To Whom It May Concern:
Today like last month I attempted to pay my GE Money Account with ShopNBC on line and when I did this I was told that I could not register with the online service and I had to call the customer support phone number of 1-866-597-1513. I called this number just like I did last moth and I was hung up on again twice.
I proceeded to call ShopNBC and related my frustration again with this problem they were kind enough to get me to GE Money Bank.
As I related my story to now the GE credit manager they took my payment over the phone which did not cover my delinquent past due charge the amount listed on the invoiced as past due. I did this because suffice it to say hat was all I could afford. I will not be able to cover the past due amount and the current charge until I find employment in today’s economic downturn.
I asked why GE Money Bank would not take a payment on line even on past due accounts, for at least the amount past due. I was told because my account is delinquent I would not be able to register for online payment and I would be required to do it over the phone and I could be charged a service fee for this privilege. This is over and above the 33% interest I am being charged.
I asked why not change the database algorithm to allow for this type of payment. I was told that the credit organization had no control over the data base and they could not even suggest such a change. I wondered out loud why a manager in the credit department of GE could not write a Feature Request Memo, to the manage of the Development Department Manager of the on line payment data base I was told that no this could not be done but as a customer I could write such a suggestion and send it into GE for evaluation.
I stated that this was a finger pointing game and GE would not respond to this type of correspondence.
It was further suggested by GE Money Bank that I contact the collections department and maybe they could do something for me. I proceeded to do that I not only did I get insulted I was asked when I would make my payment current so I could enjoy the privilege on online payment service. How arrogant can the employees of GE be to treat their customer base with such disrespect?
It is my opinion that GE should treat a customer request with the utmost politeness and get people on line with a concerned customer and resolve their issue by bringing the proper parties together from GE and the customer to do just that. After all this is the age on information technology. I was taught this when I was working in customer support when a customer called in you resolved that issue for that customer or got the people within the corporation to assist that customer without having the customer write Feature Request Memorandum and hope that EG reads the letter and responds to it, or have the customer call another toll free number for more run around. What happened to the day when big business listened to the customer and did everything possible to satisfy the customer? Maybe GE should start paying attention to what is happening with GM, Ford and Chrysler today. The auto industry ignored the small customer and just went after the big profits and look where they are today.
A lesson to be learned here is the little customer is not dirt under the beet of big business to the foundation that big business is built on. Destroy the foundation and the whole building collapses.
After these phone conversations with GE management I went out on the WEB and I found the following two sites with very little effort.
Http://usashameboard.com/complaints/2876/page/3
Http://www.consumeraffairs.com/finance/ge_money_bank.html
These sites list various complaints the consumer base has with GE Money Bank. Now I realize that there will always be unsatisfied customers out there. However when they start logging those complaints on the WEB there is probably some justification for these complaints, This further indicates to me that GE does not seem to care because I have not seen any positive responses form GE on these matters of complaint. I would thing that a corporation as big as GE would have an employee someplace within their organization that would and should respond to this negative publicity and answer these accusations. But me I am just an unemployed person who GE will not ever interview even though I have two Masters Degrees and 22 years management experience some of which is in customer support.
My suggestion to GE is to
1. Correct you online payment process and allow even people who are delinquent to make payment on line.
2. Correct your internal communications and customer support process to make the customer feel the nice warm and fuzzy feeling that a big money making corporation does care about the little customer foundation that eh big corporate entity was built on. Get back to basics and treat the customer with respect not matter how small or how large,
3. Have better internal communications and allow manager not to be afraid to question the corporate structure and take things on that might be risky as the beginning.
4. Get back to the core customer base ad hire people who support that customer base not treat it as dirt under their corporate feet.
I realize these suggestions may seem drastic now but in the long run they will pay off after all that is how GE got to where it is today. If we want to turn this world economic situation around we have to take on risky changes that will help rebuild the core business that is the corporate heritage. The current economic situation requires change in management philosophy and the way we look at our goals short term verses long term. We should have learned that from the Toyota story and the automotive industry in Detroit. Wake GE embrace the change that is coming or suffer the decline of doing business as usual.
Thank you for your attention into this matter and I look forward to your expeditious response if I am lucky enough that someone actually reads this letter and has the courage to change things.By the way I am still looking for employment.
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