Have you ever had to deal with customer service from a major corporation? If so, you’ll definitely appreciate this amusing story. It all started when my dear Aunt passed away in January. Little did we know that CitiBank would continue charging her monthly service fee on her credit card even after her passing. To make matters worse, they added late fees and interest on top of it all, despite the account balance being $0.00. Can you believe that?
Naturally, I had to make a phone call to CitiBank to sort things out. Here’s how the conversation went:
Me: “I am calling to inform you that my Aunt passed away in January.”
CitiBank: “The account was never closed, so the late fees and charges still apply.”
Me: “Well, maybe you should turn it over to collections then…”
CitiBank: “Actually, since it’s already 2 months past due, it has already been turned over to collections.”
Me: “So, what will they do when they find out she’s no longer with us?”
CitiBank: “Either report her account to the frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, possibly both.”
Me: “Do you think God will be mad at her?”
CitiBank: “Uh… excuse me?”
Me: “Did you not understand what I just told you? She’s dead.”
CitiBank: “Sir, you’ll have to speak to my supervisor!”
(Supervisor gets on the phone)
Me: “I’m calling to inform you that my Aunt passed away in January.”
CitiBank: “The account was never closed, so the late fees and charges still apply.”
Me: “Are you suggesting that you want to collect from her estate then?”
CitiBank: “…(stammer)… Are you her lawyer?”
Me: “No, I’m her great nephew. Here’s my lawyer’s information…”
CitiBank: “Could you fax us a certificate of death?”
Me: “Sure, I’ll send it right over.” (Fax number provided)
(After they receive the fax)
CitiBank: “Our system just isn’t set up for handling death…”
Me: “Oh…”
CitiBank: “I don’t know what more I can do to help you…”
Me: “Well, if you do figure it out, great! Otherwise, I suppose you can just keep billing her. I don’t think she’ll mind.”
CitiBank: “Well, the late fees and charges do still apply.”
Me: “Would you like her new billing address?”
CitiBank: “That might be helpful.”
Me: “(Odessa Memorial Cemetery, #### Hwy 129, with the plot number)”
CitiBank: “Sir, that’s a cemetery!”
Me: “What do you do with dead people on your planet?!!”
Situation handled, right? It’s both frustrating and comical how customer service representatives can sometimes be. But let’s hope the banks and corporations out there learn to handle these situations a little better. We can only hope!
