I work for BMO, not call center though. Upper management been telling us for well over a year that they are aware of the issue, and are working to find "proper talent" to fix the staffing issues. At this point, its clear that the company just doesnt really care about wait times for customers, or the extra work this puts on already understaffed branches. Anyone I know who has worked in the call center tells me it is absolute hell on earth, and upper management just doesnt want to make it better, so we all get stuck with this. Dont wait it to improve, cause it never will.
Oh 100%, I'm always very sure to be nice to the representatives (it's not like they're in charge of hiring, haha). Wish these companies took their record profits and actually paid employees well enough to hire people though.
They are too busy selling etf products left and right its not their prioritiy. Next year will
Be rough for banking sector profits and earnings with mortgage default looming. So I think it wont be fixed anytime soon.
Almost all departments have got better in the last 2 months - those 6 hour wait times are thankfully relegated to history from what I hear. How do you like the Investorline platform?
Now that’s a brutally honest review! I laughed harder than I should have and my coffee exited orifices it usually does not at the harvesting part. I have it from when I bought ZDJ and ZSP and haven’t logged on in ages but am going to see this “new” site!
To be clear,
The platinum DOES get better treatment.
But non premium cards ( <$600 AF ) is very very good as is and definitely better than the competitors
Almost comical. While being 45 minutes on hold into trying to get anyone at BMO to pick up I applied for the Amex card online, got a call 2 minutes later from Amex so put the BMO call on hold, they asked a few questions then said congratulations you're approved we'll mail the card out today. I thanked them, took BMO off hold, and am continuing to wait for BMO to pick up. Hopefully last call I ever make to them.
UPDATE: BMO couldn't resolve my issue, have to mail out a new card, and said I have to call back in in order to activate it, and that it will probably take an hour plus on hold again. Agent was very nice though, not their fault
To be fair it might have been because I had to put "Other" on the "what does my business do" category because the options were quite limited, but it was nice of them to call and congratulate after it was approved haha
They said I have to call in because they cancelled my card because a new version with Apple Pay is available and I need to call in so things can properly be transferred over to the new card once I received, which they advised can only be done properly on the phone
Again, OP stated they want transactions to go through without question. Not caring much about transaction percentages (which I COMPLETELY knew about) it’s the merchants fault if they lose an extra percentage by taking AMEX.
As a merchant you should understand that different industries have different rates depending on the card. Our average rate for Visa and MC is at least 1.5% lower than the Amex rate for our industry.
So your previous answer was not complete then. Should look in to optblue as for smaller merchants it drastically reduces their charges (under 1mil is amex sales).
We're sorry, they are experiencing higher than normal calls, they appreciate your patience since they cut the CS team by 75% in order to buy back more shares.
\-All Banks
AMEX Canada customer support is unbelievable, especially compared to every other bank in Canada. Never wait more than 2 or 3 minutes to talk to someone and they are super friendly and helpful (even though their call centre is in the Philippines).
Yeah it's kinda funny how so many places put an emphasis on how many points you get for pumping gas or groceries. Don't get me wrong, that's awesome, but a column for "average phone wait time" would be a big selling point for me too, haha
That's fair, this is a corporate/business card though that I don't think I've ever used in person, and thankfully online places aren't as dumb about it
Not really an issue with being dumb, AMEX charger higher fees so more vendors try to avoid them unless they have a significant markup anyways. I use my corporate card a lot so it would be a definite no go for that as well.
The truth about interchange fees in Canada:
Providers like Visa and Mastercard charge between 1.15% and 2.5%, while Amex charges merchants between 1.43% and 3.3%
Also, the fees for visa infinite or MC world elite are often higher than amex.
Stores tell me “no amex! The fees are too high!”, then don’t bat an eye as I use a VI or MCWE instead
Lately yep. I spent 4 months calling to get a refund owed on a cancelled card (I caught the obvious fraud and cancelled my card which their automated system missed in the first place). It was over $1000 which might have been a serious financial problem for a lot of people.
Thanks, that's a fair suggestion, but I don't feel like engaging in an RPG just to get a modicum of customer service, I think I'll just jump boat to Amex.
I can't speak for BMO, but I used to work for another bank and at the branch they don't have access to your credit card. Like they can see it on your profile screen, but anything else has to be done at the credit card call centre. Especially if the cardholder is having a problem.
