Free* Asus Eee PC from RBC

Alternate title (I Know You Don't Care, But I'll Tell You Anyways)

I recently got out some anger towards RBC in a letter I'm sending to their client care centre. It was just easier to post the contents of the letter here rather than re-writing it entirely. I'll follow up with their response.

Complaining to a big corporation is a bit of a dance - I know that the only reason they have any concern for their customers at all is because not doing so would affect their bottom line. However, I still need to come across as somewhat hurt and surprised that they don't seem to care about me. That way, hopefully they can get what they want (more of my money in the future) while I get what I want (some of my money back). With any luck I'll get my free computer (read on for details), and if not I'll at least reduce my banking fees by moving to President's Choice...

Anyhow, here it is:

Client Care Centre
PO Box 1, Royal Bank Plaza
Toronto, Ontario M5J 2J5

To Whom It May Concern:

I have been a Royal Bank client since 1995, and am generally pleased with the services I have received from RBC. However, recent changes to my personal banking account are disappointing and certainly encourage me to entertain banking options with other financial institutions.

I was until May 1 of this year a holder of a Signature Plus account for which I paid $6.95 per month. As of May 1 the Signature Plus account was discontinued. A RBC representative analyzed my usage over a few months and determined that the most cost efficient account for me would be the Signature No Limit at $13.95 per month. My account was automatically switched to this higher priced account. I do not plan on changing my banking habits to make use of the additional features of the new account, so I effectively have been dealt a 100% markup in my personal banking fees.

Also on May 1 of this year, RBC began (as you know) a promotion giving a free Asus Eee PC to existing RBC clients who switch to the Signature No Limit account. When I called RBC to inquire about this promotion, I was informed that in order to qualify I would have had to voluntarily switch to the Signature No Limit account. So not only did the forced account upgrade increase my banking fees twofold, it disqualified me for the promotion.

There are two things that keep my accounts at RBC. The first is the inconvenience of moving my established accounts to another financial institution. The second is simply that I consider myself a “Royal Bank guy.” The RBC cards in my wallet have carried me through University, kept me going for a year in Costa Rica, paid for my wedding and now help me raise my two young children. As a result, there is a certain affinity I feel towards RBC. However, my recent RBC experience has made me feel that perhaps this feeling of affinity is misplaced; that RBC is simply another bank whose sole purpose is to extract as much money out of me as possible.

The banking fee increase is sufficient to overcome the inconvenience of switching accounts, and RBC’s policies regarding the recent promotion are enough to make me rethink my loyalty. I would recommend that RBC supply me with some very compelling reasons as to why I should keep my accounts here, because goodness knows the competition is looking very compelling itself.