Kiwibank has changed for the worse

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Forums › Finance and wealth management › Kiwibank has changed for the worse

Rikkitic

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#252923 17-Jul-2019 10:55

Whenever complaints about Kiwibank have been aired here, I have usually defended them. For years my experiences with their customer service have been excellent. But no more, regrettably. They seem to have 'updated' their procedures and I just spent an hour on the phone going around in circles.

I don't use Internet banking. I know I am in the minority with that but I just don't like the idea and I don't normally need it. I am a pensioner and my banking needs are very minor.

Usually I do transactions in person at a Kiwibank branch when I am in town. But on occasion I have needed to transfer funds into my payments account and that has always gone without a hitch. Ring the bank, answer some security questions, done. It has never been a problem.

Until today. They seem to have changed their procedures. This time they wanted to know a transaction I had made within the past 7 days. Except there was no transaction in the past 7 days. I don't make that many transactions. There was one 10 days ago, and I had all the details of that, but it wasn't good enough. Neither was my providing every other possible detail about my person, life and banking practices. I asked to speak to a supervisor and her manner was pleasant enough, but she was completely inflexible and we just kept going around in circles. It was a frustrating and unsatisfying experience.

All that this tells me is that in spite of their current add campaign, Kiwibank has now become just as institutional as all the other banking monoliths. They have adopted a completely inflexible one-size-fits-all approach that is also utterly lacking in common sense. Yes, I get the need for security questions and have no problem with that, but this was something else. Forget the 'it's a local thing we are Kiwi' blather. They may or may not be worse than any of the others, but certainly they are no longer any better. Ringing them has also become an ordeal. You used to get straight through to a person after a few rings. Now you have to thread your way past a robot after wasting a half hour of your life listening to canned music that seems to have been selected to be as painful as possible.

I used to recommend Kiwibank but no more. I am stuck with them but any affection I used to have for them is gone for good. They are just another unhelpful bank, whatever their commercials claim.

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#2278211 17-Jul-2019 11:28

Sadly, this will be the new norm going forward as more and more regulations are foisted upon the banks and other financial providers.

You'll get to the point where if you're not online, you won't be able to do certain things. Branches will eventually become cash free and over the counter transactions will be no longer be free (if in fact anyone offers free OTC services these days).

It's not just KB - they're just the latest cab off the rank in your personal experience.

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michaelmurfy

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#2278212 17-Jul-2019 11:29

Not sure why you don't use Internet Banking - it makes life far easier. You're clearly on the internet and even posting to a technology forum so there is really no reason for you not to use it.

Internet Banking is actually somewhat more secure than phone banking services in the sense everything is encrypted. If you've got a Smartphone then the app makes things far easier (and quicker) to check. Even if you don't do too many transactions I'd still strongly recommend this. I personally work on the platform for a large bank and know what banks do to prevent fraud by this service outside of people sharing login information. If you use common sense, use their KeepSafe service and use a different password (that you don't share) than everything else you shouldn't run into any issues.

Furthermore, everything on Internet Banking is also logged and depending on the bank, these logs are parsed through a fraud checking system which can flag unusual activity.

I know you may still not want to use it - but honestly, your complaint towards them can be resolved with just getting onboard with Internet Banking and / or Mobile Banking (via their app). On the phone they can't physically see you so have to identify you somehow - I know with ANZ this is via Voice Biometrics but I've never actually had to call Kiwibank so not sure what their processes are. It is likely in this instance the CSR made a bit of a mistake with asking the wrong question - as they're unable to provide any details without identifying you (to protect your account) they can't give a hint "oh, actually, you don't have any transactions in the last seven days" so instead have to just go with it and have you either say "I have not done any transactions in the last 7 days" or simply give them the last transaction.

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surfisup1000

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#2278216 17-Jul-2019 11:35

You really should bite the bullet and give internet banking a try. I'm sure kiwibank offers 2 factor security ... meaning a fraudster would need to break into your account and steal your mobile phone.

I'm not sure you'll be better off at any other bank either -- ASB recently asked me for transaction information as part of their over-the-phone security questions.

The government sets many of the regulations around this, I'm not sure it is entirely fair to blame kiwibank.

Rikkitic

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#2278221 17-Jul-2019 11:53

If they had said government regulation was the reason, I could at least understand that, though I wouldn't like it, but they didn't.

@michaelmurfy: I know you work for a bank and I'm sure everything you say is true. But I am elderly and I carry all the baggage that goes with that. I know some (mostly obsolete) technical stuff from my younger days but I don't understand modern security and I don't trust what I don't understand. I have never owned a cell phone and have no idea how to use one. I'm sure security at the bank end is perfect, but my equipment is old and so is the OS I prefer. My security is actually pretty good because of the way I use the Internet and I do run checks and keep an eye on things but I ensure on purpose that nothing of value can be accessed via my computer. This gives me peace of mind because there is no way to get at my money except to go through me. It is what I feel comfortable with and how I prefer things. If it all goes pear-shaped, I would probably eventually get my money back from the bank, but I don't want to have the hassle. I am old and tired and all my energy goes to Geekzone.

