Citibank

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brucek

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Aug 8, 2002
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After the collapse of Ansett we looked very closely at alternate credit card
reward schemes. After much reading and telephone converation we decided to throw our lot in with Citibank (Gold Visa) and continue with Diners Club.

Despite being an existing Citibank (CB) cheque account customer and having been a Diners Club (DC) member since 1993 (DC is owned by CB) we initialy had hurdles and bariers put in the way of our application and eventual acceptance to become credit card customers.

When we tried to contact a person of responsibiblty at CB both in writing and verbaly in regard to the problems that we were encountering we got no where. CB's customer service staff are obviously well trained to keep the customer away from, and provide protection too, their managers and decission makers.

Once we eventually got our credit cards we then went about trying to set up automatic payment of the card account through the CB web site. We used to schedule all of our bill payments through B-Pay via the Westpac web site (very convenient for busy people) and once the payees details have been entered they remain their for 6 months so that you don't have to re-enter all of the payees detail in again to make a future payment.

When we got into their web site to try and set up payment schedules and automatic account payments we found it to be very user unfriendly, not having many of the facilities of a full blown banking web.

E.g. You can only execute a B-Payment on the day you wish to pay the bill, you cannot schedule it for a specified date as you can with Westpac and other financial institutions. Once you enter payee details and the payment has been executed, all details are lost so when you want to pay your power bill again next month for instance, you will have to re-enter all of your power companies details in again. They are not retained for future use.

Given that financial institutions are forcing consumers to use electronic means to conduct there business I find the problems and lack of facilities with the CB site to be at odds with their competition.

As a result of this we find ourselves having to retain our Westpac credit cards so as to take advantage of the excellent facilities provided on their web site. It is totaly impractical for either of use to have to remember to pay bills on a certain day when we may not be in our offices and at a computer in order to execute same.

If you are like us and run a line of credit, having the facilities to schedule payments is vital.

From our position the bottom line appears to be:

1. CB have the external appearence of being a slick organisation and being a cut above the rest. The reality is that they are just another bank albeit with a good card reward scheme.

2. If you need a bank with a good web site to transact your banking business, think twice before throwing all of your eggs into the CB basket because you will be dissapointed. Both the CB and DC sites are primitive from a functional view point. They look nice, provide information, but lack user friendly features and functionalty. (DC do not even provide an e-mail address or portal to contact then via, merely a fax number!)

3. Until CB remedy the above and provide a web site with functionality similar to Westpac and the other major financial institutions we will continue to use the Westpac web site to pay bills.

4. We had converted many friends and colleagues to the Ansett FF scheme and their partners Westpac and DC. We often get asked what FF scheme and cards we now utilise. We would not recomend CB to anyone, at this time, until they remedy the problems and improve the quality of their web site.
 
agreed

citibank online banking leaves a lot to be desired. westpac is still the best by far, IMHO.
 
Any improvement?

This thread is 15 months old so was wondering if Citibank have improved their game since the last posts ?
 
Changing to Citibank

:evil:
Like a lot of other Frequent Flyers I am disgusted with the ANZ changes and, like other many other posters, decided to change to Citibank. HA! What incompetence. They made the application process so tedius that I gave up in disgust.

Citibank, lift your game. You have a great chance here to expand business.
 
Citibank, lift your game. You have a great chance here to expand business.

:evil:

I hope someone from CB reads this forum :!:

I have considered for quite sometime to change to CB.
It hasn't happened due to the overwhelming negative raps CB has received on this forum :!: :p
 
Speaking of 'bad raps' for CB....
I've been going through the hoops for the past month, on my second attempt to get a PLATINUM Visa card.
I faxed them a copy of my 2002 / 2003 ATO assessment.
Would you believe, that CB rep. rang me up, and said that my "taxable income was less than the $100,000. required...."
I said to her, taxable income + tax paid + Medicare = GROSS income!
You know, I had to explain this to at least THREE different staff.... and they still didn't get the point!!! They wanted to talk to my accountant, so he could 'explain' it to them!

