Why, BPI, why?
October 15, 2007
Dear Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI),
Here are two of your clients with two separate concerns.
One tried to withdraw cash in your ATM, got nothing because the machine did not dispense any but is still waiting, after two long weeks, for the amount to be credited back to the account.
The other allegedly got victimized by one of your very own bank managers. The client was expecting a remittance from another country, was told there were delays because of numerous problems, but discovered that the branch manager himself apparently took the money. Now, after four long months, the money has not yet been returned.
Pray, tell, BPI, why does it take you a long time to act on the following complaints?
Case #1: The ATM machine that did not dispense cash
Around two weeks ago, PinoyMoneyTalk.com Forum member restless apparently tried to withdraw P20,000 (US$440) in a BPI ATM but received no cash. The card was ejected but the machine did not dispense any bills. Although the transaction receipt clearly confirmed, "No bills dispensed," the account was debited P20,000.
restless contacted BPI's Support Hotline and the agent on the other line filed a report. A week later, to his surprise and disappointment, he was told the case had been investigated but the transaction cannot be found. He decided to visit a BPI branch, armed with supporting documents, to file another report. As of this writing, however, no positive response has been received.
Read more about this case in the "BPI ATM did not dispense cash; money still not returned" discussion thread.
Case #2: The bank manager who allegedly stole a client's remittance
A post from another forum which we reposted in the "Remittance money allegedly stolen by BPI branch manager" thread tells the story of a remittance recipient who has not received the money despite waiting for four months.
The client was expecting a P300,000 (US$6,600) remittance from his mother in Italy. For several weeks, the branch office manager told him the money has not yet arrived supposedly due to various reasons. Annoyed by the two months delay, he decided to file a report in BPI's Customer Hotline. The ensuing investigation allegedly discovered that the bank manager himself took the money. As a result, the manager was not fired but merely suspended for one month without pay.
However, after two more months, the client has still not seen his money.
Tell us, BPI, is this really the brand of service the third largest bank in the Philippines offers? Why should your clients suffer for problems that were not of their own doing? Why should they wait weeks or months before you solve their complaints?
Your clients want to know, BPI. Don't ask why.
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May 1st, 2008 at 6:42 am
ngyari na din sakin yan, im just a small earner with a family.500 pesos is a big deal to me, un nalang natitira sa atm ko gamit para sa salary ko. tapos nun wala akong pamasahe pauwi, naisip kong magwithraw, nakailang minuto ako naghintay taz lumabas ung card pero pera hindi. nanlumo ako.no choice naglakad ako pauwi from paranaque to las pinas. it was hard earned money 500 na nga lang nawala pa??????? bakit??????
November 27th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Im also a victim. i withdraw at BPI ATM market market small amount nga lng d sya nagdespense ng pero ng nagcomplain me they said na despense daw un money but with honesty wala talaga nadespense. kaya after a week close ko na acct ko
November 10th, 2007 at 12:51 am
I’m losing my trust with BPI. What kind of investigating team (or whatever they call themselves) BPI has. They are so slow to act on complaints like the one I filed. I was trying to withdraw 10,000.oo but I did not get anything from the machine, much worse is that it was debited to my account. I called the hotline told me to wait for the result of the investigation. Days passed by, everytime I call Customer Service Hotline, I get the same answer. I think we, clients have weak proofs for these cases because all we have is just a piece of paper which they call transaction slip. They can easily say that there was not found any problem or it’s not that I’m just telling false accusations, and poor me, will suffer the consequences for their mistakes. I was hoping that there are surveillance cameras on their ATM, but to my disgust, BPI DOESN”T HAVE CAMERAS ON THEIR ATM, i was told by a branch manager. I was hoping they have it so I can prove that I went home empty handed. I am not rich. 10,000 is a big deal to me, it was hard earned money. I’ll give them 1 more week, and I swear, I’ll pull out all my money and open an account to other bank.
October 31st, 2007 at 3:47 pm
amerah, your boyfriend’s stance on the issue is understandable. If he wants to remain silent about it, then we respect that.
But I think people, especially those using BPI’s Remittance Service, ought to know that these instances do happen, and that is the reason we posted this article. We hope that by bringing this issue to light, others who had similar experiences will know what to do.
Still, I personally find it annoying that it took BPI 4 months to return the money to your boyfriend. Was he paid interest on top of the principal? At 1% interest p.a., that P300,000 would have earned P1,000. More if it was placed in a time deposit or a mutual fund.
October 22nd, 2007 at 3:33 pm
my bf doesn’t doesn’t want to sue the manager because he said that the manager is an old man and what he just want is to give his money back. and bpi told him not to sue them and tell anybody what happened