Banks

[Angelsheart]

Copied off T$ forums

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 the ANZ Bank:



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
1049."


ANZ:

"Sir, that's a cemetery!"

Family Member:

"Well, what the ******* do you do with dead people on your planet?"

Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die! This is so priceless
And so easy to see happening - customer service, being what it is today!

[Creac]

Urban myth.

All banks deal with notification of death or change in estate details etc very easily.

[curtis]

what they absolutely cannot handle is a male changing his surname to his wifes after marriage. a guy I worked with had a huge family, his wife had no brothers and few cousins. her father requested he change his name to hers so the family name would continue. He had no issues...they were rich, why not.

So he changed his name. Electricity, Phone, passport, license. all changed with no issue. When he went to the banks they refused, insisted he needed a deed pole change. She could change her name with just a marriage certificate, but they wouldn't accept the same for him. What was especially crazy was he had enough points of ID in his pocket to open an entirely new account under the new name, but could not transfer the name of the old accounts. It took him over 6 months to get his name changed, he ended up requiring a lawyer.

[Creac]

That I can believe. It would be so unusual they wouldn't have a procedure for it and they'd be too worried about it being a scam. It's silly in many ways, but at the root of it would simply be that it's something they've not dealt with and institutional paranoia about accurate ID would have made them defensive about the whole thing instead of proactive.

It'd be interesting to know the law in the state where it happened (name changes are a state issue here in Australia and the law does vary) in regard to that issue. Wouldn't surprise me if the provisions for a change of name due to marriage are antiquated enough that they only cover a female changing her name. That would also have meant that a marriage certificate wouldn't have been sufficient for the change on the account. Also gets messy since banks act under federal law and it doesn't always reconcile easily with state law, so even the constituationl provisions that enforce federal over state where there's a conflict can't be easily applied unless it's a direct correlation between the respective legislation.

[Thyrx]

i would have got a lawyer to. there is no way on earth i would get a sex change operation. stupid banks want to change his pole.

[Angelsheart]

Just stupid procedures they have there to protect themselves, even when some things are just plain straight forward.

[Miruwin]

Ahh the good old days when you could just wander into a bank, fill out a form with no ID required and open a bank account in whatever name you wanted as long as you had $5 to put in it.