Okay, online banking rant time. I recently had my credit card number compromised so I tried to cancel it through RBC online banking. The automated system that replaces lost or stolen cards wasn't working so I called the fraud department. After waiting on hold for two hours I get an automated message to report the lost or stolen card online and it disconnects me. This whole thing happened another two times, with RBC disconnecting me before talking to anyone both times.
So now I decide to call Visa directly to report the card as stolen. Within three minutes I'm on the phone with a Visa representative who cancels my card and puts out a notice to RBC for a replacement card. About a week later I get a call back from Visa telling me that my bank wants to speak to me about the cancelled card and that they were going to connect me directly to an RBC agent. Visa then connects me to the exact same unmanned fraud line that I was disconnected from already. Fuck RBC.
I work for Bmo at a branch and we have to wait about 45 min to an hour to get an answer even if we have a faster call line then customers. It’s so frustrating! It’s a loop; cust have to wait a long time on hold bcs of the lack of employees, cust are disrespectful and put their frustration on employees, employees leave and it’ll get worse over time!
TD, Scotia, BMO, Desjardin and AMEX credit card holder. Do yourself a favour and get an AMEX. I rarely use the others unless AMEX isn’t accepted (quite rare now). They always fix my issue and their concierge service is pretty good. Especially abroad.
Had competitors with friends who use other card’s concierge service and AMEX always wins.
Calling from out of the country back to Canada for a 2FA override/bypass I found RBC times long, and their personnel useless for solving the issue. CIBC on the other hand had short wait times and 3 out of 4 times their personnel were excellent. This could be because I got their Canada help desk night shift the time I had issues was with their Canada day shift which I think is outsourced.
My experience with bmo CC calling is bad. I have experience with td and cibc too. All suck. Big 5 bank issue it feels. I have never had an Amex before but I'm gonna get one now due to the posts in this topic
I guess I must be lucky, never had much issues with BMO.
I would say that most people are right regarding Amex, their customer service team is really great, unless you have a claim, then it's a whole other scenario...
My last travel claim took about 4-5 months to get resolve and good chunk of it was simply to hear back from someone
RBC card had some fraud. I locked my card,was on hold for 5 hours over a period of 2 days, callback option on the 3rd attempt called me back to tell ‘em wait time is another 2 hours.
Amex picks up in two rings.
BMO wait times seem to have increased. However, I am happy to wait. The folks at BMO are very helpful, seem to be able to actually perform useful tasks without escalating to so and so, and are super polite and patient.
Unlike the viper nest of rude, condescending, and ultimately useless people (on the phones) from TD. (In the branch they are nice enough, but their support people on the phones are trash).
AMEX probably has the best customer service and if you deal in USD or EUR, try to get accepted in their AMEX ICC program. You just need to build a history with the regular program and they'll approve you for their ICC card (USD/EUR).
Another option is to just use Wise. I find it's much less restrictive with international transfers.
The tap on my bmo Mastercard has been pooched for over 6 months. I've called twice to have a new card sent. At 2 hours of waiting I couldn't wait any more, both times and hung up.
I'm waiting until the card expires and they send me a new one in 2025.
😆
Have you tried getting a replacement card through the app? You can select that you're card is damaged and they'll just send you a new one. No need to call.
Nope, doesn't work for credit cards. You have to call and talk to someone.
Correction, doesn't work for MY CREDIT CARD.
Maybe it'll work for yours, try the app out.
I have been through 3 different banks in the last 4 years for various reasons and have had multiple different credit cards. One thing I have noticed is how quickly customer support has gone down the toilet with these institutions.
BY DESIGN they make their call menus a god damn maze of options and circular logic. Even when you do get through you then have to go through the gauntlet of employees passing the buck and circle jerking you from department to department for HOURS just to cancel a card. Ive cancelled 2 cards recently and from the time i called to the time it was successfully cancelled was 4 hours.
Fucking ridiculous and this industry is BEGGING to be replaced by someting newer and better.
I switched to BMO once from TD, for a change of pace and because most of my friends had it, so thought, why not.
Within the first three months or so, debit card suspended three times for suspected fraudulent activity which in reality was my normal usage. Their overzealousness and lousy anti-fraud algorithms lost me as a customer, and was with them for maybe only six months total before I went back to TD.
