. I’d bet my banking fees on it! Seen it hundreds of times.
Myself, with a mortgage, loan, VISAx2, and trading account (Presidents Club) all with TD, all walked out (after being retired from TD) after a teller just like this one held a $28 U.S. Check, drawn in my name, on my account from Chase in Michigan to pay my TD U.S. dollar VISA card with a $20,000 USD limit, and $28 owing after placing a hold on that check for 30 days. The teller was clueless! If you’ve been approved for a $20,000 VISA credit line! and your presenting a check for $28 to pay it 1) the payments are guaranteed by VISA and no risk to the branch anyway, and 2) the bank has already established you’re good for the money based on the credit limit. You don’t have to have brains to work as a teller anymore, you have to have sales skills. (And it shows!)
I left for a credit union. Just a word of warning for those who decide to leave a bank for a credit union…not all credit unions are created equal, some think like a bank, some are more expensive than a bank, and some ‘Rob the Poor, and Reward the Rich’, so shop carefully!!!
December 9th, 2013 at 6:42 pm
By the way, no bank can charge a fee, nor hold a Government Of Canada cheque presented for cashing. It’s illegal! Any government regulated bank MUST cash your cheque with two pieces of government issued ID, one photo. No HOLDS!
Thousands of people go to cheque cashing services like MoneyMart and forfeit 3% of their cheques in cashing fees for NO reason.
It’s the law!
If a teller ever refuses, ask for a manager, if a manager refuses, call the ombudsman of the bank! and the ombudsman for the government of Canada. Once investigated, the bank will be fined!
December 9th, 2013 at 6:42 pm
Forgot to mention a Government of Canada cheque up to $1,500.00 CAD
March 6th, 2014 at 1:35 am
Please be careful doing banking business with the TD Bank in Fort St. John, BC. I have been dealing with this branch since 1997-1998 without incident until October 25, 2013 when the branch manager, initials N.J., refused to accept a perfectly legal cheque into my personal account. There is no good valid reason why this cheque should have been rejected. Three other local Canadian financial institutions in Fort St. John have told me they would have accepted the cheque. A payday loan and cheque cashing outlet informed me they would have cashed the cheque with me showing proper photo ID and documentation on my company, yet a bank that I have done business with for approx 15 years rejected my cheque. This does not show good customer service. I have filed a complaint against this manager and upon visiting the bank last week to obtain information on the tellers names and the bank manager involved in this October 25, 2013 cheque deposit incident, I was told by the manager I was no longer welcome in the branch and remove myself immediately or she would call the RCMP and have me arrested. I left and filed another complaint with the TD complaints department. Several days later I went to the bank to withdraw funds from my account and was met at the door by a security guard informing me I could not enter the bank as the manager prohibited my visiting there and if i insisted on entering he would call the RCMP and have me arrested. I left and on the weekend had to go to Dawson Creek to obtain money from my account. I have since closed my accounts with the bank and have moved my assets to another Canadian bank. The TD Bank in Fort St. John provides poor customer service and this manager at the Fort St. John branch if you complain takes drastic actions against you if you try and voice your concerns. Please stay away from this bank! Do your banking where you are treated with respect and customer service is a top priority. If you should ever have a concern or issue with your banking, deal with a bank where the problem is handled with professionalism and not with a threatening, intimidating attitude. Be on guard if you are a TD customer in Fort St. John or if you are thinking of being one. Shop around and choose a bank that is friendly, you feel comfortable with and provides excellent customer service and banking staff have smiles on their faces when you walk in the door!
May 23rd, 2014 at 12:58 pm
Its sad to say I have had a few encounters with TD Canada trust customers service and it has always been the customer service manager for the tellers. I went to put in a bank draft into my account and was told it was gong to be put on hold for five days. When asked why there was not sufficient explanation. I have been with TD for years and have saving with them too, the teller advised me that I should put the draft into my savings account and transfer the money to my account. He said his manager told him to tell me to dod that. Well I was rather annoyed that I spent 8 dollars on bank draft and this should have be posted clearly do people don’t waste their hard earned dollars on bank drafts. To top it all the customer service manager gave me attitude. So much for the #1bank for customer service
August 17th, 2014 at 3:12 pm
Before the merge of CT & TD in 2000,with the friendly help of the CT CSR, I bought the mutual funds with my RRSP all in the 1990’s. Before buying the mutual funds, the CT CSR told me explained in detail and guaranteed the customers like me that all mutual funds received dividends and reinvest in the same portfolio either quarterly or annually, automatically. That means customers had worry-free. However, after the merge, this dividend-reinvest- environment has had ever changed, no more dividends in my three portfolios, namely, TD CDN Ser.1; TD US Indx. CN-1; and TD US Mid-cap Gw.-1. I seldom check the paper till 2011, but it was too late. Consequently I went to the branch office and argued what I had found out the problems. I had gone through these past years to raise the concern with the TD Financial Reps. without result. Finally, I got the names and addresses to where I should complain to, but still no result. I just wonder whether or not the TD-CT had any guarantee to the old customers of the CT before the merge.
February 24th, 2015 at 12:15 am
I couldn’t even begin to list all the problems I’ve had with TD Canada Trust, but this one seems fitting it was about the Manager of the King Edward and Knight st branch in Vancouver BC. I had gone into that branch one day to get some cheques done up. Well the teller screwed up the cheques with the wrong transit number and I later gave one of the cheques to RBC for a vehicle loan then a month or so went by and I got a letter from RBC saying my loan was going to collections I asked why and they said they couldn’t get the money out of my account. I then called down to the branch I’m talking about only to have the Manager tell me the fault was probably mine which made me very angry which turned into an argument then him yelling at me. I then went straight down to the bank and argued with the Manager about this only to find out it was all their fault and the teller filled out the whole cheque form that they fill out and it was no fault of mine, but now because of TD’s screw up the missing payments for the loan are on my Credit Bureau to this day. I got a letter from TD and sent it to the scumbags at Equifax got no help from them so I called them and got a call center in India. I’m sure you can guess how that went. TD Canada Trust Sucks.
November 24th, 2015 at 5:57 am
I have also had many issues with TDCanadaTrust, I have been banking with them for 16 years too long. The errors, misrepresentation and unacceptable business practices are non -ending. My branch has a new manager yearly never know who to speak too. Currently, I have been trying to get my discharge documentation from my branch since May 2015 in November 2015 I went above the branch level send me back to deal with the manager, she gave me 3 minutes at a counter while charging me a fee to discharge my mortgage. Upon arriving home I sent her an email with my issues and how she has not handle any of my concerns with this branch . Her reply email she stated we had worked out the issues and, I did not have to deal with a particular loan officer going forward. Did she read my email? Were we at the same counter. I send her another email, and she reply please call me. I have wasted enough time on this branch and this Trust company. I cannot get out fast enough. I called customer services twice, and when I called back yesterday no record of my call. Good thing I contacted the Ombudsman because states you must wait for written report surprise, surprise TDCanadaTrust, did not even have a record of my calls so how could I receive a written letter to deal with the Ombudsman of TDCanadaTrust?. Then, yesterday called again I was advised this would be escalated to the next level, honesty I am not holding my breath. We the clients have rights, and we need to stand up together if we stop taking all the crap and close our accounts. They will get the message, we do not need them. TDCanadaTrust use our money, and gives us very little but charge us large fees to borrow. Possibly, I can hear from other , where do you bank? are you happy with the service? What do you recommend, willing to drive to deal with a bank, trust or credit union that deals with the public with ethical and honest practices