Citibank's service

I applied for a gold credit card at the Pondok Indah branch of Citibank on May 1, subsequently submitting the needed papers to a customer service employee named Novita by May 10. Meanwhile, I had talked with a few people from the Application Processing Unit of Citibank Card Products -- Lidia, Gracia, Willy -- who assured me that everything was in order and the card would be issued before the end of the month.

However, a phone call on May 20 revealed, "the documents were not completed". I immediately called the Pondok Indah branch and after talking to a few people, including Hanna, the branch manager, I was told that the papers were in order and the card might still be ready in May.

I called the Processing Unit on May 27 to learn from Panja, Hanna and Titi, the manager, that my papers were not completed and I would have to send them again. Very frustrated, I went to the Pondok Indah branch to clear up the misunderstanding and after waiting for about 40 minutes to talk with someone competent, I gave up.

I have learned a lesson: That a big bank is not necessarily a good bank, as there are many local banks that can provide the same service in a better and more efficient way. It's simple, they care about their customers.

A. JAKUBOWSKI

Jakarta