Is this a nice bank?

Question

True story, your thoughts please.
A lady died this past January, and ANZ bank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and then added late fees and interest on the monthly charge.
The balance had been $0.00, now is somewhere around $60.00.
A family member placed a call to ANZ:
Family Member: "I am calling to tell you that she died in January."
ANZ: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."
Family Member: "Maybe, you should turn it over to collections."
ANZ: "Since it is two months past due, it already has been."
Family Member: So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?"
ANZ: "Either report her account to the frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!"
Family Member: "Do you think God will be mad at her?"
ANZ: "Excuse me?"
Family Member: "Did you just get what I was telling you . . .the part about her being dead?"

ANZ: "Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor."
Supervisor gets on the phone:
Family Member: "I'm calling to tell you, she died in January."
ANZ: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."
Family Member: "You mean you want to collect from her estate?"
ANZ: (Stammer) "Are you her lawyer?"
Family Member: "No, I'm her great nephew." (Lawyer info given)
ANZ: "Could you fax us a certificate of death?"
Family Member: "Sure." (fax number is given)
After they get the fax:
ANZ: "Our system just isn't set up for death. I don't know what more I can do to help."
Family Member: "Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. I don't think she will care."
ANZ: "Well, the late fees and charges do still apply."
Family Member: "Would you like her new billing address?"
ANZ: "That might help."
Family Member: " Rookwood Memorial Cemetery, 1249 Centenary Rd, Sydney Plot Number 69."
ANZ: "Sir, that's a cemetery!"

Family Member: "Well, what the f *#> are you suppose to do with dead people?"

Answer 1

The scary part is I don't find this the least bit unbelievable

Answer 2

Money hungry people are everywhere, they just keep coming even after death. The family member should have given those people the address of where she is buried so they can dig her up and beat it out of her! It's a shame that so many businesses don't care about other people, just give them money and maybe they will leave you alone. If I were the family member I'd call a lawyer and take them to court!

Answer 3

That is hilarioius.

When my dad died my mom wanted more than just herself on the safety deposit box list, so my sister and brother went with her to get their names on the box. I didn't go because I didn't think everyone needed to be on it. My mom explains the situation to the lady at the desk. It turns out that my mom, as an authorized user of the box, could add as many people as she wanted. So she added my brother and sister. Then mom asked for my dad's name to be removed. After going around and around for a while, they wanted her to close the box and get a new one. She expalined she wanted to keep the same box (which was paid for several months ahead of time). The lady told her, his (my dad's) name will NEVER be removed. Mom said, "fine, he won't be back," ( LOL ) and left the bank. My dad's name was on the box until we closed it when my mom died several years later. The funny this is that this same bank removed my dad's name from the mortgage before my mom could even get to the bank. They had read the obituary and since dead people cannot be responsible for a debt, his name was removed.

I worked Customer Service for a telephone company. If anyone called in and said their family member died and the account needed to be put in the surviving partner's name, we were supposed to ask for a death certificate. I told my employer that I would never be asking for a death certificate. I worked there 20 years and never onced asked any beveared man or woman for his or her partner's death certificate. This was for a BILL. The person calling in was asking to be responsible for a BILL; he or she was not asking to GET anything.

I love the bank story. Thank you and thanks for listening to me vent.

Answer 4

I think something similar appeared in an advice column once. A widow was tired of her deceased husband getting telemarketing calls or junk mail or something like that, so she started giving out the cemetery address and phone number as her husband's contact info. Funny move.

Answer 5

haha! thats really funny.. i used to be a call center agent.. also taking calls for a bank's credit card services.. that is exactly the reason why the first rule is: PAY ATTENTION!

Answer 6

Thats crazy....lol...im actually from australia so i know which bank ur talking about. Banks in australia are way dif from banks in US. I work for a bank in the US now and i dont think my bank would do anything so ridiculous.

Answer 7

I do its kinda like "poison ivy" in batman..... yet my kiss purely knock you unconsious or makes u experience so extreme that i will coerce ppl into giving me their wallet, jewels etc. Oh and that i exploit gunslinger as my get-a-way driver he can stress the schit out of something ;)

Answer 8

the bill has to be paid when my grandmother died my grandpa didnt know she had an account with a bank and the fees had to be paid... its not that weird?!

Answer 9

Thats great

Answer 10

Next, they will probably try to take her to small claims court.