I AM DELIGHTED that BPI-Philam Life Assurance Corp. now has a customer care function. This will enable higher levels of probity to be attained.
Many banks have employed customer care executives for many years. I have received customer care telephone calls from my bank, Security Bank on two occasions. In both cases, prompt and proactive action by the bank enabled what could have been difficult situations to be resolved without fuss. The first was when unbeknownst to me, my ATM card had been ‘skimmed’ and a large fraudulent withdrawal took place. A customer care officer phoned me, established that I knew nothing about the withdrawal, and within three days I received the stolen money.
The second case occurred when my monthly pension transferred from the United Kingdom, via the SWIFT network, went astray. It later transpired that Security Bank’s remittance center which received the funds, for reasons best known to itself, transferred my money to Standard Chartered Bank, Manila branch and not, as it had previously done on innumerable occasions, to my Security Bank branch in Bacolod. Again the customer care officer quickly understood what had happened and my funds were sent back to Security Bank.
Speed is of the essence when things go awry. Customer care helps to ensure that mistakes are rectified.
It was not always thus. A long time ago, a family member bought, paid for and completed all the paperwork for a single premium life insurance policy purchased from Philam Life. No receipt was issued and we never received the policy documents.
Philam Life inappropriately withheld much money.
Police Station 2 of Bacolod City PNP kindly facilitated mediation meetings with Barangay 17. These were carried out very professionally by the Barangay Captain. Philam Life admitted that we had not received the policy documents and reported this to their head office. Nothing was done.
The Barangay Captain suspected that document falsification was involved. I could not believe it. Years later I found that he was correct when Philam Life sent me a quit claim form with my signature on it. I did not sign it.
It seems that banks, in our case, BDO, need to be careful with their customer signature cards if they choose to enter into a bancassurance relationship with an insurance company.
I believe that had Philam Life then employed an effective customer care officer, then our problem (non-issuance of the policy coupled with inappropriate withholding of substantial funds) would not have occurred.
Philam Life still does not seem to know what happened. Its Operations Manager sanctimoniously but erroneously tells me that Philam Life had ‘gone beyond its contractual obligations. He does not seem to know that there was no contract because the policy was not received by us.
Does Philam Life now have a customer care facility outside its BPI-Philam bancassurance operation?/PN
