Regular readers will remember that, last month, my wallet was stolen. The wallet itself was dumped in the trash (someone actually saw it and got it back to me) and only the Wachovia card was taken. As soon as it was stolen, I called Wachovia and ING Direct to put stops on my cards and actually order new ones. I figured I wouldn’t get the old ones back.
The ING card was left in the wallet, so there were no troubles there, but in the half-hour before I noticed and then while I searched for the wallet, the Wachovia card was used. When I called Wachovia to put the stop, they helpfully asked if I’d just bought gas. I hadn’t, but the gas station was directly across the street.
So then I had to work with Wachovia’s fraud department to figure out which transactions I wanted reported as fraudulent. They sent me an affidavit, which I signed and returned. And a couple weeks ago they let me know that everything was taken care of. I got a credit on my account.
Throughout the initial incident report and everything else, Wachovia’s service people were friendly, calm, helpful, and efficient. It didn’t take me too long to get through, to get what I needed to done, etc. The new card arrived in 3 days and the affidavit shortly thereafter. I also spoke to them a while after sending in the affidavit, to make sure everything was ok.
Just as I believe in leveraging blogs and social media to get better customer service, I believe in using them to applaud jobs well down. When it comes to customer service for this incident, I’d give Wachovia an A+.
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{ 8 comments }
That is fabulous! I love being able to write and read about fabulous customer service. It’s always good to find out who is really getting it right, so that they can get our business.
Happy Holidays!
I’m glad Wachovia took good care of you. I don’t have an account with them but if I do switch, I will definitely consider Wachovia.
Ugh, losing a wallet is the worst but I lost mine about 2 months ago and I’d have to agree all of the financial institutions I called were most helpful (Lowe’s on the other hand, not so much…). Kudos to you for taking the time to acknowledge great customer service!
Glad it wasn’t too much of a hassle for you to get your money back!
My credit card was stolen by a gas station attendant once when I forgot it on the counter. He actually used it right on camera. Ha. Dumb criminals.
I’m glad you got everything worked out. Sorting out fraud can be such a nightmare.
I’ve always been really happy with Wachovia, too. I’m hoping the Wells Fargo merger doesn’t interfere with their great customer service!
Yikes I just found out about the stolen wallet! Glad your finances (and you) are okay though!
You were very lucky. This made me think of some of the problems with bank cards vs. credit cards.
Everyone should know that bank cards and actual credit cards have different terms and conditions when it comes to fraud and lost/stolen cards. (please always read those terms!)
Often bank cards do not cover certain types of fraud (gas stations, airline tickets, online adult sites), where a credit card would cover 100% of the fraud.
I worked at Capital One for 8 years and Citizen’s Bank for 1 year, so I’ve seen both sides and policies.
I’ve learned to do any online purchases with my credit card, if someone steals my info and manages to obtain the CVV number off the back, I know I’m covered. If someone uses my bank card and has the CVV, most times the fraud case will be rejected and then I would be responsible.
Hotels and Car rentals should also be paid for with a credit card. If something happens, you do not want the funds coming from your bank account!! Goodbye mortgage payment $$ that is due tomorrow! Instead, use the credit card. It’s easier to dispute those charges and they won’t hit your grocery and house money. Really watch the hotels, they are the sneaky merchants. They will often bill you $200+ for ‘cleaning’ the non-smoking room you stayed in and you certainly didn’t smoke in it. This usually shows up several weeks or even months after you stayed there!
I had my wallet stolen as well. The thieve used my bank card to purchase about 1200 worth of stuff at kmart. The casheir ran the card as a credit card, and did not ask for ID.
When I reported this to wachovia, the investigator incharge of my case practically blamed me for the charges, even though I have a police report and kmart has the guy on camera. It has been 30 days and have not seen my money back,
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