Unbelievable that they run a bank!
 
cba bl0wz

Gordon said:
Speaking of 'bad raps' for CB....
I've been going through the hoops for the past month, on my second attempt to get a PLATINUM Visa card.
I faxed them a copy of my 2002 / 2003 ATO assessment.
Would you believe, that CB rep. rang me up, and said that my "taxable income was less than the $100,000. required...."
I said to her, taxable income + tax paid + Medicare = GROSS income!
You know, I had to explain this to at least THREE different staff.... and they still didn't get the point!!! They wanted to talk to my accountant, so he could 'explain' it to them!

Unbelievable that they run a bank!

CBA credit assesment staff are brain dead kids. don't even bother with commonwealth, they are so backwards its not funny.
After 2 years of business, personal and CC with them i gave up when I was told i had to fill in a deposit form when making a payment on my CC in the branch.

Quite a good story actually, after the manager told me I had to fill in a paper form (we are in the digital age remember) i told her id like to close all my accounts there and then. She saw the balance of my business account and almost fainted i swear.

Sold my CBA shares that week too.

American banks sh|t all over aussie ones....

My advice... go with westpac... never had a bad moment! :)
Apart from their constant spamming theyre good

</rant>
 
Have had a citibank platinum visa for over 12 months now.Some minor glitches which have always been fixed up promptly and with good grace.
Totally diferent to Amex-have cut up their card twice and will never have it again and ANZ who would have to be the most incompetent of the lot-kept sending me statements with nil balance for 18 months after account closed.
Summary-thumbs up for citibank platinum.
 
Well! Finally at last....
After giving Citibank a bit of a 'bagging' the last few months, I finally got my PLATINUM Visa card through!

Yes, it took my accountant to explain to the CB credit assessors, that my TAXABLE income was less than my GROSS income. They had to be told by a CPA accountant, that taxpayers pay tax.... therefore, your taxable income is less than your gross income. (This last guy must have come straight from Centrelink!)

Anyway, I've got it now. I'll be looking forward to my first 'upgrade' or other benefit of being PLATINUM!

regards,
 
Congrats Gordon! Unfortunately a Platinum is in the "you're dreaming" category for me but I look forward to hearing how you enjoy those extra perks. Regards, Dale.
 
Thanks Dale...
I'll be starting off by getting TWO points per dollar transferred from my ANZ LEAD (I mean GOLD) card. You know, the one that keeps sinking further and further down the gurglar!

Good luck with whatever you're doing....
 
I thoguht Platimum required 70,000 points

I just popped over to the www.citibank.com.au web site and noticed that the minimum requirement is AU$70,000 income for a Platinum Visa or Mastercard.

Is this definition of "AU$70,000 income" the money earnt after tax is paid? Others have mentioned AU$100,000 so I was just curious as I will be eligible if this was what I hope it to be.

Regards
Daniel
 
danielh said:
http://www.citibank.com.au/portal/citiau_home_center.jsp?frameval1=AU2HeroProm3&menuID=AU2leftNavCards

It says so right below the picture of the cards.

Regards
Daniel

EDIT: I just went to the site again and clicked to apply for the Platinum Visa and the form stated a minimum of AU$70,000.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it. :eek:
Most other places on the site list $AU100,000 as the minimum income requirement. eg http://www.citibank.com.au/portal/c...frameval1=AU2HeroProm3&menuID=AU2leftNavCards
 
I had an interaction with CITIBANK over the telephone (while going through the hoops for my PLATINUM card)......
They told me the $100,000. is "taxable" income. I said back, that there is no reference in their 'terms and conditions', refering to either taxable or gross income.... it merely states income of $100,000. plus.
So, we argued a bit over this, and finally I got my accountant to tell the 'brains' at CITIBANK, that I can GROSS $100,000. and I can have a TAXABLE income of $1.00 (in theory)
I wonder if the 'brains' at CITIBANK have 'attempted' to somehow make a distinction between GROSS and TAXABLE income (in regard to this reference of $70,000.?)

regards,
 
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