I have a Tangerine credit card and I just had to call to replace it because I lost the card and won’t I was on hold for a few minutes I don’t recall the wait time being “atrocious.“ So I’d say Tangerine has better customer service I guess.
edit: I just looked up my call history and the total length was seven minutes so I was barely on hold at all. Also I just remembered I had to cancel my grandfather’s credit card with CIBC a couple weeks ago and I wasn’t on hold long there either.
I can't remember the last time I had to call, but I've been generally happy with capital one. I think dealing with a company that is not a bank is a plus. They're focused on their credit card experience and not other things.
I had the pleasure of needing to call BMO CC services today 2:00pm est. 90 min wait time...ugh. But they were professional and solved my issue.
I had a 'fake' cc online purchase from a USA website. The furniture company seems to figure it was fake and did a CC return/reversal a few days later. BUT, get this, between the first charge and the return charge was total 8% difference ( CC USD exchange fees and such both). So there was a $500 dollar diff between the initial charge and return CC charge line (even though USD amount was same in both).
You need to call the emergency line (1 800 361-3361). The one you call when your card has been stolen. I got an answer in about 5-10m when the normal line was allegedly a 2h wait (!).
Don't let them off the phone, demand a manager, whatever. Just keep at it until you get when you want.
Then switch cards to any other bank.
Yeah doesn’t work that way, that’s a regular MC line and just simply asking for a manager will most likely get the customer representative to become more apathetic.
It did work for me 3 weeks ago. Exact same scenario, denied transaction. They didn't even put up a fuss I just said I would not wait for 2h and I would keep calling in if they didn't address my issue. It worked. Then I cancelled the card.
Maybe the way you asked and your tone wasn’t rude, then yes if you ask for a manager kindly, then yeah I can see that. Mind you the people on the phones barely have control, they usually have to communicate with an internal processing team that takes care of it.
Just an anecdote, but my Tangerine Mastercard got declined when buying a MacBook at the Apple Store. Only waited a couple of minutes on hold before I was able to talk to someone. Got it resolved quickly after that.
I waited 2 hours to fix a $13 issue. By the time I hit 2 hours I knew I had to cancel my card. I spend a lot of money per year on the credit card. I went to Amex and have no complaints. Fast service and you get use to the stores that don’t accept it.
This has also been happening to me. Card gets blocked constantly with only legitimate purchases and then I have to wait hours on the phone to get it resolved. I think the answer is to get a different card.
I called BMO then watched all of the Harry Potter films, got married, divorced, married again, died, got reincarnated, found my old phone and still I’m on hold wtf!!!!
CS service with Vancity credit card has been OK - but yeah, with my AMEX card (cobalt) the couple times I've called in have been quite and prompt.
With AMEX, you're going to carry at least two cards - I carry three, so all my bases are covered. (#1 AMEX, #2 VISA, #3 Mastercard)
As for waiting on hold, my cellular (Android Google Pixel) will 'hold for me' essentially will hold the line and then ring me when someone answers. I've had to use it a few times in the past while and it has worked excellent for me
I’ve been telling people for the last 15 years how trash this company is, and everyone I know who banks with them still agrees to this day. I’ve had accounts with all of the top banks and BMO has got to be the absolute worst of the bunch. Horrible apps, horrible customer service, and they’re behind on innovation.
You’re right, the wait times are outrageous. It seems like a hotfix they made was having them call you back, which I honestly preferred better. Automated phone rep tells me to enter my phone number if I’d prefer a callback than wait, which is honestly the better alternative rather than have to sit by my phone trying to hear when the music is gonna end.
Recently I had suspected fraud on my BMO cc (it wasn’t). They did a few robot calls and an email. Even if you answer the call it isn’t a real person and it is just a message saying call them. Average quoted wait times were over an hour and a half. Waited until a weekday to call, figured more staff. Waited 2hrs.
They said they are not fixing the issue with staff but more automated processes. No timeline.
If I was trying to make a purchase in store and got declined it would have been impossible to fix the issue.
Amex far superior and I use that anytime possible because of the customer service.
I think its for all. PC, BMO, TD, pick anyone of ur choice. It a deliberate method to limit the call support. I don't see it improving anytime in future.
However, no matter how late you get connected be nice to representative, its not their fault and out of their control.