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#2278224 17-Jul-2019 11:58

Ridiculous to penalise a customer simply because they do not happen to have made a transaction in 7 days. You'll just have to go to the dairy and buy a loaf of bread or something then ring them - but you should not need to.

It's all too common. My brother had huge difficulty getting an insurance payout in the UK because he did not have a UK bank account, having lived in the USA for 20+ years. They simply couldn't cope with a relatively simple deviation from their norms.

This sort of thing makes me want to live on a private island and never interact with the world ever again sometimes!

MikeB4

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#2278228 17-Jul-2019 12:04

Not using internet banking is not an age thing. My in laws used internet banking until they passed away last year and they were in their late 80s . My older siblings all use. I am not young (don't qualify for Super yet) and I use for as much as I can.I seldom go near a bank or an ATM.

Rikkitic

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#2278231 17-Jul-2019 12:08

Changing the way you have always done something is an age thing. I do things the way I do because I prefer them that way.

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MikeB4

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#2278233 17-Jul-2019 12:09

Geektastic:

Ridiculous to penalise a customer simply because they do not happen to have made a transaction in 7 days. You'll just have to go to the dairy and buy a loaf of bread or something then ring them - but you should not need to.

It's all too common. My brother had huge difficulty getting an insurance payout in the UK because he did not have a UK bank account, having lived in the USA for 20+ years. They simply couldn't cope with a relatively simple deviation from their norms.

This sort of thing makes me want to live on a private island and never interact with the world ever again sometimes!

You do, it is the Wairarapa wilderness. I would call it the wild west but it's in the east 😇😁

Rikkitic

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#2278234 17-Jul-2019 12:12

I have been told that old people are also stubborn.

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MikeB4

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#2278236 17-Jul-2019 12:13

Rikkitic:

Changing the way you have always done something is an age thing. I do things the way I do because I prefer them that way.

I will beg to differ. The example of my in laws is they were in their 70s when they switched to internet banking. In my community service I see many many seniors using or switching to internet banking and I always advise those who haven't to do so and help them transition. It adds to their freedom. By saying it is an age thing is adding to the stereotyping of seniors.

afe66

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#2278237 17-Jul-2019 12:16

My recent frustration is the closure of multiple location to a central hub in business area which doesn't have an ATM that accepts cheques. Like all the other banks..

Now I have to specifically head into business area drive round and round trying to find a park to deposit a cheque for a job that took less time to do then bank the cheque. And I cant deposit the cheque out of our when lots of parking because the ancient ATM.

(Some customers still insist on paying me in cheques)

Rikkitic

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#2278241 17-Jul-2019 12:21

MikeB4:

By saying it is an age thing is adding to the stereotyping of seniors.

I am a senior so it doesn't count when I do it.

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dafman

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#2278242 17-Jul-2019 12:21

To play devil's advocate.

Expecting a bank to transfer funds over a personal phone call outside of phone banking or internet banking is an unusual transaction and is higher risk for the bank. For this reason, Kiwibank's security questions are 'predetermined' to protect staff when they are asked to make payments over the phone, outside of usual banking channels, and with no other tangible ID available to them.

Your case was probably unique in that none of the predetermined questions could be satisfied on this particular call. In this circumstance, for their own protection, staff do not have discretion to accept other anecdotal identifiers.

Suggestion for future - reconsider either phone banking or internet banking. I am a Kiwibank customer and I can transfer funds between accounts in under 30 seconds, from go to whoa, using the phone app.

Rikkitic

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#2278244 17-Jul-2019 12:26

dafman:

Suggestion for future - reconsider either phone banking or internet banking. I am a Kiwibank customer and I can transfer funds between accounts in under 30 seconds, from go to whoa, using the phone app.

No phone - no phone app. I take your other points but if someone is able to supply innumerable personal details about themselves and the account, other than the one thing being demanded, there ought to be a point at which common sense kicks in.

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networkn

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#2278246 17-Jul-2019 12:31

I feel for your situation but I also know you aren't likely to be seeing any room given in this regard. The reality is that your average consumer wants less expense in their banking, and for this to occur, they need to take the people out of it.

My grandfather (admittedly an incredibly intelligent person with a science and electronics background) learned to use a PC with Windows 95 on it, late in his seventies. I do understand your feelings and reasons for them, but people are going away in banking to a large degree and you will pay heavily for the people based services you use.

I honestly believe I could spend 30 minutes with you and you'd wonder what all the fuss was with internet banking. On a mobile device especially, with it's large buttons and pretty easy to use interface, you'd find it so easy, I promise you.

At the end of the day, I understand it's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth, things aren't going to improve with people services in banks, and some banks will eventually just not really allow you to transact with them at a personal level for simple tasks like transferring funds etc.

If you were closer to my location, I'd happily spend some time with you about it, and I am completely confident you'd be confidenly using your internet banking after that.

I think at the very least you should download the app onto your android or IOS device and have a look at it. It certainly wouldn't be a fraction as hard as your Kodi box to set up and use.

If you are adamant you won't try it, then you will need to comply with the bank requests to provide information in the manner they require it, even if it's wildly illogical or inconvenient for you.

We have been with Kiwibank for many years, and I think they are the worst I've dealt with, especially around borrowing, and despite my best efforts to explain the illogical approach, they have not budged an inch.

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