Thursday, September 2

Thanks Luke, call-centre saviour



I applied my first credit card during the first year of my first job, and I am still holding on to the card, for convenience. The credit card had great promotions, and the call centre provides quite a great service, and it has nothing to them giving me a waiver of a fine (I always forget to pay) whenever I demand ask for it.

But I was quoite pissed with the call centre last night. The story begins like this.

I awoke at 1am+ last night, to the noise of the phone ringing. It was Wifey, who was at the United States on a business trip. She was having problem checking out the hotel because the supplementary card I gave her couldn’t go through the payment.

Stranded on the check out day at a hotel, with no other modes of payment and minimal cash, I dropped her call and urgently called the credit card help centre to ask why the transaction couldn’t go through.

As you might have guessed, I got a reply that “Your card has hit the credit limit, Sir.” This was true, as I had made a substantial purchase with my credit card earlier that night.

However, Wifey had also earlier told me that when she checked in the hotel, they had already swiped her card to “reserve the payment” to the hotel when she checked out. I had earlier called the credit company and got an assurance that since the hotel payment was earmarked, so Wifey would have no problem checking out.

But when I told the help centre guy that, he insisted that “Sorry Sir, your credit card has hit the credit limit”. As I try to paraphrase my point, he will cut me halfway and reiterate that I have hit limit. I acknowledged this but insisted that this was not the problem. This explain and getting interrupted went on for some time. I felt he wasn’t bothered with listening.

Sleep-deprived in the middle of the night, and worried about my Wifey being unable to check out, I got irritated eventually and insisted that I talk to someone else, in fact ANYONE else.

He hesitated but eventually passed my call to his fellow colleague, who LISTENED, and did a check to confirm that the hotel payment was earmarked. And he told me that the REAL reason was that the amount reserved for payment at the hotel did not tally with the amount at checkout. And the solution was simple, the hotel just had to cancel this reservation, thus freeing up my credit, so that he can key in the new bill.

Now that I had gotten a logical solution, I thanked him repeatedly, and got the name of this call-centre saviour, his name was “Luke”.

After I told Wifey the solution, I couldn’t fall asleep (despite being dead beat), anxious if the Luke’s solution will solve the problem. When I finally got her SMS of confirmation, I smiled. And I finally could go to sleep.

The day after, back in office, I told my colleagues the ordeal I had and also the lack of sleep. And I told them never to irritate a sleep deprived man, I will bite.

Thanks again Luke, you are one good reason why I will continue to stick to this credit card company.

11 comments:

khengsiong said...

Which is why I have 2 credit cards...

HappySurfer said...

Luke must have been the one with more experience. Glad all's well in the end. Must have been quite a scare for both of you.

Medie007 said...

glad all well ends well.

Lily Riani said...

dont you just hates it when the call centre guy BLURLY followed the telemarketing script. i similar blur sotong incident when i was in NZ, I need to make my mthly payment which is due. the thing is that i called 1 wk before dept to inform on me traveling at for 2 weeks (mth end) hence late in payment. he insisted i pay up (chee sin! and i also said i am in NZ the moment i sad hello and i cant talk long!)... he ask when i will be back, how soon to make payment insist i give the date... and ALSO told me if i knew am traveling, please make payment before leaving. i said salary belum masuk!

wah! naik angin i scolded him kow kow and complain upwards. the manager called me, play back the call and apologise few times and admitted their mistake.

iamthewitch said...

Don't you just hate it when people don't LISTEN when you talk? I have had similar problems before and my point just could NEVER get across. Irritating! but thank God there's a Luke to the rescue! :)

ladyviral said...

That is why we appreciate those who help...

Some are just plain lazy... and just read from the their process book not willing to do anything else... sheesh.

Anonymous said...

I own a credit card for convenience too. I am a good paymaster but sadly credit card companies deem people like me "bad customers". And for so many years that I have had a good track record, they have never ever thought of rewarding this genuinely good customer!

TG said...

For every bad man there is a good man. Just needs some time and luck to find him :) Hope your wifey is fine. I would be worried like you, had it been Lily :)

spy@fic said...

his name is probably not Luke.... now u will always wonder.

Twilight Man said...

I was almost in the mood to write a lengthy comment on my card woes with CIMB cards recently. They barred my 3 Platinum cards cos I lapsed RM200 for 3 months cos they still sent statements to my old address after 1 year. I was unfortunate there was no Luke to help me. :)

Anonymous said...

It’s funny how many articles and news come out on a weekly basis.

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