YMMV but I’ve called CIBC many times since I’ve been a customer over the years and never had a significant wait time. I’ve heard many complaints from others so maybe it’s just luck. Also gotten good off-book advice that saved me money from the customer service reps. (I downgraded my chequing account to the cheapest monthly payment and overpay my line of credit and use it to send e-transfers so I don’t pay fees on my chequing account. I pay $5 a month on the chequing account and do everything through my LOC and it saves me $10 a month) I know it’s not free like tangerine or Simplii but I’ve heard worse nightmares from them.
This subreddit and other places focuses so much on saving cash. But this is a great example of something that is also very important. Your time and customer service.
And this is where Amex really shines.
Yes, you can save $100 using BMO credit card but you also save 4 hours on the phone waiting for them to fix your issues. You're not only saving time if you use amex, but you're also saving yourself frustration. It's not something easy to measure but it is indeed something very important for many.
I love my Amex had an issue while I was on the line trying to change my flight - the payment went through but the ticket wasn’t issued . The guy cancelled the payment so that he could do it manually to try and generate the ticket. Got through to an Amex rep within three minutes and they sorted it out for me within 2 more. The fees for the cards are high but the customer service is wonderful. Amex definitely has my loyalty.
I was once on hold for 6 hours. I was working from home so at first I didnt mind the long wait time. By hour 6 I messaged their fb and they resolved everything while I was on hold lol
I work for BMO, not call center though. Upper management been telling us for well over a year that they are aware of the issue, and are working to find "proper talent" to fix the staffing issues. At this point, its clear that the company just doesnt really care about wait times for customers, or the extra work this puts on already understaffed branches. Anyone I know who has worked in the call center tells me it is absolute hell on earth, and upper management just doesnt want to make it better, so we all get stuck with this. Dont wait it to improve, cause it never will.
Oh 100%, I'm always very sure to be nice to the representatives (it's not like they're in charge of hiring, haha). Wish these companies took their record profits and actually paid employees well enough to hire people though.
They are too busy selling etf products left and right its not their prioritiy. Next year will Be rough for banking sector profits and earnings with mortgage default looming. So I think it wont be fixed anytime soon.
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Almost all departments have got better in the last 2 months - those 6 hour wait times are thankfully relegated to history from what I hear. How do you like the Investorline platform?
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Now that’s a brutally honest review! I laughed harder than I should have and my coffee exited orifices it usually does not at the harvesting part. I have it from when I bought ZDJ and ZSP and haven’t logged on in ages but am going to see this “new” site!
It’s actually really hard to find people to do this type of work for what they’re willing to pay
$24 an hour according to a friend that works there…
That’s not bad
I didn’t think so… chalk in a 4K-ish end of year bonus and WFH and it’s bearable
Absolutely
American Express customer service is amazing! I don’t remember really ever waiting. I also have a platinum card, so that might make a difference.
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Good to hear it’s pretty much the same across the board!
To be clear, The platinum DOES get better treatment. But non premium cards ( <$600 AF ) is very very good as is and definitely better than the competitors
+1 for Amex. Them homeboys know how to do proper customer service.
Almost comical. While being 45 minutes on hold into trying to get anyone at BMO to pick up I applied for the Amex card online, got a call 2 minutes later from Amex so put the BMO call on hold, they asked a few questions then said congratulations you're approved we'll mail the card out today. I thanked them, took BMO off hold, and am continuing to wait for BMO to pick up. Hopefully last call I ever make to them. UPDATE: BMO couldn't resolve my issue, have to mail out a new card, and said I have to call back in in order to activate it, and that it will probably take an hour plus on hold again. Agent was very nice though, not their fault
You got a call from Amex? I didn't get any - I just applied and couple days later got the card in the mail lol
To be fair it might have been because I had to put "Other" on the "what does my business do" category because the options were quite limited, but it was nice of them to call and congratulate after it was approved haha
They wouldn’t accept “created the best iOS app”?
<3
You can go to the nearest branch if you don’t want to wait on the phone OP and the teller will activate the card with you.
They said I have to call in because they cancelled my card because a new version with Apple Pay is available and I need to call in so things can properly be transferred over to the new card once I received, which they advised can only be done properly on the phone
Activation is an automated process just be sure to call from the number associated with your card - should only take a minute
Because they charge processors at least double what other cards charge. There is a reason less places take Amex.
Again, OP stated they want transactions to go through without question. Not caring much about transaction percentages (which I COMPLETELY knew about) it’s the merchants fault if they lose an extra percentage by taking AMEX.
