Kiwibank takes 40 minutes to answer the phone: what's going on?

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Forums › Finance and wealth management › Kiwibank takes 40 minutes to answer the phone: what's going on?

frednz

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#210590 3-Apr-2017 11:19

Has anyone else experienced problems recently with Kiwibank taking ages to answer the phone, I wonder what's going on?

Is this an example of cost saving, because it's happened to us twice now during the last fortnight!

Fred

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#1753639 3-Apr-2017 11:34

Urgent or non-urgent query?

Why I ask is I've found the in-app or website support works fine for non-urgent. Usually get a reply within 1 to 2 days.

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Grant

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DjShadow

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#1753672 3-Apr-2017 11:58

As I understand it the NZ Post building in Wellington CBD where their main call centre is located is still closed

mattwnz

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#1753674 3-Apr-2017 12:12

Yes it isn't good these days. Not sure what is going on. The Wellington earthquake was last year so you would have expected they would have come up with a solution since then, if that is the reason.

frednz

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#1753679 3-Apr-2017 12:35

ZollyMonsta:

Urgent or non-urgent query?

Why I ask is I've found the in-app or website support works fine for non-urgent. Usually get a reply within 1 to 2 days.

Cheers,
Grant

Thanks, yes a good idea for non-urgent matters. My last call took them 55 minutes to answer, so life's too short to carry on like that!

TSB Bank are very good at answering the phone promptly, but some of the other banks are very painful to deal with. You need to have the email address of a personal banker at your branch and give up trying to phone call centres!

Fred

frednz

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#1753683 3-Apr-2017 12:41

mattwnz: Yes it isn't good these days. Not sure what is going on. The Wellington earthquake was last year so you would have expected they would have come up with a solution since then, if that is the reason.

Yes, and one other thing that worries me is the withdrawal by New Zealand Post of its guarantee in respect of term deposits. How secure is Kiwibank these days for investors?

Thanks

Fred

jonathan18

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#1753728 3-Apr-2017 13:06

I've rung Kiwibank three times today - of those, spoke to someone instantly on two occasions, and waited no more than one minute on the other. This was the home loans team, so there doesn't seem to be a problem that end...

BTR

1527 posts

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#1753730 3-Apr-2017 13:08

Is it a general query or specific, there websites lists different 0800 numbers to call depending on what you are wanting.

mattwnz

19994 posts

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#1753741 3-Apr-2017 13:21

jonathan18:

I've rung Kiwibank three times today - of those, spoke to someone instantly on two occasions, and waited no more than one minute on the other. This was the home loans team, so there doesn't seem to be a problem that end...

I am guessing they have different teams. Banks wouldn't want people wanting to borrow money to be waiting on hold too long, as they need to lend money to make money, otherwise they will just phone up another bank to borrow that money from.

mattwnz

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#1753752 3-Apr-2017 13:23

frednz:

mattwnz: Yes it isn't good these days. Not sure what is going on. The Wellington earthquake was last year so you would have expected they would have come up with a solution since then, if that is the reason.

Yes, and one other thing that worries me is the withdrawal by New Zealand Post of its guarantee in respect of term deposits. How secure is Kiwibank these days for investors?

Thanks

Fred

Does the guarantee removal only apply to term deposits? People would need to make up their own mind over risks, and all the banks ratings, and interest rates can be seen at interest.co.nz. As house prices are turning, and supposedly house prices in Auckland are now back to the values they were a year ago. As much of NZ bank lending is in houses, it is something to be aware of.

martyyn

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#1753772 3-Apr-2017 13:40

Not just their phone service. It took them two weeks to respond to a CC balance transfer request made on the website and another week to actually do it, and I've been waiting three weeks now for a response to a mortgage application where I've had regular email contact with the team processing it since before Christmas.

MikeAqua

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#1753836 3-Apr-2017 14:39

They are a bank. They don't care about their customers.

Mike

JaseNZ

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#1753840 3-Apr-2017 14:46

My last call to them about 2 weeks ago now took 45 mins to answer, I had closed all my accounts with them but my credit cards were still showing and both attracted a 25 annual fee. The guy said there was a note there that they should have been closed but for some reason wasn't. He got the charges reversed then it took another 2 weeks for the accounts to close.

Had been with them for 15 years before I moved and all in all I had nothing but a good experience with them

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cadman

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#1753845 3-Apr-2017 14:56

That's nothing. I sent them an email 6 weeks ago (which they responded to) alerting them to locations of Kiwibank ATM locations in Auckland that are incorrectly placed or don't even exist (both on the app and the website) and they haven't done a thing about it.

Yabanize

2349 posts

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#1753891 3-Apr-2017 16:05

IMO Kiwibank are losing it.

I don't like the shared branches with post shop, You go into another banks branch and they're so much nicer and you get served faster.

They aren't keeping up with technology: It took them a while to get payWave on Visa Debit and they still haven't done any mobile wallet solutions.

It's nice supporting the NZ owned companies, but it's not equivalent to a 'proper' bank.

dafman

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#1754903 3-Apr-2017 17:13

Yabanize:

IMO Kiwibank are losing it.

I don't like the shared branches with post shop, You go into another banks branch and they're so much nicer and you get served faster.

They aren't keeping up with technology: It took them a while to get payWave on Visa Debit and they still haven't done any mobile wallet solutions.

It's nice supporting the NZ owned companies, but it's not equivalent to a 'proper' bank.

Couldn't disagree with you more.

Kiwibank now has dedicated access in Post shop for bank customers only. I've only ever had minimal waits, if at all, on the few occasions I have seen a teller - and the tellers were just as 'nice' as any other teller in any other bank.

Their electronic platforms, web and mobile, are easy to use.

Their product offerings for loans and investments are innovative.

Their rates are competitive.

They are very much a real bank, in all aspects.

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