Siam Commercial Bank - Merchant Payment System

[cmsally]

OK, quick run down. I have been using SCB merchant payment system for almost 10 yrs now and it has always been efficient, easy to use, never any problems.

Last month they announced they would change their system, although it sounded more like it would just be a change in their website appearance and log in facilities.

Fine , so far so good, telephone call to announce date of changeover with new log in details, ie basically you go from old log in page to new log in page and carry on as normal. Sounds simple, right?

Well tried to do a payment on new system, where's the dam_n charge payment page. Hah, no have!

Telephone to bank, someone will call you back. Finally someone did call me back, well it seems the reason I couldn't find it , is because there is no charge payment page.

SCB have basically left all their merchants in the lurch without any warning at all whatsoever.

Summary of long conversation is basically this:

Me: I can't process payments.

Bank: yes we are aware of this.

Me: Is it just me or....?

Bank: No same for all merchants.

Me: Well, when can I process payments.

Bank: .....(long pause), maybe end of this month

Me: Well, what about the intervening weeks.

Bank: Have to use credit card machine in shop.

Me: What about if customers don't come to shop ie never come to shop, are on other side of world!

Bank: Hmmm

Me: Well?

Bank: You will get a letter end of the month.

Me: So what good is that.

Bank: Of course I am just an employee (never a good sign when someone says that) The bank now requires 2 million guarantee in bank for each merchant.

Me: Well its been nice doing business with you but I don't think much of the banks new initiative for raising cash.

Bank: I have the job of calling all customers and they all say the same as you.

Me: Well you had better go and tell your boss he stands to lose an awful lot of customers. It's been nice talking to you but I now have to go and research new payment systems and banking options. Good bye.

How they want to change their system is one issue but to suddenly cease operations altogether without any warning whatsoever, is the most incompetent mess I have ever witnessed in bank/customer relations.

I am off to write a letter to head office and put in a complaint with my local bank.

Does anyone else work with SCB payment system?

Edited February 12, 2009 by cmsally

[cmsally]

Well as an update for anyone using this system. I now supposedly can use it even though told by another department that I couldn't.

It seems one dept called me and told me there were new regulations and couldn't use it until these were settled.

However the dept directly responsible for the system says (after they had corrected all the error messages on it) that now I can use it as normal.

I asked them about the new guidelines that were supposedly being enforced and they said although they had heard something, it was a different dept and they had no details.

I don't understand about their miscommunication (and don't even know if it really works , as I haven't tried it yet) but this idea of trying to get every person to front up 2m Baht just to use the system sounds like a hairbrained scheme to boost the bank's balance sheet.

[midas]

Well as an update for anyone using this system. I now supposedly can use it even though told by another department that I couldn't.

It seems one dept called me and told me there were new regulations and couldn't use it until these were settled.

However the dept directly responsible for the system says (after they had corrected all the error messages on it) that now I can use it as normal.

I asked them about the new guidelines that were supposedly being enforced and they said although they had heard something, it was a different dept and they had no details.

I don't understand about their miscommunication (and don't even know if it really works , as I haven't tried it yet) but this idea of trying to get every person to front up 2m Baht just to use the system sounds like a hairbrained scheme to boost the bank's balance sheet.

OMG And to think they are going to build a nuclear power plant near bangkok

Hope they think through all the procedures before flicking the on switch

[cmsally]

Well it certainly doesn't instill confidence. I am wondering if I should try charging 100Bt to my own card and seeing if the whole system goes "Boom" or eats my money or whatever.

[chiangmaibruce]

Off topic, but in a similar vein ....

In Farangland we moan about companies/depts where the right arm doesn't know what the left is doing, but here they have it down to an art form....

Last year I got annoyed with BKK Bank. They had big ads in the papers about (I think) a new managed fund product. First I went to their web site - nothing. Their main phone number (helpline) - then to staff in a couple of branches. No idea, no-one knows anything about the ad or the product. So I sent an email to them saying maybe the media promo should take place as the LAST step in the chain. You know after staff are given famils with the product, brochures produced, info put on web site, etc.

Of course never a reply to the email, and by this stage I am so p888d off that I'd invest in ANYTHING before investing in their rotten product.