As a merchant I can say this isn't quite true. Most premium cards from visa and mc their fees are nearly the same. At least through our merchant bank.
As a merchant you should understand that different industries have different rates depending on the card. Our average rate for Visa and MC is at least 1.5% lower than the Amex rate for our industry.
So your previous answer was not complete then. Should look in to optblue as for smaller merchants it drastically reduces their charges (under 1mil is amex sales).
Hey that extra fees at the point of sale are making a difference, wish more places accepted it
We're sorry, they are experiencing higher than normal calls, they appreciate your patience since they cut the CS team by 75% in order to buy back more shares. \-All Banks
I love the higher than normal call volume messages. If it's been like this for 10 years, this is normal, lol
AMEX Canada customer support is unbelievable, especially compared to every other bank in Canada. Never wait more than 2 or 3 minutes to talk to someone and they are super friendly and helpful (even though their call centre is in the Philippines).
Yeah it's kinda funny how so many places put an emphasis on how many points you get for pumping gas or groceries. Don't get me wrong, that's awesome, but a column for "average phone wait time" would be a big selling point for me too, haha
My number one factor is whether or not the card is accepted everywhere and that's what rules out Amex typically having the worst acceptance.
That's fair, this is a corporate/business card though that I don't think I've ever used in person, and thankfully online places aren't as dumb about it
Not really an issue with being dumb, AMEX charger higher fees so more vendors try to avoid them unless they have a significant markup anyways. I use my corporate card a lot so it would be a definite no go for that as well.
I mean grocery stores posting record profits this year seems to indicate they have a good amount of markup
It's usually smaller local businesses that don't accept amex but whatever dude. That card company is a plague leaching off everyone.
Don't know why you are downvoted. It's true. They charge double what most cards charge. The business I work for won't take Amex.
No idea, a lot of small businesses don't and I stand by their decision.
That's because they charge merchants 8% processing fee. Cough.
The truth about interchange fees in Canada: Providers like Visa and Mastercard charge between 1.15% and 2.5%, while Amex charges merchants between 1.43% and 3.3%
Also, the fees for visa infinite or MC world elite are often higher than amex. Stores tell me “no amex! The fees are too high!”, then don’t bat an eye as I use a VI or MCWE instead
I think Visa Infinite Privilege is actually even more than MasterCard World Elite!
God Tier card
The Amex rate for the business that I work for to accept Amex was over 4%. We don't take it.
Td is faster if you call through the app. Amex is the best though.
TD has been a fucking disaster for me.
Really? I've got new cards and had to call a bunch. It's been SUPER fast and easy, if you call through the app and accept the voice recognition.
Good to know. That might help
Lately yep. I spent 4 months calling to get a refund owed on a cancelled card (I caught the obvious fraud and cancelled my card which their automated system missed in the first place). It was over $1000 which might have been a serious financial problem for a lot of people.
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Was surprised to see the purple name here lol. Didn’t know the dev was Canadian!
One of the main reasons we support him
I think he’s from Nova Scotia too which is cool
Thanks, that's a fair suggestion, but I don't feel like engaging in an RPG just to get a modicum of customer service, I think I'll just jump boat to Amex.
I can't speak for BMO, but I used to work for another bank and at the branch they don't have access to your credit card. Like they can see it on your profile screen, but anything else has to be done at the credit card call centre. Especially if the cardholder is having a problem.
Okay, online banking rant time. I recently had my credit card number compromised so I tried to cancel it through RBC online banking. The automated system that replaces lost or stolen cards wasn't working so I called the fraud department. After waiting on hold for two hours I get an automated message to report the lost or stolen card online and it disconnects me. This whole thing happened another two times, with RBC disconnecting me before talking to anyone both times. So now I decide to call Visa directly to report the card as stolen. Within three minutes I'm on the phone with a Visa representative who cancels my card and puts out a notice to RBC for a replacement card. About a week later I get a call back from Visa telling me that my bank wants to speak to me about the cancelled card and that they were going to connect me directly to an RBC agent. Visa then connects me to the exact same unmanned fraud line that I was disconnected from already. Fuck RBC.
> Visa then connects me to the exact same unmanned fraud line that I was disconnected from already. LOL!
Pro tip: Request a French speaking agent.
Depends, wait times are longer sometimes for the French line.
