Am I Really in Good Hands with Metrobank?

I must admit, I got sick and am tired of it. It's not the first time we encountered this problem from Metrobank. It's not also just me. So the next time Metrobank representatives will conduct a PDOS briefing, can we ask them this question, "are we really in good hands with your bank?"

My first encounter was July 2009. I blogged about that here.

My atm was not recognized when someone deposited money to my account. Take note that I've been using this account for 4 or more years. What happened was a nightmare to me. I can't believe that the thousands of pesos we deposited won't be credited to my account while the money transfers from Saudi says it's already there and that their system accepted the deposit. But anyway, to make the long story short, the transfer agency/bank from Saudi took back the money, gave it back to me in cold cash, with a charge. See. My money was there in the Philippines, say 200T, sleeping in Metrobank without earning anything for six months, and when I found out, they returned it back to me, and I paid the charges.

What is the matter? I thought they said, that if it's an OFW account, there is no maintaining balance, so how come my ATM was dead?! Was it dead because I don't have any activities with my money. I was so scared then that someone must have withdrawn those money that I worked like a carabao to earn.

Before we left Al Khobar last April, Metrobank offered us a promo. We will open a new account and we will get another ATM for free. We opened one for Mrs. Thoughtskoto, and decided that the other one is for my 2nd brother's family. My 2nd brother will also be going here to Saudi soon so thinking that he can transfer the money easily, we decided to grab the offer.

When we arrived in Manila, my 3rd brother, also an OFW in Dammam, who accompanied us on vacation has a Metrobank ATM also that he opened in Saudi. He tried to withdraw one time. The machine says, "your ATM is not yet active. Please contact your bank." The ATM bear the Metrobank Ayala Triangle branch in Ayala Tower One so went there. We were told that the activation needs to be done in the main office in Buendia, Makati. It cause us hassles, worries, and yes, again money. Along the way from Ayala Triangle to Buendia, I was telling my brother, never will I ever banked with Metrobank anymore!

Anyway, today early morning Mrs. Thoughtskoto went to St. Luke's Medical Center so Hevyn would have some thorough check-up. Thanks to St. Luke's accommodating doctors, there's three of them who took care of Hevyn, took her blood samples, Xray's and Urinalysis. Two days earlier they went to the Chinese General Hospital for check up, and Hevyn was on observation for symptoms of Dengue.

I talked to Mrs. Thoughtskoto just a while ago. She said Hevyn was negative for both Dengue and UTI, and that, she has only some viral infections and a mild tonsillitis. I sigh in relief and whisper thanks be to God. Last night, both of us, as parents was not able to sleep. It was the first time in my life that I feel helpless thinking of my girls in hopeless situation. It breaks my heart being far away. I feel like going back home, flying if I can.

A day before that, I deposited a certain amount to Mrs. Thoughtskoto's account, the Metrobank ATM we opened in Al Khobar. Today, when she tried to withdraw some money, (we have already deposited money there before, so there was cash for emergencies) it says that it needs to be activated! What taaaa...

Common, what is your problem Metrobank!? Do we have to go to your main office every time we open an account or ATM from here abroad!? We are in the middle of emergency here and we entrusted you with hundreds of thousands of pesos and all you've got to tell us is we should activate our atm first? Stop fooling people if you cannot give us an ATM that we can't use anytime! Okay? Yes, I am truly mad. Imagine the frantic feeling of a mother who have a sick daughter and is being treated and when she runs for money at the ATM, you would be told,

"hey, activate me first!"

I demand an explanation! Good for you Metrobank, my daughter was just fine. But I can't accept the experiences we have had in your bank! Not just once, but oh, twice to us, and my brother.

Is there any bank out there who don't have to give us headaches like this?

I said to Mrs. Thoughtskoto that I was terribly mad, and would like her to withdraw all the money from that account after activation, and throw that Metrobank ATM! I also advise my brother not to deposit money to the Metrobank ATM and instead throw it away!

Useless piece of junk!

We badly need the money for emergency and all you keep on telling us is to activate the ATM in your main office!

Now I know I am not really in good hands with Metrobank. I have to blog about it to warn other OFW's opening account from your bank, or they might end up the same experience with us. What if they're from Visayas, or Mindanao, do they have to come to your head office again and have it activated there? Foolishness!

Common, Metrobank people, answer that if you're really doing it right.

©2010 THOUGHTSKOTO

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