ScotiaBank - A Review in Customer Relations

I have been banking with Scotia Bank Canada for the last eight years. I opened my first account with this bank when I came to Canada in 1999. Why only this bank? Because primarily it was closer to my home and so more convenient and also I did not know about Canadian banks at that time.

If someone asks me now how I will go along this bank now. My answer will definitely be big NO. I have steadily reduced my dealings with this bank as I got more experience with other banks. I will rank this bank at the bottom in their customer friendliness.

I have never been happy with Scotia dealings. Now I realize that this is a very conservative bank and cares damn for the interests of its customers. At least this is my experience.

I had more than $20,000 in fixed deposits when I started. Despite that I had to earmark with them $1500 for one year for getting a Credit Card with a credit limit of $1500. I have not raised this limit since then. I will be dumping this card sometime.

When I had close to $30,000 deposits with this bank, they turned down my mortgage application for a meager $150,000. Then Royal Bank came to my aid and approved my application quick and without any fuss.

I applied for a Scotia McLeod application. They lost it and I had to apply second time. After several years I applied for Options trading, I sent them application twice and did not get a reply. I had to call and remind them. The height of the matter was the person at the Customer Service at my branch did not even know how to find the address of McLeod. I wonder if she forwarded my application at all. Then I just ignored it and got an account in days with Royal Bank.

Recently I went to my branch to get a piece of paper signed for my landlord. They had just to verify my account balance and if there were any returned checks. I was told to book an appointment with a so called advisor and then pay a fee of $15 and so on and so forth. I told them to forget it and headed straight to Royal Bank. The receptionist there barely took a minute in completing my paper and that too free.

I got so much to say about Scotia Bank’s lousy service as compared to that of other banks.

This bank will ditch you at the right time, besides being expensive and unfriendly. It will charge you for very petty services. Can you imagine getting a certified check free of charges at Scotia Bank? I got it free at Royal Bank so many times.

Moral of the story: Scotia bank is too conservative, cheap and full of red tape. I really wonder how this bank is continuing in business; may be because of sheer strength. My best advice, shun this bank.