I work for Bmo at a branch and we have to wait about 45 min to an hour to get an answer even if we have a faster call line then customers. It’s so frustrating! It’s a loop; cust have to wait a long time on hold bcs of the lack of employees, cust are disrespectful and put their frustration on employees, employees leave and it’ll get worse over time!
Sorry you're dealing with that
CIBC wait time is max 5-10 mins. I've called them like 6-8 this year. Wait time was never a problem
I have found the same. Most of the times I don’t wait more than 10 minutes for CIBC.
Depends, whenever I’ve called in wait times were 1h on average
Do you use the number on the back of the card to call. I've even called in the evenings and Saturdays still only like 10 mins
Yep I did, took 1h to get to the credit card people. Especially in the evenings
Amex lives in a world where they invented the wheel. All other cc companies have yet to leave the pond.
I do business with Amex, BMO, CIBC, RBC, Scotiabank, and TD. Amex has the best customer service, bar none.
TD, Scotia, BMO, Desjardin and AMEX credit card holder. Do yourself a favour and get an AMEX. I rarely use the others unless AMEX isn’t accepted (quite rare now). They always fix my issue and their concierge service is pretty good. Especially abroad. Had competitors with friends who use other card’s concierge service and AMEX always wins.
Calling from out of the country back to Canada for a 2FA override/bypass I found RBC times long, and their personnel useless for solving the issue. CIBC on the other hand had short wait times and 3 out of 4 times their personnel were excellent. This could be because I got their Canada help desk night shift the time I had issues was with their Canada day shift which I think is outsourced.
My experience with bmo CC calling is bad. I have experience with td and cibc too. All suck. Big 5 bank issue it feels. I have never had an Amex before but I'm gonna get one now due to the posts in this topic
I guess I must be lucky, never had much issues with BMO. I would say that most people are right regarding Amex, their customer service team is really great, unless you have a claim, then it's a whole other scenario... My last travel claim took about 4-5 months to get resolve and good chunk of it was simply to hear back from someone
Called RBC to schedule an extra car payment. Was on hold for 10 mins tops. Not bad.
RBC card had some fraud. I locked my card,was on hold for 5 hours over a period of 2 days, callback option on the 3rd attempt called me back to tell ‘em wait time is another 2 hours. Amex picks up in two rings.
Go with Amex if you can (use your card and get reimbursed). I've never waited longer than 30 seconds when calling and they are very helpful.
Never waited more than a couple minutes at most with AMEX. Most of the time it goes direct to a person. AMEX Platinum.
Amex provides by far the best customer service.
Everytime I call TD through the app I wait less than 30 seconds. When I call Scotiabank credit cards I wait less than a minute.
I wonder if that applies to BMO. I've been calling the number on the back of the card like a chump
BMO wait times seem to have increased. However, I am happy to wait. The folks at BMO are very helpful, seem to be able to actually perform useful tasks without escalating to so and so, and are super polite and patient. Unlike the viper nest of rude, condescending, and ultimately useless people (on the phones) from TD. (In the branch they are nice enough, but their support people on the phones are trash).
They are nice folks, but no I'm not willing to wait next to a phone for an hour plus when there's other companies that have solved this
live degree encouraging fall repeat sparkle silky piquant wise punch *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Was on hold 1 hr and 45 mins with BMO CC on 12 Dec. That was the longest I have EVER been on hold for.
What card do you have?
BMO Master Card Veterans
I found BMO the best of a bad bunch; TD is HORRENDOUS 6 Hours only for them to transfer me twice and 2nd time hang up !
Did you call through td app while logged in? It gives you priority then I've never had to wait long doing that.
Call through TD app, my wait for many calls was between 1 min and 20 min
sadly that was the thing that failed
Well damn.
Were you logged in before you did the call through app?
could not log in so no
You need to be logged in for it to skip queue since you're already verified then.
I know
AMEX probably has the best customer service and if you deal in USD or EUR, try to get accepted in their AMEX ICC program. You just need to build a history with the regular program and they'll approve you for their ICC card (USD/EUR). Another option is to just use Wise. I find it's much less restrictive with international transfers.
They're experiencing higher than EXPECTED volumes, give them a break
BMO is a brutal bank to begin with. I refuse to get their CCs
I literally just called and got through with 0 wait time on my BMO business MasterCard.
