I had been a happy NetBank customer for over 10 years, and have had nothing but problem after problem since the sale of NetBank to ING.
It all started with the sale. I received literature notifying us of the sale and advising us to open an Orange account, which my wife and I did, on November 10. Unfortunately, and probably the root of all our problems, during the online account creation my computer froze (my daughter was logged on at the same time and for some reason an application she was running must have interfered with the process). Anyway, we managed to create a joint account (for myself and my wife), but we were unable to generate customer numbers or PINs. Literally, the Internet Explorer windows froze before I could select PINs, and we had to restart the computer.
Anyway, the next day (Nov 11) I received an email giving us instructions to verify the account etc. To do this, we needed PINs, usually generated online (of course I didn't have one). I called, I explained that I didn't have a PIN, and was told that one was already in the mail (November 11).
November 23, I still had not received a PIN. I made another phone call, the customer service agent said " it must have got lost in the mail", anyway a new one would be mailed.
December 6, I received the PIN, unfortunately I was away from home on travel and could not activate (even answering security questions, I was not allowed to activate because I wasn't at my "home phone"). I was frustrated, but I patiently waited until I returned home, December 9, and activated it.
Then, December 10 my wife received a letter saying that they needed more information. This letter containing a Customer number (86XXXX), and another note came the same day with a PIN. We followed the instructions, call the automatic phone system number, and the PIN does not work. We call customer support, we are told the PIN she is trying to use doesn't match with the NEW customer number she is assigned (the letter contained a NEW customer number 86XXX). The security agent says she needs a new PIN, and SAID she ordered one, I then complain that I must have access to our money, we have bills due, a big house payment, etc. I am then told by this agent I spoke to on December 10 that I will be allowed full access to the account while my wife's NEW PIN is in the mail.
I patiently wait 3 more days, until December 13. I still have no access to the funds in our account that transferred over from NetBank, that I verified (after 27 days). I called again December 13 morning, and am told by "Victoria" that "no", I may not access the account, but that the NEW PIN my wife received December 10 might work with an OLD customer number (772XXX) that was apparently assigned back in November, Victoria suggests I go home and with my wife, try the December 10 PIN with this OLD Customer number. We call the 1-888 number, the December 10 PIN does not work with the OLD/NEW (772XXX) customer number, but it does work with the NEW Customer number (86XXXX). Eureka!
Not over yet... To finish setting up the account she has to go onto the website and confirm a small transaction. But when she tries to logon to the website, it does not accept the NEW customer number and PIN that WAS JUST ACCEPTED BY THE TELEPHONE SYSTEM.instead, we follow the online instructions (enter last 4 SSN, ZIP code, birth day etc.) and the website says her customer number is 772XXX. As you may have guessed by now, the online system will not accept this Customer number/PIN combination.
So now, my wife apparently has one customer number for the telephone system (866XXX) which accepts the PIN mailed December 5, and another customer number for the online system (772XXX), which is apparently paired with an UNKNOWN PIN which WE DO NOT HAVE. No one can tell me whether a PIN that matches this Customer number was ever mailed.
An ohbytheway, I still cannot access our money. I still have bills due. Lucky for me I cancelled my direct deposit (why should I deposit money into an account I cannot access?). I have a house payment due next week, I don't know how I'm going to pay it (you guessed it, I have the money but can't get it).
Today (December 14) ING offers to send yet ANOTHER PIN to my home. I am willing to do this only if they can send it overnight or 2nd day FedEx, because 1) I have no confidence this is going to work; and 2) I need to make house payments.
ING says they have no ability to expedite the new (3rd?) PIN number, I am finished and say OK, fine, close the account and send my money to my home (which is the address on record with NetBank for over 3 years). They won't even do this; the agent passed "my information" to her legal department, apparently this will take a long long time, becuase she said I will get our money much faster if I simply give in and have my wife ask for a new PIN. Oh my wife left yesterday for several months overseas, she won't be able to make ANOTHER call FROM THE HOME PHONE when this NEWNEW PIN gets here (if it ever does).
ING looks like a great bank, they really do compare pretty well with other online banks in terms of interest rates, features etc, but it is obvious to me they have no control of their system access, their security process is absolutely draconian, there is some sort of flaw between their telephone and online systems (wife now has two Customer numbers, one for the phone system and one for the website) and they are completely unable to communicate with the other agents from one day to the next. Every time I have called I have had to explain all the prior history in full detail, no one seems to be able to fix it after over a month.
Now I'd be satisfied just to get my money back, but according to the last agent I spoke to I'm going to have trouble doing even that.
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