My TFN adventure at Commonwealth Bank

On Saturday afternoon, I went to the Commonwealth Bank branch at a local shopping mall in Werribee to have my Tax File Number applied to a business savings account (the one that generates interest) I had opened in Dec 2016.

Apparently the system had mysteriously withdrawn a total of $7 from the interest generated. Considering I already pay $10 account keeping fees every month, the thought of them further withdrawing $7 from the interest generated didn't sit well with me.

My Solution: 

So I had written to them, and their Internet banking customer service replied in their email to me that I had to go into the bank to have my TFN applied to my business transaction account.

You would think that the officer who handled the opening of my account would have the smarts to have applied my TFN applied in the first place? 😑😑😑

This is what Really Happened at the Bank ...

When I went to the bank, I told the front officer about my TFN not being applied to my savings account and then told me I could have done this at home... (I did not tell her it was a Business Savings account yet). Then she directed me to the Ipad at the side counters 😑😑

I tried logging in, and then I realised it was not going to help my situation. So then I ignored her and went back to the queue...She saw me waiting in line, saw my expression, then served another customer.

I ended up waiting in line for about 45mins on a Saturday to speak to the counter officer. Finally when I reached the counter officer, he told me he had to redirect me back to the officer in front.

I told him firmly that my account is a BUSINESS transaction account. I told him that no amount of directive from him or the front officer is going to help me if I tried to log in and apply the TFN unto my business account.

I had to read out my Tax File Number for him, (apparently it was not automatic) and then he applied it to the business savings account that I had. Then he told me I had to wait another 1 hour just to get my TFN withdrawal tax refunded as I would need to speak to another officer in the bank.

If I had the time, I would have waited. But I didn't, so I left. It is just another time wasting procedure that I have to return to the bank later in this week to fix. -_-

THE POINT OF THIS STORY? 

1) You have to take with a pinch of salt what the front officer tells you when it comes to dealing with Internet Banking. It seems that not all of them are aware of the differences when dealing with Personal and Business transaction accounts.

2) There is a different coding and programming system when dealing with internet banking procedures for PERSONAL and BUSINESS transaction accounts.

3) The Internet banking customer helpline are usually correct in providing the right procedures when they redirect you to the bank to get something fixed. So save your time, and you can ignore any advise from the front officers and just do as you have been advised to.

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