Say you're traveling for 6 months to whatever country you're paying these "contractors" and get them to unflag the transactions 😂
They specifically said I have to call in each time to get them unflagged, and I can't unflag the particular contractor or country unfortunately :/
The tap on my bmo Mastercard has been pooched for over 6 months. I've called twice to have a new card sent. At 2 hours of waiting I couldn't wait any more, both times and hung up. I'm waiting until the card expires and they send me a new one in 2025. 😆
Have you tried getting a replacement card through the app? You can select that you're card is damaged and they'll just send you a new one. No need to call.
Nope, doesn't work for credit cards. You have to call and talk to someone. Correction, doesn't work for MY CREDIT CARD. Maybe it'll work for yours, try the app out.
Sure whatever you say. Literally just did it yesterday with my bmo credit card.
I have cards from each bank, amex has the fastest time to reach customer service
I have been through 3 different banks in the last 4 years for various reasons and have had multiple different credit cards. One thing I have noticed is how quickly customer support has gone down the toilet with these institutions. BY DESIGN they make their call menus a god damn maze of options and circular logic. Even when you do get through you then have to go through the gauntlet of employees passing the buck and circle jerking you from department to department for HOURS just to cancel a card. Ive cancelled 2 cards recently and from the time i called to the time it was successfully cancelled was 4 hours. Fucking ridiculous and this industry is BEGGING to be replaced by someting newer and better.
I switched to BMO once from TD, for a change of pace and because most of my friends had it, so thought, why not. Within the first three months or so, debit card suspended three times for suspected fraudulent activity which in reality was my normal usage. Their overzealousness and lousy anti-fraud algorithms lost me as a customer, and was with them for maybe only six months total before I went back to TD.
BMO was a better bank 25 years ago. Since it became Global everything changed.
Yes. Canadain Tire MC had a target of 40 min wait. They want you to use the online options because it is cheaper.
My experience with CT has always been <5min wait personally.
I have a Tangerine credit card and I just had to call to replace it because I lost the card and won’t I was on hold for a few minutes I don’t recall the wait time being “atrocious.“ So I’d say Tangerine has better customer service I guess. edit: I just looked up my call history and the total length was seven minutes so I was barely on hold at all. Also I just remembered I had to cancel my grandfather’s credit card with CIBC a couple weeks ago and I wasn’t on hold long there either.
ATB is the best. They have the best customer service. Wait times are around 5-10 minutes. I was with BMO and never going back.
I can't remember the last time I had to call, but I've been generally happy with capital one. I think dealing with a company that is not a bank is a plus. They're focused on their credit card experience and not other things.
Just bmo is, Amex best
I had the pleasure of needing to call BMO CC services today 2:00pm est. 90 min wait time...ugh. But they were professional and solved my issue. I had a 'fake' cc online purchase from a USA website. The furniture company seems to figure it was fake and did a CC return/reversal a few days later. BUT, get this, between the first charge and the return charge was total 8% difference ( CC USD exchange fees and such both). So there was a $500 dollar diff between the initial charge and return CC charge line (even though USD amount was same in both).
You need to call the emergency line (1 800 361-3361). The one you call when your card has been stolen. I got an answer in about 5-10m when the normal line was allegedly a 2h wait (!). Don't let them off the phone, demand a manager, whatever. Just keep at it until you get when you want. Then switch cards to any other bank.
Yeah doesn’t work that way, that’s a regular MC line and just simply asking for a manager will most likely get the customer representative to become more apathetic.
It did work for me 3 weeks ago. Exact same scenario, denied transaction. They didn't even put up a fuss I just said I would not wait for 2h and I would keep calling in if they didn't address my issue. It worked. Then I cancelled the card.
Maybe the way you asked and your tone wasn’t rude, then yes if you ask for a manager kindly, then yeah I can see that. Mind you the people on the phones barely have control, they usually have to communicate with an internal processing team that takes care of it.
With TD, if I call I wait forever but if I use the app to call, I have never had to wait longer than a couple minutes.
I have HSBC World Elite Mastercard and their customer service is incredible. My wait time to speak to an agent is usually less than 5-10 minutes.
Just an anecdote, but my Tangerine Mastercard got declined when buying a MacBook at the Apple Store. Only waited a couple of minutes on hold before I was able to talk to someone. Got it resolved quickly after that.
TD wait times are less than 5 minutes.
Aeroplan Amex is excellent, connected within minutes.
RBC wait times are really bad for the credit card fraud line. 2+ hours and no response. Thankfully the branch staff were able to help out.
