A Message for Regions Bank: Fix Your Check Card Activation Voice Tree!!!!!!

Gary North

February 20, 2007

My local bank was swallowed by Regions Bank in 2006.

I have tried to get a debit card activated. I am not having success.

I was sent one, but without a PIN number. That was to be sent days later. So far, no letter.

The bank has an alternative to the letter, a form letter informed me. I can call an 800 number: 800-295-8472. I did.

The voice machine (female) asked me to punch in my Social Security number. I did.

Then I was told to punch in my 16-digit check card number. I did.

Then the machine read the number back to me. It told me to punch "1" if this number is correct. I did.

Then the machine told me: "I'm sorry. That is not a valid check card number." Of course it wasn't. It was the card number's verification number.

The voice mail's manager did not set up the tree sequentially. It is now circular. It sends clients swinging through the tree's branches forever.

I called again. Same procedure. The system will not allow anyone to register by phone.

A week later, the same glitch exists. It is in fact impossible to activate the card by phone.

I tried to get anyone locally to alert the regional voice-mail center to tell them that their system is blocking all card registration. No one seemed to know who to call.

So, here is a huge bank with a voice mail system that doesn't work as promised, whose institutional hierarchy is not set up to allow clients to warn them of a major glitch . . . unless the client has a website.

The world is going to phone trees and customer service people in India.

What next? Bangladesh, I guess.

Lesson: Every large organization should hire a full-time person to check every voice tree, every e-mail address, and every action page on its website -- at least once a week.

Always assume the following: "All guns are loaded." "All voice trees are Mobius strips." "All web links are dead or else go to the wrong page."

Ronald Reagan said, "Trust, but verify." When it comes to voice trees, don't trust. Verify . . . today, tomorrow, and next week. Don't assume a voice tree still works just because it worked yesterday. It's digital.