GET F'D KIWIBANK

 

A month ago I got an email from 'Kiwibank'.  In it they said they had noticed frequent 3rd party deposits and MULTIPLE CASH DEPOSITS AT ATM'S.

And they demanded I provide documentation to show where the money was coming from?  And proof of my address bla bla bla.

I thought it was a scam, I really did.

Why?  Because I have only had A FEW deposits into that account from people buying my patchwork, and as for me putting cash into ATM's?  NEVER HAVE I EVER PUT CASH INTO AN ATM machine.  Like, NEVER.

So of course I thought it was a scam, someone trying to get my information to rip me off.

UNTIL YESTERDAY, when I got another email, saying because I had not provided the requested documentation, they were closing my account, and I needed to get my money out of the account before they closed it!  

I was like... OK, I need to go into the bank to sort this out.  STILL thinking it was a scam of some sort.

BUT NO!  It was real.  And when I asked them to show me PROOF of 'numerous 3rd party deposits', and MULTIPLE unexplained cash deposits into ATM's... they said they didn't have to show me!

So I was like, fine you arseholes, give my all my money (there wasn't a lot in there thankfully), and I closed the accounts myself.

I had been with Kiwibank for over 25 years, and they can now get fucked.

I was/am furious.   I am sure they can see I did not make ANY cash deposits into those accounts.  And nor were there any such deposits on my statements.

Stew reckons they just wanted to close my accounts because they were not making much money out of me.  

Whatever.  It's over.  I am now back to being a one bank person, not two.

And there ends my rant.

When I started WEGOVY, I also bought some Opti Fast chocolate shakes to help speed things up a bit.  But I hate them, they have this hideous taste, and even putting fruit in and blending it all together, it was still hideous.

Then someone told me about the Opti Fast Lemon dessert.

So yesterday I bought some...

ABOVE: I whizzed it up in my blender and put it in the fridge for 5 minutes, as per the instructions.

Then I tried it, fully expecting it to still have that nasty Opti Shake taste.

BUT NO... it was perfectly palatable.  Nice even.  Such a relief, as it gives me a very low calorie option when I feel peckish in the evening.

They cost $5.37 per serve, so you can't quibble about that.

Today I will be going to Pak n Save for what I didn't get yesterday.  Then coming home and going to the craft room to do some sewing with the girls.  As long as it's not raining, I'm not trudging down to the craft room in the rain.  I'd rather stay home.

ONWARD... 

JANICE:  The first person I spoke to was a woman.  When I asked her to answer my questions about why the bank was going to just up and close MY ACCOUNT... she said in a very arrogant and loud way "WE DON'T HAVE TO TELL OR SHOW YOU ANYTHING"!  I was gobsmacked.  I pointed out that surely they could see via my bank statements that NOTHING had been put into my account via an ATM or even over the counter...  after telling me I had done so... but NO.  WE ARE CLOSING YOUR ACCOUNT.

So I went over to the teller and took my money out and the young man who served me there was extremely nice.

NO I was not rude or aggressive to anyone... as if!  I was fully aware it was not the staff's fault.

But when I left the bank... I did give 'the bank' the finger.  I couldn't help myself.  

Shoot me now.

It is now 10.30 and I've done the grocery shopping, and put it all away.  It is certainly cheaper at Pak n Save, I really should go there instead of New World. 😖 

While it is not raining right now, I have opted not to go down to the craft room.  Just my luck it will piss down later on and I'll get caught in it.

Best to just stay home.  

12 midday.

And I just had a phone call from the Manager of the KIWIBANK Investigative Team down in Wellington.  He had received my email this morning.

He starts by saying "MRS HARVEY, WE ARE SO SORRY"... then continues with...  The Bank has made a MONUMENTAL ERROR, and the person who sent you the first email asking for all the 'documentation, proof of transactions, bla bla bla made a mistake and sent it to YOU, instead of the intended recipient!

I was never supposed to get that email!!!

I was never supposed to have my account closed.

And the woman who dealt with me and my enquiries yesterday also made a mistake, by telling me I had no right to see or be told WHY this was happening.  Or even trying to check out what I was saying was TRUE.

So there ya go.  I told the man I would like a follow up email detailing what had happened, and the apology in writing.

Cos I like this sort of shit in writing.

I nearly cried actually, I was so relieved that it wasn't my fault, I had done nothing wrong at all.

Which I knew, but I was made to feel so 'bad' when I left the bank yesterday.

SAGA IS OVER.  And I'm still not going to re-join Kiwibank.  

Audrey:  I was not calling an unfamiliar phone number to possibly get a scammer on the other end!  A resident here in my village did that recently and got scammed out of her life savings!  Luckily for her, the idiot then went on to pay a personal bill with HER money and subsequently got caught.  But back to me... I do not click on any links or ring unfamiliar numbers.  When I think it looks like a scam I hit 'DELETE' immediately.

In hindsight, I should have gone into the bank in person to check it out.  Like I did yesterday... and see how that went?

Just in...  

Hello Christina,

 

Thank you for your time today.

 

I am writing on behalf of our AML & Sanctions Team to sincerely apologise for the way your account review and subsequent closure were handled.

 

We have identified that an error was made in our assessment, and transactions were attributed to your accounts that did not occur on them. We recognise that the information we requested was not intended for you, and this may have affected your decision to continue your banking relationship.

 

I appreciate how serious and distressing this situation has been, particularly given the nature of the concerns raised. You should not have been placed in a position where you felt that your account activity was being questioned.

 

I am also very sorry to hear about your experience when you approached the branch for an explanation. Regardless of the circumstances, you should have been treated with courtesy, respect and empathy when raising your concerns.

 

We take responsibility for our error and for the impact it had on your experience with Kiwibank. We are reviewing what occurred so that we can understand how the incorrect information was associated with your accounts and strengthen our processes to reduce the risk of this happening again.

 

I appreciate that an apology cannot undo what happened or the frustration and distress this caused. However, I want to acknowledge clearly that we got this wrong, and I am genuinely sorry for the impact on you.

 

Please feel free to contact me directly either by reply email, or you may call my cell phone below.

And that's the end of it.  I shall email Whetu back on Monday, thanking him for his email and clarifying, in writing, that I did nothing wrong.

It is now 5 pm and I have been sewing for a bit this afternoon.  Not too much as my left shoulder/arm is rather sore today.  Well it is most days now.

When I next see the Dr I shall bring it up again and see what can be done, if anything.  Except injections!  lol

8 pm.  It's been a bit of a day eh?  A bit of an ongoing sage re: The Bank.  But it is 100% done and dusted now.

I went for a late afternoon walk in the rain, it was lovely.

We have had a thunderstorm this afternoon, but not torrential rain like last night.

Just enough to water the gardens good and proper.

Time to sign off for the day, I'm looking forward to a reasonably early night.

Catch ya tomorrow.