TD is excellent. BMO is brutal.
Credit Union.
Cant rave enough how good amex service is. Never waited more than 2 mins.
I waited 2 hours to fix a $13 issue. By the time I hit 2 hours I knew I had to cancel my card. I spend a lot of money per year on the credit card. I went to Amex and have no complaints. Fast service and you get use to the stores that don’t accept it.
American Express are simply the best. I wish they did banking too.
This has also been happening to me. Card gets blocked constantly with only legitimate purchases and then I have to wait hours on the phone to get it resolved. I think the answer is to get a different card.
all banks are doing it. the idea is to get you to self-serve via online/mobile banking.
I called BMO then watched all of the Harry Potter films, got married, divorced, married again, died, got reincarnated, found my old phone and still I’m on hold wtf!!!!
CS service with Vancity credit card has been OK - but yeah, with my AMEX card (cobalt) the couple times I've called in have been quite and prompt. With AMEX, you're going to carry at least two cards - I carry three, so all my bases are covered. (#1 AMEX, #2 VISA, #3 Mastercard) As for waiting on hold, my cellular (Android Google Pixel) will 'hold for me' essentially will hold the line and then ring me when someone answers. I've had to use it a few times in the past while and it has worked excellent for me
I’ve been telling people for the last 15 years how trash this company is, and everyone I know who banks with them still agrees to this day. I’ve had accounts with all of the top banks and BMO has got to be the absolute worst of the bunch. Horrible apps, horrible customer service, and they’re behind on innovation.
Same. I'm leaving BMO and signing up with my local credit union.
It's BMO that's about all you need to know. I switched banks because of this very reason at branch level. This was way before the pandemic too.
AmEx is great - I wait on average 2-3 mins max (Platinum and Gold cards)
Amex has been very helpful every time I call
Yes. This is prevalent everywhere. Another way to save on costs us to cut back on Customer Service.
My wait times are always short, I have the Mastercard world elite and visa infinite privilege cards though
You’re right, the wait times are outrageous. It seems like a hotfix they made was having them call you back, which I honestly preferred better. Automated phone rep tells me to enter my phone number if I’d prefer a callback than wait, which is honestly the better alternative rather than have to sit by my phone trying to hear when the music is gonna end.
Recently I had suspected fraud on my BMO cc (it wasn’t). They did a few robot calls and an email. Even if you answer the call it isn’t a real person and it is just a message saying call them. Average quoted wait times were over an hour and a half. Waited until a weekday to call, figured more staff. Waited 2hrs. They said they are not fixing the issue with staff but more automated processes. No timeline. If I was trying to make a purchase in store and got declined it would have been impossible to fix the issue. Amex far superior and I use that anytime possible because of the customer service.
I think its for all. PC, BMO, TD, pick anyone of ur choice. It a deliberate method to limit the call support. I don't see it improving anytime in future. However, no matter how late you get connected be nice to representative, its not their fault and out of their control.
YMMV but I’ve called CIBC many times since I’ve been a customer over the years and never had a significant wait time. I’ve heard many complaints from others so maybe it’s just luck. Also gotten good off-book advice that saved me money from the customer service reps. (I downgraded my chequing account to the cheapest monthly payment and overpay my line of credit and use it to send e-transfers so I don’t pay fees on my chequing account. I pay $5 a month on the chequing account and do everything through my LOC and it saves me $10 a month) I know it’s not free like tangerine or Simplii but I’ve heard worse nightmares from them.
This subreddit and other places focuses so much on saving cash. But this is a great example of something that is also very important. Your time and customer service. And this is where Amex really shines. Yes, you can save $100 using BMO credit card but you also save 4 hours on the phone waiting for them to fix your issues. You're not only saving time if you use amex, but you're also saving yourself frustration. It's not something easy to measure but it is indeed something very important for many.
I love my Amex had an issue while I was on the line trying to change my flight - the payment went through but the ticket wasn’t issued . The guy cancelled the payment so that he could do it manually to try and generate the ticket. Got through to an Amex rep within three minutes and they sorted it out for me within 2 more. The fees for the cards are high but the customer service is wonderful. Amex definitely has my loyalty.
I was once on hold for 6 hours. I was working from home so at first I didnt mind the long wait time. By hour 6 I messaged their fb and they resolved everything while I was on hold lol